Announcing Beginning Band Registration Night!!

The Music Department of the Darien Public Schools is pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for all current third and fourth grade students to be a part of our award winning Darien Band program. All current third and fourth grade students in the Darien Public Schools who wish to begin learning a band instrument in the fall of this year are invited and encouraged to attend the beginning Band informational evening meeting to be held in the Tokeneke School Common Room at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 7^th. This presentation will be for interested students and their parents in all five of Darien’s Elementary Schools. An explanation of our Band program, instrument demonstrations, instrument rental program information, and class registrations for this fall will take place at this time. All interested students entering 4^th or 5^th grade in the fall are eligible to begin Band instrument instructions. All students attending these sessions must be accompanied by an adult. Information regarding this opportunity for students will also be distributed to students in their respective schools.

If you have any questions regarding our Elementary Band Program in the Darien Public Schools, please contact the Elementary Band teachers: Krista DiPietro at Holmes and Hindley kdipietro@darienps.org or Colin Walters at Ox Ridge, Royle or Tokeneke Schools cwalters@darienps.org  or call the District Music Office at: 655-3981 ext: 2250.

Music Department Announces Beginning String Instrument Registration

The Music Department would like to announce the opportunity for all students entering grade three in the fall of 2018 to register to play a string instrument in the Darien Public Schools String program. The registration evening, otherwise known as “Introduction to Strings Night” will take place on June 6, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the Middlesex Middle School auditorium.  The students and parents will get an overview of the school string program and will get an opportunity to hear and try each instrument so that they can make a decision as to which instrument they would prefer to study in the fall program.  Parents will also receive registration materials and information on instrument rental programs.

If you have any questions about any aspect of the elementary the string program, please contact your school string teachers, Dawn Hanley: DHanley@darienps.org   Dylan Spielvogel: DSPielvogel@darienps.org or Jane Minnis at: JMinnis@darienps.org  or 203-655-3981 ext: 2287

MMS Jazz Performs at WCSU Jazz Festival

The MMS Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Mr. James Carter, performed at WCSU Jazz Festival on Tuesday, May 15. The students performed for clinicians, attended workshops specific to each of their instruments and were able to hear professional jazz musicians as well as jazz bands from other districts.

The 2018 MMS Jazz Ensemble paused for a picture after their performance and workshop at the the Western Connecticut State University Jazz Festival. 

MMS Tenor saxophonist, Will Abbott, performs his rendition of the Carlos Santana composition Europa.

MMS Students Perform at Fairfield County Strings Festival

On Saturday, April 28th twelve students from the Middlesex Middle School Orchestras performed at the Fairfield County Strings Festival at Trumbull High School. The students prepared and performed challenging literature and were selected through an audition process in which chose 240 students to participate from throughout Fariefield County. 

Pictured above: Ellie Gaaserud, Conan Thibodeau, Chi-an Daugavietis

Students not pictured: Kaitlyn Murray, Helen Zhou, Daphne Konstantinis, Evan O'Rourke, Maggie Russell, Sydney Du, Michael Dong, Moera Kamimura, and Andy Lin