SSC’s Festival Wind Ensemble Welcomes Needham Schools Educator Aaron W. Bush to Faculty

Creating new connections with Needham and Pembroke Public Schools

South Shore Conservatory’s Summer Music Festival (SMF), a two-week summer program for middle school through college-aged woodwind, brass and percussion students, is excited to welcome two new ensemble directors for the 2014 season.  Director of Middle School Bands for the Needham Public Schools Aaron W. Bush will lead the Festival Wind Ensemble (FWE) Jazz Ensemble, and Director of Bands at Pembroke High School Austin Glass will conduct the SMF’s Summer Wind Ensemble. 

On the addition of the new faculty members, SMF Music Director Eric Laprade states “Both Aaron and Austin are talented musicians and dedicated educators.  They are committed to improving the lives of children through music and they bring a wealth of experience and excitement to the Summer Music Festival Program.”

Under Bush’s direction, performing ensembles in Needham have consistently received state and regional recognition at adjudicated events and festivals.  An active clinician, adjudicator and guest conductor, Bush was recently invited to direct the 2014 MMEA Northeastern Jr. District Jazz Ensemble.   He holds degrees from the University of Massachusetts and Boston Conservatory, and his principal teachers included Malcolm W. Rowell, Jr., and Stephen Massey.  

On leading the FWE Jazz Ensemble, Bush states, “I am thrilled and honored to be given the opportunity to return to the Conservatory as a faculty member. As a student, Summer Music Festival helped shape me into the musician and teacher I am today. The faculty, social connections, and world-class musical experiences ignited a desire to make music a cornerstone of my life.”  In addition to leading the ensemble, Bush will also teach saxophone.

During Glass’s nine-year tenure with Pembroke, he is credited with increasing the band enrollment from 23 to over 100 active students.  Glass is President-Elect of the Southeastern Massachusetts Bandmasters Association and was also the guest conductor of the 2011 Senior SEMSBA band.   He holds degrees from the Hartt School of Music and Yale University.  “I have been sending students to Summer Music Festival for years,” says Glass.  “They always come back with a deeper passion for music and continue to go back year after year.  I am excited to be this year’s Summer Wind Ensemble conductor and am looking forward to inspiring students from all around the South Shore!” 

South Shore Conservatory’s Summer Music Festival offers wind, brass and percussion students in middle school through college the opportunity to perform in high quality wind band, chamber and jazz ensembles.   The two-week summer program brings together student musicians from across southeastern Massachusetts in an intense, supportive, collaborative and music focused learning environment.  Through daily one-on-one interactions with a dedicated team of 13 talented educators, SMF students are empowered to improve their technical ability, musical sensitivity, listening skills, analytical techniques and overall confidence. 

Summer Music Festival 2014 is held from July 7 to 18 at SSC’s Hingham campus at One Conservatory Drive.   Placement auditions for the program are scheduled for March 1 and May 10.  For more information, to schedule an audition or to register, please visit www.sscmusic.org/smf.html or call 781-749-7565 ext. 21.

About South Shore Conservatory

South Shore Conservatory, recently recognized as a national model for arts education by the National Guild for Community Arts Education, is celebrating more than 43 years of enriching the lives of South Shore residents through music and the arts. SSC was founded as a not-for-profit community music school in 1970 and now has two beautiful campuses in Hingham and Duxbury.  Currently serving over 3000 students of all ages and abilities, SSC is the largest community school for the arts in Massachusetts. Students participate in more than 50 diverse programs in music, dance and drama. SSC’s Hingham campus is located at One Conservatory Drive, Hingham, 781-749-7565.  SSC’s Duxbury campus is located at the Ellison Center for the Arts, 64 St. George Street, Duxbury, 781-934-2731. South Shore Conservatory is a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education.  SSC programs are supported in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. For more information call us, follow us on Facebook or visit www.sscmusic.org.

South Shore Conservatory admits students and families of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.