Hollidaysburg Keeping the Beat
By: Tessa Mentus
Updated: April 5, 2010
HOLLIDAYSBURG, BLAIR COUNTY Blair County Usually high school students are the ones auditioning for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Festival. That’s also known as the PMEA. This year there are more people from the Hollidaysburg Area School District boarding the buses to this year’s festival in Pittsburgh It's not difficult to figure out why Jared Heslop got involved in the Hollidaysburg Area High music department. “Both of my sisters went through the music program here and they both really enjoyed it so I guess it was expected of me you could say,” Heslop said. His hard work had paid off for the second year in a row. The senior is one of nine Hollidaysburg High students qualified to go to the All-State Music Festival. Classmate Kelsey Edkins is joining him. “The only thing I think I have not done is chorus, I don't have that good of a voice so I stay away from that,” Edkins said. Add junior Megan Bettwy to the headcount as well. “When I was little I was in the Blair County Children's Choir and my sister was always very musical so she kind of got me started and then I started taking voice lessons,” Bettwy said. Hollidaysburg Area High School Director of Bands Scott Sheehan will be there, too. That's because he's President Elect of the PMEA. Seeing so many of his Hollidaysburg students get to the All-State Festival is just one of the rewards of his position. “Another nice thing to see is the ones who will continue to play and make music after graduation, too,” Sheehan said. If that isn't enough, there are more Hollidaysburg staff members heading to Pittsburgh Stephanie Everett is one of them. She teaches the high school's mandolin ensemble. She and her group will be at the festival but to serve as a teaching example. Just because you're not in high school yet doesn't mean you can't get a shot. “It's something that I’ve worked towards, it was one of my goals when I came to Hollidaysburg was to take a band to PMEA and actually I didn't expect it to happen this soon,” Hollidaysburg Area Junior High School Director of Bands Kris Laird said. The Hollidaysburg Junior High Symphonic Band will make an appearance as well. It was picked out of 140 junior high bands across the state to perform for the conference. There are students from across the state who qualified for this concert. Just go to the PMEA’s website for information.
