INFORMATION

Yorkton and Area Bands Grade 5 Band Information

Dear Grade 4 Students and Parents:

The Yorkton and area schools of the Good Spirit School Division have been offering band for more than fifty years and have shaped the lives of thousands of students. Our band program begins in Grade 5 in and is open to all grade five students. We believe our band program is for everyone regardless of ability, musical background, or financial stature, and we strive to give this great opportunity to all grade five students in our area. The intent of this letter is to extend an invitation to grade 4 students to join band in the fall and to provide you with information about the band program.

Band is offered as a regular timetabled class in all our Yorkton and area schools. All band classes take place during the school day. Students receive a report card assessment for band and they are expected to practice their instrument at home in between band classes.

How much does it cost to be in band? Fifty dollars for band fees as well as the cost of your instrument. Band fees cover the cost of a method book and a yellow band T-shirt (which is part of their band uniform). These shirts will be ordered in the fall. Part of the band fee also goes directly to the Yorkton and District Band Boosters. Band fees are due in September. If you have concerns about the fee, please let us know. No student will be left out of band because of financial concerns. We suggest that each student have a wire music stand for home practice – these are about $20.00 and can sometimes be found for much less at garage sales.

This week either Mrs. Linsley or Mr. Yemen will visit your child’s Grade 4 classroom to talk about joining band and to share information about instruments. This will allow students to find out more about the band program and begin thinking about which instrument they would like to play.

Once an instrument has been chosen, you can go about obtaining one in several ways. Instruments such as flutes, oboes, clarinets, trumpets, saxophones, trombones, and percussion kits can either be obtained through private sale or through purchase or rental at St. John’s Music or Long and McQuade Music in Regina or Saskatoon. Links to these stores can be found on our band website.

When purchasing or renting an instrument, please stick to these brand names: Yamaha, Gemeinhardt, Selmer, Jupiter, Vito, Getzen, Bach.

These brands of instruments have decades long reputations of quality performance and durability. Instrument brands outside of this list, while often times lower in price, tend to be made of inferior materials and with poor quality craftsmanship. Students who play on instruments of inferior quality will struggle and find it difficult to enjoy playing music. Also, most qualified repair shops will not perform work or be able to find parts for said instruments. If you have any questions about purchasing an instrument outside of a store setting, please contact us. Sometimes family members will have instruments available for your child. If that is the case, please have the instrument checked by a certified repairman before your child begins to play. Have any private instruments purchased from anywhere but a music store sanitized before use. Long and McQuade, St. John’s Music and Musicraft Instrument Repair offer this service. Links for these repair services are also on our band website.

If funding is a concern for you, there are a limited number of instruments that belong to the school and are available at no charge or for rent for $100.00 per year. Please let us know as soon as possible if you are interested in one of these instruments. If we know by June 15, 2022 which students are interested in these school owned instruments, we can make sure one is available for your child. After that date, we cannot guarantee that there would be an instrument for them to borrow.

You will need to have an instrument in time for our first event in the fall, the Beginner Band Clinic, where we hire music educators to give your child the best start possible on their instrument. This clinic takes place the evening of Friday September 23 and on Saturday morning, September 24. It is paid for by the Yorkton and District Band Boosters and therefore is free of charge for every student. At the clinic, students will be grouped with others that play their instrument and they will learn how to assemble their instrument, hold it properly, produce a sound, and care for their instrument.

We have an organization called the Yorkton and District Band Boosters which parents become members of when their child joins band. This group fundraises to support activities and programs for band students. They have 1 or 2 major fundraisers each year (chocolates sales is one) and hold general meetings three times a year. The Band Boosters subsidize the costs of school-owned instruments and help pay for the costs of workshops and band trips.

The Yorkton and Area Band Program is a fantastic opportunity for your child to learn music in a fun and co-operative environment. Participation in band has been scientifically proven to enhance the learning and educational abilities of students. We hope you will join us in the fall for a very exciting and rewarding experience.

We’d like to give you a week or so to explore our band website, take the survey you’ll find there, and consider which instruments your student is interested in. Once you’re completed the survey we’ll send you another email letting you know which instrument we think your child would be most successful playing and give you information about signing up for band.

In the meantime, please phone or email us if you have any questions:

Mrs. Linsley (Columbia, Springside, and Yorkdale Central School) 306-641-5114 or kerry.linsley@gssd.ca

Mr. Yemen (Saltcoats, Dr. Brass, and M.C. Knoll School) 306-641-6009 or scott.yemen@gssd.ca