Beginner band begins for all interested students in 6th grade. During their 5th grade year band directors will reach out to all 5th grade students and parents to talk with them about band.

The instruments that we use in 6th grade band are flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, french horn, trombone, euphonium, tuba, and percussion.

Each instrument meets as a separate section each day in class (ex. all trumpets with trumpets, all clarinets with clarinets, etc). This helps us keep class sizes small and ensures that each student receives the most personal attention possible.

Our goals are to encourage and promote musical technique so that our students gain a higher appreciation in music throughout the rest of their lives. Music has also been shown to provide numerous benefits to education. For information from the National Association from Music Educators about some of these benefits, click here.

The answer is absolutely YES! We want our students to be as well-rounded as possible! We only ask that students and parents let us know when there is a conflict so that we can resolve it and
come up with a better solution for everyone.

While we try to cover all of our foundational skills and our concert repertoire in class, we encourage our students to practice a minimum of 120 minutes a week (2 hours) outside of class. This helps our students to continue to reinforce what we teach during class
as well as further their own playing ability.

All band-related events will be posted on our Google Calendar, SportsYou, ParentSquare, and on our website so that students and families can plan accordingly. In the weeks leading up to a concert, directors will pass out information regarding concert attire and itinerary. As always, please feel free to e-mail our directors if there are any issues with dates or times. Communication is a major key!

Yes! We like to reward our students for all of the hard work they put in over the year! We usually plan a spring trip and, details of the trip will be made available in the spring semester.

Absolutely not! We will never prohibit a student from participating due to financial reasons. Please communicate with a director to address student needs so that we can make arrangement to assist as necessary.

The majority of our students are strongly encouraged to own their own instrument, with a few exceptions (French Horn, Baritone, Tuba, Percussion). We do have limited instruments available for those interested in renting them. An annual fee will be applied to your band account in order to pay for required maintenance throughout the year.

If you are interested in purchasing an instrument for your student, most music companies offer monthly payment plans or rent-to-own plans.

We love for our students to take private lessons! We wish that we could give individualized instruction to all of our students every day, but with 50-100 students in each of our classes and only 45 minutes in our class period, it’s just not possible on a consistent basis. The band directors are happy to help students find a lesson teacher. Please speak with a band director if you are interested in private lessons.

We’ve been there! When your child first gets braces, it can be uncomfortable. It’s actually fairly rare for it to prevent them from playing their instrument. After braces are put on, most students have an adjustment period, and some use wax to help make playing more comfortable. We can also provide “bumpers” for students to use on their brackets to protect their mouths while playing. Ask a director for more information. We do ask that parents/students try to be mindful about scheduling dental appointments in close range to auditions/contests/performances, as adjustments made to the braces may affect the student's ability to perform for a few days.