As of October, 2003, there were almost 400 students involved in the band and orchestra programs and approximately 550 students singing in the various choruses in grades 5-12 throughout our district. 

Many students in these groups also participate in the All County Music Festival, New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) sponsored Area All State Music Festivals and Solo Competition. This year we will have more than 140 students attend the NYSSMA Solo Competition. 

One of the relatively more recent programs we have instituted is our chamber music offering which includes both middle and high school students. This program has been recognized by the Amateur Chamber Music Players association which has provided us with a continuing grant that we have been using to pay world class musicians from Lincoln Center and other venues to come to Monticello and coach our students several times a year. We have had a coaching session by Judith Pearce, Matt Sullivan, and Anna Lim (violin) who work in intimate small groups with our chamber music students. These are extraordinary opportunities which are being provided to our students to study with some of the finest musicians in the world. 

In addition, we have an active jazz/fusion program that involves both middle and high school students. 

The Monticello Central School general music curriculum has been nationally recognized. As a result of this curriculum, each general music teacher, for example, knows what the children have learned when they enter the class, regardless of which school building they are from. 

Ann Trombley's performance emphasis in her high school general music class (called "Music In Our Lives") has been nationally recognized and published in the Promising Practices of High School General Music book published by the Music Educators National Conference (which is the umbrella organization under which NYSSMA exists). 

We also offer a Music AP course in the high school. 

In addition, there is an active performance program for the general music students called Performance Skills. In these classes, students who are not in band or orchestra can learn to play various instruments such as guitar, piano or electric keyboard. A number of these students eventually participate in NYSSMA solo competition events and perform at Part I of our Spring Concert.

A wonderfully exciting program which we are currently involved in as a pilot project involves the 5th graders of the Rutherford School. 

Our elementary general music/chorus teachers were prepared for a series of 5 visits by teaching artists who will work with the students in each class from March until May (with a culminating concert for the students by the chamber music artists). The essence of the program is to relate music to all other subject areas. We have chosen the theme of "E Pluribus Unum - From Many Voices One Music", and using a curriculum guide, created by John Bertles (curriculum writer for Carnegie Hall, New York Philharmonic, Grammy Concert Series for Children, Liberty Science Center, American Museum of Natural History, and more) show teachers and students how to relate music to English Language Arts, Science, Math and Social Studies, constantly relating all materials to the New York State Standards. This is one of the most exciting programs we have been involved in and hopefully, if the pilot is successful, we will receive further funding to expand the program and offer it to more students.