Jefferson Middle School Choirs

Congratulations to our current 8th graders who were selected for the 2025-2026 CHS Voices and Golden Blues! We are so excited to see them at the next level!

Congratulations to the JMS Singers for receiving Superior rating at the Mississippi State Performance Assessment!

We are thrilled to introduce and welcome Kassidy Chandler as the new Jefferson Middle School Choir Director! She will officially begin her duties in July of this year, and we look forward to the standard of excellence in choral music that she will continue to build for our school and district!

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Originally from Laurel, MS, Kassidy Chandler is completing her Master of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Southern Mississippi. She also holds a B.M.E in Choral Music Education from The University of Southern Mississippi. Chandler holds a passion for the arts both off stage and on. During her time in Hattiesburg, she has been fortunate enough to perform several roles across fantastic organizations, such as The Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company and Hub City Players. Some of her most distinguished roles include Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors), Mrs. Potts (Beauty and the Beast), and Tracy Turnblad (Hairspray). Chandler has also found experience with the production side of the theatre, serving as the Production Assistant for Hub City Players’s Jersey Boys and as co-director for the University of Southern Mississippi’s production of The Music Man. Currently, Chandler is serving as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Southern Mississippi, where she serves as a voice instructor and production assistant for the Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company. During her Master’s, she was also very fortunate to serve as the Graduate Assistant for Spirit of Southern, the university’s premier pop acapella group. Chandler has also been very active within her community, having operated a private voice studio for the past two years. She teaches lessons to students ranging in age from 10-35 and across all different singing styles. This summer, Chandler will take this passion to Europe as she serves as a Teaching Fellow of Opera at the International Performing Arts Institute in Kiefersfelden, Germany. These experiences have well equipped Chandler for a life-long career in choral and vocal instruction, and she is overjoyed to be joining the Columbia School District and Jefferson Middle School!

We are looking for someone who has heart for middle school students and music! We are hiring a choral director for Jefferson Middle School who will be joining a well-established and community supported district music program.
Join us where it's always a great day to be a Wildcat!
Click the link below to apply.
https://tinyurl.com/45c85jrm

Shout out to our 6th grade choir and Mrs. Gannon!

As the school year is nearing an end, we would like to recognize the superior achievements of our schools beginning with Choral Art Festival Superior Choirs! Congratulations!

The Jefferson Middle School Singers traveled today to our Choir State Performance Assessment!

They received all superior ratings for their own stage performance and a perfect score in sight reading!

They also earned the Sweepstakes Award for straight superior ratings in stage performance and sight reading!

Congratulations to these amazing young ladies!

Two of our 6th grade choir students were selected to perform for the 2024 MMEA All-State Elementary Honor Choir. They gave a beautiful performance this morning! Aubriegh Ham and Phoenix Blackard represented JMS so well. The 6th grade choir is under the direction of Daphine Gannon.

Today, five of our students gave their 2024 MMEA All-State Honor Choir Performance! We are so proud of them and this phenomenal accomplishment! Brooklyn Baughman was also selected as a soloist for one of the SATB choir’s pieces (see video in comments).

They are: Emily Polk, Violet Blackard, Brooklyn Baughman, Eriyanna Stovall and Kasi Virgil