The Garden City School District's Music Department is pleased to recognize the accomplishments of two of its faculty members, who are also residents of the Garden City community.

Martha Boonshaft, middle school director of bands, has been invited to guest conduct the Suffolk County Music Educator's Association's (SCMEA) 2005 Middle School All-County Band. This prestigious honor is bestowed upon prominent conductors and educators who have distinguished themselves in the field of music education. SCMEA is recognizing both Boonshaft and the middle school program as models for all schools to emulate. It is not only a tribute to Boonshaft's resourceful instructional methods and child-centered approach, but to the entire team of professionals with whom she works.

Robert Ludwig, director of vocal music and music theory, recently presented a workshop for music teachers at the annual NYSSMA Winter Conference in Rochester. In the session, titled "The Pianist as a Choral Accompanist," Ludwig presented the high school choral teacher's perspective on how a student or professional pianist should approach the task of providing accompaniment for a chorus. Some of the challenges explored in his presentation include techniques for playing accompaniments originally intended for orchestra or other instruments, as well as rehearsal etiquette for both conductor and accompanist.

Ludwig is also a member of the board of the NY Chapter of the American Choral Director's Association. In connection with that responsibility, at the NYSSMA conference, he presented a review of The Chorus, a film about a French boys' boarding school chorus that is being released nationally Jan. 28 by Miramax. His comments about the film have been included by Miramax on the poster advertising the movie. The film, released last year in France, has been nominated for numerous awards and festivals, and its soundtrack has been at the top of the French charts for four weeks.