IMS 7th & 8th Grade Orchestras Named an Exemplary Honor Group for 2025 National Association for Music Education Conference

Mercer Island, WA, January 9, 2025 - The Mercer Island School District is pleased to announce the seventh and eighth grade orchestras at Islander Middle School have been chosen to be a Concert Hour Exemplary Honor Group for the 2025 National Association for Music Education’s (NAfME) All-NW Conference to be held in Spokane February 13 to February 16.

The two orchestras will combine to perform at the Conference on Saturday, February 15 at 2pm.

During the 2023-24 school year, IMS Orchestra teacher, Sarah Hart, collected and submitted  performance recordings of three pieces from various points in the year. Middle School orchestras from across the six states of the Northwest Region (WA, OR, ID, WY, MT, AK) were invited to submit pieces for consideration. 

Islander Middle School was one of only two middle school orchestras in the Northwest Region selected for the honor of performing at the conference.

Hart says the performance will be to a packed house and is an opportunity and platform to highlight both new composers/arrangers/musicians/musical styles, as well as teaching/learning/innovation in the pedagogical orchestral world.

She also stated this is an advocacy moment to show what our students are capable of and moreover, the amazing things middle school orchestra students can accomplish with the proper support and teaching!

Hart says this performance opportunity is a way to give back to our greater musical community. Our students are fortunate to have the rich opportunities provided by the MISD music programs, and as such, we have a responsibility to inspire and motivate other students and teachers in our region.

The orchestra will perform a program that highlights underrepresented composers, communities, and genres; and one that also honors the cultures of our particular students. As such, the performance is a platform for advocacy. An exemplary performance of the pieces chosen will lift historically marginalized voices and encourage other program directors to purchase and program those pieces. This performance is much, much more than just another concert.