5th Grade Band - MES

Welcome to a new school year! I can't tell you how pleased I am that you have chosen to have your child participate in one of the most rewarding activities our school has to offer - music education!

As we begin on this journey together, I know you have many questions. Will my child be any good? Will they be able to handle the responsibility of music along with everything else they do? Will it be worth it?

The answer to all of these questions is a resounding YES!

With your support and mine, the possibilities for your child are wide open. Certainly, there will be moments of frustration as your child learns the new skills of music, but the rewards are many!

As children work to master a challenging skill, they develop grit and perseverance. And that first time you hear them perform or just see their face light up when they realize they can do something this special, well, that sense of pride that both of you feel will confirm that it is all worth it!

As your child embarks on this new journey, we encourage you to take some videos to document their musical progress. It is often difficult to see the slow arc of growth when you are just starting, but these videos will be proof of how far they have come and how much they have learned. Plus, they have the added benefit of being fun to watch in the future. The sounds won't always be pretty, but they

Practice Time:

Many students are taking an instrument for the first time this year. Having a new instrument in your hands is very exciting and students are usually very motivated to get their new instrument out of it’s case at home and work on those first sounds. After a few weeks though, some of that momentum starts to fade and practicing starts to become a battle.

Developing good practice habits is directly tied to student success. Here are some strategies to help motivate your student:

1. Refer to practice time as playing time. Perception is everything!

2. Tie playing time to homework time. Make practicing your instrument part of your homework. Even 10 minutes a day will yield good results, and won’t feel like a burden.

3. Encourage your student to get their instrument out and play a song for you.

4. Keep track of playing sessions and offer a reward that you mutually agree on when a certain number of sessions is reached. For young players a balance of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is very helpful.

5. Plan for playing time. Schedule playing time as you would any other commitment ( like sports practice ). Students have busy lives and practice that is left to chance often doesn’t happen.

6. Encourage your student to set a goal for their playing time that is realistic and achievable. When the goal is met ( or progress made ), that playing session is complete.

Happy playing!

Lessons

This year students will have the opportunity to participate in individual/ small group lessons both virtually and in person. Lessons will be scheduled as the students learning schedule allows.

5th grade students may chose to learn flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, euphonium/baritone, drum or bells.

6th grade students may add tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, oboe, french horn and tuba to that list if they have studied one of the 5th grade instruments for one year.

Lessons will be held in person in small groups once a week.

Band rehearsals will be held twice a week for 30-40 minutes each rehearsal.

Instruments

Instrument rentals and music book purchases can be arranged through Ellis Music. www.ellismusic.com I strongly recommend renting an instrument if it is possible. Ellis offer high quality instruments at affordable prices. Their rental program includes all repairs during the rental period, loaner instruments when available and school service visits. Their weekly school service day is Friday. There is also a pool of school owned instruments available to families where cost may be a barrier to participation. These will be available on a 1st request/ need based basis. We cannot guarantee that the instrument your child is interested in will be available. Contact Mrs Adams for more information.

Rent, Buy or Borrow?

When you rent an instrument you get a high quality instrument and any repairs are covered and handled very quickly. A rent to own option is available. When you purchase a used instrument, in most cases that instrument will immediately need some repair work to be in top playing condition. On average, an instrument usually needs to go in for 1-2 repairs a year ( depending on your student ) and the average repair cost is around $100.

I am happy to evaluate any instrument you are interested in purchasing.

Please beware of cheap Amazon and Ebay instruments. Often they are not repairable due to the parts being unavailable to technicians. Contact me if you have any concerns.

School owned instruments are available to use for most instrument choices. There is no charge to use a school instrument, but they are used instruments. If they are damaged during the school year, there is no guarantee that the instrument can/will be repaired or replaced.

Our district instrumental music book is Sound Innovations for Concert Band for your student's particular instrument.