Ashland Middle School Bands
Ashland Middle School Bands
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The Ashland Middle School Band Program prepares students for high school band and beyond by providing a supportive environment for developing musicianship skills and fostering a love and appreciation for music and the arts. Each grade has its own band which rehearses every school day. Each band performs three concerts a year outside of the school day to showcase their progress.
Students: Visit the AMS Practice Page
to improve faster and have more fun practicing at home
All band concert dates are listed here. Be sure to save the dates, concert attendance and participation is required for all AMS band students. Unless otherwise indicated, concerts begin at 7pm in the Ashland High School theater and students should arrive by 6:40pm. The student performer dress code is black dress shirt, black dress pants, black dress shoes.
Click here to read the full policy, but basically it is:
25% - Class Conduct and Participation (arrive to class on time with instrument, music, and a pencil and participate appropriately)
25% - Practice at Home (fill out and submit the online practice form each week, goal is at least 20 days of practice at home per term)
25% - Video Recording (students will submit a video recording of themselves playing an assignment at home once a term)
25% - Concert Attendance and Participation (unless excused due to illness or extreme circumstances via parent email)
*Some terms there may not be a video assignment and/or concert.
The Three Elements of Musical Development
Do all three well to improve the fastest and enjoy band the most. Do at least two well to keep up with the bands progress but it is tougher. The more students in the band who do all three the better sounding and more fun band will be for everyone.
In a lesson students received individual instruction suited to their own unique strengths and weaknesses. The lesson teacher addresses any difficulties the student is personally having with their instrument and/or band music so that they are able to be successful in the full band. Not only do students who take lessons excel at playing their instrument and reading music, they have more fun in band rehearsals and are more likely to become musical leaders within their section and continue playing and enjoying music for years to come. Check out the Ashland After School Lesson Program if you want lessons at AMS after school at the lowest possible price. If they don't work for your schedule, this webpage lists other lesson teachers and locations nearby. If you are having trouble scheduling lessons or finding a lesson teacher email bkoning@ashland.k12.ma.us
2. Rehearsals
We are fortunate to have band rehearsals every school day at AMS, but to improve students have to arrive on time, set up their instrument and get to their seats quickly. Students will need to bring their instrument, music, and a pencil to every class. Brass players should have valve or slide oil, and reed players should have several spare reeds in good condition. Refrain from talking or playing at inappropriate times during rehearsal. Use your pencil to mark things you learn into your music, or circle spots you need to practice later.
3. Practice at Home
Regardless of style, age or instrument, all musicians need to spend time learning to play their instrument and music on their own to improve. For full credit on your school grade this means practicing for 30 minutes on 20 days per term, but depending on what and how you practice, the amount of time you need to practice to actually improve could be very different. If you take lessons and practice what your teacher tells you to work on you will improve much faster with less practice. If you don't take lessons, you may be practicing with bad techniques or learning your music the wrong way and actually making things harder for yourself! Practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent!
To get the most out of your practice time use the AMS Practice Page
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