Who We Are

Dade County Chorus is a choral music program focused on teaching students healthy vocal technique, music literacy, and preparing them to be creative thinkers, lifelong singers, and conscientious adults.

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Dade County Chorus is a choral music program focused on teaching 6th-12th grade students healthy vocal technique, music literacy, and preparing them to be creative thinkers, lifelong singers and conscientious adults.  

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Multiple students from Dade County Chorus have gone on to receive vocal music scholarships at Shorter University, Chattanooga State, Northeast Alabama Community College, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Covenant College, Faulkner University, and Wesleyan College. 
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Dade County Chorus  at Dade Middle is made up of three choruses: 6th Grade Chorus, 7th Grade Chorus, and 8th Grade Chorus. We meet on a period schedule in the afternoon Monday-Friday.  

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DMS Choruses perform publicly multiple times a year at the Winter and Spring semester concerts, as well as Principal's Awards, Veteran's Day Assembly, Dade and Davis Elementary Schools, and many other public venues. DMS Chorus also performs at the GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluation each Spring.  
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In Winter 2018, the DMS 8th Grade Chorus was invited to perform in the Nashville Christmas Parade and as the National Anthem singers for the UTC Mocs Double Header versus Samford. 
Dade County Chorus at Dade County High School is comprised of both Mixed Chorus and Beginning Treble Chorus. We meet in the morning on a Block schedule Monday-Friday. DCHS Chorus performs multiple times a year at both community and school events. 

DCHS Chorus has consistently received Superior ratings at GMEA's Large Group Performance Evaluation. DCHS Chorus completed a Spring Tour to Philadelphia along with the Dade County Band in 2019, performing at Ft. McHenry, the Constitution Center and Christ Church.   Our choirs have also performed at university and professional sporting events, the State Legislature, Festival Disney, Universal STARS program and multiple performances at the Walt Disney World Candlelight Processional. In April 2022, DCHS Mixed Chorus received an evaluation of SUPERIOR and was awarded BEST IN CLASS at Festival Disney! 
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In April 2024, the DCHS Mixed Chorus traveled to New York City to perform as part of Nationals for Top Choirs and Carnegie Hall with Choirs of America and Harmony Tours. This was an incredible experience for our students as they performed with excellence and artistry receiving an overall score of 92/100 from their adjudication and performed as part of a mass choir under the direction of Dr. Rollo Dilworth at Carnegie Hall. Students visited Top of the Rock, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, National Museum of History, and attended the Tony Award winning Broadway musical, Hadestown. 

About the Director
Gabrielle Haston is the Director of Choral Activities for Dade Middle and Dade County High School. She did her student teaching with Dade County Chorus under Dr. Kathy Adkins, and has been teaching at DMS & DCHS since 2007.  Mrs. Haston has performed as a soloist with the UTC Master Chorale, as well as her church choir. She has worked with the Chattanooga Boys Choir since 2014 as the Assistant Director for the Schubert, Handel, and Concert choirs.
Mrs. Haston graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Music Education in 2007.  She received Highest Honors for her Departmental Honors Thesis: Physiological Changes in the Adolescent Female Voice: Applications for Choral Instruction. Mrs. Haston is a certified Kodály Music Educator.  She completed her certification at the Kodály Institute at UTC in Summer 2011. Mrs. Haston also received her Masters of Education-Secondary: The Arts in Summer 2013 from UTC. 

Mrs. Haston is the Fine Arts Department Chair at Dade County High School.   She is currently a co-chair for GMEA Choral District VII and served as organizer for both the Middle and High School District VII Honor Choruses. Mrs. Haston was selected to present "Kodály...It's NOT just for Elementary!" at the 2019 Georgia Music Educators In-Service Conference and as a special guest lecturer at the Kodály Institute at UTC in Summer 2019.   She was also chosen as the guest conductor for the 2019 Floyd County Middle School Honor Chorus. Mrs. Haston was honored to be selected as the 2019-2020 Dade Middle School Teacher of the Year and the Dade County School System's Teacher of the Year for 2020-2022. She is a member of the Georgia Music Educators Association, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, and the American Choral Directors Association. 
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Mrs. Haston grew up in Rossville, GA where she lived with her parents and two sisters till she married her high school sweetheart in 2006. She and her husband currently live in East Ridge, TN, with their two children.  Mrs. Haston enjoys yoga, loves coffee, hiking, slow running, and a good book. She and her family love to spend the weekends relaxing at home and exploring Chattanooga.