Musical Fridays

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Jeff Weisz and August Berger play at Musical Friday
Photo by Ms. Ghazal Erfani, Public Relations Officer

The Tri-M Music Honor Society at Plainview Old-Bethpage JFK High School in Plainview, NY, has introduced a new tradition that has brought smiles to many faces, even at 7:15 a.m. in the morning.

“The new idea of Musical Fridays starts everyone’s day with great music that can’t help but to brighten their day,” explains Kira Frank, chapter president. “Musical Fridays is an event that occurs once or twice a month where various student musicians play music in the main lobby as students arrive to school in the morning. This twenty minute ‘mini-concert’ sets a great vibe to the school and is a great way to start the day.

“Different musical groups including guitarists, acappella groups, brass quartets, violin duets, and even beat-boxers have performed at Musical Fridays. Any student can sign up to perform, giving everyone a chance to share their musical abilities. Crowds tend to gather around the musicians, clapping and cheering for the musicians as they play. Doughnuts are sold as an added touch.”

“These Musical Fridays also occur on days before vacations to get both students and faculty pumped for the break. It is a fantastic way to spread cheer throughout the school while sharing music appreciation at the same time. If only every day was a Musical Friday!”

“Musical Fridays is a program which, by its very nature, presents a diverse array of musical genres and skills, from opera to bluegrass, jazz to classical,” says Glenn K. Rubin, the Tri-M chapter advisor. “We are very proud of our outstanding music program, but most of the time our ensembles rehearse behind closed doors in preparing for the next concert. Musical Fridays allows our talented students an ongoing visibility in a casual setting. This has had the effect of heightening the recognition of the importance of live music in our school.”