Westfield 6 Performing Arts

Meet the Directors

Mr. Sluder

Mr. Sluder has taught Band at WWS since 1997. He has a BS in Music Education from Ball State and M.Ed. from Indiana Wesleyan. His primary instrument is the Euphonium.

Mr. Ward

Mr. Ward has taught Band at WWS since 2015. He has a BS in Music Education and an MM in Trumpet Performance both from Kansas State. His primary instrument is the Trumpet.

Mrs. Savage

Mrs. Savage will begin her 20th year of teaching at Westfield. She holds degrees in Music Education and Harp Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, along with a Master's degree in Education.

Band and Strings are the two instrumental-based performing arts elective options for Westfield 6th graders.

Band consists of instruments from the Woodwind, Brass, and Percussion families.

Strings consists of Violin, Viola, Cello, and Double Bass (this is also known as Orchestra).

During the school day, Band and Strings meet as separate classes. For the purpose of choosing an instrument and enrolling in either Band or Strings, the information for both is combined on this page.

To enroll in either Band or Strings, please follow the steps below:

STEP 1 - Learn about the programs

Please take some time and read through all of the information below. Many of your questions about the Band and Strings program will be answered by reviewing our Band and Strings Frequently Asked Questions.

STEP 2 - Choose an instrument

Over the course of the current 5th grade year, our Music teachers have taught material relating to the instrument families (Woodwind, Brass, Percussion, and Strings). All of these instruments were demonstrated for the students during this unit. Because of this, your child likely knows what instrument interests them.

Video demonstrations of all the available instruments are provided below. We encourage you to sit down with your child and view all of them. Keep in mind that during registration, you will need to specify a 1st and 2nd choice pick.

More details about each of the instrument choices may be found on the Beginner Instrument Guide.

Band Instrument Demos:

Flute

Oboe

Clarinet

Clarinet and Bass Clarinet are both options for Band.

Saxophone

Alto and Tenor Saxophone are both options for Band.

Bassoon

French Horn

Trumpet

Trombone

Euphonium

Tuba

Percussion

String (Orchestra) Instrument Demos:

Violin

Viola

Cello

Double Bass

STEP 3 - Instrument trials and assignments

When submitting your registration for Band or Strings (link at the bottom of this page), you must specify a 1st and 2nd choice of instrument. This is very important since a student may not be a good physical match for their first choice and we must also consider the balance (i.e. number of each instrument) in each ensemble. Additionally, some instrument assignments require the use of school-owned equipment which is limited, so we must have a set number of students who play those instruments.

Those students who have been registered will go through an "instrument fitting" session with the teachers and other music professionals during the school day just prior to Spring Break. After this takes place and your child has been assigned an instrument, you will receive communication to the email that you provide during registration with instructions for next steps. Expect an email after Spring Break (mid-April).

Please use the red button below to register to play an instrument.

If you have any questions about playing an instrument or if you have trouble registering, please click here to email.

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