By Matthew Thekkethala’15, Staff Writer

Over the course of one day, you nail your solo, helping the band earn a superior rating, then soar down Steel Force, the most popular ride at Dorney Park. The annual “Trills and Thrills Day” was on May 27 is looked forward to by the many middle school musicians and singers for it is the day which these students have been preparing for all year.

During “Trills and Thrills,” every middle school student brings their instrument, voice, and talent to Boyerstown High School in Pennsylvania, where the Middle School Chorus, Advanced Singers, Jazz Band (Iguana), and Orchestra perform for judges, who rate each group. After all performances, the students head over to the nearby Dorney Park for a day of thrills and excitement. Mrs. Emelianoff, who coordinates this musical journey, recalls, “I have been taking the Middle School Band to the Trills and Thrills Festival for 15 years. We used to go to Six Flags Great Adventure, but the participating school stages were never big enough to accommodate our group. The trip has evolved into an all-middle school event involving the Middle School Chorus and Jazz Band groups.”

Before the trip, several middle school students expressed their excitement and expectations for the performances and Dorney Park. “The concert is a very good way to show what we’ve been learning in Chorus all year. It’s the final concert besides the Eighth Grade Graduation Song,” explained David Robusto ’15. However, most students couldn’t hide their enthusiasm for Dorney Park. Greg Kacergis ’15 remarked, “It’s not really about the environment (Dorney Park) we’re in. Just being able to roam freely with your ‘homies’ in a different place besides Newark Academy doesn’t happen often. We have hours to go eat funnel cake, win prizes at rigged carnival games, and of course, to ride roller coasters. My favorite roller coaster is ‘Possessed.’” Sixth graders were new to Trills and Thrills this year, but looked forward to the day as well. “I’m so excited for it. I mean, it’ll be a great way to end the music year,” exclaimed Gabi Poisson ’17 and Joelle Gross ’17.

However, what is truly notable is the effort the music teachers Mrs. Emelianoff, Mr. Tolentino, and Mr. Lal put into awakening the musical talents within each student over the course of a school year. “My wish this year was that we play our best, that each student is focused, engaged and enjoying the experience of making music with friends, and come away from the day appreciative of the wonderful opportunities that they are given at Newark Academy. If we earn a superior rating, that would be icing on the cake!” says Ms. Emelianoff. The band won a superior rating with a 91.5%. Mr. Tolentino believes, “Iguana is going to have a great performance as long as they keep having fun and concentrate on the music. I’m not so concerned about the rating. I just want the kids to have fun.” The Iguana rating won an excellent rating, missing the superior rating by half a point with an 85.5%. May 27^th was the big day for all middle school musicians to show off their skills, and reward themselves after a long, musical year, and they had a great time.