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Welcome to Band!
Welcome to Band!
Hi, I'm Mr. Williams, the Liberty Middle School band director. I've created this site to provide some information that you will find helpful when deciding if band is a good fit for your student. In band, your child will learn to read music and perform on an instrument. We have 2 concerts a year, and - conditions permitting - we often take really cool trips that the kids enjoy. After middle school, band students have opportunities to play in band at the high school, including marching, jazz, and pep bands. Your musician can participate in many of these optional after school activities, or just continue to play in the regularly scheduled band class.
So look through this site, and check out "Get An Instrument" to learn how you can rent a quality band instrument for your student. If you have questions, I can be reached by e-mail at steven.williams@bedford.k12.va.us.
WHAT IS BAND?
Band is an elective class open to all middle schools students. Because it is an elective and not a club, all activities occur during the school day, except for an evening concert at the end of each semester. Band does not conflict with other school activities or sports teams. Many of our band students are cheerleaders, athletes, and participate in clubs. Students can store their instruments in band room lockers, so it is not necessary to carry it back and forth to school every day. However, just like any class, band does require some at home practice, which is our homework.
WHAT INSTRUMENTS CAN I PLAY?
Check out the "INSTRUMENTS" tab in the top right corner to learn more about the instruments we play in band.
WHAT IS THE MIDDLE SCHOOL "WHEEL"?
Students get to choose a wheel of 4 different classes, and students rotate through those classes each quarter. Students can choose Band instead of the wheel, and it is the only elective that lasts all year. Band students still get PE/Health, but not the other classes on the Wheel. Students have many opportunities throughout middle and high school to take elective classes, and band will not interfere with that.
HOW DO I SIGN UP?
Even though students have already signed up for classes for next year, it is very easy to add band to your schedule, and Mr. Williams will work with the school counselor get that change made.
I HAVE TAKEN PIANO LESSONS, DOES THAT HELP?
YES! Students who have a piano background will get first dibs on playing percussion! But certainly any prior music training will help students on any band instrument.
IMPORTANT STATISTICS ABOUT PLAYING IN BAND
Students with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT: students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math, than did students with no arts participation.
College-Bound Seniors National Report: Profile of SAT Program Test Takers. Princeton, NJ: The College Entrance Examination Board, 2001.
Music students out-perform non-music students on achievement tests in reading and math. Skills such as reading, anticipating, memory, listening, forecasting, recall, and concentration are developed in musical performance, and these skills are valuable to students in math, reading, and science.
B. Friedman, “An Evaluation of the Achievement in Reading and Arithmetic of Pupils in Elementary School Instrumental Music Classes,” Dissertation Abstracts International.
The arts are one of the six subject areas in which the College Board recognizes as essential in order to thrive in college.
Academic Preparation for College: What Students Need to Know and Be Able to Do, 1983 [still in use], The College Board, New York
Lewis Thomas, physician and biologist, found that music majors comprise the highest percentage of accepted medical students at 66%.
“The Case for Music in the Schools,” Phi Delta Kappan, February 1994.
8 Benefits of Music Education for Children
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