During the 2019–20 school year, along with other accomplished music students across the United States and overseas in military base schools, Daniel L. Knipscher from Vestal High School practiced with dedication to gain a chair or part in his local, district, and state music honor ensembles.
And last week, Daniel joined the “best of the best” for the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) 2020 All-National Honor Ensembles (ANHE) Virtual Event January 7 - 8, 2021. This first-ever All-National Honor Ensembles virtual event included several rehearsals with the 2020 ANHE Conductors and workshops with renowned clinicians. Each ensemble created a final, recorded performance that will be premiered online during the National Association for Music Education
’s (NAfME) Music In Our Schools Month® in March 2021.
A Vestal High School Senior, Daniel preceded this year’s honor with an All-State performance last year, and has been named to the NYSBDA Honor Band previously. In the community, he has participated in Binghamton Youth Symphony and the Teen Jazz Project. At school, he is an active member of Jazz Band, Vestal Voices, IB Music, Modern Music and VHS Talent Fest. Dan’s other interests include math, golf and wood-working.
The All-National Honor Ensembles performers represent collaboration and creativity in its highest musical form. The All-National Honor Ensembles consist of a concert band, symphony orchestra, mixed choir, jazz ensemble, guitar ensemble, and modern band (now in its second year). Students were chosen through an audition process. The concert band and symphony orchestra will each have 120 instrumentalists each, the jazz ensemble 13 instrumentalists, the mixed choir 241 vocalists, the guitar ensemble 45 instrumentalists, and the modern band 13 performers.
Names, schools, and states, as well as music directors, of the 552 2020 All-National Honor Ensemble students are available now:
nafme.org/ANHE.