March 2026 - The spring concert season is here and there's been lots of great achievements by our music students. Check out all the new music news!
Student Spotlight: Ashland Students Score Big at District Music Auditions
Student Spotlight: AHS Students Gabby Ilin and Neha Ruthramoorthy Earn All-State Honors
Spring Concerts Are Just Around the Corner!
March 2026 – Mark your calendars and get ready for an exciting season of music as Ashland Public Schools proudly presents its Spring Concert Series! This season’s lineup promises an unforgettable celebration of musical excellence, showcasing the dedication, growth and talent of our band and vocal students.
Highlights this season include a preview concert by our award-winning AMS Wind Ensemble and AHS Band students as they prepare for the Massachusetts Instrumental & Choral Conductors Association (MICCA) Festival, as well as a musical journey through the past century with the AHS Chorus in Diving Through the Decades: Celebrating 100 Years of Song. Thanks to Mindess Elementary’s expanded chorus program this year, we are especially excited to introduce a new addition to the spring season—the Mindess Choral Concert! We look forward to seeing our grade 4–5 students take the stage and share their voices with the community.
Visit AshlandMusic.org/Attend to check out the upcoming concert season.
Meet Danny Williams, Director of the AMS Jazz Ensemble
March 2026 – Three years ago, when Ashland resident Danny Williams heard from his sons that the middle school jazz group might not run that year, he stepped in to help keep the tradition alive. Since then, he has continued volunteering his time leading the AMS Jazz Ensemble, ensuring students have the opportunity to play, perform, and grow together.
Mr. Williams is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with more than 20 years of teaching experience. He currently teaches lower school bands and middle school ensembles at The Meadowbrook School of Weston.
A talented multi-instrumentalist who plays piano, guitar, saxophone, and clarinet, he draws inspiration from legends like Miles Davis and Quincy Jones. His favorite aspect of teaching is witnessing the satisfaction students feel when performing for their friends and family. Thanks to his generosity and dedication, the AMS Jazz Ensemble students will keep getting that chance.
Learn more about Mr. Williams on the AMA Meet the Teachers page.
Blooms for Tunes is Back!
March 2026 - Last year, the AMA partnered with Blush Bouquets and piloted the Blooms for Tunes fundraiser. Blush Bouquets provided an easy-to-use web site to preorder a floral bouquet for the special musician in your life. The bouquets were ready for pick up right outside the concert doors - beautiful and fresh! The AMA received a portion of each bouquet purchased and, thanks to the community, the fundraiser was a success!
Blooms for Tunes is back this spring and we’re expanding it to all end of year concerts in May and June! Stay tuned for details and the preorder web site
Student Spotlight: Ashland Students Score Big at District Music Auditions
March 2026 - This year, 28 outstanding band and vocal music students from Ashland Middle and High Schools have been selected to participate in the prestigious Central District Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Festival Concerts. Students were selected through a rigorous audition process involving over 70 schools across the region. These concerts bring together top student musicians from the area to work with renowned conductors and experience the excitement of performing in high-level ensembles. Auditioning for and being selected to these festivals reflects not only the students’ dedication and hard work, but also the strength of Ashland’s music education programs. We are proud to celebrate these extraordinary achievements!
Senior District Festival Concert auditions were held in mid-November, and the concert took place on January 17th at the historic Mechanics Hall in Worcester. Congratulations to the following students who were selected to perform at the Central District Senior Festival Concert:
Erick Almeida (Tenor), Chorus
Jonah Bloom (French Horn), Concert Band
Caroline Diamond (Soprano)*, Chorus
Millie Jaiswal (Bass Clarinet)*, Concert Band
Rebecca Kriegsman (French Horn), Concert Band
Gabby Ilin (Alto)*, Chorus
Daniel Lee (Clarinet)*, Concert Band
Sabrina Lin (Clarinet), Concert Band
Andrew Martin (Bassoon)*, Orchestra
Hasani Reddy (Tuba), Concert Band
Neha Ruthramoorthy (Bass Clarinet)*, Concert Band
Kaiya Smits (Oboe), Concert Band
* Indicates the student, based on their high scores in the audition, earned All-State Recommendation, allowing them to audition for potential placement in the All-State Music Festival.
