This band consists of mostly 6th but some 7th grade beginner players. Most of these children have had no previous musical experience and it is amazing how quickly they progress. The first couple of months are spent learning about the instruments, how they work and how to clean and take care of them. The students intensely work on the mouthpiece - how to use it correctly and how to produce a good embouchure. They also learn to read music and become familiar with musical terminology. The students don't work as a band for most of the year. They work in concentrated sections of like instruments. However, by the Winter Holiday season all our beginner band students are advanced enough to perform together as a full band and delight their parents with a Holiday concert of seasonal music. At the end of 6th grade some of these beginner students will pass an audition to play in Symphonic Band in 7th grade. This is an enormous achievement which you will realize if you visit our LCIS Band performances page and listen to the outstanding musical quality of the pieces played by the end of the school year. The performances were in April so some of those students are 7th graders reaching the end of their first year in Symphonic Band. They have been playing for less than two years. Phenomenal achievements!! Mr Eger is the Beginner Band Director |