November 5, 2026

Rocky Point School District Represented at the SCMEA Annual PEAK Festival

A smiling adult takes a selfie with a group of young children wearing matching blue t-shirts indoors.

The Rocky Point School District is pleased to announce that eight 4th grade students from the Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School received the high honor of being selected to participate in the Suffolk County Music Educators’ Association (SCMEA) “PARENTS, EDUCATORS AND KIDS (PEAK)” Festival, held at Northport High School on Saturday, October 24, 2026. The PEAK (Parents, Educators, and Kids) festival is an annual music festival for select fourth grade music students throughout Suffolk County. It is a Saturday morning series of musical workshops in which parents, educators, and kids are able to have the unique opportunity to make music in a collaborative setting. This festival offers parents a bird's eye view of the types of activities their children experience every day in their school music classes. During the PEAK festival the children, parents and music teachers rotated through three different workshops, where they learned and participated in music activities together. The children and parents sang, danced, played games, improvised and played instruments together. Morning classes included Chorus, Found Sounds, Folk Dance, Bugs & Beats, Musical Mayhem: Sticks and Cups, Ukulele, Glow Party. The event culminated with an afternoon "Informance," which was an informative and informal performance and group sharing session. A great time was had by all. The parents, students and JAE Music Teacher Mr. Craig Knapp had a tremendous amount of fun together!

The SCMEA Parents, Educators, and Kids (PEAK) Festival is now in its 18th year, and started in 2009 during JAE Music Teacher/Choral Director Craig Knapp’s tenure as President of the Suffolk County Music Educators’ Association (SCMEA). During this festival, the clinicians expertly guided the sessions toward both teaching the students and parents, while at the same time, explaining their methodology and teaching technique. Suffolk County Music Educators’ Association (SCMEA) is a county affiliate of the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA), a state unit of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). SCMEA sponsors and organizes numerous events for music educators and students through the year.

A congratulatory message from Rocky Point Music Department chairpersons Mr. Craig Knapp and Ms. Amy Schecher read: “We are very proud of the students selected to participate at the SCMEA PEAK Festival. It is a major achievement to be accepted into this festival along with many fine student musicians from across Suffolk County. Thank you to the families of these talented students for all of their support and encouragement. This was an outstanding experience to be involved in a shared setting for joyful music making. The smiles on the faces of all those involved during the festival, especially the parents, speaks volumes about the magnitude of this extraordinary event. We are extremely appreciative that the Rocky Point School District Administration and Board of Education supports these forms of experiences for the students and the music department.”

Congratulations to the following talented JAE 4th grade student musicians who participated in the 2026 SCMEA PEAK Festival:
Charlotte Dunstatter
Calista Heaney
Winnie Otterbeck
Ivy Rivera
Micaela Simonelli
Ainsley Sontag
Liliana Trapani
Ava Vale

Three children in blue matching shirts smile while holding drumsticks in a room with purple lighting.

A woman in a white sweater holds hands and dances with a young girl wearing a blue shirt.

A child and adult smiling and holding hands while facing each other in a busy hall.

A group of children and adults pose together indoors against a vertical striped background.

A young musician in a teal Suffolk County Music t-shirt smiles while holding mallets on stage.

A smiling adult takes a selfie with a group of young children wearing matching blue t-shirts indoors.

A group of adults and children sit in a circle on the floor, playing a game with red cups.

A young child smiles while holding and playing a small ukulele under purple stage lighting.

A child with curly hair smiles while holding blue drumsticks over a painted bucket drum.

A young child in a blue Suffolk County Music shirt smiles while playing colourful bucket drums with blue drumsticks.

A child wearing a blue Suffolk County Music Educators Association t-shirt holds drumsticks over a colorful homemade drum.