Staff Board of Trustees
Reaching Heights offers many extra opportunities for students enrolled in the CH-UH instrumental music program to develop their musical skills and strive for excellence. Close partnerships with district staff make it possible for these initiatives to work.
One of these opportunities is the Middle School Honor Band and Orchestra Festival that started in 2004. Middle school is a critical time for student musicians. It can determine their long-term participation in music. It is important to keep these musicians motivated, challenged and invested.
The Middle School Honor Band and Orchestra targets middle schoolers who show a high level of interest or musical potential. Their teachers invite them to participate in an all-district honor band or orchestra. The ensembles meet weekly over six to eight weeks to rehearse for a concert. District music teachers conduct the rehearsals, giving students exposure to several teachers and many new students.
The initiative is an outgrowth of Reaching Musical Heights, the 2003 gala concert at Severance Hall. The middle school instrumental music teachers created an honor band to perform in that concert. This experience convinced them of the value and feasibility of an honor ensemble program and asked Reaching Heights to support its continuation. The on-going collaboration with the district music teachers makes this initiative another resource to engage and motivate middle school musicians.
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