Choral Arts

DC’s Upper School choral students expand on the skills developed in Middle School, singing more demanding choral literature with proper vocal technique and deeper understanding of music interpretation.

Concert Choir (an auditioned large choir) and Knight Tones (an auditioned elite chamber ensemble) are DC’s performance Choirs. Both choirs tour each spring, sharing quality choral music in churches and schools across the northeastern and southeastern US and Canada. DC’s Choirs sharpen their skills by participating in choral workshops on college campuses as well as competitions such as Music in the Parks and Festival Disney. Performance venues include The Basilique De Notre Dame in Montreal QC, the Kimmel Center at the Philly Pops Concert, the Philadelphia Phillies Game, the historic Tenth Presbyterian and other local churches in the greater Philadelphia area.

Knight Tones have toured in Montreal Canada, Vienna Austria, and Leipzig Germany, and were the featured high school choir at the Academy of Music Ball promenade in Philadelphia. In addition to sharing music at community nursing homes and churches, Knight Tones are called upon to perform for DC’s distinguished guests at school functions. Both Concert Choir and Knight Tones perform at Christmas Concerts, Spring Concerts and All School Chapels.

Sixth Grade Choir students begin to discover how their bodies and minds were created by God to sing. Areas of focus include vocal technique, team work, identification and performance of basic rhythmic patterns, singing contrasting lines, and singing in 2-part harmony. 6th graders experience history and learn to embrace other cultures by performing repertoire from various eras, languages and styles.

DC Middle School Girls Choir and Boys Choir are comprised of 7th and 8th grade students, building on skills learned in Sixth Grade Choir. Both Choirs read and perform more complex rhythms, melodies and harmonies, and further develop vocal and choral technique. By studying carefully chosen quality repertoire, DC’s Middle school choirs learn to sing with expression, confidence, style, and purpose. Both choirs annually compete at Music in the Parks competition where they consistently receive first place and superior ratings. 

At the Lower School level our students engage in music learning and choral music performance through general music class instruction, concerts, and special chapels. The very youngest students experiment with light and pleasant vocal tone production, movement, instrument-playing and iconic music notation. As they progress through the elementary years their listening, writing, and reading of music becomes more formal. The choral program involves all grade levels in Christmas concerts on alternating years, while the 5th grade choir performs several times each year. DC Lower School children love to sing in worship, in formal performances, in folk song,  and for play.

From the first day of music class in the ECC, students are taught that music is an amazing gift from God and their voices are a special musical instrument. Students explore utilizing their own voices and bodies to sing, dance, and play instruments in praise to the Lord. Throughout the year, students are introduced to different musical elements including steady beat, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, and timbre. Music is a powerful learning and communication tool for these young children and will help them connect, interact, and communicate with God and those around them, even as their language skills are still developing. DC’s ECC music program focuses on the building blocks of body coordination that challenge fine and gross motor skills as students play instruments to a steady beat, move their bodies like the animals on Noah’s ark, twirl and spin with scarves to different tempos like falling autumn leaves, sway, march, sing, and dance in worship like King David. Music class time is full of fun and laughter.