Assignments

Assignments can be submitted through this link or completed in person. These are Due on November 3rd and must be completed to receive a mark of Proficient in the course.

Requirements for Term 1 are:

• Page 6 number 7

• Page 7 number 12

• Page 7 number 14

• Page 8 number 17

• Page 9 number 23

There are a few options for obtaining an instrument for the school year. We will start the school year by looking at and demonstrating what instruments are available to play in this course. Some students may have previous experience on an instrument and wish to continue that learning, which is fine, but we encourage students to keep an open mind and take it as a chance to consider a new challenge if they wish. We will take the first few classes to look in-depth at: 

Woodwinds: Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone 

Brass: Trumpet, Trombone, Baritone, Tuba 

Strings: Bass Guitar 

Other options that students may want to consider in January when we open the door to these options are: 

Percussion (requires an audition or previous experience in the form of lessons)

Baritone Saxophone 

*Please note that Piano and Guitar are not concert band options as they typically do not play as ensemble instruments. In Grade 9, students have the option of performing on those instruments in Jazz Band or in Grade 10-12 with Jazz or R&B Band (both options require students to be taking lessons as they are extremely challenging to learn on your own). 

There are a few restrictions on how many instruments we can have in each grade such as: 

-Bass Guitar (due to how many amps and outlets we can provide) 

-Percussion (requires lessons or a passed audition in January) 

If you own an instrument and intend on using it this year please bring it to the Music Directors for inspection so we can determine if it is in working condition. No one wants to be frustrated by an instrument that is being fussy and won’t play properly. If you don’t have an instrument already, there are two options: 

Option #1 

We will be hosting an instrument rental night with Long & McQuade music coming to our school. Long & McQuade is a store in Nanaimo (Canada wide chain of stores) and can come up on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 TH from 3-6PM. This is the only time they will do a giant event for us, otherwise if you wish to rent an instrument from them (and we highly recommend you do if you can) you will have to head to Nanaimo. All the information can be found on their website (long-mcquade.com). It is worth renting from the store if possible as the quality of instruments are quite good and can cover repair and upkeep costs. Rental information can also be completed online, and the store will bring the instrument to the rental event to pick up with no paperwork needing to be completed (this is a highly recommended option if you can). 

Option #2 

If the cost for renting an instrument from the store is too much, ADSS has instruments available for those families who need them. We ask for a one-time fee of $50 to help cover repair costs at the end of the year. We can supply as much as we have in our inventory. If the $50 is too much please give The Music Directors a call at the school (250-723-6251) or email (jkynoch@sd70.bc.ca/KLancaster@sd70.bc.ca) and we will do what we can to help. It is important to note that costs will NEVER be a barrier for any student, as we want to ensure anyone can participate in music. To request a school instrument please visit our website (www.adssmusic.weebly.com) and visit the page “Starting the year”. Scroll down until you see the Google form for instrument rentals and complete. Once the form has been completed and the student brings in the $50 fee, an instrument will be assigned. 

Please do not purchase an instrument from places such as Walmart, Amazon, Costco, Etc. These instruments are typically made of cheap plastics and once broken, cannot be repaired. Only shop from certified music stores or use ADSS Instruments. 

Music and Books: 

Students will need to bring the following for each class: 

• Black Binder- 2-inch ring minimum 

• Pencil 

• Red Standard of Excellence Book 1 (to be handed out in class. Students do not need to purchase this book but can if they wish) 

Uniform 

As a team, we have a uniform for concerts and performances. We believe it is important to look as professional as possible when performing, as that adds to the overall concert experience, we want our audiences to experience. Students are required to have the uniform for performances, and performances are a required part of this program. If there is financial difficulty at home please contact The Music Directors and we can figure out the best way to help. Please see our starting the year page for more information on uniforms.

Practice

Practice is an essential part of being a musician! It takes time to build up muscle memory, strengthen understanding of new concepts, and develop music reading/comprehension skills. Students in Band should aim to practice 20 minutes for every day they do not have a Band class.

Should students be unable to practice in their home, the following options are available as practice:

• Practicing can occur at the school before and after school, as well as at lunch. Practice rooms are available for use at any of those times and students can easily get together with a friend to practice.

• "Ghosting" practice, doing the fingerings or slide positions while saying the note names while reading the music is a great form of practice. 

• Listening to rehearsal tracks and following along, either "ghosting" or having a listen first and then practicing.

• Get together with a friend who can practice at their home and schedule regular practice sessions! This can be fun and rewarding!