Arts

Students in Middle School band have many different options for performing.  The ensembles are chosen based on level of ability.  Concert Band if for those students that are still working on learning their basic skills from elementary band and/or might be starting a new instrument or first learning and instrument.  Students that feel that their skills warrant a higher ensemble may want to audition for Intermediate Band and/or Advance Band Ensemble – In general – Intermediate contains more 7th graders and Advanced has 8th graders.  If you are a percussionist and want to work on your skills on all percussion instruments – Percussion Ensemble is for you.  All of these courses can be taken more than one year and are prepping students for success in High School, State competitions individually and as ensembles, and may include a field trip in state or out of state for a competition. 

Did you love performing in elementary school choir or are you interested in learning to sing in a choir?  In middle school students can participate in choirs that perform in local, state and sometimes out of state competitions.  There are two full choir options at Middle School – Beginning Chorus – for students without any choral experience and Concert Choir for students who have had the opportunity to perform in full choirs.  Are you really interested in pushing yourself as a choral artist – there are also men’s and women’s choir and an advanced choir – for these ensembles you will need to communicate with the choral director for audition needs and expectations?  The high ensembles will participate in local and possible out of state competitions.  

This course if for those students interested in music, but maybe did not participate in band or strings or just want to deepen their knowledge of music.  Students in this class will learn basic music theory, music history, how to play an instrument and how to compose.  Students will be exposed to many different avenues of music in this course from the performing to the composing.  

Student in Middle School Orchestra have three different levels of ensembles that they can participate in – Concert Orchestra would be for students who are still working on their basic skills as a musician, or learning a new instrument, or new to playing an instrument – this course will help build on your skills from elementary school and prepare you for the higher-level ensembles.  The students that feel that they would like to audition and be placed in a higher ensemble will need to make sure they connect with their Middle School director – Intermediate Orchestra is usually for 7th graders and Advanced Orchestra is for 8th graders.  These ensembles compete at a state level and higher ensembles may participate in an out or town or out of the state field trip competition.  If you are a student that has interest in guitar – please check to see if your school offers guitar – students would be taught classical guitar to start and then progress as they continue their years of participation.   All these classes can be taken more multiple times.  

Middle School students can build on their acting and performance skills by entering the Middle School Theatre opportunities.  There are two theatre course options in middle school – Theatre Arts – which is for students wishing to explore theatre and learn all the basic concepts of acting.  Middle School students wishing to explore theatre at a deeper level in preparation for middle school performance opportunities and high school opportunities should audition for Advanced Theatre.  Please reach out to your school’s theatre teacher for more information.

Middle School visual arts is organized a little differently that the performing arts.  Students register for an art class that matches their grade level – please note that some schools offer a cluster model with multi age groups.  At each different grade level grouping students are having different levels of experience and depth to their visual artist journey.  Students with a more 2D experience in 6th grade and then in 7th grade add 3D to their mediums and in 8th grade student take their 2D and 3D knowledge to a much deeper level to prepare them for high school.  These students will also be learning how to critique are as it would be done in a museum and working on multiple mediums of 2D and 3D artwork.