The Sound of Growth: Boistfort School's Music Transformation

Six years ago, teacher Mario Pesacreta created a rumble at Boistfort School as he began reimagining what music education looked like for the rural school's students. Starting in a gym with terrible acoustics to transforming a cleared-out basement room into a dedicated music space, every student from kindergarten through eighth grade now receives music education as part of the school's core curriculum. 

Honored as the ESD 113 Board of Directors’ December In Their Element recipient, Boistfort students today truly embody the award as they make music together and build a program that has become essential to the school’s identity.

Pesacreta connects music to broader learning goals, thinking on an interdisciplinary level. Elementary students learn through skip counting songs that introduce multiplication concepts, and phonics-focused music that reinforces reading skills. 

Middle school band members work with the rubrics judges use at festivals to score their own performances and compare their assessments to official feedback. This practice helps students understand their progress and take ownership of their musical growth. 

With fewer than 15 musicians, the middle school band still has built many meaningful performance opportunities. Last year, the group earned an "excellent" rating at the Southwest Regional Solo and Ensemble Contest, where judges adjudicate student music groups. 

Students recently performed at the Veterans Day assembly, where the band played "America the Beautiful" and elementary students sang a resounding rendition of "God Bless America".

Donations, the Music Matters grant, and school support have allowed the school's instrument collection to grow so every student has an instrument. But this collection has grown in unconventional ways, too: two of Boistfort’s timpanis were discovered in a local barn. 

Pesacreta repairs and refurbishes instruments himself to help funding stretch. These savings support programming and help cover the cost of shirts for all band members, so all students feel like a team during competitions, regardless of their economic background. 

Mario is now also working to organize a small schools festival featuring bands with fewer than 30 members from schools like Winlock, Toledo, Oakville, and Morton—creating performance opportunities for students at schools that typically lack such events.

"Every year, the program gets a little bit better," Pesacreta says. Student enthusiasm confirms his impact. When told visitors were coming, the band asked to perform immediately. That eagerness shows music has become essential to Boistfort's school identity and student growth.

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The ESD 113 Board recognizes one student group each month with the In Their Element Award. This honor celebrates programs where students explore, create, and lead. It amplifies student voice and student-led activities that engage young people in meaningful ways.