How can parents help?
Help select a regular practice time and place for your child.
Encourage your child through positive support. Listen to practice sessions on occasion.
Everyone will probably require a ton of patience while the beginning musician squeaks, squawks, and moans and groans his/her way through the first several weeks. It will get better! With regular practice those noises will be replaced in no time with the wonderful sounds of music! The rewards are well worth the wait.
Set aside our concert dates to be sure you and your child can attend.
Help students care for their instruments (maintenance, keep others from handling/playing, etc.)
Practice:
There is NO way possible for a musician to succeed without practicing. We all expect athletes to practice; how can a musician succeed without it?!
Practice Smart!
· Try to schedule a time every day to practice
· Never practice without clear goals. Identify exactly what will you be able to do when you are done.
· Set short-term AND long-term goals. Short-term would be a particular measure or phrase. Long-term would be technique, such as cleaner articulations, hand/grip discipline in percussion, better air support, etc.
· Use a metronome, especially if you think that you don’t need one!
· Practice someplace quiet and free of distraction. NO other music or noise should be in earshot.
· Use a mirror, at times, to check your embouchure for problems.
· Set your goals and work on those, plus scales, range, rudiments, tone, etc.,
· Use correct posture and hand position at all times
· Practice in small segments – 15 minutes here – 15 minutes there. Long, marathon-like sessions will do more harm than good. It’s physical exercise, plus, there is brain research that shows us how we most effectively retain skills. Spread the work out in short bursts!
· Isolate difficult passages and practice them slowly. It is better to play slow and accurate than fast and sloppy.
· STAY POSITIVE! Not everything will be easy. If you are getting frustrated take a break and come back to it another time.
· Always strive for your best sound! SOUND IS EVERYTHING!
· Play for others as often as possible. Play for your family, church, dog or anyone that will listen!
· “Practice, practice, practice! And when you’re done? PRACTICE SOME MORE!”
Private Lessons:
Band directors can do only so much…Private lessons are STRONGLY encouraged out of every student in any band. If we could make them a requirement, we would—they are that important! The improvement in your child will be impressive, and it is money well invested in their future.
Most teachers will teach hour-long lessons or 30 minute lessons once per week. If you would like assistance in finding a teacher or want to check the qualifications or reputation of a possible instructor, you can contact me or a good music store.
Behavior Expectations
Interruption free rehearsal time is precious to the development of individual and ensemble growth. Students are expected to prepare their individual part outside of class and attend class with a positive attitude focused on the development of the band. Students should always have their instrument, music, a pencil, and any other equipment needed for the particular season.
Equipment
Students should supply their own instrument and are responsible for maintaining their instrument in good working order. Should a situation arise in which a student is unable to supply their own instrument contact Ms. Porter at lporter@vpschools.org If a student damages any equipment in the band room they are responsible for the cost of the repair.
Students are responsible for purchasing supplies for pep band and a book for concert band, if applicable.
If students are not able to provide their own instrument for band, a very limited supply of school owned instruments are available. Although it is not fully recommended because most of the school owned instruments are not of the best playing ability, students may rent instruments from the band program for a rental fee of $50 per semester, or $100 for the whole year. Students must maintain their instrument in the same condition that it was presented to them. Certain instruments may also be checked out to multiple students throughout the program at the same time, it would be expected that each student provide their own mouthpiece for said instrument.
Reeds- Clarinet and Saxophone students are encouraged to provide their own reed. If a student needs one throughout the class period, a $2 fee will be charged to the student account.
Acceptable Instruments- These are instrument brands which are trusted by many band directors.
Flute – Jupiter, Yamaha, Armstrong, Artley, Bundy, Gemeinhardt
Clarinet – Jupiter, Yamaha, Bundy, Noblet, Normandy, Selmer, Buffet, Vito, Leblanc
Saxophone – Jupiter, Yamaha, Bundy, Selmer, King, Conn
Trumpet – Jupiter, Yamaha, Bach, Getzen, Conn, King, Eastman
Trombone – Jupiter, Yamaha, Bach, Getzen, King, Eastman
Percussion Kits – Jupiter, Yamaha, Pearl, Selmer, Mapex, Ludwig
Percussion kits must include a bell kit and practice pad or snare drum
Fundraising
Students will be asked to participate in fundraisers throughout the year. We rely on the proceeds to purchase equipment, repair equipment, music, and other necessary items that are not funded elsewhere. All of these things are extremely pricy and we really need the support of everyone to grow our program to new heights. Parents can help as well by trying to sell at work or other groups outside of the school setting. If you cannot or do not wish to participate in a particular fundraiser, I understand. However, it is possible to simply send cash or a check, and it will be counted as a donation. This has been a popular option for other programs and the benefit is that our band keeps 100% of the money.