FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT BAND
Q. “Do I have to know how to read music to be in band?”
A. No! We will teach you everything you need to know to play an instrument. You don’t have to have any musical background to be in band.
Q. “Can I be in band and still play sports?”
A. Yes! In fact most of our band students are involved in some other type of activity. We have band students on the football, basketball, volleyball, track, and tennis teams. We also have band students in choir, theater, art, UIL academics, yearbook club, student council, and National Junior Honor Society. Band students represent one fourth of the school, so we have quarterbacks in band, most of the student council officers are band members, and there is a band student on every academic team!
Q. “If I’m not sure about band, can I just join in the seventh grade?”
A. No. Experience shows that students do best when they enroll in 6th grade, because they are “on-level” with their peers, and therefore receive three years of instruction before going into the high school band. Our seventh and eighth grade band students have already been playing an instrument for at least one year. They have many more performance requirements than our beginners. The time to try Band is 6th Grade!
Q. “Is band expensive?”
A. There are expenses involved in being in band. Some instruments are more expensive than others, and some instruments require more maintenance. We do not want monetary issues to keep anyone from being in band. If you are concerned about this, please discuss this with us when we meet to decide what instrument you will be playing. We will help in whatever way we can.
Q. “What are the band classes like in the sixth grade?”
A. As much as possible, beginning band classes are split into like-instrument classes. That means that you will meet every day, during the school day with a class of other people playing your instrument. If you play the flute, you will be in the flute class and work on flute-specific issues. Some classes are as large as thirty or forty students, while others may be as small as five or six. All of the band classes play together for concerts and contests.
Q. “Do the band students do anything other than play in concerts?”
A. Yes! When we have concerts, they are performances for parents, teachers, and friends, but when we go to contests, we play for judges and compete against other schools. In addition to other fun activities we do throughout the year, every year we take one big trip.
Q. Should I try to give my child a head start by having him/her take private lessons this summer?
A. No. Experience shows that it is best to start all the students at the same time and have them all learn
the basic fundamentals from the same person. In other words, please do not start lessons before school
begins. This helps to avoid confusion with terminology and to help ensure that correct information is
given to encourage the most success at the outset. Private lessons are extremely beneficial once the basics have been taught in class at the beginning of the year. Enrollment forms for the private lesson program will be distributed after the start of the school year.
Q. Does my child have to practice?
A. YES! Students will be expected to practice the equivalent of 30 minutes per night and this will be
portion of their grade in the class. The real key to success, however, is how that time is structured and
how the time is used. Beginning classes are taught in the same manner in which students should
practice. The skill of practicing effectively is modeled daily in the beginning band classes.
Q. Will my child have rehearsals outside of the regular school day?
A. Band is a class that meets as part of the student’s school day. The only required after-school
rehearsals for beginning band students will be a couple of dates prior to any concert. We will let you
know in advance when those rehearsals will be. They will be in preparation for the Holiday Concert
in December, and the Spring Concert in May.