The Mona Shores Public Schools Orchestra Program was founded in 1986 and maintains an enrollment of over 200 students. The high school orchestras have performed at music festivals and conferences in their home state of Michigan and throughout the United States including Smoky Mountain Music Festival (1995 & 1998), Magic Music Days at Disney World Florida (2000), Midwest Music Conference (2000, 2001, & 2005), Michigan Music Conference (2008), and American String Teachers Association National Orchestra Festival (2007 & 2017). Mona Shores Orchestra began touring internationally in 2000, with a trip to The Czech Music Camp for Youth near Prague. The group has since traveled to China (2005), Ireland and England (2008), the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Austria (2012), and Italy (2016). After postponing travel in 2020 due to the pandemic, Mona Shores Orchestra is excited to be performing in Ireland on their 2024 tour.
The Mona Shores Orchestra is one part of a thriving performing arts department at Mona Shores High School located in Norton Shores, Michigan. The Mona Shores Public School District has been recognized annually since 2016, as one of the Best Communities for Music Education by the National Association of Music Merchants. The school district offers a variety of music courses including Band, Choir, Guitar, Electronic Music, Advanced Placement Music Theory as well as two sections of String Orchestra classes within the school day. Orchestra students also have the opportunity to perform in chamber ensembles and the Mona Shores Fiddlers, an extra-curricular ensemble that performs traditional folk music.
About the Director
Kelly De Rose began her musical training with violin lessons at the age of seven. She earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Eastern Michigan University (1995) and her Master of Music degree from Central Michigan University (2003). Kelly is in her 29th year of public school teaching and her 22nd year as an orchestra director at Mona Shores Public Schools. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Kelly is a member of Lakeshore Strings, a string quartet that performs for special occasions in her community. Kelly and her husband Bob De Rose are proud parents of daughter Parker and son Carter.
