Achievement Day, a music competition for K-12 students hosted by the Charleston Music Teachers Association, takes place annually in the spring. Participants must learn and perform two pieces from different musical eras; demonstrate applied technique, such as scales, cadences, and inversions; know how to sight-read; and take a written theory test. For piano, levels extend from AA to J based on each students’ number of years of experience. Each year, judges select up to four students per level to perform at the CMTA Honors Recital, showcasing the best piano performances on Achievement Day. In the five upper levels, only one to two students are chosen.

Stunningly this year, Academic Magnet saw students of all grades receive recognition at Achievement Day. Freshmen Jenny Yao (Level G) and Sam Kavarana (Level G), sophomore Kerri Wong (Level H), junior Whitney Su (Level H), and senior Selina Pi (Level J) received the distinction of performing at the 2015 Achievement Day Honors Recital on March 22 at James Island Presbyterian Church. Respectively, they performed Beethoven’s “32 Variations in C minor,” Chopin’s “Scherzo Op. 31 in B flat minor,” J. S. Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue in D Major,” Muczynski’s “Desperate Measures Op. 48,” and Brahms’ “Rhapsody in B minor Op. 79 No. 1.” Sam Kavarana also received an honorable mention for the Louise Mathis Scholarship, Division I, and Kerri Wong was awarded first place in Division II.

Congratulations to the Honors Recitalists and to all Magnet students who make a commitment to the arts, athletics, work, and service outside the classroom!