Blackstone-Millville Winter Percussion Takes Second in Recent Competition

Blackstone‑Millville winter percussion finished second in the Scholastic Regional A White class at the New England Scholastic Band Association event hosted at Blackstone‑Millville Regional High School, 175 Lincoln St., Blackstone, on Feb. 21, 2026, posting a total score of 73.160 on the CompetitionSuite recap for the show. The district marked the placement with photos and congratulations on the BMRSD live feed and the Blackstone‑Millville Music Association photo pages.

The placement came under the direction of Todd Shafer, director of instrumental music for the Blackstone‑Millville Regional School District, with percussion leadership from Neil Larrivee, listed publicly as assistant director and percussion director. The Scholastic Regional A White result places the percussion unit alongside other regional scholastic ensembles that compete on NESBA and related New England circuits, where adjudicated scores and placements are the standard measure of program progress.

Blackstone‑Millville’s winter percussion competes in an active circuit that includes NESBA events and appearances on WGI and other adjudicated stages, and the Feb. 21 home show follows the program’s steady return to regional competition in 2021–22. The Blackstone‑Millville Music Association, the nonprofit parent organization that supports the district’s music programs, maintains galleries and event posts documenting the season; BMMA materials and the district’s live‑feed posts accompanied the Feb. 21 recap with staged photos of the students and staff at BMRHS.

The percussion second place fits into a broader streak of high finishes across Blackstone‑Millville ensembles. BMMA’s 2021–22 year in review records the winter guard finishing second at the NESBA Finals on April 2, 2022 with a 90.570, and local coverage recorded the marching band’s runner‑up finish at the USBands National Championships in 2025 with a 96.00. Those results, together with the 73.160 percussion score at the Feb. 21 NESBA event, demonstrate competitive depth across the district’s program and the continuity of leadership under Shafer and Larrivee.

District and BMMA social posts following the competition emphasized student achievement and community support, with multiple photos posted to the BMRSD live feed and concert video material available through the district’s BMREDU channel. BMMA leadership, including president Alyssa Mahan as referenced in local event coverage, has continued to coordinate fundraisers and chaperone support that enable travel and competitive participation.

The second‑place finish at the home NESBA show gives Blackstone‑Millville winter percussion a measurable score to carry forward into the remainder of the season across New England scholastic circuits, reinforcing the program’s pattern of regional podium placements and sustained investment by the district and BMMA.