Chorus
Ian Kennel
Ian Kennel is a versatile pianist/vocalist/percussionist/bassist/guitarist in the greater Atlanta area who performs a multitude of concerts throughout the year through many different mediums. He has experience performing and teaching choral, chamber, church (both contemporary and traditional), band, orchestral and solo music. He is currently the choral director for Duluth Middle School in Duluth, GA.
Ian has performed at the GMEA conference in Savannah, the ACDA national conference in Dallas, Texas, the ACDA Georgia division conference under Jerry Blackstone and the ACDA southern division conference with the Kennesaw State Men's Ensemble. His middle school choirs have consistently received superior ratings at LGPE during his time within the Gwinnett County School District.
Ian has studied privately with Justin Chesarek and Professor John Lawless at Kennesaw State University. A dedicated music educator and advocate, Ian works with several middle schools throughout the greater Atlanta area and teaches privately. As a contemporary pianist, vocalist, drummer, bassist and guitarist, he spends his spare time on projects in music technology, recording and production.
Ian is a member of the National Association for Music Educators, PAGE and GMEA.
About Our Orchestra Program
The Duluth Middle School Choirs are comprised of four different performing groups across three grade levels, as well as additional audition-only events.
6th Grade Beginner Choir
This choir is for all new students! All students are beginners in this class. Nobody knows how to sing professionally yet. We teach students how to overcome their fear of singing in front of others in a fun way! Students always enjoy this class and often say it is the most fun class of their entire day. We learn two-part harmony and performance skills as well as perform four concerts throughout the year.
7th Grade Tenor/Bass Choir
Students who start to have lower voices have the opportunity to separate from the higher voices in 7th grade! Typically, this class is filled with boys as the majority of them are going through voice changes that drop their vocal range; however, the class is open to any student that feels more comfortable singing in a deep, rich and low voice. We learn two-part harmony and performance skills as well as perform four concerts throughout the year.
7th Grade Treble Choir
Students whose voices start to rise in pitch (get higher) have the opportunity to separate from the lower voices in 7th grade! Typically, this class is filled with girls, however, both boys with high voices and girls with all ranges are welcome in this class! We learn three-part harmony and performance skills as well as perform four concerts throughout the year.
8th Grade Advanced Mixed Choir
This choir is made up of very dedicated singers who have often stayed with me all three years. We definitely accept new students in the 8th grade year, but they must meet with Mr. Kennel first in order to determine if they are dedicated enough to keep up. This class is comprised of three-part and four-part harmonies and performs for many extra events in addition to the four concerts throughout the year. Students in this class often continue on to join Chorus at the high school and go on to earn music scholarships for college.
Extracurricular Events
- District Honors Chorus: A weekend at The Classic Center in downtown Athens, GA. This is an audition-only, overnight trip for 6th - 8th graders.
- Six Flags: A weekend of performance and fun for our 7th and 8th grade students!
- Disney: Students who stay until the 8th grade can join in our Disney trip/performance!
- Parties/Parades/Competitions/Field Trips/etc...the list goes on!
We invite you to join the family. Choose chorus!
School Year 2024-2025 Highlights & Honors
- Participated in District Honor Chorus
- Earned superior & excellent ratings at LGPE
- Field trip to Atlanta Opera