Music

Every student at The Girls’ School has the opportunity to develop music literacy through active participation. Girls choose violin or piano in kindergarten, and may choose violoncello or viola beginning in second grade.

Lower School Strings

The lower school strings group classes are formatted for the student to experience an optimum music-making environment. Classes focus on posture with the student’s instrument, sound-production, intonation, music theory and group performances. 

Kindergarten:  All students start on the violin.

  • Learn set-up and sound production.
  • Learn and play first songs (Unison).
  • Learn performance etiquette.

First Grade:  Students remain on the violin.

  • Posture focus is continued.
  • Tone quality is emphasized.
  • Two part harmony is introduced.
  • Note reading is introduced.

Second Grade:  Students may decide to play either viola or violoncello.

  • Tone quality is emphasized.
  • Note reading is continued.
  • Three and four part arrangements are introduced.
  • Improvisation is introduced.

Third Grade:  Students may still decide to play viola or violoncello.

  • Posture focus is continued.
  • Emphasis on tone quality is continued.
  • Note reading and music theory are continued.
  • Composition is introduced.

Middle School Strings

The middle school strings classes promote a more autonomous approach to the instrument while developing a refined level of musicianship. Students participate in the choice of repertoire and become more critical in their playing and practicing. They tackle a wider variety of musical styles, including pop songs, world music, and unedited classical pieces, and work on making their playing more expressive, using vibrato and a wider bowing palette. This experience becomes a springboard for more in-depth discussions of music theory, as well as of its correlation with other fields.

Performance

  • Dedicated students are encouraged to take private lessons, audition for All-Region Orchestra, and play in Junior or Honors Orchestra.
  • Teamwork is emphasized both in orchestral and chamber music settings, and the approach is always goal-oriented.
  • Participation in bi-annual school-wide performances is required.

Piano K-8

The K-8 Piano program is designed to promote a life-long love of music. A student's course of study is tailored to her individual skill level and consists of a unique combination of one-on-one and group lessons.

  • The girls participate in two school-wide concerts per year, as well as other performances as they arise.
  • Girls in grades 1 through 8 also participate in a composition project/concert designed to enhance their listening skills, develop their creativity, explore unconventional methods of sound production and notation, work in a more interdisciplinary context and, in some cases, gain experience in collaborative production and performance.