Welcome to Choir!

We’re so excited to begin another incredible year of music-making, learning, and growing together. Choir at Gilbert Middle School is more than just singing—it’s about building friendships, discovering new talents, and creating moments you’ll never forget. Whether this is your first time in choir or you’re returning with experience, there’s a place for your voice in our community.

The magic of the Gilbert Middle School Choir isn't just about the music itself — it's also about the incredible cognitive benefits that come with making music together! In a captivating TED-Ed video by Anita Collins (which you can check out here), you'll discover how playing an instrument and singing can supercharge your brain. From enhancing memory and concentration to developing problem-solving skills and boosting overall cognitive function, every note you sing and every harmony you create contributes to your mental growth. So, not only will you be crafting beautiful melodies, but you'll also be giving your brain a powerful workout that will benefit you in all areas of life. As you immerse yourself in the world of music with our choir, you're not just creating art — you're nurturing your mind!

Are you ready to embark on this journey of musical and cognitive enrichment? Join us and let's explore the symphony of sounds while reaping the incredible rewards for our brains. Together, we'll learn, grow, and create harmonies that resonate far beyond the walls of our rehearsal room. Get ready to experience the transformative power of music and the joy of shared artistic expression. We can't wait to make this year's choir activities an unforgettable chapter in your musical and personal development!

2025–26 Performance Calendar

Fall Collage of Choirs

Thursday, October 23 @ 7:00 pm
Gilbert High School Gymnasium

Midwinter 6th & 7th Choir Concert

Tuesday, February 10 @ 7:00 pm

8th Grade Musical

Friday & Saturday, March 6 & 7 @ 7:00 pm

Spring 6th–8th Choir Concert

Tuesday, May 19 @ 7:00 pm

All events will be held in the high school auditorium, unless otherwise noted.
The concerts (not the musical) will be live-streamed.

About excellence …

In my twenty-five years of teaching, I’ve had the opportunity to make music with thousands of middle schoolers. Reflecting on my experiences, I could certainly go down memory lane and discuss many musical accolades, but instead I want to focus on what I spend a lot of time on in class. Perhaps surprisingly, it’s not music. I'd like us to consider excellence and its inferior doppelganger, mediocrity.

Our student musicians are very talented. You knew that, of course. What you might not know, though, is what kind of community is forged in the choir room. Our ability to laugh at our own mistakes, the courage to sing and dance with abandon, the desire to push ourselves and each other to be better than we were the last time — these are the qualities that allow for ensemble music-making that rises above the level of mediocrity.

By the slow erosion of our own standards, all of us have enabled people to present mediocrity as quality. We have sacrificed effort and achievement for self-worth and ego. We have done ourselves a grave disservice. It takes courage to seek out and expect excellence. It takes courage to speak out against the lies that surround us. Everything is not special. Effort does not equal achievement. Quantity does not equal quality. When we pretend otherwise, we only delude ourselves.

While I am glad that I’ve been able to hone our students’ musicianship, it is my hope that I’ve been able — in some small way — to help our students both give and expect excellence from themselves and others.

The true strength of our program lies in the ability of the administration, director, students and parents to work together toward the goal of excellence in music education for every student, every day. All of us play a part in the success of our students in the choir program. Thank you in advance for your commitment and involvement in one of our outstanding music programs here in Gilbert!

If you are interested in being more involved in the excellent work that's happening in the arts in Gilbert Schools, please consider donating or being a part of the Gilbert Fine Arts Boosters.

“In the end, the arts make three things possible. First, they develop the mind by giving it opportunities to learn to think in special ways. Second, they make communication possible on matters that will not take the impress of logically constructed language. Poetry, after all, was invented to say what prose can never say. Third, the arts are places and spaces where one can enrich one's life. Such outcomes are not educationally trivial. When taken seriously, the arts have much to teach educators: they could provide the models needed to create schools that genuinely educate.”

— Elliot Eisner, Professor of Art & Education, Stanford University

Contact me!

johnsonc@gilbertcsd.org

(515) 232-0540 • 201 East Mathews Drive, Gilbert, IA 50105