Music
The B.U.H.S. Music Department has a long tradition of excellence. Most of our classes offer applied learning opportunities to students. These include five ensemble classes: Band, Chorus, Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Workshop and Madrigals. For students in the Visual and Performing Arts Academy (VPA) as well as those seeking additional rigor, we offer honors sections of band and chorus. We also offer a class on the History of Rock and Roll which includes learning basic guitar skills that can be applied to this topic. Our Music Theory class is a rigorous study of three fundamental aspects of music including rhythm/meter, melody and harmony. Students in the V.P.A. enroll in one or both the music capstone courses: Preparing College Auditions or Preparing and Presenting a Senior Recital.
Our ensembles have earned awards, high ratings and unique performing opportunities. In 2009, our band represented the State of Vermont in President Barack Obama’s first Inauguration Parade. They have earned “superior” ratings at the Vermont Music Educators Association Band Festival and our Madrigals earned a similar distinction at the Heritage Music Festival in Washington D.C. (2014). The jazz band earned praise for their performance at the UMass Jazz Festival. Our chorus has combined with the Windham Orchestra, Blanche Moyse Chorale and Brattleboro Concert Choir to perform choral masterworks. Many graduates from our program go on to perform ensembles in the colleges and universities they attend and continue to make music throughout their lives. Some have gone on to professional music careers as performers, educators and composers.
Our ensembles have earned awards, high ratings and unique performing opportunities. In 2009, our band represented the State of Vermont in President Barack Obama’s first Inauguration Parade. They have earned “superior” ratings at the Vermont Music Educators Association Band Festival and our Madrigals earned a similar distinction at the Heritage Music Festival in Washington D.C. (2014). The jazz band earned praise for their performance at the UMass Jazz Festival. Our chorus has combined with the Windham Orchestra, Blanche Moyse Chorale and Brattleboro Concert Choir to perform choral masterworks. Many graduates from our program go on to perform ensembles in the colleges and universities they attend and continue to make music throughout their lives. Some have gone on to professional music careers as performers, educators and composers.
