Educational Grants and Scholarships
Friends of Music Awards Scholarships
From left to right: Friends of Music Board President, Judy Jones, presenting scholarship award to Richard Friends III at Jefferson High School’s award ceremony, May 9; Phyllis Smock and Sharon Henderson with scholarship recipient Melody Hudson at Martinsburg High School’s award ceremony, May 15; Friends of Music board member Phyllis Smock presenting award to Alexander Parello at Musselman High School, Thursday, May 15; and Scholarship recipient Liam McCarthy and Friends of Music board member Sharon Henderson at awards ceremony at Musselman High School, May 15.
Friends of Music has awarded $500 scholarships to four graduates from three area high schools. The awards were presented to the students at their corresponding schools’ recent senior award assemblies at Musselman, Martinsburg and Jefferson high schools.
The students are: Jefferson High School graduate Richard Friends, III; Martinsburg High School graduate Melody Hudson; and graduates Alexander Parello and Liam McCarthy from Musselman High School. The students were chosen from a field of 12 graduates who applied for the awards. Finalists were chosen based on their involvement in music-related activities, awards, and plans for commitment to music in college and beyond.
- Friends, from Shenandoah Junction, plans to major in music education at either Shepherd or West Virginia University. He has been active in Jefferson’s jazz and honor bands and developed a band group that played for school and community events. He placed first in Jefferson Got Talent show for two consecutive years.
- Hudson, from Martinsburg, has been the principal trombonist in the Martinsburg High School concert band for four years, head drum major for the marching band, and jazz soloist. She received the Outstanding Jazz Soloist Award, 2022-24. She has been accepted at Shepherd University and plans to study music education and music therapy.
- Parello, from Inwood, has been accepted at Shenandoah University where he will pursue a music degree in performance with the hope of performing in professional orchestras. As a strings player, he was chosen to play first chair in the West Virginia All State Orchestra and plays with the Berkeley County all-county and Shenandoah conservatory orchestras every week.
- McCarthy, from Gerrardstown, has been a drum major in the Musselman High School marching band for two years. He is also a pianist and soloist in the Shepherd Honor Jazz Band, West Virginia Honor Jazz Band, and Region IX Honor Jazz Band. A person of many interests, he plans to double major in jazz piano performance and political science at West Virginia University.
Educational Grants and Scholarships Chronology
Awards to local teachers in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties for their music programs, through end of June 2023 and totaling $25,500, are listed first by year. Scholarships to rising seniors, again through end of June 2023 and totaling $10,500, are also listed separately by year.
2024–25 Internship:
Matthew Jagela – Shepherd University Music Education Major, Trombone and Piano
Spring 2024
20 educational program grants awarded, totaling $7,037.00. The total of mini-grants awarded since 2016 is more than $32,500.
Blue Ridge Primary School, teacher Cheryl LaVigne: Sub–contrabass bar for xylophone set. Amount awarded: $400
Berkeley Heights Elementary School, teacher Meghan Butler: Xylophones. Amount awarded: $400
Charles Town Middle School, teacher Rachel Allen: to support the purchase of Steel Drums. Amount awarded: $250
Harpers Ferry Middle School, teacher Haley O’Meara: Guitar tuners, batteries, strings. Amount awarded: $300
Hedgesville Middle School, teacher Savannah Hochberg: money to support the purchase of ¼ sizedouble bass. Amount awarded: $350
Jefferson High School, teacher J.P. Lynch: Sheet music for jazz ensemble. Amount awarded: $400
Martinsburg North Middle School, teacher Melissa Bair: CD burner and CDs. Amount awarded: $400
Martinsburg South Middle School, teacher Heather Nowell: Hard cases for 2 saxophones. Amount awarded: $400
Martinsburg High School, teacher Casie Adams: Marching cymbals. Amount awarded: $275
Mill Creek Intermediate School, teacher Telena Chilcott: 100 Harmonicas for entire 5th grade. Amount awarded: $350
Mountain Ridge Middle School, teacher Jessica Ruqus: Sheet music for choral classroom. Amount awarded: $400
Mountain Ridge Middle School, teacher Samantha Albright: 4 keyboards. Amount awarded: $400
