To address the immediate and critical needs of the thriving WRV music program!
To provide a rehearsal space to house our high school band and chorus ensembles that provides safe levels of sound attenuation (our current space regularly hits 110db)
Currently our rehearsal space is shared with elementary music classes, inhibiting what we can offer and minimizing availability of music courses
To meet fire code requirements (our current space is not big enough to accommodate our students)
To incorporate multiple practice rooms to house the capacity for student practicing during the school day and our second to none private lesson program
To provie close proximity to our performance space
To refresh our performance space with acoustic and lighting upgrades to enhance the audience experience and celebrate the accomplishments of our musicians
WRV's thriving music program!
WRV has a longstanding (50+ year) tradition of supporting the performing arts in the community. The school and community continue to support the music program in a myriad of ways:
Ensemble experiences in band and chorus that begin in the elementary school
Dedicated choral and instrument faculty to ensure that skilled educators are teaching within their expertise
An integrated 5th through 8th grade band lesson program that ensures instrument specific instruction as well as provides the capacity to meet students where they are at
A Private Lesson Program that provides individualized instruction from a professional musician to any student who is interested, regardless of socioeconomic status, during the school day. This is available to all students.
Equity of access to the ensemble experience so that students can participate in Honors & Advanced Placement classes, foreign language, and both band and choir
WRVHS is proud to have an exceptionally busy performance calendar to celebrate the efforts and skills of our musicians.
Please find the 2024-2025 Performance Calendar
Highlights include:
A performance by our high school musicians right out of the gate as part of our WRVHS Open House on Wednesday, October 4th
WRVHS musicians participating in the Winooski District Music Festivals in the fall and winter.
The annual Art & Soul Festival which features musicians throughout the supervisory union, with last years performance including over 200 musicians grades 4-12 and over 500 people in attendance
A high school Music Department trip to Montreal in March of 2024
A new open mic series which will feature all sorts of performing artists on a monthly basis
As expectations and rigor have increased, WRV has seen continued growth in the program:
Enrollment continues to grow with our high school music ensemble participation at over 30% of our student body. We aspire to have this ratio be the highest in the state of Vermont, with numbers currently already highest in the Upper Valley.
Increased enrollment in our chorus program with expectations for that to continue as we reap the benefits of our new last year Choral Director, Amber Leavitt.
Our band program has never been bigger in the history of our schools with over 160 students participating in grades 5 - 12, and 46 students in our high school band.
For the first time ever, our Jazz/Funk band is being offered during the school day providing access to all students.