Music education is an essential part of learning and fosters students' appreciation for the arts. Your school's music education programs provide students with a venue to explore creativity and traditions. But music education can also enhance cognitive abilities, like language development, spatial reasoning, and memory. With a well-developed music curriculum, your students can also benefit from improved academic achievement, collaboration, and discipline. One of the keys to building a successful music education program involves creating a great music space, classroom, and performance area. And the key to creating those acoustically brilliant and engaging spaces begins with school risers.
Discover some of this year's top picks for school risers and elevate your music program and school choirs û literally and figuratively!
How to stage your school's music room in 2024
Before choosing your school risers, first consider your space. A music room should be a versatile and dynamic space, inspiring collaboration and creativity. As a music educator, you'll want your music classroom to accommodate various learning styles as well as musical activities. For example, stage your space for ensemble rehearsals, individual instruction, and group interactions.
For inspiration, consider staging your music rooms with:
- Flexible seating arrangements
- Modular furniture
- Acoustic treatments
- Music stands
- Technology and multimedia areas
And, of course, you'll want to select the best-fit school risers for your music spaces.
What to consider before choosing school risers
Choral and school risers play a pivotal role in optimizing choir performance. When choosing school risers for your school, keep these considerations in mind:
- Improved visibility: Select platforms that elevate students in a way that every member of the choir is visible to the audience.
- Enhanced sound projection: For sound to travel more effectively, consider risers that enhance the clarity of your choir's voices with positioning and configurations that showcase acoustic nuances.
- Flexible setup and configuration: Consider portable school risers that are easy to move, transport, and assemble.
- Prioritized safety: Explore risers that prioritize safety and offer non-slip surfaces and/or guardrails for students.
- High-use durability: Choose school risers that feature high-quality, durable materials to withstand frequent use.
Top school choir risers for school music rooms
Customizable for both small and large choir programs and classrooms, explore these top picks for school risers in 2024.
1. Straight Standing Choral Risers with Hardboard Deck
Let your entire audience see every performer with the Straight Standing Choral Risers with Hardboard Deck. The durable solid plywood decks are supported by a sturdy 16-gauge steel frame with 14-gauge legs. Drop-in coupling brackets let you safely and easily combine multiple units into custom setups. Spring-loaded support brackets make it a cinch to build and tear down your risers. This model features a non-slip tempered hardwood laminate deck surface and comes in three styles.
2. Straight Standing Choral Risers with Carpet Deck
National Public Seating's Straight Standing Choral Risers with Carpet Deck features durable solid plywood decks that are supported by a sturdy 16-gauge steel frame with 14-gauge legs. Like its hardboard deck counterpart, this model also offers drop-in coupling brackets to easily combine multiple units for customization. Spring-loaded support brackets are also featured for easy assembly. This model features an attractive carpeted deck surface, ranging in styles and carpet colors, so you can match your school.
3. Transport Choral Risers w/ Carpet Deck
The Transport Choral Risers make moving and setting up your risers a breeze and come in straight and tapered models. These sturdy riser units offer three carpeted levels that fold into one compact, easy-to-store unit. Each solid plywood platform is additionally supported by a lightweight aluminum frame and 14-gauge steel legs. Roll your school risers with ease on two heavy-duty wheels. And connect two or more to create custom arrangements.
4. Mobile E-Z Riser w/ Back Rail
The Mobile E-Z Riser with Back Rail from AmTab features heavy-duty casters, which makes it easy for just one person to transport the entire unit. The built-in back rail provides additional safety and stability. An integrated coupling bracket allows you to create secure arrangements to fit your needs. Riser decks are reversible, so you have control of configuration, and you can choose between a three or four-level riser.
5. Bow-Front Stage & Seated Riser Package
The Bow-Front Stage Package includes nine single-height stages and risers, two guardrails with chair stops, and four 3-piece, pie-shaped riser units. Durable steel stage frames support up to 200 pounds per square foot, and high-impact plastic glides protect floors from scratches and scuffs. Choose from two sizes and set it up as a bow, oval, or ring.
6. Pie-Shaped Riser Set w/ Hardboard Deck - Three Levels
Consider the Pie-Shaped Riser Set with Carpet Deck for an ideal staging arrangement for your school's performances. Built-in couplings allow you to connect the school risers easily into curved formations. A sturdy 16-gauge steel frame supports this riser's solid plywood core decks, perfect for frequent use. This model also features durable hardboard decks.
7. Tapered Standing Choral Risers w/ Carpet Deck
The Tapered Standing Risers with Carpet Deck offer built-in ganging braces to simplify the process of combining multiple units for custom setups, and spring-loaded support brackets make it easy to assemble and tear down for storage. They feature a durable solid plywood deck and have a sturdy 16-gauge steel frame with 14-gauge steel legs. Choose a black, blue, or red carpet and from three different styles.
Create a fully immersive music room
Consider choosing a theme for your music room and complement that theme with visual, acoustic, engagement, and tactile elements. With the right details, you can create an immersive music-learning experience for your students.
For inspiration, add these small design details to make a big impact:
- Music room rugs
- Wall decals and posters
- Dual whiteboards and room dividers
- Charts and sheet music displays
- Soft lighting and ceiling-suspended dTcor
- Posture chairs
- Acoustic shells
Storage and organization tips
Don't overlook the importance of selecting proper organization and storage for your music room. Choose storage solutions that fit your space, great for tucking away instruments, sheet music, and supplies.
- Instrument cabinets and lockers
- Mobile storage units
- Sheet music storage
FAQs about school risers in 2024
Need more help with your school risers and music room designs? Explore these frequently asked questions and answers for additional insights.
How many students can fit on a choir riser?
School risers designed for choir use and not intended for active choreography come in a variety of sizes. Smaller risers, perfect for small classrooms, can fit eight to 16 choir members per section.
What are the arrangement options for school risers?
Today's school risers for student choirs come in a variety of configurations. You can choose standing or sitting risers, as well as shaped risers like straight, curved, or horseshoe.
What are the benefits of choosing the right school risers?
When you choose the right school risers, with great visibility, durability, safety, and ease of use, you can elevate your school choir's performance and enhance individual choir member experiences.
Let School Outfitters be your school riser guide
Take the guesswork out of choosing your school risers and design your music rooms with School Outfitters! Our experts can share trends and ideas for inspiration. And we can help you create engaging and brilliant music spaces that both you and your students will love. Connect with our team of furniture experts for your free quote today!
Have questions? We're here to help! Our experts are available by phone at 1-800-260-2776. You can also get personalized assistance through our or by emailing us. We're available Monday-Friday, 8am-7pm.
