Twenty-two Seneca Valley students participated in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 5 Band Festival in Beaver.

JACKSON TWP — Twenty-two Seneca Valley instrumentalists participated in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 5 Band Festival in Beaver Jan. 24 to 26.

Based on audition results, 19 of the students — Luke Choban, David Choi, Grace Connors, Rebekah Cox, Zach Garcia, Eden Geis, Kyle Gragg, Hiruni Herat, Jeremy Love, Evan Moeller, Olivia Otway, Ashleigh Patterson, Elizabeth Salgado, Kate Scanlan, Sean Scott, Ryan Sims, Carmyn Talento, Brian Vogel and Renhan Xu — will be moving on to the PMEA Region 1 Band Festival in March.

Also representing Seneca Valley at the District 5 festival were Nicole Buchek, Ally Buchek and Harrison Silvester.

“This is the first step in the state-level music festival system where students have the opportunity to advance to the regional level,” said Varden Armstrong, a Seneca Valley band teacher.

District 5 is made up of students from Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties.

Instrumental instructors on the Seneca Valley secondary campus include Armstrong, Robert Matchett, Robert Babick and Sara Snyder.

Thirty-four seventh- through ninth-grade students also participated in the PMEA Junior High District Chorus at Grove City High School Jan. 16.

The students participated in a one-day festival, where they worked with guest conductors.

Selected for Junior High District Chorus were eighth-grade students Allison Alexander, Alexis Bardos, Joe Cantella, Kyle Davidson, Avery Flood, Cameron Hayward, Mark Gartner, Carly Pelletier, Tess Kyyashko, Alexis Helsel, Rachel Henne, Leta Hixon, Elizabeth Hixon, Kaitlyn Mankevich, Ryan McDonald and Elliot McMahon, and ninth-grade students Logan Biordi, Mark Brymer, Nick Dellana, Grace Fawcett, Kevin George, Trey Hixon, Gavin Khilji, Kate Lipscomb, Dru Merrick, Alex Mortier, Tanush Nelikil, Sam Panizales, Eli Peel, Bernie Riley, Greta Schmidt, Sam Skeen, Jonah Smeltzer and Caroline Zulick.

Vocal instructors on the Seneca Valley secondary campus include Aaron Magill, Bobi-Jean Alexander and Claire Barker.