The MacDuffie School Music Department strives to enhance musical understanding, enrichment, and expression in the art form. Specifically, the program incorporates the nine national standards for Music Education listed below:
We offer a year long dance course for Upper School Students which meets four days a week. This course not only provides an Art credit for students, but allows them to be exempt from Physical Education.
Students are encouraged to create work for the Winter and Spring Concerts. Auditions are held and mandatory monthly showings allow the students to receive constructive criticism from faculty and peers. At show time, students are responsible for designing lighting plans, costumes, set design and even help put together our program.
- Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
- Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
- Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
- Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
- Reading and notating music.
- Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
- Evaluating music and music performances.
- Understanding relationships between music, other arts and disciplines outside the arts.
- Understanding music in relation to history and culture.
“MacDuffie has excellent concerts. I played a flute piece once and I sang in the MacDuffie chorus for Middle School. It was very fun to see different people coming together and performing.” – Christen, ’11
Examples of recent school-related musical activities include:
- Full musical performance of “The Boyfriend,” “Anything Goes,” “South Pacific,” & others.
- Participation in Western District and All-State music festivals.
- Musical Clubs such as Chamber Music, A Cappella Ensemble and Jazz Band.
- Attendance at Springfield Symphony lunchtime concerts.
- Annual Winter and Spring Concerts.
- Periodic student performances at morning assembly.
- Use of bongos and keyboards in general music classroom.
- Student performances at MacDuffie Alumni Reunions, and other special events.
Middle School Music Courses
6th Grade
History of American music and basic music literacy skills.
7th Grade
Popular music industry and basic/intermediate music literacy skills.
8th Grade music
World music and intermediate/advanced music literacy skills.
Middle School Chorus
Upper School Music Courses
- The Arts in Perspective
- MacDuffie Singers
- Chamber Orchestra
- History of American Music
- Music Theory
