Building Musical Artistry

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orchestra concert
Rowland Hall Middle School students play music in band.
A fourth-grade students plays a guitar during a Rowland Hall Lower School elementary class.

Music

…permeates the halls and hearts of Rowland Hall, from lower schoolers singing festive songs and playing handchimes in the annual holiday show, to the Upper School jazz band’s surprise concerts at morning meetings.

The Advanced Chamber Ensemble covers John Lennon's "Imagine" during distance learning in May 2020. Video collage by violinist Sophie Ayers-Harris, class of 2022.

Our Upper School Advanced Chamber Ensemble's annual Collage event is an evening of interactive listening, art, poetry, dance, and chamber music. The 2020 iteration, held on February 28, was centered around Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Middle and upper school music teacher Sarah Yoon first worked with students to launch Collage in 2018, and it's since become a favorite annual cross-disciplinary arts event, showcasing our students' boundless creativity and thoughtfulness.

In February 2018, Rowland Hall’s Advanced Chamber Ensemble presented Collage, an evening of interactive listening, art, poetry, dance, and chamber music. Musicians: Austin Topham, Augustus Hickman, Patrick McNally, Tim Zeng (violin); Zach Benton (violin, viola); Alex Benton (cello); Jake Bleil (bass); Claire Sanderson (piano); and Alison Puri (harp). Student Oliver Jin ’18, a talented artist himself, captured the interdisciplinary evening on video.

BY DIVISION

Beginning School

Children move creatively to music, explore the singing voice, develop melody, play simple musical instruments, discover beat and pulse, learn patterns, and play their own musical creations.
Read more: Beginning School specialties

Lower School

Our curriculum develops musicianship, provides hands-on experiences in performance and theory, and nurtures musical artistry. Students learn through the music-education approach Orff Schulwerk, of which our music teacher Susan Swidnicki is an expert. It combines singing, movement, poetry, and playing instruments. Based on national standards, the curriculum provides students with age-appropriate skills and a conceptual understanding of composing, performing, reading and writing music, music analysis, and music's ties to history and culture.
Read more: Lower School specialties

Middle & Upper Schools

Students can pursue their musical interests through a variety of program offerings, explained below and detailed on divisional pages.
Read More: Middle School electives
Read More: Upper School curriculum

By Discipline

Susan Swidnicki
McCarthey Campus Music Teacherget to know Susan

Jeremy Innis
Chaplain, Choir and Orchestra Teacherget to know jeremy

Dr. Bret Jackson
Band Directorget to know bret

Sarah Yoon
Orchestra Teacherget to know sarah

The Benefits of Music Education in Preschool & Elementary School

Music Stories in Fine Print Magazine

You Belong at Rowland Hall