CGHS Lettering in Music
Cedar Grove High School, NJ
90 Rugby Road, Cedar Grove, NJ, USA
Project Description
Most people are very familiar with the opportunity for high school students to earn a varsity letter in athletics. This is a highly sought-after achievement and recognition for hard work and dedication to a given sport. At Cedar Grove High School, students are given the opportunity to earn a letter in Music, whether it be choral, or instrumental. Music students often work continuously fine-tuning their craft. Their growth and success, especially hard work, should receive recognition, much like that of an athlete who trains and works hard throughout their high school career.
At Cedar Grove High School, we are very proud to offer students an opportunity to track their training and commitment to Music, whether it be in Choir, Band, or Orchestra. We’ve found this to be a highly successful program for student retention, allowing them to continue to track their growth and progress toward a specific goal. For example, every choir student will have the opportunity to obtain a varsity activity letter in choir. A student can achieve this by actively participating in music activities inside and outside of school and maintaining an A average in Music. Some of the activities include: attending a concert or musical, performing in a concert or musical, acting as a student helper, leading warm-up activities, participating in pep band, singing the National Anthem at various events, auditioning, and music lessons. Each activity is worth a certain amount of points. If students achieve the total amount of points necessary, they will receive a letter in Choir at the end of the school year. The total amount of points needed to letter is 100 points. Students are responsible for keeping track of their own points and getting approval of those points by their teacher. After students achieve a letter in Music, they have the opportunity in subsequent years to work toward an achievement pin. This operates in a similar way The students are excited about the opportunity to earn their letter because it is a sign of their hard work and commitment to Music which is so important to them. This year we are rolling out a Ribbon Achievement program in Choir that will also allow the students to work toward different colored ribbon achievements, as well. Hopefully, we will be discussing that program during next year’s submissions. We are very excited about that one, as well. These types of positive-reinforcement programs keep the students engaged and give them goals to work toward throughout the year. Most importantly, it gives them something very special to be proud of and a reason to remain enthusiastic in the Cedar Grove High School Music Program.
