Every student at Quinton School is provided opportunities to perform on a yearly basis.  

 

Students in Pre-K to second grade sing in a primary concert each year either on the last Thursday of May or the first Thursday of June.  The concert takes place in the afternoon during the school day, and family members are welcome to attend as an audience.

 

The choir program begins in third grade and continues through eighth grade.  All third, fourth, and fifth graders have the opportunity to sing in Junior Choir, regardless of level of advancement in singing.  All sixth, seventh, and eighth graders have the opportunity to sing in Senior Choir, regardless of level of advancement in singing.  

 

Students who are good with pitch matching have opportunities to sing in various levels of select choirs, all of which sing A cappella.  Junior Select Choir is an advanced choir for students in grades 3-5, and Senior Vocal Ensemble is an advanced choir for students in grades 6-8.  The next level up in advanced choral singing is Chorale, which will take students at young as fourth grade, depending if there are openings.

 

Students who are exceptional at pitch matching and independent singing are moved into barbershop ensembles.  Barbershop music is of a higher level of difficulty because the parts have unusual intervals and pitch patterns, and students need to be able to instantly change keys within a song.  There is no minimum grade level for the barbershop ensembles.

 

All students have the opportunity to play tone chimes (handbells) in the music classes in grades 3-8.  Students are moved into the Junior Bell Choir according to how well they count rhythms.  When there is an opening in Bell Choir (next level up) the student who counts rhythms the best and performs best with Junior Bell Choir is moved into the spot.  The same is true for our highest level bell choir, the Wildcat Tone Ringers.  There is also an eighth grade bell choir that performs in the spring concert each year, as well as the graduation ceremony.

 

All students in grades 3-8 have the opportunity to take instrument lessons.  We are recently started to take second graders for instrument lessons.  Instrument lessons are only available for trumpet (or cornet), trombone, clarinet, saxophone, flute, baritone horn, and drums.  All instrumental students have the opportunity to play in a solo concert four times a year, regardless of level of advancement.  Concert Band is a very advanced instrumental ensemble that plays music that most high schools could not handle. Students are moved into Concert Band according to how advanced they are at counting rhythms.  There is a piece or two arranged by each concert that incorporates beginners.  Parts are specifically written at the level of the students participating.