Instrument Information for 4th Grade Students and Parents

During the recruitment process, band instructors will be meeting with, demonstrating instruments, and trying out instruments with all students. Our goal is to help students choose a musical instrument that they want to play and will be successful playing if they decide to join band. We are also working to achieve a balanced instrumentation for the band. All students will get to try the flute, clarinet, trumpet, and trombone. Some students will elect to audition on an instrument that requires further testing. These instruments include the tuba, euphonium, horn, saxophone, and percussion.

Woodwind Family

    • FluteSound is produced by blowing air across the embouchure hole

    • Notes are changed by pressing the keys and changing airspeed

  • Plays the highest notes in the woodwind family

Clarinet

    • Sound is produced by blowing air between the mouthpiece and reed

    • Notes are changed by covering the tone holes and pressing the keys

    • Plays notes lower than the flute

Saxophone

    • Sound is produced by blowing air between the mouthpiece and reed

    • Notes are changed by pressing the keys

  • Plays the same notes as the clarinet

Brass Family

Trumpet

    • Sound is produced by buzzing the lips with air into the mouthpiece

    • Notes are changed by pressing the valves and changing airspeed

  • Plays highest notes in the brass family

Horn

    • Sound is produced by buzzing the lips with air into the mouthpiece

    • Notes are changed by pressing the valves and changing airspeed

  • Plays notes in between the trumpet and trombone

Trombone

    • Sound is produced by buzzing the lips with air into the mouthpiece

    • Notes are changed by moving the slide and changing airspeed

  • Plays notes lower than the trumpet but higher than the tuba

Euphonium

    • Sound is produced by buzzing the lips with air into the mouthpiece

    • Notes are changed by pressing the valves and changing airspeed

  • Plays the same notes as the trombone

Tuba

    • Sound is produced by buzzing the lips with air into the mouthpiece

    • Notes are changed by pressing the valves and changing airspeed

  • Plays lowest notes in the brass family

Percussion Family

Johnston 5th Grade Band Percussion Policy

    • Students interested in percussion will participate in an audition as part of the recruitment process. The audition will consist of a prepared keyboard instrument exercise, sight-reading on the xylophone and snare drum (playing music the student has never seen before), and a series of rhythm exercises that test steady beat, rhythmic aptitude, and body coordination. Students interested in percussion will be given materials for the keyboard instrument exercise ahead of the audition and will be given time to prepare the exercise at home.

    • While not required, we strongly recommend at least two years of continuous piano lessons to prepare students for this audition. We have seen over time that students who have had at least two years of piano instruction have a higher development in the key skills needed by percussionists. Students with these skills will typically perform better on the percussion audition than students who have not had piano lessons. Students are NOT guaranteed percussion if they take piano lessons.

    • Percussionists focus on keyboard percussion and snare drum in 5th grade

    • Keyboard percussion - sound is produced by hitting the bars with mallets

    • The bars are in the same order as the keys on a piano

    • Snare drum - sound is produced by hitting the drum head with sticks