Musselman High School, teacher Michael Knepper: Ensemble development books for symphonic band. Amount awarded: $400
Ranson Elementary School, teacher Bonnie Pullen: Glockenspiels. Amount awarded: $400
South Jefferson Elementary School, teacher Pam Shearer: Music manipulatives. Amount awarded: $300
Spring Mills Middle School, teacher Jordan English: 500 watt bass combo amplifier. Amount awarded: $300
Spring Mills Primary School, teacher Courtney Clevenger: Rhythmic plastic egg shakers. Amount awarded: $117
Tomahawk Intermediate School, teacher Pamela Lehr: Nested Tubano drums. Amount awarded: $395
Washington High School, teacher Matt Holmes: Trumpet mutes, bass pickup for jazz ensemble. Amount awarded: $400
Wildwood Middle School, teacher Molly Wildman: Headphones for keyboards, keyboard stands, power strips, adapters. Amount awarded: $400
May 2024: Four scholarships of $500 each were awarded to graduating seniors, bringing the total to date to $12,500:
• Richard Friends, III, Jefferson High School
• Melody Hudson, Martinsburg High School, trombone, plans to attend Shepherd University School of Music
• Liam McCarthy, Musselman High School, Piano Performance, plans to attend WVU
• Alexander Parello, Musselman High School, Bass, plans to attend Shenandoah University
Friends of Music awards $500 scholarships to four area high school graduates
From left to right: Kolton Neitz of Musselman High School with Friends of Music board members Phyllis Smock and Sharon Henderson who presented his scholarship award to him May 16 at his school’s awards ceremony; Donald Hawkins of Washington High School with Friends of Music president Judy Jones, who presented his scholarship award May 17 at his school’s awards ceremony; Amelia Dardaris of Washington High receiving her award from Jones at the same ceremony: Ellen Kemp of Jefferson High with Jones outside Trinity Episcopal Church in Shepherdstown where Friends of Music has its office.
The students are Kolton Neitz, who graduated from Musselman High; Donald Hawkins and Amelia Dardaris, who graduated from Washington High and Ellen Kemp, who graduated from Jefferson High.
All four students were recommended strongly by their schools for their musical abilities, leadership qualities and their character.
- Neitz, who is from Gerrardstown, will attend West Virginia University this fall. He has played various wind instruments at Musselman and has been active in the school’s concert band, marching band, jazz band, and indoor percussion group. He was selected as a member of the 2023 West Virginia Region IX Honor Band and performed at the 2022 Wildwood Jazz Festival and the 2023 Shepherd Jazz Festival.
- Hawkins, from Ranson, plans to attend Shenandoah University and major in vocal performance. At Washington, he was one of the few freshmen accepted into the school’s show choir in 2019 and was named the Most Outstanding Performer in the 2022 Martinsburg American Classic Festival. He also performed with Washington’s camerata chamber choir and tenor-bass choir. He was selected to participate in state honors choirs at both the junior high and high school level, and he was also chosen for the 2023 Shepherd University Honors Choir. Hawkins has also been studying classical piano for ten years and he played piano with Washington High’s jazz band in his senior year. He has attained the school’s academic honor roll every semester.
- Dardaris, from Charles Town, will also be attending Shenandoah University, majoring in music performance. Primarily playing flute and piccolo, she performed with Washington High’s wind ensemble, jazz band, and marching band, and with Jefferson County’s Charles Washington Symphony Orchestra. She was an all-state band member throughout her high school years and served as first chair piccolo in her senior year. She served as the marching band’s drum major in her junior and senior years. She was named a member of the National Honor Society in her senior year.
- Kemp, from Shepherdstown, will attend West Virginia University’s School of Music. Her instrument is the trumpet and at Jefferson she played all four years with the marching band, symphonic band, and jazz band, frequently soloing with each ensemble. She was an all-state band member in her sophomore, junior and senior years and a Region 9 honor band member in her junior and senior years. She also performed with the state honor symphonic band ensemble as a junior and the Shepherd University honor jazz band as a senior.
