REGISTRATION INFO FOR D200 5th GRADE BAND! 

2025 Band Handbook  (info + registration)*     Spanish 

• a paper copy will go home with all 5th graders in the first days of school

• read through,  sign+return last 2 pages only

• or read through, then complete the   2025  ONLINE REGISTRATION (English & Spanish, in one document)

2025 Recruiting - what to expect  

• All 5th graders will see SEE the BAND INSTRUMENTS played by the teacher, and watch a video of pros and D200 Band Students!

• Interested students will try instruments to discover their strengths, and interests

• Registrations due early September (September 8, or their band day that week)

• Instruments are needed by September 20 (lots of ways to get an instrument)

• All "ordered" instruments and supplies will arrive on September 24th (watch for information about the BOOTCAMP pick-up & 1st lesson event)

• No prior knowledge is needed.   

• Small group lessons (by instrument type) start late-September once instruments are selected,  1 lesson per week for 30 minutes (even before instruments arrive).  The times change each week to minimize interruption. 

• Afterschool Band (full group) starts mid-October (in addition to the "in school" lessons by instruments

2025 Instrument Rental Meetings (by appointment, 15 minutes each, with a representative from Breber Music)

• • sign-up link 

  • Wednesday September 17, 2025 at Creekside Middle School Band Room     (between 4:30-7:15pm)

  • Thursday September 18, 2025 at Northwood Middle School Band Room  (between 4:30-7:15pm)

  • Saturday September 20, 2025 at Woodstock High School South Street Entrance Hallway (between 9-11:30am)

2025 Beginning Band Bootcamp (instrument/supply pick-up event that includes a 1st lesson (40 minutes) scheduled by instrument

• Information sent out after the instrument trials

• Information document (English and Spanish) that includes registration links

Promo slide deck for Spring recruiting to get excited about Fall 2025! click on the instruments for videos & info   (easy access  link)

Instruments Arrive - Lessons begin

• pick-up instrument/ordered supplies + get a 1st lesson with an adult family member outside "Beginning Band Bootcamp"

  • • after school hours, organized by instrument, 30 to 45 minute lessons, between 3:30-7pm,  info sent home after instruments are selected.  Learn to assemble, hold, and make sounds on your instrument, while parents/guardians learn how to help from home!

      • • Wednesday, September 24th at Creekside,   

        • Thursday, September 25th at Olson Elementary

        • info flier with "sign up" link  (page 2 is in Spanish)-  coming soon

• 30 minute Lessons during the school day on your band day,  organized by instrument,  times rotate through the day

Afterschool (Full Group) Band begins mid October

• • Afterschool Band begins mid October,  is 1:50-2:50pm on YOUR CHILD's BAND DAY

  • TRANSPORTATION HOME IS PROVIDED BY FAMILIES (NOT THE SCHOOL)

  • This is the FULL GROUP together!  We are working on large music concepts, how to follow a conductor, how to play precisely at the same pace as the group, performance songs, and how to work together as a team.

    • • DEAN STREET- Tuesday, October 21

      • PRAIRIEWOOD- Tuesday, October 21

      • WESTWOOD- Wednesday, October 22

      • OLSON- Friday, October 24

      • MARY ENDRES- Monday, October 27

      • GREENWOOD- Thursday, October 30

YES!  We perform 3 evening concerts 

• • • December= at our own elementary schools

    • April= D200 Band Festival (all district band students) at one of the high schools,

    • May=  Spring Concert at the Middle School (3 schools per middle school, plus one or more of the middle school bands), a concert for the school at the end of the year.   

    • Also we will perform an assembly for the school at the end of the year

    • optional but encouraged is our annual SUMMER BAND CAMP (in July, 1 week long, outdoor at Emricson Park, usually 9:30-12:30 daily, with a concert Friday evening in the Woodstock Square.

Our grade 5-12 band program teachers work hard to create a safe and welcoming atmosphere for our young musicians to thrive.  We are proud of our unified program with smooth and comfortable transitions between grade levels using a unified curriculum and great teamwork, and are excited for you to join us!  

What does my child need for band?

2025  Items you need for each instrument to get started 

in the D200’s Beginning Band Program

ALL BAND MEMBERS WILL NEED:      special edition for Fall of 2025       

1. **a Sound Innovations (book 1) for their instrument (percussion needs to order“combined percussion")

              **Percussion students will also need to order the ALFRED DRUM METHOD bk 1

2. A QUALITY instrument.  Please consult the handbook for recommended brands.  It does not matter where/how you get an instrument, as long as it is a quality brand and is in “good playing condition.”  Bring your instrument in for your band director to look at- we can give you advice as to its condition, and what might be needed to get ready for Band.  Please stick to standard instrument colors.  "Colored instruments" (orange, red, purple, green, blue, white, etc) are a distraction to the students, their peers, and the audience.  They are intended for specialized situations (college marching bands, novelty groups), and not for standard use.  They also tend to be made of non-standard metals that bend/dent/break more easily- and repair shops are not always able to help with repairs.

3. OPTIONAL, BUT HIGHLY ENCOURAGED: folding music stand for home practice, makes practice SO MUCH easier

4. REQUIRED ITEMS LISTED BY INSTRUMENT      * these items are included with a rental instrument

       ➜BREBER MUSIC has put together a “CARE KIT” that includes many of these required items.  Reeds are not included in this price

FLUTE:  book (listed above), *tuning/cleaning rod, thin cloth (a strip of a handkerchief /bandana cut to 8” x 4”  would be perfect!)

CLARINET + SAXOPHONE:  book (listed above),   swab (a cleaner),  cork grease, and reeds.  (Sax only= *neck strap)

We require 4 to start, but beginners can go through those first 4 quickly.  Recommended is a  box of 10 reeds (size 2 1/2)- I recommend Rico brand brand for beginners.  Rico Royal, Rico Reserve, and other “better brands” are nice, but are more expensive and may not make a large difference at the beginning. This box of 10 should last most of the year.  

TRUMPET/TROMBONE:  book (listed above),  polishing/cleaning cloth (a face cloth is perfect or you can purchase one), 

slide grease ,  and oil.  (there is “slide oil” for trombones, “valve oil” for trumpets, but truthfully- for beginning band purposes- they are interchangeable.)  

PERCUSSION: 2 books, *snare drum with snare stand, a set of bells,  *a pair of wooden sticks (size 2B or 5A),     

*a drum pad (that covers the top of the snare to reduce the volume level),  *carrying case for the drum related items

                And a drum key

special note:  the type of percussion kit we use is called a “PERCUSSION LEARNING CENTER” that comes with the above items in a rolling case.   There are lots of other “style” percussion kits that other districts use.  This style of percussion kit was NEW for the 2016-17 year for us.  If you have access to a “snare kit”, and a separate set of bells (we ordered a blue plastic set of separate bells in the past), that will be fine to use, if you wish. 

5th Grade Bands in action (some favorite older photos)