• Karen Andrews, Junior School kandrews@unis.org
• Truike Boekholdt, Junior School, tboekholt@unis.org
• Winslow Browning, Middle School and Tutorial House (Guitar) wbrowning@unis.org
• Gary Capetandes (Department Coordinator), Middle School and Tutorial House (Band & IB Music), gcapetandes@unis.org

• Patrick Cornelius, Middle School and Tutorial House (Band), pcornelius@unis.org

• Jeff Davis, Middle School and Tutorial House (Band and Jazz Band), jdavis@unis.org

• Patricio Diaz, Middle School and Tutorial House (Strings), pdiaz@unis.org
• Kristin Eley, Middle School and Tutorial House (Choral), keley@unis.org
• Michael Fahie, Middle School and Tutorial House (Band and Jazz Band), mfahie@unis.org
• Suzanne Gilchrest, Middle School (Woodwind), sgilchrest@unis.org
• Brendan Golle, Middle School and Tutorial House (Music Technology & Theory), bgolle@unis.org
• Marina Kifferstein, Middle School (Strings), mkifferstein@unis.org
• Karen Lerner, Middle School and Tutorial House (Choral), klerner@unis.org
• Chris MacDonnell, Middle School (Band), klerner@unis.org
• Sue Panny, Middle School (Band), spanny@unis.org
• Laura Thompson,  Middle School (Strings), lthompson@unis.org
• Dan Urness, Middle School and Tutorial House (Band), durness@unis.org
• Christa Van Alstine, Middle School (Band), cvanalstine@unis.org
• Liam Veuve, Middle School and Tutorial House (Strings), lveuve@unis.org

M1 Band: M1 Band consists of beginning flute, clarinet, trumpet, french horn, trombone, and euphonium. Students have the opportunity to work weekly in small group sessions with professional musicians who reinforce the following fundamentals: tone production, basic fingerings/ slide positions (trombone), breath control, articulation, rhythm, dynamics, and note reading in an ensemble context. Upon achieving a beginning level of competency, performance and concepts of aesthetic and emotional expression are introduced. Basic concepts of music theory are also covered and reinforced.

M1 Chorus: M1 Voice and Percussion students are introduced to vocal technique and basic sight-reading skills using moveable solfege, music theory, and ear training. Students explore music using their bodies as instruments, and transfer these percussion skills to djembes, congas, claves, and other percussion instruments.

M1 Strings: M1 Strings is a year of experimenting with the violin and cello in a group setting. Students explore and experiment playing music together while establishing good physical habits and appropriate behavior required in ensemble playing. Understanding musical language is an important part of the class and students work on music reading skills and "solfege" 
 

M2 Band: M2 Band builds on the technical and note reading skills that were introduced in M1. Training continues on saxophone, flute, clarinet, trumpet, french horn, trombone, and euphonium. In M2, student instrumentalists enter the UNIS private lesson program, a required supplement to ensure that students achieve an intermediate level by M4. 

M2 Chorus: Students continue with the acquired skills taught in M1 Chorus, with a greater emphasis on developing the technical and musical skills of an individual and their role in the group. 

M2 Strings: In M2 , students continue to learn string instruments in a group as they develop collaborative skills while working on individual technique and musicianship. Emphasis is on natural and balanced physical connection to develop comfort with the instrument, intonation through unison playing, and focused listening. Students begin to take more personal responsibility through individual lessons and coachings and home practice.

M3 Band: In M3, students learn and solidify skills and concepts through a scaffolded approach so they become comfortable eliciting emotion form an audience and proficient at playing with greater musical and technical precision. Entering the intermediate level, the concepts of phrasing, articulation, rhythm and producing a resonant tone are stressed in order to achieve lyricism and a cohesive ensemble sound. 

M3 Chorus: Through study and performance, this course explores singing and choral music from a wide variety of cultures and time periods. Students develop skills of healthy vocal production, as well as comfort in using their voice in different ways with a goal of self-expression and style. ​Students study solfege, sight-reading, major and minor scales, intervals and triads and learn how to navigate a choral score. The study of simple & compound meters rounds out the curriculum. 

