Jan 20, 2015 By Nick Lewandowski 2 min read

The Mt. Lebanon school board heard an overview of the district’s music program at its Jan. 19 meeting, with teachers lauding the unique characteristics of a program that earns regular accolades from music groups and performance adjudicators alike.

Doug Reichenfeld, who introduced the panel, said that nine out of 10 elementary school students play an instrument in Mt. Lebanon, and that this level of participation creates a strong foundation for future success. He said alumni have gone on to perform professionally in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony and elsewhere.

“Our teachers are specialists in their areas,” he explained. “We feel very fortunate in that they can all focus on what it is they do best.”

Reichenfeld said specialized faculty and small class sizes have impressed other area school districts, which sometimes model their own music programs on Mt. Lebanon.

“Twenty-first century skills are very much embedded in this program,” he added. “It’s like the ultimate group project. There’s not shortcuts to playing an instrument. Just a lot of teamwork and mental sweat.”

The school board also passed a $91.8 million preliminary budget at the meeting, authorizing the administration to apply for exceptions to the Act 1 Index limiting millage increases. The district’s final budget for the 2015-2016 school year will be refined and approved in the spring.