Course Guidelines

Grades

Your grade will be determined by

•  PERFORMANCE on your instrument

• an evaluation of your ENSEMBLE SKILLS

• completion of your PRACTICE RECORDS 

• CONCERT performances  

Grade weighting: 40% Playing Assessments, 40% Ensemble Skills, 10% Concerts and 10% Homework. 

Extra Help is offered every Wednesday from 3:10-4:10.  Extra Credit can be earned for attending Extra Help!

As long as you try your best, you will get a good grade in band!  You can access your grades by going into Genesis.

Playing tests

If you PRACTICE, you will succeed.  If you do not know what to practice, check your google classroom.  If you are absent the day of a test, you will make it up on the next band day.

Ensemble skills

You are expected to come to class with your instrument, book/music, and a pencil.  Brass musicians need a water rag.  Oil and grease your instruments before you come to school on a band day.  Woodwinds will always need to have 3-4 usable reeds in their case at all times.  These instructions will allow you to fully participate in class and make the Ensemble stronger.

Practice Records

Practice records are part of your homework grade.  They need to be completed each time you practice and handed in at the end of the month.  Remember when you practice to follow these steps:

1. Count, Clap, Tap

2. Say and Press

3. Play

This will ensure you will have a productive practice session that will increase your skills and get you closer to your goals! 

Instrument storage and label

When you come to school, you may store your instrument in either your locker, your classroom, or other designated areas in the school like the rotunda, band room, and instrument parking areas.

Please remember to take your instrument home DAILY to PRACTICE at home!!!

Large instruments will be available for students to use in school.  Please see me if you are unsure.

Instruments should be labeled with the student's first and last name, school (LMS), and Homeroom teacher.  A luggage tag works well for this, or a piece of duct tape on the outside of the case labeled with sharpie.  In addition to a label, the student may want to "individualize" their case with a key chain or sticker to easily and quickly identify their instrument from someone else's.