Beginners 

General Information:

We are excited that you are considering becoming a part of our band program at West Lake Middle School.  You may have many questions regarding band, and hopefully, this page will provide answers for you.  After reading through this information, please feel free to contact Ms. Gonzalez (gdelarosagonzalez@wcpss.net) with further questions.  

Here are some of the highlights:

-Beginning band is offered to sixth-grade students.  Sixth grade is the best opportunity to enroll in beginning band.

-Instruments taught in beginning band are flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, and percussion.  Upon director recommendation, students may move to other instruments later in the year (oboe, bassoon, saxophone, horn, baritone, and tuba).  Please do not purchase an instrument prior to our virtual instrument rental nigt.

-Although helpful, no prior musical experience is necessary for beginning band.

-Our beginning band classes meet as a separate class during the school day; students will not lose time in other core subjects while in band.

-Each beginning band student will need to supply their own instrument, instrument cleaning supplies, and band book. Please contact me if you need help obtaining any class materials. 

-Instruments must be in good playing condition.  Those that are purchased from a source other than Music&Arts will need to be approved by Ms. Gonzalez, as some instrument brands are less reliable or difficult to repair.  A list of recommended brands is provided below.

-It is sometimes necessary for us to limit the number of students on a particular instrument to achieve proper balance of instrumentation. Don't worry, every instrument in band is very important!

Registering for Beginner Band:

When 5th graders receive registration information for 6th grade, they are asked to choose an elective class.  These are classes that allow students to explore academic areas that are not offered in their “core” or “team” classes. They are to choose band as one of their elective choices. Keep in mind that band is a year-long elective, meaning that a student who enrolls in band will remain in band class for the entire school year.  It is our hope that they will continue in 7th and 8th grade as well! 

If your child has already registered for another elective, or if your child did not turn in an elective registration form, it is still possible to enroll in band.  Please contact Ms. Gonzalez for information on changing your child’s schedule.  It is best to do this sooner rather than later, as schedule changes are discouraged after the first couple of days of school.

Obtaining an Instrument:

Your child will need to decide between flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, or percussion.  Students are allowed to audition for other instruments later in the school year.  Students interested in auditioning for saxophone later in the year should begin on clarinet. 

We strongly recommend renting an instrument rather than purchasing.  This allows us to be sure that the instrument is a good fit for your child before you have invested a large sum of money with full purchase. You are under no obligation to obtain an instrument from any particular company, but be sure to seek the guidance of Ms. Gonzalez prior to committing to an instrument!  There is no need to rent or purchase prior to that date, as we will focus on music reading fundamentals during the first week of classes.  In any case, please do not purchase an instrument without consulting Ms. Gonzalez regarding brand and model.  Not all brands are approved instruments in our program.

RECOMMENDED INSTRUMENT BRANDS

Flute - Jupiter, Gemeinhardt, Yamaha, Emerson, Pearl, Selmer, Armstrong

Clarinet - Buffet, Jupiter, Selmer, Yamaha

Trumpet - Bach, Bundy, Conn, Getzen, Jupiter, King, Yamaha

Trombone - Bach, Bundy, Conn, Getzen, Holton, Jupiter, King, Yamaha

Our rental companies are Music&Arts and Sweetwater.