Frequently Asked Questions

• I love how we can we be creative and express ourselves, and everyone is very kind and understanding. 

• That I can play the instrument I love and have other people to talk about it with, and make friends along the way. 

• Something I love about playing in the HMS Band is that I get to meet so many people and even create some new friends. Also we get to play music together and just all be really close. 

• I love HMS Band because amidst my stressful days, playing music and interacting with my fellow friends helps me relax and unwind! 

• The teachers are very supporting and want you to succeed and it is a very comfortable and friendly environment. 

• I love how everyone is there to support each other no matter how much trouble someone is having and no matter how many mistakes are made. 

• I love how our band community is so close together and how everyone is always helping eachother whenever and wherever they can. 

• I love how helpful the teachers are, and how we have lots of other fun activities apart from just classes. 

• I love how our band community is so close together and how everyone is always helping eachother whenever and wherever they can. 

• EVERYTHING!!!!!! I've made so many great friends through band and it's been like a family for me. I've learned so much about myself and my instruments and I have no idea where I would be without band. 

• I love that none of us will be judged if we make mistakes and that we're one big family. 

• I like the feedback that teacher and other peers give. It help me get better at playing my instrument. 

• Everyone is so friendly and accepting and I never have to worry about being bullied/disliked. 

• The Teachers!! 

• The sense of community 

• I love playing with my best friends. 

• All of the teachers and my fellow classmates 

• In addition to actually playing trombone, I love the supportive environment. 

• I LOVE getting to learn to new exciting songs in band and hearing them with the whole band, it´s so cool! 

• I honestly love the sense of community in the band program. 

• The amazing teachers and students who make me smile every time I play/learn with them :) 

• I love how your band friends become your second family. 

• I love how everyone interacts with each other and how it's such a safe community to play your instrument in. 

• I love how I can learn so much about music and my instrument in HMS Band. 

• A great way to meet new friends!

• The Band teachers are really nice AND amazing!

• It is something fun to do!

• You have opportunities to perform for each other!

• You can begin the day playing your instrument with your friends!

• There are more opportunities to perform!

The Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble perform 2 concerts per year at HHS. One in December and the other in May. 

Concert attendance is mandatory. The Jazz Ensemble performs a separate concert in March or April in the HMS Jazz Cafe.

Additional volunteer performance opportunities are open to Wind Ensemble members: Veteran’s Day Assembly at Triangle School, a Holiday Concert at Brookdale Assisted Living Facility, a Holiday Commons Concert for Staff and Families in December at HMS, and a National Anthem Performance at the Somerset Patriots TD Bank Ballpark.

The HMS Band Googlesite is a great resource or visit the Contact Us link at the top of the page and email a director. Here is the link to the additional HMS Band google site where sheet music is linked in! 

 Yes!! "A unique part about HMS Band is the ability to switch instruments. Several students may wish to switch to different versions of their instruments, for example from alto sax to tenor sax, but you can also take a bigger leap and switch from a flute to a french horn like I choose to. At the start of 8th grade, I wanted to try a different instrument in order to explore further into music. At first, playing a new instrument was difficult, but through lots of practice, I was able to go from blasting noises to playing eloquent rhythms of band arrangements. Unlike when I started in 5th grade, learning how to play a second instrument felt faster since I already had the basic fundamentals down. In fact, I was able to make it into Wind Ensemble for the Spring Concert! Through practice and continuous effort, it is possible to successfully switch to a new instrument. Even though this is my 3rd year on french horn, I have already made it to High School Wind Ensemble in my sophomore year. My advice is to not be discouraged when you first switch and to keep persevering."

YES! Members of the band are on almost every school sports team! Band rehearses before school and sport teams practice after school. Band lessons rotate during the school day. There are no conflicts!

You can definitely participate in both choir and band as long as you're willing to work at it.  Being in two performing ensembles like that means you will be missing more class, but as long as you make up your work and notify your teachers, there won't be a problem with being in both band and choir!

