5th Grade Band and Orchestra with Mr. Douglas

(See more fun videos about music at the bottom of this page)

Dear Families,

Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year!  

This site is for the Instrumental Music programs at the school sites where I teach. If you have any questions about Elementary Band or Orchestra that aren't answered here please send me an email.

About me - This is my fifth year teaching Instrumental Music in elementary schools in the Mount Diablo Unified School District. Prior to that I had taught several extracurricular elementary school band programs, as well as teaching private woodwind students and performing as a freelance musician in the San Francisco Bay Area. My main instrument is saxophone, and I also perform on clarinet and flute. This year I am teaching Instrumental Music at five sites:  Mt. Diablo, Highlands, Gregory Gardens, Meadow Homes, and Pleasant Hill Elementary Schools. 

About the program - Instrumental Music is a voluntary program offered in MDUSD to 5th graders who wish to sign-up.  Students will attend weekly instrument classes for approximately 30-45 minutes. The instruction is FREE!

Beginning Instrumental Music classes start with the basics, no experience necessary!  We learn the correct way to set up the instruments, how to sit properly, how to breathe properly (for wind instruments), how to hold and use the bow (for stringed instruments), how to hold the instrument properly, how to produce a good sound, how to read music, and how to practice at home.*

*PLEASE NOTE: Practice at home is required. There are simply too many skills involved in playing a musical instrument to skip regular, at-home practice. Playing an instrument is both challenging and rewarding - students who practice make progress and have fun! Parents, you play an important role in your student's success in music. You don't need any musical training to do this - simply help your child find a time and place where they can play their instrument at home for just a few minutes. 

For more information about the Instrumental Music program in MDUSD, including registration information and video demonstrations of the instruments offered, please visit the EIM (Elementary Instrumental Music) Website.

When are the classes taught? - Instrumental Music classes are taught during the school day. My schedule is as follows:

• Monday: Mt. Diablo Elementary

• Tuesday: Highlands Elementary

• Wednesday: Gregory Gardens Elementary

• Thursday: Meadow Homes Elementary

• Friday: Pleasant Hill Elementary

Classes are scheduled by instrument groups at different times during the day. For instance, I may meet with the violins at 8:00am, the cellos at 8:40, the woodwinds (flute, clarinet) at 9:20, the brass instruments (trumpet, trombone) at 10:00, etc... Students will come to the music room each week at the same time, on the same day of the week. If you need to know your child's Instrumental Music class schedule, please send me an email via the link above.

Students will miss classroom time while they are at their music lesson, The classroom time missed needs to be made-up according to the classroom teacher's wishes. I recommend that music students ask a friend from their classroom let them know what they missed while they were attending their music lesson. Most music students are able to miss 30-45 minutes of classwork and still keep up. If you have concerns, please contact your child's classroom teacher. 

About instruments -

• Instruction is offered for:  violin, cello, flute, clarinet, trumpet, and trombone. The school district also has a very small supply of a few other band and orchestra instruments - please contact me for more information.

• The EIM program does not offer piano or guitar lessons. If you are interested in lessons on those instruments, please contact your local music store.

• Families who wish to use their own (or rented) instrument are welcome and encouraged to do so!  The closest music stores to our area that offer instrument rentals are Rockin' Robbies on Colfax near Todos Santos Plaza and Village Music School (1813 Ygnacio Valley Rd, Walnut Creek, CA 94598). Please note that C & L Music on Monument Blvd in Concord no longer rents instruments, however they are open for instrument sales and repairs.

• Be very CAUTIOUS about purchasing an instrument from a store (online or in-person) that does not specialize in music instruments. Please contact me if you are thinking about buying an instrument. Don't be tempted by very low prices and extra shiny or colorful choices, because they can be (and often are) of poor quality. A bad instrument can be very discouraging for young students. Inexpensive instruments are often made of sub-standard materials with shoddy craftsmanship. They will play badly, and they student will think it's their fault when it's really the instrument that's the problem. This often leads to frustration, which could have been avoided by simply choosing a better instrument. I've seen it happen! Most families have found it's better to borrow or rent for a year or two before buying an instrument (check with your local music store to see if they offer a rent-to-own program.)

• If you wish, you may request to borrow a district-owned instrument on the sign-up form.  District-owned instruments are free to use, as long as the instrument is taken care of and returned by the end of the school year.  We try our best to assign instruments according to the student's 1st or 2nd choice, but please understand that we have limited numbers of each instrument that we offer, so we cannot guarantee that we will have your child's first choice. If they absolutely have to play a certain instrument, the safest thing to do is to rent one.

I look forward to working with my students, and helping them start their journey in music! If you have any questions, big or small, simple or complex -  please e-mail me!