Music is the voice of the Putney School.  It is through music that we express the collective personality of the community.  At the heart of this is music making in all idioms and genres, from playing guitar around the campfire to playing a string quartet in school assembly; from participating in the weekly all-school Sing to performing a major work for chorus and orchestra.  The community is completely supportive of anyone, beginner to virtuoso, who stands up in front of the school and performs.  The democratic nature of all-school Sing involves every member of the community, and at the other end of the musical spectrum, private lessons with our many talented and committed adjunct music teachers provide specialized instruction of the highest caliber.  Ensemble performance in vocal and instrumental music, including chamber music, chorus, jazz, orchestra and musical theater, is encouraged for all Putney students.

Sing

Sing has been a central part of the school's educational program since its founding in 1935. The Sing Book is a compilation of songs that range from madrigals and sacred choruses to sea shanties, folk tunes of world cultures and songs of social protest.  The Sing repertoire has grown and evolved over the decades.   There is so much to say about Sing: we have used it to welcome guests from other cultures; it has been an opportunity for international members of our community to introduce their own cultures through song. Sing has fostered debate about secularism, religion and spirituality, and about what it means to be a progressive school.

The purpose of Sing, today as in the past, is to bring us the joy of music and a life-long bond with our voices and with each other.  By extension, we join with peoples all over the world who have used their voices, often as their only weapon against injustice and hardship, to empower themselves and celebrate their common humanity.