No, because you do not have to! There are instrument racks in the band hallway and instrument storage space in the Band Cafe. Students who play the tuba, baritone or baritone saxophone only need to transport their mouthpiece to school on rehearsal/lesson days.

Very fairly! Students will receive a letter grade each marking period. Grades are determined by weekly individual performance, weekly ensemble performance, marking period performance assessments, and google classroom assignments/performance objective sheets.  Information about grading will be discussed in the fall when classes begin. Expectations are clearly outlined, explained and posted in Genesis, google classroom, and are currently located on the HMS Band Google Web Site. All students need to maintain a B average in band in order to participate in evening concerts, festival concert events, and the year end Dorney Park or Six Flags Great Adventure Field Trip. 

Students who regularly attend lessons/rehearsals and complete assignments ALWAYS earn an A or a B in HMS Band!

Students and parents are highly encouraged to regularly check grades in Genesis. Grading interventions are provided, however, students earning a C or below in any marking period will not perform in concert events or end of year Dorney Park/Great Adventure trip. 

Unlike having band during the day, you go to band in the morning. You must get there between 7 and 7:20 so you can start a band at 7:30. Instead of having band with your pod, you have to audition to get into either the Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and the Wind Ensemble. The Wind Ensemble has the hardest music compared to the other bands. This system helps group others into a band that works best for them while challenging them. In HMS, band is longer and more frequent. You have a certain day of the week that you go to band. For instance, the Concert Band meets up on Mondays and Tuesdays, Wind Ensemble meets up on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Symphonic Band plays on Wednesday and Friday. The bands play from 7:30 to 8:20. The average time of the rehearsal is 50 minutes. 

• Period 0 takes place from 7:20-8:25 a.m.  You probably have to wake up earlier, but period 0 and band are really fun and a great experience, so it’s totally worth it!

• You can get there as early as 7:20, but you must be there and warming up by 7:30 so you are ready to start rehearsal at 7:35.

• Each band rehearses twice a week. It is a great way to start the school day-playing music with friends!

• During rehearsal we warm up individually, tune, warm up as an ensemble, work on concert music.

• Sometimes we play games to work on rhythms, scales, or note patterns.

• Lessons are once a week on a rotating schedule

• The schedule is very flexible.  Example: I’ve gone to a low brass lesson when I couldn’t attend either of the horn lessons".

• You miss a different class each week for lessons.

• You will never have to miss your lunch period.

• You are given two different choices of lesson periods, so if there is a conflict, you can attend a different period!

• You have lessons with your lesson group from your band. All groups are a mix of 7th and 8th graders so you get to meet more people and make new friends!

• The number of people in each lesson group depends on the  instrument you play.

In the fall, you can audition for any band you want. No matter what, everyone who tries out will be accepted into the program! For the ensemble placement, all you have to do is play the piece for the band you want to be in and the assigned scales. 

The sheet music and scales will be posted on the google site so you can start learning the over the summer. In the fall, you can sign up for a time (before school or during the school day) to play for Mrs. Coates and Mr. Barry

A week or so later, they will email you to tell you what band you were placed in.  Again, even if you aren't placed in the band you tried out for, you will get to play in a HMS Band no matter what! You will also receive important feedback to help you improve your skills.

Mrs. Coates and Mr. Barry are super understanding and supportive of everyone as they go through this process!

Yes! At HMS Bands you can play multiple instruments, most people who play multiple play two instruments, and you can play in multiple bands. You can also play a different instrument in a different band. For example, you can play saxophone in Symphonic Band and play clarinet in Concert Band or Wind Ensemble. If you’re interested in playing in multiple bands or playing multiple instruments, just mention it to Mrs. Coates or Mr. Barry and they’ll help you work it out. 

