South Shore Conservatory Summer Music Festival

06/15/2026

Meet our amazing Festival Jazz Ensemble Director, Aaron Bush!

Aaron W. Bush is Director of Bands at Foxboro High School, where he conducts the Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Marching Band, and Jazz Ensemble, and teaches Music Theory. Under his direction, Foxboro’s bands have earned state, regional, and national recognition, including three Essentially Ellington finalist selections and an international performance tour of Australia. A 2014 Grammy Music Educator Award finalist, Aaron was named one of the nation’s Top 50 Educators by School Band and Orchestra Magazine in 2016. He has been a faculty member at SSC since 2014.

06/11/2026

We’re counting down the days until Summer Music Festival 2026! Register by June 15 at the link in our bio!

05/11/2026

Meet our amazing clarinet faculty member, Dr. Peter Bianca!

Dr. Peter M. Bianca is an active freelance clarinetist and educator. He has performed with numerous ensembles including the Worcester Symphony, Palm Beach Symphony, and Miami Symphony. A dedicated teacher, he has served on the faculties of the University of Miami and Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and currently teaches at the South Shore Conservatory. He is a Rice Clarinet Works Performing Artist and has appeared on several major record labels.

05/06/2026

We are very excited for the Foxboro High School Jazz ensemble, under the direction of SMF Festival Jazz Director, Aaron Bush, to perform at this event!

Celebrating 100 years of jazz and the 100th birthday of Miles Davis— this concert traces the lineage of jazz through the big band tradition, with music from Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and more.

Featuring the Foxboro High School Jazz Band—an award-winning ensemble led by director Aaron Bush—alongside Grammy Award–winning trumpeter Bijon Watson.

📅 Monday, May 31, 2026
🕒 Concert 3:00 PM (Join us at 2PM for a pre-concert talk with Bijon Watson)
📍 Carr Amphitheater, Hingham
🎟️ https://give.sscmusic.org/miles-davis-100

05/05/2026

Meet our amazing SMF 2026 Orchestra faculty!

Leigh Schoepflin, Orchestra Programs Director
Maria Bounas, Teaching Artist
Laura Canzano, Teaching Artist

Learn more about all of our faculty and register at the link in the comments!

03/16/2026

Some of our favorite photos from the 2025 Festival Wind Ensemble Concert!!! We are counting down the days to Summer Music Festival 2026! Learn more and enroll at the link in our bio.

02/06/2026

For our first we are delighted to celebrate SMF Summer Wind Ensemble conductor and Lab Jazz Director, Mr. Matt Harden!

Mr. Harden is the K–12 Fine & Performing Arts Department Chair for the Hanover Public Schools and serves as Director of Instrumental Music at Hanover High School. He directs the marching Bands, wind ensemble, jazz ensemble, and chamber groups, and also teaches AP Music Theory and music technology. He has previously taught in , MA, and , NY, and is on the faculty of the South Shore Conservatory Summer Music Festival. Mr. Harden holds degrees from UMass Amherst and Ithaca College, is an educator and stays active as a trumpeter, composer, arranger, and guest conductor. He lives in Whitman with his family and two rescue dogs.

01/26/2026

Snow days are the best days to register for SMF26! Registration is officially open for summer! Visit the link in the comments to learn more and secure your spot!

01/17/2026

Announcing Summer Music Festival 2026! Join us for over two weeks of wind ensemble, orchestra, jazz, chamber music, and fun! Mark your calendars: registration for SMF26 opens on January 26!

12/19/2025

Huge congratulations to SMF Jazz Director, Aaron Bush, on being named the recipient of the 2026 John Laporta Jazz Educator of the Year Award!

🎉 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗵, 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮 𝗝𝗮𝘇𝘇 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱, 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗸𝗹𝗲𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰

Aaron W. Bush is Director of Bands at Foxboro High School, where he leads the Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Marching Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Jazz Lab Band, and teaches Music Theory and Arts in Social Justice. Under his direction, Foxboro ensembles have earned state, regional, and national recognition, including four selections as Essentially Ellington Festival & Competition finalists (2019, 2021–2023). In 2019, he led the Foxboro Jazz Ensemble on an international tour of Australia.

Previously, Aaron served as Director of Middle School Bands in Needham, MA, where his ensembles consistently earned top honors and performed at Boston Symphony Hall. A sought-after clinician, adjudicator, and conductor, he has worked with All-State and regional jazz and wind ensembles throughout New England. He also directs the Festival Jazz Ensemble at the South Shore Conservatory Summer Music Festival and serves on faculty at the Foxboro Jazz Improvisation Camp.

Aaron is a two-time GRAMMY Music Educator Award semifinalist and was named one of School Band & Orchestra Magazine’s Top 50 Educators Who Make a Difference.