The philosophy of the Middlesex Music Department is simple: If you want to make music, we will help you, encourage you, and support you. At Middlesex you will find many opportunities to explore and create music. We welcome your interest and participation in all musical activities available to you.
Chorus
Middlesex has a long tradition of choral music, harkening back to the days when the School produced the large-scale operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan. Today, Middlesex has four student choruses that sing an eclectic assortment of musical styles appropriate to several occasions for performance throughout the academic year.
- Chapel Chorus is the non-auditioned ensemble intended to give even the shyest and least experienced student an opportunity to sing in four part harmony with friends and peers. This is our largest chorus, usually numbering 60 to 75 singers. It performs for the Fall Parents' Concert, at the spectacular, candlelit Holiday Concert in December and at the Baccalaureate Service during graduation weekend.
- Small Chorus is an auditioned chorus of 24 to 30 members. This is a select group of singers that tackles sophisticated, challenging music and performs more frequently than the Chapel Chorus.
- Bateman's Bullfrog's (boys' group) and the MXolydians (girls' group) are the elite a cappella groups at Middlesex. They perform collegiate-style popular music and are the featured performers for many formal and informal school functions.
Instrumental Ensembles
The greatest joy of playing a musical instrument is in playing with other musicians. At Middlesex, you will find several opportunities for ensemble playing.
- Students who join the Middlesex Jazz Orchestra or one of the three Classical Chamber Ensembles may do so as a course for academic credit, when combined with studio lessons, or as an extracurricular activity.
- Many students also choose to form their own bands, playing various contemporary musical genres.
- All student ensembles, choral and instrumental, are invited to perform in the annual Spring Benefit Concert, a fund-raising event for a charity chosen by students.
The Middlesex Music Department provides the opportunity for students to study musical instruments and voice. We offer lessons in all major instruments: piano (classical and jazz), voice, organ, violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, clarinet, saxophone, oboe, trumpet, trombone, horn, guitar and bass guitar, and drums. There have also been, at various times, students studying less common instruments such as bagpipes, harmonica, penny whistle, mandolin, marimba, timpani, and ukulele.
The Studio Music Faculty is comprised of highly trained, skilled professional musicians who give weekly lessons during a free block in a student's schedule. Lesson fees are charged to the student's bill. Lessons may be taken for academic credit, when taken as a course or when combined with participation in an instrumental ensemble.
Recitals
All music students are encouraged (but not required) to perform in the Winter and Spring Recitals. Those participating in the Spring Recital may also perform in the Thoreau Recital, the annual adjudicated recital in late May that showcases some of the best musical performances of the year.
At the very end of the year, some Seniors give farewell musical performances for their parents, friends and the community at the Senior Music Recital during graduation weekend.
We in the Music Department hope to see you pursue your musical interests at Middlesex. Our goal is to help you fill the air with music!
