Spring Fanfare is an energetic piece welcoming the joys of Spring. The fanfare melody, which can first be heard in the trumpets and clarinets, passes through each instrument as the piece progresses. - Nicole Piunno

The Siege - Ryan Meeboer

This piece was composed to reflect a medieval scene of an army attacking a castle. Fun parts to play for all while focusing on using the first six notes learned in most method books. - Ryan Meeboer

Valkyrie - Matt Neufeld

Bring myth to life with Valkyrie, a bold and imaginative Grade 1 work! Inspired by Norse legend, the piece uses tense harmonies, rhythmic drive, and dramatic effects to tell the story of the Valkyries—warrior spirits who carry fallen heroes to Valhalla. Whispered Icelandic text, battle cries, and rustling paper to mimic flapping wings create a vivid soundscape that’s as theatrical as it is musical. With a clever nod to Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries, this piece is sure to capture young performers’ imaginations and thrill audiences alike! - Matt Neufeld

Mechanical Monsters - Randall Standridge

When writing for young band, I always try to ask myself “what would I have LOVED to play at that age?” In this work, the sounds of metal and gears are used to overlay a repeating, plodding groove that suggests something shambling it’s way across a darkened countryside, drawing ever closer to the unsuspecting city dwellers, completely unaware of the havoc that is about to befall them. My younger self would have relished this mental image, and I hope your young band students will too. - Randall Standridge

Outété - Keen'V (arranged by Kirk Kiernander)

Outété was a hit from the 2023 Manie Musicale French music competition, finishing in 2nd place! This piece is filled with catchy melodies and a rhythm that will get you moving. Get out of your seats and groove with us as we jam out to this banger.

Junior Hawks Beginning Band members

Alicia Ho, flute
Aron Wang, flute
Atlas Bai Martin, alto saxophone
Bella Coronica, flute
Benjamin Hall, clarinet
Christian Lemont, trumpet
Duncan Smith, trumpet
Dylan Ragoonath, tenor saxophone
Dylan Whyte, trumpet
Edward Hall, trumpet
Elijah Chodos, clarinet
Eloise Kiernander, clarinet
Ester Eagle, flute
Grayson McFarlane, trombone
Holden Larocque, percussion
Krishav Chebium, alto saxophone
Lakshaditya Sanjeev, percussion
Lucas Sproll, clarinet
Meili Clark, trumpet
Musa Melis, tenor saxophone
Natalie Kiernander, trumpet
Nathan Greenwood, trombone
Poppy Eagle, trumpet and French horn
Rowan Connolly, percussion
Sullivan Angle, clarinet
Will Bai Martin, clarinet

Junior Hawks volunteers and section leaders

Amaya Inoue (conductor)
Audrey Wismer
Charit Ikkurthi
Ibrahim Sheikh
Katie Soulliere
Keira Maxwell

NextGen Youth Orchestra Members

Andrew Kearsey, bass guitar
Arman Sherkat, tonbak, percussion
Christian Forbes, piano
Eason Ren, drums
Ishaan Navghare, violin
Iyinoluwakiitan (Kiitan), violin
Jasmine Sadhu, alto saxophone
Joaquin Zepeda Salgado, bass guitar
Nate Lawlor, cello
Noah Foss, flute
Nolan Bast, cello
Obaloluwa (Oba) Olukiran, alto saxophone
Rachel An, violin
Richard Mao, cello
Russell Forbes, piano/synth
Sofia Rodriguez-Valtierra, violin
Sophia Bello Charry, clarinet
Tami Osikoya, alto saxophone
Varada Chaudhari, violin

NextGen Youth Orchestra Section Leaders

Gus Bolton (trumpet)
Matthew Buczkowski (cello)
Max Lindsay (LAMA percussion faculty)
Melanie Au (violin)
Nathaniel Nahrgang (alto, tenor and baritone saxophone)
Ren Lamarche (violin)

Conductor Biographies

Kirk Kiernander, Conductor, NextGen Junior Hawks Beginning Band

Kirk Kiernander is an educator, conductor, middle school band director, saxophonist, and singer. He obtained my Honours Bachelor of Music degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, specializing in education, in 2007 and his Bachelor of Education from Nipissing University in 2009. Kirk has been teaching music, specifically middle school concert band, since 2009.

Beyond teaching in schools, Kirk is the proud conductor of the Junior Hawks Beginning Band, and spend summers teaching/conducting the Beginning Band at Summer Music Society camp in the Southampton/Port Elgin area. In 2023 he organized, alongside a committee of music educators, and conducted the Waterloo Region Honour Band alongside Dr. Kira Omelchenko, Dr. LaToya Webb, Lauren Helmer, and Martin Lacoste at Laurier. Kirk has successfully conducted honour bands in the Waterloo region through Laurier Music and the Ontario Band Association's events: Laurier/OBA Honour Band (May 2025), and Bandfest (Jan 2026).

Kirk has been arranging concert band music for the beginner level (grade 0.5-2) since 2016 and started composing original pieces for concert band in 2020; one being 'Hawks Take Flight' which was premiered in May, 2025 by the Junior Hawks Beginning Band!

Shawn Bennett, Artistic Director, NextGen Youth Orchestra

Shawn Bennett is a dynamic conductor, educator, arranger, and trombonist originally from Clarenville, Newfoundland and Labrador. He holds Bachelor's degrees in Music Performance (Trombone) and Music Education from Memorial University of Newfoundland, as well as a Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Toronto. In addition to his role as the Artistic Director of the NextGen Youth Orchestra, he also serves as Associate Conductor of the Rosedale Symphony Orchestra, and was Associate Conductor for the UofT Campus Philharmonic from 2021-2024. He has conducted numerous professional and educational ensembles throughout his career both at home and abroad. Some of these include Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra, l’Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, l’Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Toronto, the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Wind Symphony, the University of Redlands Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensembles, and MacMillan Singers (CA), the Summerhill Orchestra, the Milton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rouge River Winds, the Toronto Saxophone Collective, the Oakville Youth Symphony, the Newfoundland Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Shallaway Youth Choir (NL), and the “Off the Cuff” Community Choir (NL), for whom he served as Artistic Director from 2017-2019.

