Welcome to Sequoyah Instrumental Music!

At over 220 student-musicians strong, our music department has established a wonderful tradition of excellence, and we are thrilled that you are interested in learning more about our program!

The purpose of this music program is not to create professional musicians, but to develop productive and responsible, open-minded scholars who have the ability to think both critically and creatively. A quality arts education seeks to develop the whole child. Countless studies have been conducted on the profound impact that a music education has on a child both developmentally, and academically across all disciplines. I encourage you to view this research by visiting NAMMFoundation.org for more information!

The Instrumental Music Department at Sequoyah Middle School is directed by Chris Leslie with percussion teaching assistance from Eric Parchen, and is made up of two different components: Band (brass, woodwinds, and percussion) and Orchestra. Anytime you hear or see the words instrumental music, it is referring to one of these two groups. Within each of these two groups are several performing ensembles that rehearse and perform at different times inside and outside of the school day, and at different times of the year. Students may be a part of one or more of these ensembles. We encourage you to learn more about these performing ensembles by selecting from the ensembles drop down menus located in the navigation bar above.

Why Music?

1. The National Association of Middle School Principals states that 66% of all college freshman drop out in their first year. In contrast, 96% of band students graduate from higher education.
2. Music students average 107 points higher on their SAT than their peers who are not involved in music.
3. Lewis Thomas, Physician and Biologist, found that music majors comprise the highest percentage (66 percent) of accepted medical students.
4. 96% of American astronauts studied the fine arts in school, including Neil Armstrong who played the euphonium!
5. 70 percent of admissions officers of the nation's major universities say high school credit and achievement in the arts are significant considerations for admissions.
6. It's challenging, and a lot of fun!

What a great activity to choose!