Two musicians from the Great Neck Public Schools have been selected for the prestigious Nassau Music Educators Association, or NMEA, All-County Division IV Jazz Ensemble. This year’s ensemble will include alto saxophonist Scott Levy from North High School and trumpeter Sophia Wotman from South High School.
The Division IV Jazz Ensemble features outstanding ninth and tenth-grade musicians from across Nassau County. Scott’s instrumental music teacher at North High is Joseph Rutkowski, and Sophia’s instrumental music teachers at South High are Michael Schwartz, performing arts department head, and Mark Boschen.
Unlike most other All-County performing groups, which determine participants solely upon New York State School Music Association scores, the All-County Division IV Jazz Ensemble requires both a superior score as well as a separate audition. During the audition process, students perform a solo selection and demonstrate the ability to sight-read music provided by an adjudicator.
The All-County Concerts, sponsored by NMEA, feature the county’s finest student musicians who perform together in various ensembles.
