I've never heard an adult say, "I'm so glad I never learned how to play a music instrument when I was younger." Usually, the remarks are something like "I wish I would have..." or "If only I had stuck with it..." 

So what are you waiting for? Students entering grades 4-8 can sign up to learn a band instrument. Students in grades 3-8 can now sign-up to learn  an orchestra music instrument.  Using the information on our Contact Page, reach out to the instrumental music teacher in your child's school building for more information. 

Use the buttons below to 

• sign-up for instrumental music lessons, then reach out to your child's instrumental music teacher using the the information on our Contact Page here for next steps.

• explore the different music instruments you can learn

• learn about brass and woodwind specialty musician PPE

Follow the steps below to sign-up.

Use the videos below to learn more about the musical instruments your child can learn at QCSD. Orchestra instrument lessons (violin, viola, cello, and string bass) start in 3rd grade. All other instruments (band instruments) start in 4th grade. Students can start learning an instrument in elementary school up through middle school at QCSD.

If your child played in orchestra or band at QCSD last school year, there's no need to do anything else. Your child will be enrolled in lessons automatically the following school year. 

If your child is starting an instrument for the first time (brand new student,; switching from orchestra-to-band/band-to-orchestra; transferring from a different district, etc) signing your child up for lessons helps your child's future music teacher communicate with you about next steps and program updates.  

Band and Orchestra lesson registration closes shortly after the school year begins allowing student lesson groups to learn together at a similar pace. If you are new to our district, please use the CONTACT page to contact the band or orchestra teacher in your child's buidling for more information. 

Now that your child is signed up for lessons, it's time to get the musical instrument supplies for your child's lesson. Whether your child is starting an orchestra instrument or a band instrument, the required supplies needed are the same:

1. a musical instrument

2. lesson book

3. folding music stand

Click the "Music Stores and Supplies" button below to learn about the books used in your music lesson as well as find telephone numbers of local music stores you can call to purchase or rent a musical instrument.  

* Additionally, students can use their family-owned musical instruments. Please take your instrument to a music store before your child's first lesson so that it can be inspected for playability.

** The school has a limited supply of school-owned instruments such as tubas and baritone horns in the band that we'd love to offer to students to play. With these larger sized instruments, students are assigned one to take home and one to keep at school. Students take to school their mouthpiece and lesson book only.

*** Never let finances stand in the way of your child's participation in the school instrumental music program. Please use the Contact page to reach out to your school's band or orchestra teacher privately to discuss school-owned instruments or music store scholarships.

The Summer Music Academy (SMA) is one of the many QCSD Summer Camp programs offered by the Office for Teaching and Learning. SMA runs from the last week in June to the first week in August at the Strayer School and offers group band and orchestra music lessons for students. Additionally, beginning piano lessons are taught for students in grades 3 or higher looking for an introduction to this instrument.

Group lessons are 45 minutes long and most lessons are taught by members of the QCSD Music Department.