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Music Department

 

Moon Area School District Music Department

A Six-Time Best Community for Music Education

 

Elementary

  • Each elementary student currently receives 50 minutes of general music instruction once within a 5-day rotation.

Highlights

  • Over the past 11 years, elementary choirs have performed the National Anthem at Pittsburgh Pirates baseball, Washington Wild Things baseball, and Robert Morris University basketball games.
  • MASD elementary music classes participated in an Orff-tastic performance and side-by-side workshop at Duquesne University’s Mary Pappert School of Music the past 3 years in conjunction with the Music Education Program at Duquesne.

Middle School

  • All Middle School students participate in ensemble-based music classes, which meet every other day throughout the school year.
  • In addition to the grade level ensembles, opportunities include 5th Grade Tiger Tunes, 7th & 8th Grade Girls’ Chamber Choir, Jazz Band, Brass Ensemble, Lil Bro Canto, Honors Percussion Ensemble, an Adapted Music course, and Moon Area Youth Orchestra (MAYO).
  • Along with the PMEA Honors Ensembles, Middle School students can also participate in Mucho Macho Music, Sweet Harmony, WAMS, and Strings North.

Highlights

  • 8th Grade Concert Choir sang the National Anthem at a 2019 Pitt women’s Basketball game against Syracuse at the Petersen Events Center.  They were the first group to EVER do this for a women’s basketball game. 

  • 8th Grade Concert Choir was invited and performed in the Main Rotunda of the Pennsylvania State Capitol.

  • Girls Chamber Choir has performed at the US Steel Plaza, PPG Wintergarden, Pittsburgh’s Annual Light-Up Night, and Ross Park Mall. They also go caroling each year in the Moon Township neighborhoods to collect donations for the Children’s Hospital Free Care Fund.

High School

  • At the High School, over 23% of the student population is involved in band, chorus, or orchestra.  The national average is 8%.
  • High School opportunities include Concert Band, Honors Symphonic Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band I, Jazz Band II, Brass Ensemble, Flute Choir, Brass Quintet, Winterguard, Percussion Ensemble, Concert Choir, Honors Choir, Cantari, Bel Canto, Orchestra, and Honors Chamber Orchestra.

Highlights

  • HS Percussion Ensemble has performed at Heinz Hall with the PSO, performed at PAS days of percussion, and participated in several masterclasses and performances with clinicians in all areas of percussion.
  • The Honors Chamber Orchestra has had the honor of playing and performing with members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
  • High School Choral groups have traveled each year to perform in a variety of cities, including Chicago, New York, and Walt Disney World. In October of this year, the Honors Choir will be one of three featured choral ensembles for the Pittsburgh Concert Chorale Festival of Choirs at Carnegie Music Hall. The Honors Choir has also performed at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City. 

High School Marching Band

  • The marching band has won consecutive Pennsylvania Marching Band Association (PIMBA) Championships.
  • 7 out of the last 9 years, the marching band has placed within the top 5 of the entire PIMBA circuit. 
  • The marching band competes in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Marching Band Association (PIMBA) circuit, Bands of America (BOA), and travels to perform at competitions, parades, and concerts both regionally and nationally.
  • The marching band is a perennial Bands of America (BOA) regional finalist, two-time BOA regional class AA champions, and two-time AAAA Pennsylvania Marching Band Association (PIMBA) champions.
  • The Moon Area High School Winter Color Guard competes in the Three Rivers Winter Ensemble Association (TRWEA) circuit.

Performance Assessments

  • High School Symphonic Band participates in the PMEA Large Ensemble Music Performance Assessments. 
  • The Symphonic Band has received Superior ratings for the past 10 years and scored straight ones in all categories 8 of those years.

Pennsylvania State Conferences

  • 2 groups were selected by audition to perform at the Pennsylvania State Music Educator’s Conference:
    •  Bon Meade Singing Tigers in 2007 in Hershey
    •  High School Symphonic Band in 2013 and 2017 in Erie, PA

Pennsylvania State Capitol

  • These groups have been invited and performed in the Main Rotunda of the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, PA:
    • Bon Meade Singing Tigers
    • 8th Grade Concert Choir
    • High School Symphonic Band

All-State Ensembles

  • Students from band, chorus, and orchestra are consistently selected to participate in their respective all-state ensembles, and move on to study music in university and conservatories across the nation, such as Indiana University at Bloomington, Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, Baylor University, Capital University, and Duquesne University. 

Honors Ensembles

  • Band, Chorus, and Orchestra students in grades 5-12 are consistently selected to participate in PMEA honors ensembles.

Collaboration

  • In 2019 and 2020, the members of the MAHS Music Department collaborated for the "For the Love of Music" concert held in the MAHS auditorium. Band, orchestra, and choir students performed with local rock legends for a two-hour, fun-filled set of classic rock n' roll tunes. 
  • In February 2016, the High School Honors Choir participated in a collaboration with the Pittsburgh Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and Upper St. Clair Pantheon Choir for the performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. In February 2013 the same groups collaborated in a performance of Carl Orff's iconic Carmina Burana. 
  • In December 2014, the High School Choirs and Symphonic Band performed a joint concert with the Pittsburgh River City Brass Band.

Outreach

  • Each year the music department hosts a forum for students interested in studying music in college.  The “So, You Think You Want To Be A Music Major…” forum provides an opportunity for students to hear first-hand from college professors what they can expect as a music major in college.  Students also receive information from over 20 surrounding college and universities.

Community

  • Music ensembles from all buildings have performed around the community, in places such as Moon Park, US Steel Plaza, PPG Wintergarden, Pittsburgh’s Annual Light-Up Night, Pittsburgh International Airport, Ross Park Mall, University of Pittsburgh Athletic Events, Pittsburgh Marathon, parades, and many more!

Recognition

  • The Moon Area School District has been nationally recognized as being a Best Community for Music Education from 2014-2019.

Concert Information

Information and Programs

High School:

Choir Winter Concert - Ode to Holidays Past

Band Winter Concert

Orchestra Winter Concert