Ashland High School band students prepare to take the stage at the Senior District Festival Concert.
Junior District Festival Concert auditions were held in early February. This year, 28 students from Ashland Middle School (grades 7–8) and Ashland High School (grade 9) participated in the audition process, including—for the first time in many years—a chorus student from Ashland Middle School. Sixteen students were selected to perform in the Central District Junior Festival Concert, which will be held on May 2nd at Whitcomb Middle School in Marlborough. Congratulations to:
Daniel Achildiev (Alto Saxophone), Concert Band
Sam Apostola (Clarinet), Concert Band
Marcus Coombs (Tuba), Concert Band
Ben Deibler (Bassoon), Concert Band
Charlotte Dowd (Soprano), Chorus
Nathan Follett French Horn), Concert Band
Alex Gonzales (Trumpet), Concert Band
Viraj Harish (Violin), Orchestra
Lily Hutter (Clarinet), Concert Band
Inesh Kanakaraju (Trumpet), Concert Band
Torsha Maji (Soprano), Chorus
Elisha Marfil (Trumpet), Concert Band
Mark Mayatskikh (French Horn), Orchestra
Avyukt Sairam (Bass Clarinet), Concert Band
Kyleigh Vento (Soprano), Chorus
Samantha Yung (Clarinet), Concert Band
Special Shout Outs! We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Ashland Select Board for its generous BAA Grant that has helped support our students’ participation in District and All-State auditions and concerts, as well as other enrichment opportunities. We also extend special thanks to Ashland resident and music educator Sam Thurston, director of the Ashland After School Lesson Program in partnership with the Ashland Recreation Department, whose leadership has helped drive increased middle school band participation at Districts over the past two years.
Gabby Ilin (left) and AHS vocal music performance teacher Mary Nemeth (right) at All-State auditions.
Student Spotlight: AHS Students Gabby Ilin and Neha Ruthramoorthy Earn All-State Honors
March 2026 - Two Ashland High School students have earned spots in the esteemed Massachusetts Music Educators Association All-State Festival! Senior alto Gabby Ilin returns for her second consecutive year, performing in the All-State SSAA (Soprano, Soprano, Alto, Alto) Chorus, while talented bass clarinetist Neha Ruthramoorthy has earned a place in the All-State Orchestra. Both students succeeded through highly competitive auditions with the state’s top young musicians. Congratulations to Gabby and Neha on their incredible accomplishments! The All-State Festival will be held at the Hanover Theater in Worcester on March 21st.
Double the Music: Does Your Employer Match?
March 2026 - Did you know that many companies will match your donation to the AMA dollar-for-dollar? These programs are a vital way for our parent-run org to continue our support of the APS music programs.
How to find us: Most companies use portals like Benevity, YourCause, Bonterra, or Deed. To ensure your match goes to the right place, the easiest way to find us is by searching our Federal EIN: 27-2113922.
Not listed? You can nominate us! If you search for us by EIN and we don't appear, don't worry! Most platforms have a "Nominate a Cause" or "Add a Nonprofit" button right on the search page.
Enter our name (Ashland Music Association) and our EIN (27-2113922).
The platform will then contact us to verify our 501(c)(3) status.
It only takes a minute to nominate us, but it can provide years of support for Ashland's student musicians. Thank you for helping us keep the music playing!
Thank You 25’-26’ AMA Business Sponsors & Grantors
March 2026 - The AMA would like to give another huge shout out to our business sponsors and grantors! Their generous support enables the AMA to donate the necessary funds for repair of school-owned instrument, music festival and competition fees and transportation, and supplies and services our music teachers need to keep music classroom learning thriving. Check out the AMA 2024 - 2025 Impact Report to learn more about last the AMA's '24 - '25 fundraising and donations to the APS music programs.
A big thank you to the Ashland Cultural Council for awarding the AMA a grant for an accompanist for the AHS spring choral concert!
Also, our top-tier Principal Conductor Sponsors are worthy of another shoutout!
We also proudly recognize Fishworks for their support as a Rhythm Backer sponsor.
