Music - Arts - McDonogh School
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Arts

Music

Music is an integral part of arts education at McDonogh. Our music teachers strive to instill confidence, self-expression, and a lifelong passion for making music in all students by giving them tools and opportunities to discover their artistic ability and innate love for creating and performing music. Individual vocal and instrumental lessons are also available for an additional fee.  

Lower School

Students are introduced to music in a way that caters to their intuition and instinctive reactions to the sounds in their environment. Teachers use a wide range of tools to help young children tap into their expressive capability and natural joy of communicating through sound and song. Opportunities to sing and play instruments in both informal and formal settings are provided throughout the year, with a strong focus on building confidence and passion through the creative process. In third and fourth grade, our more serious musicians flourish through participation in the Lower School Choir, Drum Corps, and String Ensemble. Music is also explored through field trip and guest artists who bring professional expertise into the classroom.

Middle School

Students have the opportunity to choose a music speciality—band, strings, or vocal music—as part of their arts block. Through the study of various genres and styles, the curriculum focuses on the development of strong technical skills while emphasizing collaboration, adaptability, and self-confidence. Students in the band, strings, and vocal ensembles perform throughout the school year in a variety of informal and formal settings. Student musicians with a particular interest in furthering their musical training are able to audition for advanced vocal and instrumental ensembles that perform and participate in workshops on a local and national level.

Upper School

Upper School students benefit from a rich and varied curriculum that helps them develop their skills and knowledge as musicians. Our ensembles, including concert/jazz band, string, vocal music, and rock band, provide opportunities for students with varied levels of previous musical experience to play challenging repertoire and continue cultivating their skills. The ensembles also allow them to connect with other like-minded musicians and build relationships based on their shared passion.  The program also offers music technology courses in which students explore the intersection of music and technology. Through the use of digital technology, they enhance their musical knowledge and skills to create, produce, record, and perform music. Students work with the tools commonly used in the music industry to gain hands-on experience and practical skills.