Arts Education
Band instruction is offered at middle and high schools throughout the county schools. In addition to school performing ensembles, students may also audition for placement in the annual All-County Band Clinics and Concerts for middle and high band students. Many CCS band students compete successfully for membership in the All-District and state Honors Band clinics. In addition, high school band students participate in CCS’s exciting and outstanding Marching Band programs.
Beginning at the fifth-grade level, the String Orchestra program is offered to all interested fifth-grade students as part of a sequential instructional program that continues through middle and high school. Two auditioned countywide orchestra ensembles provide challenges beyond the classroom – the Middle School Youth Orchestra (MSYO, gr. 6-8) and the Cumberland County Youth Orchestra (CCYO, gr. 9-12). While a string ensemble in the fall, CCYO expands to a full orchestra with the addition of band students in the spring. The All-County High School Orchestra clinic, a rigorous two-day clinic with a guest conductor, provides orchestra students with an exceptional opportunity for learning. In addition, the Annual Spring Orchestra Festival is two nights of concerts featuring different grade levels of orchestra students as well as MSYO and CCYO.