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IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR BEGINNING BAND INSTRUMENT PLACEMENT DAYS
There is A LOT of information on this page regarding instrument selection days, how they work, and directions for the band hall. Please read all information on this page!
We know that summer schedules can be hard to work around, but tried to provide a variety of days & times to give you more options! If none of the days work for you/your student, please send an email to stacy.mackay@midlandisd.net to see if we can find a time that works.
We currently have instrument selection days scheduled for:
Monday, May 26th: 10am - 1pm / 4pm - 7pm
Tuesday, May 27th: 10am - 1pm / 4pm - 7pm
Wednesday, May 28th: 10am - 1pm / 4pm - 7pm
Thursday, May 29th: 10am - 1pm / 4pm - 7pm
Monday, June 2nd: 10am - 1pm / 4pm - 7pm
Tuesday, June 3rd: 10am - 1pm / 4pm - 7pm
Wednesday, June 4th: 10am - 1pm / 4pm - 7pm
Instrument Placement Days are a "come & go" event. You do not have to be present for the entire time, but you might have to wait for a little bit as we meet with students on a first come, first served basis.
The length of time for each student selecting will vary - we will ask you to attempt sound on mouthpieces for every instrument and go from there.
Parents do not have to attend with the student, but we highly recommend that at least one does!
We requested air from the district during instrument selection days, but please come dressed for it to be a little warm in the band hall.
You only need to attend ONE of the days.
When you meet with the directors to select an instrument, we will guide you through the process of trying the instruments. Our goal is to have you make a characteristic sound on the mouthpiece of an instrument, as well as hold each instrument so you can get a feel for it. We have placed thousands of kids between us over the years and will use that expertise to guide you to instruments that might be more natural for you. We want you to be successful & enjoy whatever instrument you choose!Watch the instrument videos on the "VIDEOS" page to get an idea of what each instrument is all about.
You can try as many instruments as you like, but we recommend you try a minimum of 3. Keep an open mind when trying instruments for the first time - you've never done anything like this before and it won't be perfect out of the gate, but we will do our very best to get you to make a characteristic sound. We also might ask you to try an instrument that wasn't in your "top 3" if we think you could be successful on it!If you want to be considered for the beginning percussion class, you will have to select a wind instrument first.
We have to balance the band instrumentation as we go - we can't have a percussion section of 12+ students because there are just not pieces written for a section that large. We usually take 6-10 percussionists depending on the size of the beginning band overall. Students selected for percussion typically demonstrate good internal sense of tempo, natural rhythm, and excellent hand coordination. Students who are not selected for beginning percussion will be placed on their top wind instrument choice.
All Instrument Selection Days will be held in the Alamo JH Band Hall
3800 Storey Ave.
Midland, TX 79703
The Alamo Band Hall is located on the southwest corner of the school (Storey Ave. & Midland Dr.) - marked on the map with a STAR. The band hall double doors face Doug Russell/Midland Drive. There will be a sign in the window to the right of the doors and they are marked with a "#3."
You will not be able to enter through the front of the school - you will have to walk around to the band hall doors! We highly recommend that you park in the parking lot between Alamo & Doug Russell closest to the gym/chain link fence.
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE BAND DIRECTORS
Like many of you, we have events this summer that will take us away from Midland, but we will check our e-mail periodically. We promise to get back to you as soon as we can - likely within a few days if not 24 hours.
Please direct any questions regarding band directly to the band directors - we will be able to answer anything for you as it relates to band! Much of our office staff is new and might not have accurate information for you, so please use the email addresses below to contact us!
Mrs. Mackay - stacy.mackay@midlandisd.net
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