Beginning BandÂ
Students will first participate in a fitting session, where they try different mouthpieces to determine which instrument best suits them. After this, there will be a rental night in the Wheatland Bandroom from 4:00-7:00, usually the second week of school on that Thursday.Â
Beginning Band is for students to understand the basics. In 6th grade, students will have opportunities to perform and participate in various activities. These include a group field trip, past experiences include the Trans Siberian Orchestra, the Blue Man Group, and this year, older students will be attending the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to see Home Alone with live music performed by the orchestra.Â
Wheatland has a high participation rate in Band due to all the fun and new activities in which they get to participate.Â
6th Grade Band
In 6th grade, students are provided with a lot more opportunities. These include the 6-8th Grade Field Trip. Jazz Band, where we go to UW-Whitewater to play/compete in a Jazz Festival. Solo and Ensemble, where students can perform either a solo, duet, or small group piece of music, and they will be rated on their performance. With other performances during the concerts, small groups are starting to be incorporated. If a student has ever been interested in percussion, but plays a different instrument, they can now join the percussion ensemble; anyone is welcome to join!
6th Grade is where students gain and refine skills that they can start using for performances and new opportunities. They especially become skilled in the 7/8th grade and use these skills during a Bucks game.
7/8th Grade Band
Students at this age have acquired a wide range of music skills and now have the opportunity to participate in various activities, while also enjoying fun and challenging music. We will take our 6-8th-grade band on a field trip, play at a Bucks Game, perform at the UWW Jazz Festival, participate in the Homecoming Parade for Central, and take part in the (optional) Solo and Ensemble competition.Â
I want to provide enriching and fun adventures for students, especially at this level. I try to keep everyone well informed about these activities. I also do my best to make sure they happen at times when there's minimum conflicts. Although it's impossible to have a perfect schedule, I want students to feel that they can do music and band while participating in other groups/activities outside of the school day.Â