Sullivan County was feeling the music this Sunday when the Liberty Central School District hosted The Sullivan County Music Educators’ Association, (SCMEA), Annual All County Music Festival. 

 Performers and listeners  gathered at the David E Panebaker Auditorium on Sunday March 5.

Hundreds of students from Sullivan County’s eight public school districts gathered to perform a program filled with messages of love and community.

This year marked the 68th All County Festival celebrating National Music in Our Schools Month. 

Performers, teachers and conductors alike were met with shorter rehearsal times after the festival was postponed to March 5 due to winter weather. 

Despite this hardship, students bonded together to learn new pieces with guest conductors and accompanists to deliver three concerts.

The first concert consisted of the elementary  chorus and middle school band. The second consisted of junior high orchestra and junior high band, and the last  concert was both the senior high jazz band and mixed chorus.

President of the New York State Alliance for Arts Education, Lori Orestano-James, introduced each concert and spoke on the importance of having access to arts education. 

“The advocacy work being done by NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) and other arts organizations to ensure a high-quality, standards-based, sequential Music and Arts Education for all students in NYS,” said Orestano-James.