Playing a "specialty instrument" is really fun! Specialty instruments can be hard at times, but they’ll give you a good amount of satisfaction as you progress. Some examples of specialty instruments are tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, euphonium. Some of the more rare ones are oboe and bassoon.  If you’re interested in any of these instruments, reach out to Mrs. Coates and Mr. Barry and they’ll help you sort it out. Remember, if you want to play one of these you don’t have to pick between a specialty instrument and the one you’re currently playing: see “can you play multiple instruments or be in multiple bands.” 

It's totally understandable to be worried about balancing band and your schoolwork because of the lesson pullout system. However, Mrs. Coates and Mr. Barry do an amazing job of rotating the schedule so you won't miss the same class frequently, and they're so flexible and understanding if you have a conflict. The teachers at HMS are aware of the lesson schedule and as long as you won't be missing something major, they're totally okay with you missing a class, provided that you make up the work later (just like at ARIS). In the end, it's so worth it, though. Band is so much fun that you won't mind making up classwork every once in a while. It's just an incredible, life-changing experience, and the directors are there for you every step of the way to make sure you have tons of fun while always staying on top of your classwork. 

HMS band offers many extra bands including Jazz Ensemble, Veterans day Ensemble, Holiday Ensemble, the Patriots day performance group, and the group that plays at the 8th-grade end of the year assembly.  

Jazz ensemble members need to audition and performers from any band can join. The other extra bands are bands that you can sign up for if you are in the wind ensemble (there are a few exceptions). The Veterans Day ensemble performs at Triangle School on Veteran’s day. The Holiday ensemble performs holiday music in the commons and at Brookdale Assisted Living. Also, the Patriots day performers play the national anthem before a Somerset Patriots game. 

Finally, there is a group of individuals who play fun music before the end of the year eighth-grade assemblies.

HMS Band Council the Band's student leadership team! They are a select group of band members who work to organize and lead certain aspects of the band program under the guidance of the advisors, Mrs. Coates and Mr. Barry. HMS Band Council is expected to contribute new ideas, and share in the passion of making the HMS band program the best it can be!  Members of the Council are expected to be role models and to serve as an example to all students in the program.

What did it feel like when your first got braces?

• It wasn't as painful as other people say. It was just a little irritating and it feels like there is a pressure put on your teeth. Even though it seems impossible, trust me, you will get used to it very soon. 

• It felt weird and they hurt for a week. 

• At first it hurt for about a week. After that, I had gotten used to it and it felt better and didn't hurt at all. 

How long did you wait before you tried to play your instrument? 

• I waited for a week, because it isn't as awkward or uncomfortable after a week. 

• 2 days 

• I waited about 2 days before trying to play my intstrument. 

How long did it take you to adjust? 

• It took me a week and a half, but I adjusted to them fairly quickly. 

• In the first week I got used to it. 

• It took me about 3 or 4 days for me to adjust. 

What exercises would you recommend to others? 

• I would recommend stretching your jaw, but that's it. You should just relax your teeth for the most part. 

• If you play brass blow into your mouthpiece only and play your instrument more than usual. 

• I would recommend blowing strong air like you would on your instrument. Practice your embosure and your breathing. 

• If you play brass blow into your mouthpiece only and play your instrument more than usual. 

• I would recommend waiting until you're used to your braces before playing. Start with the basic scales and work your way up. 

What kind or practice schedule would you recommend? 

• I would recommend practicing as usual because after a week, it's back to normal. 

• Practice every 3 hours and try to play basic things.

• I would recommend that you wait a couple of days so the pain isn't the worst and after about 4 to 5 days or even a week I would attempt to practice. The practice schedule that I had was that I would alternate when I practiced. For example, on Sunday, No practice, Monday limited practice, and so on.  

• Practice every 3 hours and try to play basic things.

• I would start to gradually work your way up to your normal practice schedule. Start with half as many days for half the amount of time. 

Is there anything else that you would like to share? 

Braces are not that bad and are definitely worth it in the end. You will be grateful you got them and you will be so proud of yourself!

The HMS Band googlesite is a great resource! It is only accessible with an htps.us log in. You may also visit the Contact Us link at the top of the page to email a director.