The All Town Music Festival is a celebration of music in our schools at which our band, string and choral students participate in a concert with other student musicians across the district.  The festival provides our students with the opportunity to play music in an ensemble of peer musicians from throughout the Plymouth Public Schools.  We believe that working with student musicians from other schools and grade levels across the district will build our students’ musicianship, and it is a fun and rewarding experience!

The Central Office Art Exhibit is a semi-annual display of selected artwork from students in grades k-12.  The exhibit is championed by the Central Office Administration in support and celebration of student creativity, imagination and industry. The work is displayed at the Superintendent's office and can be viewed during office hours during the exhibition period.  At the end of the exhibition the participating student artists will be recognized at a School Committee meeting where each student will be announced and receive a certificate for their artistic achievement. 

The VPA Department hosts multiple Coffee House events during the school year to give students the opportunity to showcase their talents in an atmosphere that is safe for experimenting artistically.  The student performers choose and rehearse the music on their own, taking complete ownership of their performance. This is an authentic life experience for our student performers.  

Coffee Houses are offered at both the high school and middle school level. 

The Plymouth Public Schools Elementary Instrumental Music program provides the opportunity for students to learn to play a musical instrument in grades 4 and 5. Studying a musical instrument is an excellent way to broaden a child’s education and helps to improve a student’s coordination skills, and develop a greater self-discipline.

The Plymouth Public Schools and schools in Plymouth, UK wish to forge a lasting relationship initiated through the shared history of The Mayflower/Plymouth 400 Commemoration. The commemoration, taking place in the year 2020, marks the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower voyage and formation of Plymouth Colony. The years leading up to this event offer a unique opportunity to develop partnership projects. The ambition for these partnership projects is to do more than simply tell the history, but to explore the underlying themes surrounding the historical event and engage communities in a debate about its contemporary relevance.

The Plymouth College of Art (UK) and Plymouth Public Schools – Visual and Performing Arts will lead a project entitled “Identity Banner”. The identity theme has been selected for its depth and centrality to the Mayflower story. For centuries, across cultures the humble banner or flag has been used to represent and celebrate identity. From trade unions and families of nobility, to clubs and societies, banners have been created to represent the foundations and values of each community. It is this notion of identity through the visual representation of the banner that we wish to explore.

Project Structure

• Each school in the Plymouth Public Schools will be paired up with a Plymouth, UK school.
• For the elementary portion of this project, third grade students will be eligible to apply for this project.
• Each school will have 10-12 student participants.
• P.P.S. will facilitate a digital exchange with your partner school in the form of a conversation/discussion/youth summit. This will be an opportunity for the students to connect with their partnered school and debate the topic from different perspectives (2017-
• 2018).
• Each school will receive a number of technical workshops with the support of artists and undergraduate students to teach both staff and students new creative skills (2017-2018).
• With these newfound skills and perspectives each school will work with an artist to design assets (art work) that will be used to create a banner (2018-2019).
• There will be one banner per school for a total of 24 school banners.
• Once complete the banners will form part of the Thanksgiving Parade (Plymouth, MA) and the Illuminate Parade (Plymouth, UK). It is envisioned that staff and student exchange would take place at this point in order to be involved in the parades (2019-2020).

The Music Immersion program is made possible through a partnership between Plymouth Public Schools and the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra. Throughout the year, students in grades 3-5 are visited by a string quartet, woodwind quintet, brass quintet and a percussionist to learn about instruments up close and in depth. At the end of the school year students attend a concert at Memorial Hall. This concert is the culmination of the program and is performed by the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Plymouth Children's Chorus (PCC) is made possible by a partnership between the Plymouth Public Schools and the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra.  It is a unique choral experience designed to give Plymouth Public Schools students the opportunity to perform at a high musical level with a professional symphony orchestra. 

Students must commit to a strict rehearsal schedule and will perform at a concert with the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra at Memorial Hall. 

This is an auditioned chorus for students in grades 4-6.

About the PIC

The Plymouth International Chorus (PIC) offerings include a "travel" chorus and a "hometown" chorus. 

As part of the travel chorus, students travel to our sister city - Plymouth, United Kingdom for one week. During this week students embark on a musical, cultural and study tour of Plymouth, UK.  There is a rigorous application and audition process for the travel chorus.  In 2015 and 2017 a total of 24-30 sixth through ninth grade students participated in the travel chorus. 

The "hometown" chorus does not travel.  Our hometown PIC consists of 100 students in grades five through eight from the Plymouth Public Schools.  Weekly rehearsals begin in the spring and the students perform in a concert at the end of the program.  In 2016 and 2018 we hosted a PIC/Legacy Choir from Plymouth, UK.

Through our partnership with England, we not only enhance our local community ties, but strengthen our global bonds as well. The Plymouth Public Schools strive to create opportunities for our students to become better citizens. The PIC provides an opportunity for students to engage in community stewardship while increasing their global awareness.

Navigate to PIC informational video for more information on the Plymouth International Chorus.

March is Youth Arts Month (YAM). YAM is about celebrating the importance of the arts in our schools. One of the Visual and Performing Arts Department goals is to showcase the learning that takes place within the arts classrooms by getting the work out into the public view. We are pleased to be able to partner with the Plymouth Center for the Arts where we hold an annual two week art show displaying over 400 pieces of art work from students across the district.