M3 Strings: The M3 Strings Ensemble continues to build on the fundamentals established in M1 and M2. This is an intermediate level class, in which all students have already had multiple years of experience with the violin or cello. Students continue to develop their technique on the violin and cello, and play more sophisticated multi-part repertoire. The introduction of new scales,  chromaticism, shifting, tone color, and other advanced concepts are studied throughout the year. 
 
M3 Introduction to Music Theory & Songwriting and  M3 Guitar (Combined Course): Introduction to Music Theory and Songwriting (One Semester): Students explore the rich history of songwriting while learning the fundamental of music theory. Through composition exercises, they study key elements, such as scales, chords, intervals, key & time signatures, along with other essential song structure and harmony concepts. Students are also introduced to lyricism, poetry, pentameter and how these relate to songwriting.  

M3 Guitar (One Semester): Students are introduced to the basics of guitar, learning proper playing positioning, how to play with a pick, and how to read TAB notation. They play songs by artists like ​Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, and the Beatles​, while exploring various musical styles. 

M4 Band: M4 Band is the culmination of the middle school wind ensemble experience and is considered a Tut House prep class. Students are exposed to Tutorial House expectations in regard to increased focus and more rigorous technical/ conceptual demands. Register and dynamic range, balance between sections, tuning, and the ability to execute complex rhythmic and note combinations are developed. 

M4 Chorus: The M4 Chorus is designed to help adolescent students develop their singing voice through an understanding of their body as an instrument and its role in tone production. Emphasis is placed on understanding the actuator (breath), vibrator (vocal folds), resonator (face, throat and mouth) articulator (tongue and teeth). Students develop skills of healthy vocal production, as well as comfort in using their voice in different ways (head voice - chest voice) with a goal of self-expression and style. Students study solfege, sight-reading, major and minor scales, intervals and triads and learn how to navigate a choral score. Students are introduced to the development of effective rehearsal technique and team building. This course is designed to be a stepping-stone for students who wish to pursue singing and choral artistry in the TH Senior Chorus. 

M4 Strings: The M4 Strings Ensemble continues to build on the fundamentals established in M1, M2, and M3 Strings. This is an intermediate/advanced level class, in which all students have already had 3 years of experience with the violin or cello. Students continue to develop technical prowess, play more sophisticated multi-part repertoire, learn more complex new scales and are introduced to varied articulations, advanced bowings and slurred patterns.

M4 Music Theory II & Production and M4 Guitar (Combined Course): M4 Music Theory II and Production (One Semester): During this course, students gain an understanding of music theory in order to analyze, manipulate, and compose music, using the tools of professional music production. Through composition, students will learn industry standard recording and mixing techniques, explore the manipulation of sound through digital effects and discover the joy and freedom of creative expression within modern music production​. 

M4 Guitar (One Semester): Students are introduced to the basics of guitar by learning proper playing position, including how to use your left and right hands, how to play with a pick, and how to read TAB. By playing selections written by artists such as ​Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, the Beatles​ ​and other contemporary artists,​ students are exposed to a variety of standard and contemporary styles. Beginning blues improvisation and songwriting rounds out the curriculum. 

UNIS offers optional (extra) co-curricular music ensembles for Middle School students—meaning these activities take place outside regular class time but are closely connected to classroom learning and skill development.

MS Honors Chorus (M3–M4) is for advanced vocal students seeking to refine their technique and explore more complex repertoire.

MS Jazz Band (M2–M4)  is a performance-based ensemble for students that focuses on learning and playing a variety of jazz styles. Students explore jazz theory, harmony, and improvisation, starting with the blues and building a foundation for soloing and ensemble work. The group studies scales, chord progressions, and musical form, and learns how to develop their own improvisational voice. Repertoire includes a wide range of styles—from traditional and modern jazz to Latin (Cuban and Brazilian), rock and pop-influenced jazz, avant-garde music, and protest songs from the 1960s and beyond.

These ensembles are optional but closely aligned with the goals of the music curriculum. Students gain valuable experience in collaboration, performance, and musical growth. Both ensembles perform regularly at school events and in the wider community throughout the year.