Six Middle School students and six Upper School students at Friends Academy recently received their certificates for performing in the 2026 All-County Music Festival, an annual series of concerts hosted each winter at the Tilles Center by the Nassau Music Educators Association.
Students are selected for All-County by a panel of judges that consider their NYSSMA scores (in Divisions 1–6) from the previous school year and teacher recommendations.
Friends Academy Middle Schoolers included fifth-graders Mia Green (voice, Division 1) and Alice Moodie (French horn, Division 1), sixth-grader Aubrey Davis (voice, Division 2), seventh-grader Teddy Dugan (voice, Division 3), and eighth-graders Sophia Fan (violin, Division 3) and Charlotte Natow (clarinet, Division 3).
Upper Schoolers included freshmen Alina Gu (bassoon, Division 4), Ava Mirabolfathinejad (voice, Division 4) and Ashley Wang (flute, Division 4), and juniors Shreya Kedia (voice, Division 5), Holly Marcell (voice, Division 5), and Armaan Parkash (voice, Division 5).
The best way to view the recognition, says Laura Backley, the Music Department Convenor at Friends Academy, is not as awards but as something akin to professional certifications — the idea being that students took on significant work beyond the normal school day, learning new music and immersing themselves in an ensemble experience.
“We want to celebrate these students and their hard work,” says Ms. Backley, “but it’s also important to point out that their goal was to get into another ensemble, which is at the heart of what we do at Friends.
“I can wax poetic about all the things music does to your creative brain, your neural pathways, your development emotionally,” she adds, “But ensemble music — learning how to work on a team — is where we learn the most about ourselves and the world we live in. Being part of an ensemble might be the most valuable skill humans can learn. Our students who were part of the All-County ensemble this past winter highlighted the best of what we do at Friends every day: working hard and navigating a space together to create the best sounds and the best experience for all of us.”
Photography by Alvin Caal / Friends Academy