2023–24 Internship:
Gabby Tedeschi – Shepherd University Music Major, Clarinet Performance
Spring 2023
13 educational program grants awarded, totaling $5,000.00
May 2023: Four scholarships at $500 each were awarded to graduating seniors as follows:
● Amelia Dardaris, Washington High School, flute and piccolo, plans to attend Shenandoah Conservatory
● Donald Hawkins, Washington High School, plans to attend Shenandoah Conservatory for vocal performance.
● Ellen Kemp, Jefferson High School, trumpet; plans to attend WVU.
● Kolton Neitz, Musselman High School, tenor saxophone, plans to attend WVU
2022–23 Internship:
Sianna King, Shepherd University Music major, Piano Performance
Spring 2022
14 educational program grants awarded totaling $5,385.63
Hedgesville High School, teacher Corey Hamrick: Reeds, grease, and other essential supplies for band instruments. Amount awarded: $250
Hedgesville Middle School, teacher Jessica Funck: Microphones and audio equipment for middle school choir performances, festivals, and competitions. Amount awarded: $187.74
Martinsburg High School, teacher Casie Adams: Drum for high school marching band drumline. Amount awarded: $500
Mountain Ridge Middle School, teacher Samantha Albright: Seven keyboards for general music classes. Amount awarded: $483
Musselman High School, teacher Michael Knepper: Guitar amplifier for two high school jazz bands. Amount awarded: $449
Ranson Elementary School, teacher Bonnie Pullen: Six ukuleles for general music. Amount awarded: $225
South Jefferson Elementary School, teacher Pamela Shearer: two glockenspiels and music stands. Amount awarded: 489.89
South Middle School, teacher Heather Nowell: Set of percussion concert bells for seventh and eighth grade music classes. Amount awarded: $500
Tomahawk Intermediate School, teacher Pamela Lehr: 12 ukuleles for third to fifth grade music students. Amount awarded: $402
Wildwood Middle School, teacher Molly Wildman: Guitars and wall mounts for general music classroom. Amount awarded: $500
Wright Denny Intermediate School, teacher Lindsay Dove: repair of broken Orff instruments in general music classes. Amount awarded: $200
Spring 2022: Two scholarships at $500 each were awarded to graduating seniors as follows:
● Zakkary Moss, Musselman High School, going to Shepherd University, Trumpet
● Aurora Stone, Jefferson High School going to WVU to pursue Music Education, Bass
Spring 2021
Nine educational program grants awarded.
Martinsburg North Middle School, teacher Daniel Jones: 20 collapsible shoulder rests, various sizes, for violins and violas. These shoulder rests will provide the support necessary for comfort and ease of playing. Amount awarded: $500
Spring 2021
Nine scholarships at $500 each were awarded to graduating seniors as follows:
Franciso Paonessa Amore – Washington High School
Alexis Rose Cookus – Hedgesville High School
Annalise Aardema Jackson – Jefferson High School Shelby
Kuhn – Washington High School
Isaac Patthoff McCarthy – Musselman High School
Zora Omega Muhammad – Martinsburg High School
Joseph David Nickey – Martinsburg High School
Julianna Page Perkowski – Washington High School
Katherine Turner – Jefferson High School
2020
Seven educational program grants awarded:
of a lack of funds. Amount awarded: $421
Ranson Elementary School, teacher Bonnie Pullen: four Remo Tubano drums for use in music classes and by the school’s Percussion Club. Amount awarded: $478
North Jefferson Elementary School, teacher Katie Madrid: 15 Diamond Head DU–105 Rainbow Soprano Ukuleles to assist students in learning to read music and to apply rhythmic and pitch reading skills. Amount awarded: $450.
