About
Beyond the Notes Music Festival offers middle school festivals for concert band, choir, orchestra, and jazz band, as well as a middle school choir performance clinic festival. The program also includes a Building Better Bands Day play-along workshop.
• Ages: 11–14 years old
• Schedule: 2026 Beyond the Notes Choir Festival runs April 15–17, 2026; 2027 festival dates are May 10–12, 2027 and May 27–28, 2027
• Price: A 3% transaction fee is added to all credit card payments.
Beyond the Notes Music Festival states that it provides life-changing music education for middle school music teachers and students in orchestra, band, and choir ensembles and more. The festival is described as Wisconsin’s premiere middle school choir performance clinic festival and as an annual music festival for middle school jazz, orchestras, bands, and choirs in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Its offerings include the Rising Music Educator Program, ComMission Possible, the Beyond Artless Podcast, Building Better Bands Day, and official Beyond the Notes t-shirts that are Sport Tek athletic style and specific to each year’s festival.
The leadership team lists Chris Gleason as Executive Director and Project Director. Staff and clinicians include Adrian Davis, Assistant Professor of Music Education and Director of the Gospel Choir at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities; Shannon Gravelle, Assistant Professor of Music at Lawrence University; Erin Maher, Hudson Middle School Choir Teacher in Hudson, Wisconsin; Raymond Roberts, Director of Vocal Music at Milwaukee High School of the Arts in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Mike Ross, Artistic Director of Madison Youth Choirs in Madison, Wisconsin. The program reports a history of 19 years, involving 285 schools and more than 45,000 students.
Festival logistics state that any person, child or adult, who wants to enter the waterpark must purchase a pass during registration, even if they do not plan to swim, while no pass is needed to enter Tom Foolery’s Indoor Theme Park. Each paying participant receives a meal ticket for cheese pizza, green salad, a slice of cake, and lemonade, and meal tickets must be used on the performance day. If a paid student cannot attend, their wristband and pizza tickets cannot be refunded but can be turned in on the same performance day for a water and/or adventure park voucher that is valid for 30 days.
Parent and teacher testimonials describe the festival as non-competitive, with specific feedback from clinicians that can be applied right away, and mention that it is well organized and supportive of teachers. Comments also note a mix of performing and camaraderie building, a blend of musical growth and time for students to have fun, and clinician time that respondents say is worth the planning effort. One testimonial refers to the ratio of “fun” to “affordable” as “off the charts,” and another calls it “a tightly packaged musical experience like none other in the state.”
Last updated June 27, 2026.
• Ages: 11–14 years old
• Schedule: 2026 Beyond the Notes Choir Festival runs April 15–17, 2026; 2027 festival dates are May 10–12, 2027 and May 27–28, 2027
• Price: A 3% transaction fee is added to all credit card payments.
Beyond the Notes Music Festival states that it provides life-changing music education for middle school music teachers and students in orchestra, band, and choir ensembles and more. The festival is described as Wisconsin’s premiere middle school choir performance clinic festival and as an annual music festival for middle school jazz, orchestras, bands, and choirs in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Its offerings include the Rising Music Educator Program, ComMission Possible, the Beyond Artless Podcast, Building Better Bands Day, and official Beyond the Notes t-shirts that are Sport Tek athletic style and specific to each year’s festival.
The leadership team lists Chris Gleason as Executive Director and Project Director. Staff and clinicians include Adrian Davis, Assistant Professor of Music Education and Director of the Gospel Choir at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities; Shannon Gravelle, Assistant Professor of Music at Lawrence University; Erin Maher, Hudson Middle School Choir Teacher in Hudson, Wisconsin; Raymond Roberts, Director of Vocal Music at Milwaukee High School of the Arts in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Mike Ross, Artistic Director of Madison Youth Choirs in Madison, Wisconsin. The program reports a history of 19 years, involving 285 schools and more than 45,000 students.
Festival logistics state that any person, child or adult, who wants to enter the waterpark must purchase a pass during registration, even if they do not plan to swim, while no pass is needed to enter Tom Foolery’s Indoor Theme Park. Each paying participant receives a meal ticket for cheese pizza, green salad, a slice of cake, and lemonade, and meal tickets must be used on the performance day. If a paid student cannot attend, their wristband and pizza tickets cannot be refunded but can be turned in on the same performance day for a water and/or adventure park voucher that is valid for 30 days.
Parent and teacher testimonials describe the festival as non-competitive, with specific feedback from clinicians that can be applied right away, and mention that it is well organized and supportive of teachers. Comments also note a mix of performing and camaraderie building, a blend of musical growth and time for students to have fun, and clinician time that respondents say is worth the planning effort. One testimonial refers to the ratio of “fun” to “affordable” as “off the charts,” and another calls it “a tightly packaged musical experience like none other in the state.”
Last updated June 27, 2026.
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