Beatfest Brings Down the House — and Makes the Front Page

On May 28, Columbia High School's student musicians did something most adults wouldn't attempt: they planned, produced, and ran an entire music festival themselves — and packed the house doing it.

Beatfest featured more than 40 student performers across 15 acts, spanning hip-hop, folk, rock, blues and beyond. But the real story wasn't only on stage. From the lineup to the sound to the run-of-show, this was a student-led production start to finish — the kind of hands-on, real-world experience that the Music Technology program is built to create. Our students didn't just perform; they ran the show.

The wider community noticed. Beatfest landed on the front page of the Essex News Daily, a well-earned spotlight on what these young artists are capable of when they're given the stage and the trust to own it.

None of it happens alone. Thank you to Ms. Vite and the Music Technology program, to the student organizers and performers who poured weeks into this, and to the CHSMPA families and volunteers who showed up — selling tickets, running concessions, and filling the seats. CHSMPA proudly supports more than 600 music students across chorus, band, orchestra, and music technology, and nights like Beatfest are exactly why.

To everyone who came out: thank you. To the students who made it: take a bow. We can't wait for next year.