Music
Band Program
Alexandria City High School students have several avenues through which to pursue musical exploration and expression.
Jazz Ensemble
The Alexandria City High School Jazz Ensemble performs jazz standards and new compositions in both a big band and small combo setting. Emphasis is on performance, musicianship, and improvisation. The Jazz Ensemble competes in several states and has earned regional and national awards.
Marching Band and Color Guard
Experience Titan Pride! The Alexandria City High School Marching Band, Alexandria’s hometown band, performs at football games and leads the Alexandria George Washington Birthday Parade.
Concert and Symphonic Bands
The Concert Band trains less experienced musicians to perform at a high level of musicality prior to joining the higher-level Symphonic Band.
The Symphonic Band plays band music from the 19th century to the present, including dramatic or lighthearted Broadway and movie scores, operas and ballet music, marches, and experimental compositions. The band competes at several area festivals and has received numerous accolades.
Alexandria City High School Band Boosters
The Alexandria City High School Band Boosters provide financial, physical, logistical, and moral support to the Alexandria City High School band program. Booster funds supplement the ACPS budget for music, instruments, transportation to competitions, and clinic and sectional instructors. Funds also support private lesson scholarships, the Alexandria City High School Scholarship Fund, competition entry fees, uniform maintenance, senior recognition, and other activities.
Choir Program
Alexandria City High School Choir provides a medium for performing choral music in the school and the Alexandria City community. About 120 students comprise ACHS' choral program. These students represent a variety of cultures and ethnicities that are broken into four distinct groups:
All students learn to create an appropriate individual vocal sound and contribute to an ensemble choral sound. Alexandria City High School's Choir repertoire covers many styles from classical to pop from different periods and ranges in difficulty from III-VI based on the Virginia Choral Directors Association rating system.
In recent years, the choir has performed:
In addition, they have participated in local and national Festivals, including the:
Awards include:
- Advanced
- Mixed
- Concert
- Show Choir
- for the President of the United States and First Family in “Christmas in Washington”
- in the “Kennedy Center Honors” nationally televised productions on TNT and CBS-TV respectively with current music sensations Maxwell, Yo-Yo Ma, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Diana Ross, Scotty McCreery, Miranda Cosgrove, Demi Lavato, Matthew Morrison, and Justin Beiber.
- at the John F. Kennedy Center for the other four living Presidents including President Clinton, President Carter, President G.W. Bush, honoring the service of President George H.W. Bush.
- for the Alexandria branch of the NAACP
- as the opener for the cast of current television show "Glee"
- Disney Festival in Orlando, FL,
- Kings Dominion Festival in Doswell, VA,
- Heritage Music Festival in Atlanta, GA,
- Busch Gardens Festival in Williamsburg, VA, and
- Cedar Point Festival in Sandusky, OH, in which they received superior ratings for their choral performance
- Winning the 2011 Ising Challenge Competition, taking home the grand prize of $5,000 in which they competed against several award-winning high school programs along the eastern seaboard.
- Top honors at the 2012 Orlandofest Band/Choral/Orchestra Festival located at Universal Studios, Orlando Florida. T.C. Williams Advanced Choir swept its category of Choir by receiving Superior ratings, taking home the Gold trophy, and receiving the "Grand Champion" Award for the highest scoring ensemble of all 16 choral ensembles present. Recently, the choir scored superior ratings and took the Gold trophy at the 2013 Heritage Music Festival, in Atlanta, Georgia. During this festival, and in lieu of the high score the choir received, they were invited to perform on the Carnegie Hall Concert Stage in the 2014-2015 music festival season.
For more information about the Alexandria City High School Choir Program, please contact the Choir Boosters.
Orchestra Program
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Alexandria City High School hosts three string orchestras:
- Chamber Orchestra: Grades 10 - 12 with music focus on levels 5-6
- String Orchestra: Grades 10 - 12 with a music focus on levels 4-5
- Minnie Howard Orchestra: Grade 9 with a music focus on levels 3-4
Rehearsals
All rehearsals take place in the Alexandria City High School Orchestra Room. Minnie Howard campus students are transported by bus to the King Street campus.
Performances
Concerts are given in the Alexandria City High School Auditorium in Fall, Winter, and Spring. See the Calendar page for details.