LIME Hall of Fame music scholarship winners

The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) recently awarded 10 $1,000 scholarships to 10 2026 graduating students from across Long Island. Also, for the fourth year in a row, the Pat DeRosa Memorial Scholarship ($500) was awarded by the DeRosa family in the memory of LIMEHOF inductee Pat DeRosa. 

“The record number of scholarship applications we received this year is an encouraging sign for the future of the arts,” said Tom Needham, vice chairman of the Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame. “We are proud to provide thousands of dollars in scholarship support to outstanding students pursuing careers in music performance, music education, and theater, and we look forward to seeing the contributions they will make to their communities and the arts for years to come.”

Local 2026 Scholarship Winners: Kolton Chamberlain (tuba and voice) Mastic Beach, William Floyd High School. Kolton will be studying Music Education & Performance at Ithaca College. Julius Radino (drums), Bellport, Bellport Senior High School. Julius will be attending the University of Miami Frost School of Music, pursuing the M.A.D.E. program. Jackson Seifert (tenor trombone), Shirley, William Floyd High School. Jackson will be attending the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University.

Kolton Chamberlain: William Floyd High School

“Some people take a while to figure out what they want to do in their future profession. For me, it has always been an easy choice. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to become a music teacher.  In recent years I have often been asked why I want to become a music teacher.  It really just boils down to three things: opportunity, challenge and passion.  These three things have guided me throughout my education, and they continue to focus me as I move forward along my career path.

  When I first started in music, I was lucky enough to be a part of our very large school district in which music and performing arts was a major focus. This meant that I was afforded many great opportunities when it came to music and performing. This included being in instrumental and vocal ensembles from elementary school all the way through high school, performing solos every year at NYSSMA festivals, being selected to All-County ensembles every year, and being involved in our school’s theater productions, performing in lead roles in productions for many years. Being a part of such an outstanding performing arts program also gave me opportunities to excel to the point where I have been accepted into ensembles at the highest level including the NYSBDA High School Honor Band and twice being selected to the NYSSMA All State Symphonic Band.  As a middle school student, I even had the honor of performing at The White House with my school jazz band.  Talk about an opportunity!  I believe that by becoming a music teacher, I can help to give other kids the chance to grow as performers so that opportunities like these can eventually come their way and help pave their future as well.

  With all of these opportunities came a lot of challenges. Just because I was able to earn my place in many advanced ensembles and honor groups, it did not mean that it was easy to accomplish. I had to learn how to work hard and to accept the ups and downs along the way.  There were definitely times along my journey where I questioned my own skills and whether or not I was truly worthy of these accolades. Luckily for myself, since I was in such a large school district, that meant I also had a great support system of friends, family and teachers who guided me every step of the way and always reminded me of just how talented I really was. I can imagine that in the future I will encounter students who are having similar doubts about themselves as I had at a young age.  By becoming a music teacher, I hope to be that same support system for them, and to remind them of how good they are and how good they can be if they keep accepting the challenges facing them and work toward their musical goals.

  I believe the greatest asset that I can demonstrate to students when I become a music teacher is my passion for music. Music is an art form that can bring passion out of anyone that hears it. Any style, any genre, any era of music can elicit a strong deep-rooted connection to the soul from anybody, and that kind of reaction is something that I believe you can’t find anywhere else. Music can inspire other people to spread their love, joy, and beauty for it onto others. It starts with playing or singing the right notes, and then it transcends into so much more as one individually or collectively works toward creating a series of sounds that will communicate with others, that will touch others’ souls, and that will leave a lasting emotional footprint on another human.  That will be enough to get anyone hooked on music. By becoming a music teacher, I will share my passion for music with kids who are at a crucial developmental stage of their lives, spreading my love of music with my students and helping them make it a part of their daily routine.  I hope to allow my students to unlock their own special passion for music and continue the cycle as they share their musical passions with the next generation.  

   As a graduating senior at William Floyd High School, I am getting ready to start on the next steps of my career journey. I am excited that I have been accepted to Ithaca College and will be starting my degree in music education and tuba performance this fall.  I have been so fortunate to have been educated in the William Floyd School District which has given me so many opportunities to excel in music.  The challenges I have faced have made me a stronger musician and person, and have only helped fuel my passion for teaching music.  I am looking forward to the days ahead when I can provide similar opportunities for my own students, and help them navigate through the challenges along their paths, all while discovering their own passion for music.”

Julius Radino: Bellport Senior High School

“In April of last year, I had the uniquely rewarding opportunity to spend a day with Professor Stephen Rucker, both in the studio and in the classrooms of the Frost School of Music. I was able to play a variety of styles and rhythms for him, attend his recording, composition, and rehearsal classes, and speak with him at length about the readily apparent advantages of attending the University of Miami. After hours of in-depth discussion and discovery, I became enthralled with the possibility of enrolling in the Modern Artist Development and Entrepreneurship (M.A.D.E.) program.

The fact that such a program exists, enabling me to explore my interests in performance, recording, and production, under one all-encompassing major, is truly inspiring. Furthermore, I am eager to study all aspects of marketing and promotion, and writing and arranging, to ultimately formulate a viable business plan and establish a professional identity. In a perfect world, I envision creating my own band, writing and recording our own music (primarily rock and funk), and being able to market and run a successful enterprise. I can’t imagine any other school, or single major, that will better prepare me to reach this lifelong goal than the M.A.D.E major at The Frost School of Music.

I turned 17 this past summer, the day before I left to play with Holy Mother in The Palace of Galerius in Serbia. I had only days to prepare, to master a library of charts I had never seen. Though I might have questioned the location, I never doubted my determination, my ability to pull it all together and deliver on a promise I had made to myself and to the band. After all, I had been preparing for this opportunity since I was six years old and will continue to do so in the future. Before the age of two, I sat at my first drum set, but by the age of five, I began studying with several great drumset players. It was around that time that I played my first public performance—it was a late-night jam that my father hosted at Painter’s in Brookhaven—the crowd went wild. It was at that very moment that I knew music was going to be a huge part of my life. Without question, the community that has influenced me most, has molded me, inspired me, and has provided me with a direction and a passion that cannot be assuaged is the musical community. Moments like these, fraught with challenge but wrapped in promise, are what define me. I have come to this moment bolstered by the support of a thousand teachers, driven to explore, to grow.”

Jackson Seifert: William Floyd High School

Jackson is an accomplished trombonist in the William Floyd High School Wind Ensemble. He has earned several honors at the county, state and national levels- having participated in the SCMEA, NYSCAME, All-State and All-Eastern honors ensembles.

Outside of school, he has played with many community bands, and has also been the principal trombonist in the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra for the past five years.

Jackson won a coveted spot on tenor trombone in the Pre-College program at the Juilliard School for the past two years, from which he just graduated and received special recognition from the staff for his dedication and involvement.

Last summer he passed a rigorous audition and was accepted to perform at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute.

Most recently, Jackson was named to the 2026 National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, where this summer he will be among the brightest young players of this country embarking on a tour of the great musical capitals of Europe.

In the fall, Jackson will attend the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University on a full scholarship.

At Vanderbilt, Jackson wants to make many new friends and connections to the music world. Jackson wants to continue to build on his trombone playing and keep on reaching for his goal to be the best version of himself he can possibly be. Jackson wants to participate in as much performance opportunities possible that are offered at Vanderbilt.