Students gain an appreciation for singing, performing, and a wide variety of musical styles from diverse cultures.
Lower School
Through a singing-focused curriculum influenced by the Kodály and Orff methods, students develop vocal technique, ear-training, and music literacy skills. They learn to read, compose, and improvise melodic and rhythmic patterns. They also study pitch, timbre, dynamics, form, and meter while singing, playing instruments, and enjoying movement games. In Class III, boys are introduced to playing the recorder, with a focus on reading music. In Class IV, choral singing is central to their music experience, with a focus on vocal technique and becoming polished performers. The songs the boys learn for assemblies and performances serve as valuable tools for building community and camaraderie.
Upper School
A strong focus remains on the development of each boy's voice through group vocal technique lessons. In Class VI, boys study the nature of the changing voice and the anatomy of singing, and they participate in a fully staged musical. As they enter Class VII, boys continue to improve upon their knowledge of literacy, theory, and vocal technique skills in a repertoire-based program. In Class VIII, the boys also participate in a fully staged musical production, while Academy Year boys perform in a play and explore the history of American popular music and music technology.
All Upper School boys participate in Glee Club, a chorus that involves the practical application of what they learn in music class. The Glee Club also performs music from diverse cultures and in a variety of languages. It is an expectation that Upper School students will be able to perform music in three-part harmony and decode efficiently from a choral score. There are two seasonal concerts per year in addition to the Class VI and VIII musicals. Boys also have the opportunity to participate in auditioned select ensembles.
