2026 NCMEA Conference & NC Elementary Honors Chorus

On Saturday, November 7th and Sunday, November 8th, Jack Taylor, Norah Dominico, and another 5th grade student represented Barton Pond at the 2026 NC Elementary Honors Chorus event. 462 students across the state auditioned for the ensemble and these three students were among the 186 students that were selected to be in the choir. The clinician for the event was Mary Biddlecome, who is the senior lecturer in Choral Studies at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee and the director of the Blair Academy.

Students spent Saturday and Sunday morning rehearsing for the event with Mrs. Biddlecombe and presented a performance at 12:00 p.m. on November the 8th. The students performed "The Star-Spangled Banner", by Francis Scott Key and John Stafford Smith, "Gloria Tibi" by Leonard Bernstein, "Fly" by Tracy Wong, "Byem' By" arranged by Maya Cooper, "When I Rise Up" by J. David Moore, and "Bandyrowe" arranged by Susan Brumfield. 

At the 2026 North Carolina Music Educators Conference, Wake County Public School Teachers also celebrated our superintendent for the 2026-2027 school year, Dr. Robert P. Taylor, for receiving the 2026 NCMEA Administrator of the Year Award. Taylor was recognized for helping to implement a strategic plan that recognizes the importance of arts education as a core subject area. 

Jazzmone Sutton, a former WCPSS elementary teacher at Swift Creek Elementary, was the keynote speaker for the event. The title of Jazzmone's session was "Embracing the Rest to Sustain Your Passion for Music Education". She encouraged audience members to engage in adequate self-care and to build a community of colleagues, friends, and family members to help maintain their love for teaching and music education. We want to congratulate her on delivering a fantastic presentation, for serving as a previous NCMEA president and elementary section chair, and for continuing to serve music educators at the national level as the senior manager for state advocacy and equity. We celebrate her for continuing to advocate for arts education so that students all over the nation receive a high-quality music education. The students and staff of Barton Pond look forward to participating in this event in the coming years. Below you can see pictures from the event.

Spring 2026 Concert

On Thursday, May 7th, 2026, the Barton Pond Music Program hosted its annual spring concert! The 3rd graders and the Barton Pond chorus performed the soccer-themed musical titled "Goal" by John Jacobson and John Higgins. There were also performances by the Barton Pond percussion ensemble and the Barton Pond ukulele club. The students, parents, teachers, and the Barton Pond community enjoyed the performances and we are looking forward to putting on another amazing concert in the fall! Below you can see pictures from the event.

2026 Pieces of Gold Show

This month the Barton Pond Chorus participated in the annual Pieces of Gold show! We joined a cast of nearly 1,000 students from across Wake County in putting on stellar performances for the Wake County community on Wednesday, March 4th, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. The event was held at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, NC. The chorus performed the song "How Far I'll Go" by Lin-Manuel Miranda from the movie Moana. The students had a great time performing in the event and we look forward to participating in this event again in the future.  Below you can see pictures of the chorus on the day of the Pieces of Gold show.

2026 Wake County Elementary Honors Chorus

 

 

 

On Friday, February 20th and Saturday, February 21st, 2026 a delegation of four students from Barton Pond attended the annual Wake County Public Schools Elementary Honors Chorus event! The students performed the following songs with their 4th and 5th grade peers from around Wake County: "Sing to Me" by Andrea Ramsey, "Quia fecit mihi magna" arranged by Tom Shelton, "Be Who You Are" by Ryan Main, "We Will Sing the World Whole" by Mark Burrows, "Get on Board" arranged by Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory, and "Animal Imagination" by Tom Shelton. The clinician for the event was Tom Shelton, who did a phenomenal job of preparing students for the final performance. The students did an amazing job at this concert and we are looking forward to sending another delegation of students to this event next year!

NC Symphony 2026

 

On Tuesday, January 6th, 2026 the 4th graders at Barton Pond attended the annual North Carolina Symphony field trip! Students heard works by Beethoven, Anthony Kelley, Jesse Montgomery, Bizet, Grieg, Schubert, Verdi, John Stafford Smith, and Francis Scott Key. Students also heard special performances by each section of the NC Symphony that highlighted sounds and timbres produced by each instrument family. The students had a great time on this field trip and our rising 4th graders look forward to going on this field trip next year!

Antlers Musical

On Thursday, December 11th, 2025 at 6:00 p.m., the Barton Pond music program hosted its annual winter concert. Students performed the musical Antlers by Teresa Jennings and Karl Hitzemann. There were also performances by the Barton Pond chorus, percussion ensemble, and ukulele club. Chloe Yang, a cellist with the Triangle Youth Orchestra and a 4th grade student at Barton Pond, performed the national anthem and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" at the event. There was also a solo performance by Layna Holland, the first person in the history of Barton Pond to be selected to perform with the North Carolina Elementary Honors Chorus. The students did a phenomenal job at the concert and we are looking forward to having another amazing concert in the spring! Below you can see pictures from the event and hear Chloe playing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas".

2025 NC Elementary Honors Chorus

On Sunday, November 9th, 2025, Layna Holland made history as the first student at Barton Pond Elementary to perform with the North Carolina Elementary Honors Chorus! Members of the 2025 NC Elementary Honors Chorus had the opportunity to work with Joshua Pedde, the executive artistic director of the Indianapolis Children's Choir, who was the clinician for the event. The students  performed the following songs at the concert: "Laudamus Te" by Antonio Vivaldi, "Shenandoah" arranged by Rollo Dilworth, "The Star" by Harry Richardson, "Now is the Time" by Leeann Starkey, "Hi! Ho! The Rattlin' Bog" arranged by Ken Berg, and "Sesere Eeye" arranged by Matthew Doyle. Layna had a great time representing our school at this event and we look forward to sending more students to be a part of this chorus in the future!