Shawn is generously supported by Canada's National Arts Centre, the Canada Council for the Arts, and has been the recipient of such prestigious recognitions as the University of Toronto Fellowship in Music, the OSOTF Feldbrill Fellowship, the Newfoundland and Labrador Centennial Study Award, the Bo Ying Wat Endowed Scholarship and the Friends of Music Endowed Scholarship from the University of Redlands, and the Shallaway Choral Scholarship.

Shawn is now based in Toronto, ON on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples, where he lives with his wife, Leah, and teaches instrumental music at the Sterling Hall School. He is a fierce advocate for composers from underrepresented backgrounds, and has championed works by Violet Archer, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Ian Cusson, Reena Esmail, Augusta Holmès, Jessie Montgomery, Florence Price, Clara Schumann, and Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel.

Michael Kallinis, Conducting Apprentice, NextGen Youth Orchestra

Michael Kallinis is a conductor, tubist, and future educator finishing up his Bachelor of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University. Michael studied the tuba with Dr. Jonathan Rowsell, and has completed a directed study in wind band conducting with Dr. Leah McGray. Currently, Michael serves as the assistant conductor for the Kitchener Waterloo Youth Orchestra and the Laurier Wind Orchestra conducting both groups in rehearsals and concerts. Michael is continuing his musical journey next year in St. John’s, Newfoundland where he will be attending teachers' college. Michael is extremely excited to be working with Next Gen Youth Orchestra for his final semester and cannot wait to put in an amazing concert!

Dr. Armand Hall, Guest Conductor, NextGen Youth Orchestra

Armand Hall (conductor, clarinetist, and educator) is the Director of Programs for the Gateways Music Festival . In this role, Dr. Hall plans, develops, and oversees all musical activities associated with the festival. Additionally, Dr. Hall is also a faculty member at the Eastman School of Music, where he teaches courses in the Art Leadership Program and Music, Teaching, and Learning (Music Education) Departments. This fall, Dr. Hall served as the conductor for the Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

Prior to his role at Gateways, he served as the Executive and Artistic Director of ROCmusic Collaborative, Rochester’s El Sistema-inspired community-based, free music learning program.

Prior to ROCmusic, Dr. Hall served as Associate Director of Bands and Coordinator of Instrumental Music Education at the University of Memphis and, prior to that, as a middle and high school band director in the state of Michigan. Dr. Hall is the immediate past board chair of El Sistema USA® and serves on the boards of the Archipelago Project and the Rochester Youth Philharmonic.

A conductor and clarinetist, Dr. Hall earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education from the University of Michigan and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Wind Conducting from Michigan State University. He, along with his partner Dr. Leah McGray, co-conducts the Roads Less Travelled Ensemble, a contemporary music ensemble focused on platforming new works, many by underrepresented populations, and designing audience-focused concert experiences.

Special Thanks to:

Guest conductor, Dr. Armand Hall

Faculty of Music Performance Facilities Team

KW Symphony Volunteer Committee

Ross & Doris Dixon Charitable Foundation

Lei Family

Bandology

Upcoming LAMA events

Our annual Open House is back! Join us this year for LAMA-PALOOZA!

When: Saturday, June 6, 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Where: 190 Lester Street, Waterloo

Fun- and music-filled, this event is sure to show you what we're all about here at the Laurier Academy of Music and Arts. Live music by our students and teachers, activities for kids and adults, tours of our space and building, and lots more to be announced! Come check us out.

The Value of Music Education

Note to the editor – TORONTO STAR – Steve Hornett

To every parent with a student in any grade between kindergarten and 12 consider the benefits of including music education and performance among your child’s subjects.

There is no other school subject that requires so many simultaneous activities of the student in real time. These activities include reading, comprehension, counting, watching, listening, determination of fingering, and actively adjusting one’s playing in real-time. Think about how this helps to develop the young brain.

Furthermore, music performance develops teamwork, confidence, creativity, discipline and quick decision making. All these skills are beneficial, especially for students who are preparing for STEM vocations or may one day be leaders in their chosen field.

Above all, don’t dismiss music education as being suitable only for those who are seriously considering music or arts in their future. Music education is of no less importance than any of the other classic school subjects. If music education is not offered at your student’s school, then you may want to investigate the numerous other options that exist.

You may be asking why music education has been de-prioritized over the years by boards of education. The likely answer is that it is more costly than other subjects, due to the need for instruments and specialized teachers. A trombone is more costly than a textbook. But, consider that cost to be an investment in your child’s future.

Steve Hornett, Rockwood, ON

KW Symphony Volunteer Committee

Laurier Academy of Music and Arts

E: LAMA@wlu.ca
T: 519.578.3640

Laurier Academy of Music and Arts

@laurieracademyofmusicandarts

Laurier location: 190 Lester St., Waterloo

South Kitchener location: 68 Biehn Dr., Kitchener

NextGen Ensembles Spring 2026 Concert Program

NextGen Ensembles Spring Showcase

Concert Program

Junior Hawks Beginning Band

Conductors: Kirk Kiernander, Amaya Inoue

NextGen Youth Orchestra

Conductors: Michael Kallinis, Dr. Armand Hall

Junior Hawks Program Notes