Community Music EDUCATION 2025-26

ABOUT THIS ENSEMBLE

Student age & grade range

• 14 -18 years old, 9th - 12th grade

Program director

• Mr. Timothy Delnay, year 3 at SHS, year 16 teaching, Bachelor of Music from Bowling Green State University.

Ensembles & Activities (what they do each year)

• Treble Choir - Treble Choir is a performance based class for beginning level sopranos and altos  in grades 9-12 with a primary focus on choral music fundamentals, ensemble skills, and singing techniques for treble voices. Treble Choir performs at Fall Concert, Holiday Concert, Pops, WSMA Large Group, and Spring Concert. 

• Tenor Bass Choir - Tenor Bass Choir is a performance based class for beginning tenor and bass voices  in grades 9-12 with a primary focus on choral music fundamentals, ensemble skills and singing techniques for changed and changing voices. Tenor Bass Choir performs at Fall Concert, Holiday Concert, Pops, WSMA Large Group, and Spring Concert.

• Spartan Singers - Spartan Singers is a select choir for highly motivated, high achieving vocal music students who have previously demonstrated proficiency in sight-reading, tonal memory, and ability to sing in a group with accurate intonation and rhythmic precision. Students in Spartan Singers must have excellent attendance and be able to communicate effectively with teachers and students. Spartan Singers participate in many community events outside of the school day as well as our concerts, WSMA Large Group, and graduation. 

• Show Choir - Show Choir is a select choir that meets during advisory. Students in Show Choir will explore the aspects of combining singing and dancing/choreography in a mixed choir setting. Students need not have any dance experience but be willing to try and learn. 

• Solo & Ensemble - Solo & Ensemble is open to any student in the music program.  Interested students will pick a vocal solo from the approved list with the help of the director and will prepare it outside of regular class time.  Small groups of students will also be able to perform as an ensemble.  Students receiving a *1 In class A at district will move on to state.

• Honors Ensembles - Students can have the opportunity to participate in an honors ensembles at UMD, UWS, CSS, or the Wisconsin All-State Choir. The Director will provide information and assist with audition/ registration as it becomes available. The audition includes a solo performance, and sight reading portion. If chosen, All-State involves one week of summer camp and a performance during the Fall WSMA Conference.

• Private Study/Voice Lessons - Practice sessions with the director can be scheduled one a week for 15 minutes. Students who plan to take a solo or in an ensemble are required to take lessons. Students do miss time from other classes and are encouraged to take lessons during a time of least disruption or after school. The director will also post any information on other private vocal instructors in the area.

Other SHS Choral Performances & Activities

• Recent events / trips outside of normal concerts include: recording the national anthem and school fight song Columbia Blue & White, recording The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald for the 50th anniversary of the disaster, performing at the Duluth depot for Duluth’s Veterans Day Ceremony, performing with the UW - Superior Music department for their holiday concerts (A Season of Song), and trips to Chanhassen Dinner Theater.

Message from Mr. Delnay 

• Singing is a timeless form of human expression. For ages people have come together to sing to celebrate, to mourn, to reflect, and to hope. Each student’s voice matters and the choir would not be the same without your voice! Let us come together to tell those stories and share those emotions with each other and our audience. You may not remember every song you sing in choir but you will remember the people and emotions of singing. I look forward to mentoring you all through that journey.

ABOUT THIS ENSEMBLE

Student age & grade range

• • 11 -14 years old, 6th - 8th grade

Program director

• • Rylee Newton, Choir Director, 5th year

Ensembles & Performances

• Choir 6 - An introductory choral experience for 6th grade students at SMS who love to sing and are excited to practice basic music skills in a group setting. Choir 6 is a year-long course which meets every other day throughout the year. In addition to musical and vocal skills, Choir 6 focuses on building community, creating high-quality performance habits, and forming empathetic leaders. Performances: Choir 6 performs at two (2) official concerts during the year, in December and May respectively. 

• Choir 7 - An intermediate choral experience for 7th grade students at SMS who love to sing and are enthusiastic about practicing a wide-range of musical skills. It is a year-long course which meets every other day throughout the year. In addition to musical and vocal skills, Choir 7 focuses on building community, creating high-quality performance habits, and forming empathetic leaders. Choir 7 includes the Intermediate Treble and Cambiata Choirs.  Performances: Choir 7 performs at two (2) official concerts during the year, in February and May 

• 7th Grade Intermediate Treble Choir - The treble ensemble includes students who have voices that are unchanged and/or students who have voices that will remain in the treble range as their voices do change. 

• 7th Grade Cambiata Choir - The Cambiata ensemble includes students who have voices that have started to change, have fully changed, or will change to tenor and/or bass range voice in the future. 

• Choir 8 - An advanced choral experience for 8th grade students at SMS who love to sing and are enthusiastic about continuing to practice a wide-range of musical skills. It is a year-long course which meets every day throughout the year. In addition to musical and vocal skills, Choir 8 focuses on building community, creating high-quality performance habits, and forming empathetic leaders. Choir 8 includes the Treble, Tenor-Bass, and Advanced Choirs.  Performances: Choir 8 performs at three (3) official concerts during the year, in October, February, and May respectively. Choir 8 also performs at Concert Festival (April) and additional extracurricular events as assigned. In addition, select students have the opportunity to perform at Solo & Ensemble (March).

• 8th Grade Treble Choir - The treble ensemble includes students with soprano or alto voices.

• 8th Grade Tenor-Bass Choir - The tenor-bass ensemble includes students with tenor or bass voices. 

• 8th Grade Advanced Choir - In addition to performing as separate ensembles, the 8th Grade Treble Choir and the 8th Grade Tenor-Bass Choir perform together as the 8th Grade Advanced Choir at feature concerts. This ensemble works on the most advanced music in the program and is composed of every 8th grade student in choir.

Curricular Outcomes (what they work on each year)

• Singing posture (standing & sitting)

• Singing posture (sitting)

• Pitch-matching over an extended range (1.5 octaves)

• Pure cardinal vowels

• Steady beat

• Quarter, dotted quarter, eighth, dotted half, half, and wholes notes and rests (reading & performing)

• Treble & bass clef note names

• Rhythmic sight reading

• Melodic sight reading on solfege syllables

• Dynamic symbols (identification & definition)

• Expressive elements (identification & definition)

• Application of feedback in a group setting

• Score navigation in unison, 2-part, 3-part, and 4-part divisi

• Perform repertoire at concerts

• Follow conductor cues

• Enter and exit stage

• Follow audience etiquette

• Perform using repertoire-appropriate facial expressions 

Mrs. Newton, what is unique / special about this program? 

• Our Superior Middle School choir program is special because of the emphasis on teaching the whole student, not just the musician. Through thoughtful classroom activities as well as highly selective programming of repertoire, students hone skills in leadership, community building, empathy, and teamwork. 

CHORAL CAMPAIGN 2025-26

Help Us Reach The High Note!

Goal = $4000 / Each Note = $500