Parents and students tell Middleton-Cross Plains board choir program needs equal support to band and orchestra

At the May 11 meeting of the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District Board of Education, parents and students urged the district to restore small-group instruction and other supports for middle-school choir that they say are being provided to band and orchestra.

Kate Gravel, a parent of a seventh-grade vocal student at Glacier Creek Middle School, told the board the district should not reduce choir support as participation grows. "We must fix this inequity and provide the same support to our vocal music students that's provided to those in instrumental music," she said, adding that she had discussed the issue with building and district administrators who promised to "take my comments into consideration."

Eighth grader Natalie Pauls said choir students receive little to no in-class preparation time for the Wisconsin Solo and Ensemble festival, while band and orchestra students are given class time and individualized instruction. "Choir is just as much of a music class as band or orchestra," Pauls said, and she asked the district to provide the same opportunities for choir students to prepare for auditions and competitions.

Imran Razi, an eighth-grade choir and band student, described specific impacts: he said choir prepared 10 pieces for solo and ensemble this year compared with 55 prepared by band and orchestra, that Glacier Creek's eighth-grade choir now includes 48 students taught by a single teacher, and that the program recently lost a teacher to Sun Prairie. "This is not just a scheduling conflict anymore. It is an issue of equity," Razi said.

Speakers requested small-group or one-on-one instruction, a fifth-grade choir option, and scheduling changes so choir students can access the same rehearsal and audition preparation time available to their instrumental peers. Several speakers noted increased vocal participation in recent years and worried that continued lack of support could lead to further teacher turnover.

Board President Bob Hesselbein thanked the commenters and closed the public-comment period; no formal action was taken during the meeting. The district's assistant and building administrators were identified during the meeting but did not make an immediate commitment on staffing changes at the May 11 session.

What happens next: The public comments were entered on the record; the board did not vote on program changes at the meeting. Board members and the superintendent acknowledged the concerns and indicated district staff would consider the input as they plan staffing and programming for 2026–27.