Valley View Elementary School, teacher Justin Loizos: three Remo Tubano drums to expand the range of percussive instruments available to students, and especially to provide students with drums that they can easily handle. Amount awarded:
2019
CW Shipley Elementary School, teacher Nancy Guiney: two Tubano drums to help increase the number and variety of instruments available for use in music classes. Amount awarded: $388
Rosemont Elementary School, teacher Patricia Cooper: a set of 14 books for use in K–3 classes. Ms. Cooper frequently incorporates books into her music lessons, having students sing songs based upon them. She says this helps her students develop a sense of the creative process. Amount awarded: $188
Hedgesville Middle School, Laura Rhin: electronic hardware (a wireless video transmitter and VGA multiport adaptor) to facilitate instruction during general music classes. Amount awarded: $244
North Middle School, four acoustic guitars to be used by 8th grade students participating in the school’s Guitar Club, as well as 8th graders taking general music classes. Amount awarded $500.
Charles Town Middle School, an iPad, iPencil and case to facilitate instruction in the school’s music classes. Amount awarded: $415
2019: Two scholarships at $500 each were awarded to graduating seniors as follows:
● Walter Kester – Jefferson High School
● Lilly Noel – St. James School
2018: Three educational program grants awarded.
Bedington Elementary School, a Cajón drum to the music program. The box–shaped percussion instrument is extremely durable and offers a fun way to learn the basics of percussion. Its simplicity makes it an ideal instrument for young children. Amount awarded $250.
Spring Mills Middle School, music–education software for the school’s music students. “SmartMusic,” provides access to an award–winning, web–based music–education platform that includes an extensive music library making it easy for teachers to create individualized
assignments for students, and for students to explore different works on their own. Amount awarded $500.
North Jefferson Elementary School, a set of drums to the music program containing three Remo 100 Series Key–tuned Tubano drums to facilitate learning of a variety of different musical concepts, such as timbre, rhythm, beat and dynamics, and to allow students to compare and contrast the percussive instruments of different cultures. Amount awarded $599
2018
2018: Five scholarships at $500 each were awarded to graduating seniors as follows:
Allyson Hager – Martinsburg High School
Matt Holmes – Jefferson High School
Dalton Kendig – Hedgesville High School
Tim Mason – North Hagerstown High School
Shelby Ward – of Martinsburg High the student
2018 Student Performance: Four student musicians from the Berkeley County Orchestra Program participated in a Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra concert held at Shepherdstown’s Trinity Episcopal Church. The students who participated were Dalton Kendig, Hedgesville High School; Elena Ross, who is home schooled; Haylee Harding, Musselman High School; and Kevin Hugas, Mountain Ridge Middle School. They joined the Orchestra’s regular musicians for a performance of Handel’s Overture to “Theodora.”
2017
Four educational program grants awarded
Shepherdstown Elementary School, an electronic piano keyboard (Williams 88–Key Legato Digital Piano) and five sets of concert band sheet music to the music program. The keyboard serves students in grades K–5 during their musical instruction period twice a week throughout the school year, helping them learn proper finger positioning, note identification, musical rhythm and self–expression. The sheet music helped build the school’s music instruction library. Amount awarded $470.
Charles Town Middle School, 13 Diamond Head Soprano ukuleles for the music program. Soprano models are widely regarded as good quality, workhorse instruments ideal for school use. Amount awarded $500.
Shepherdstown Middle School, a Fender Standard 4–String Jazz Bass Guitar for the award winning Jazz Band. Amount awarded $50
Berkeley County Schools Orchestra Program, two new violas. Amount awarded $750
2017: Four scholarships awarded – two at $500 to graduating seniors and two at $250.
● Emma Locarnini – Washington High School
● Ally Ward – Jefferson High School
● Rhea Ming (viola) and
● Travis Weller (bass) of Spring Mills High School received $250 each to help cover the cost of their participation in a prestigious Carnegie Hall High School Honors Performance Series, held in New York City in February 2018.
2016: Musselman High School junior, Dorian Hemerick received a carbon fiber Diamond NX CodaBow (retail value $470). Friends of Music board member Linda Walker won the bow through a “Pay–it–Forward Giveaway” contest sponsored by CodaBow and “Strings” magazine. Her prize was a new CodaBow for her own use and a second one to be donated to a school or institution of her choice. She donated the second bow to Friends of Music, who in turn donated it to Dorian.
