9730 ORCHESTRA
9740 ORCHESTRA
9750 ORCHESTRA
Prerequisite: none
0.5 credit (9, 10, 11, 12)
(Students are required to take two of the three trimesters and are strongly encouraged to take three trimesters)
The Music Department at Kaukauna High School sets high standards for our performance groups. The expectations of the school, community and Wisconsin School Music Association recommend a full year of performances on which our curriculum is based. Students are encouraged to take all three trimesters as their schedule allows. Conflicts will be worked through on an individual basis.
Kaukauna Music Performance courses are aligned with Wisconsin State Music Standards. A typical student participates in performance music through his or her four–year career at Kaukauna. Skills and knowledge are developed over this time frame on the following basis:
1st year-basic
2nd year-basic/proficient
3rd year-proficient
4th year-advanced
The Wisconsin Standards are 12th grade benchmarks, aligning with our advanced level of proficiency at the end of the 4th year of student enrollment.
The Kaukauna High School Orchestra, located in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, has been under the direction of Kathryn Nesemann since 2016. Celebrating 100 years of orchestra at the Kaukauna Area School District, the program stands out as one of the best in the Fox Valley.
The orchestra has frequently represented Kaukauna across the country in places like Minneapolis (2017, 2019, 2023), Florida (2018), and New York (2016). The last time the KHS orchestra performed in New York in 2016, the ensemble had the honor of performing at the Madison Atrium and participating in a Broadway Classroom workshop. In 2023, the Kaukauna High School Orchestra was awarded the First Class Division Award received for their exemplary performance at the Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) Festival.
The Kaukauna Area School District has consistently been recognized for its dedication to music education, having received the NAMM Best Communities for Music Education Award for the past five consecutive years. In addition to a performance at the One World Trade Center in March 2024, the Kaukauna High School Orchestra is also proud to announce that they are currently collaborating with the renowned composer Brian Balmages to perform the world premiere of his new piece in May 2024.