Yes. When a student chooses to be in Band, they are making a year-long commitment to participate in Band.
Choosing an instrument is an exciting big decision for a 9 or 10 year old! Students should choose the instrument they are most interested in learning; band is about enjoyment! Please guide your student to make the best decision for them.
Students can play one instrument and also choose to sing in chorus, but not students can not be in both band and orchestra. Students can also enroll in GT seminars while still participating in both band and chorus or orchestra and chorus.
Band classes start the week of September 16.
Students need to have all their materials by Monday, September 15.
All students are able to join Band if they want to; finances are never a barrier to being a part of the Band community. HCPSS has wonderful partnerships and programs in place for all of our students to participate in instrumental programs. If you have concerns about financially supporting your new instrumentalist, please email Mrs. Wegman-Ey at Jennifer_Wegman-Ey@hcpss.org for more options and a discussion about how to fully support your student's future success in Band!
The Band schedule is a four-week rotating schedule that includes one to two 30-minute pull-out Band lessons a week for each student. Your student will be pulled from Related Arts, Recess, and ELA/Content. Due to the rotating schedule, students will not miss more than two sections of the same class every four weeks. Mrs. Wegman-Ey has made every effort to keep the schedule balanced and equal for both students and teachers.
Your student is expected to practice their instrument 20 minutes a week, if not more. Students will have practice charts to complete as part of their grade for band.
Since instrumental music meets only twice a week, home practicing is essential. By consistently playing each evening, students will build mouth and finger muscle memory more quickly and retain what they are learning in lessons. By playing each assigned song three times, this can easily be accomplished!
More detailed information on this policy can be found in the Band Syllabus.
Yes, students receive a letter grade for Band on the 2nd and 4th quarter report cards. Detailed grading information can be found in the Band Syllabus.
The Bands program has two evening concerts during the year:
Winter Concert:
Spring Concert:
If you have concerns about your student's ability to attend concerts, please email Mrs. Strohl at Jennifer_Wegman-Ey@hcpss.org to discuss options and possible solutions.
Concert attendance is mandatory. The success of our ensemble depends on each musician’s participation. As we learn concert music, each instrument will have independent parts that affect the whole group. Therefore, everyone matters! Please mark our winter and spring concert dates down on your home calendar and make them a priority. If your child misses a concert with an unexcused absence, we will then need to have a conference on whether your child can continue in band.
Help them find a quiet place to practice at home.
Display their schedule somewhere at home so everyone can stay organized.
Remind them to bring their instrument (all materials safely in the case) & folder on lesson days.
Visit the band Canvas page often for updates & announcements.
Call, email, or write a note with any questions or concerns.
Consider getting private lessons for your musician.
Make concert attendance a priority for the whole family.