W e l c o m e t o
B e g i n n e r B a n d
Frequently Asked Questions about Beginner Band
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Spring Hill Beginner Band FAQ for
Parents and Students Welcome to you and your
new band student(s)! This page is designed
to answer a few of the questions you may have about beginner band if you are
new to the “Band World”. If you do not
find the information you need please feel free to contact the SHJH BAND
Office @ 903.323.7819. INSTRUMENTS We are very fortunate to
be able to provide all of the instruments for student use here at Spring
Hill. The issue of instruments works
very much like checking out a library book…an expensive library book. The student is issued a horn and is
responsible for its care and maintenance for the entire year. This includes keeping the horn clean and in
a safe place when not in use. The instruments are temperature sensitive. Extreme heat will cause the glue in the
case to break down and the lining to come loose. Extreme cold will cause the water left in
the horn to freeze and may cause cracks to develop. On average, more damage is caused to an
instrument inside the case because the students think the case is
“bullet-proof”. Not so. The instrument inside the case will be just
as flat as the case if it is, for example, run over with a car. Care should be taken at all times when
handling the instrument inside and outside the case. Students are discouraged from allowing
anyone else to use their instrument.
Should the instrument be damaged through abuse or neglect the students
and parents are responsible for the repair or in severe cases, replacement
cost. In most cases the instruments
are not new, but should all be in working order and playing condition. We base the price of a replacement on the
current value of a new horn of the same make and model when available. (Rest assured; this has not been necessary
in the last several years.) Every effort will be made
to keep the horns in playing condition.
When an instrument needs repair, the student should make one of the
directors aware that their horn has a problem PRACTICE AND PRACTICE CHARTS The students are
encouraged to practice at home. They
are responsible for a practice chart to record their minutes of
practice. These are due on Mondays for
full credit and Tuesdays for a maximum of 90 pts. We will provide a form to be filled out,
but if for some reason the student does not have one, a piece of paper with
the student’s name, times practiced, and parent signature will be sufficient
for full credit. The students should
practice 30 minutes a day for a total of 210min. a week. (Please keep in mind that this is only the
minimum) To help your student achieve
please encourage them to practice at home and help them find an area in which
to practice consistently. BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL Practice is allowed in the band hall before
and after school. The directors
usually arrive between 7:15 and 7:30 each morning. The band hall will be unlocked and the
students are welcome to stop by and practice, get help, buy supplies, drop
off their horn, and even practice. In
the afternoon the students may stop by the band hall to pick up their
instruments or take care of the other business listed above. Only band students and parents of the band
students are allowed in the band hall.
This is policy. We have a lot
of expensive equipment and the band students have been instructed how to move
around and handle the equipment properly.
There is a phone in the band hall that the students may use before or
after school for appropriate reasons. The band students are
always welcome in the band hall while the directors are present. Many of the students stop by between
practice for football, cheerleading etc. and say hello, practice, copy music,
use the phone to arrange transportation etc.
SUPPLIES AND CHARGES The band provides the
essential supplies needed for the students to get started. These are taken care of with the $12.00 fee
you paid at the beginning of the year.
Once these supplies are depleted, supplies are made available for
purchase by the student. This can be
done in one of two ways: The student can bring
money to buy supplies or the student can charge supplies and pay the charges
at the end of the week. The price
list for supplies is as follows:
CONCERTS & ATTIRE The beginner band students
perform at 2 formal concerts and one demonstrational concert during the
year. The Christmas concert, Dec. 8,
is the debut performance for the beginners.
After only 3 ½ months of instruction the beginner band will perform
Christmas Tunes as a sort of “opening act” for the high school band. The Spring Concert, May 22, is the finale of the year. This concert shows the progress the
students have made through their first year of band. We schedule the beginner and High School
Band concerts together as a way to show the parents where they are and where
they are going. All band concerts
begin at 7pm…always…forever…period. The dress for the concerts
during the beginner year should be nice, church type clothes. Boys should wear dress pants not jeans and
a nice shirt…tie optional. Girls
should wear a dress, pant suit, skirt and blouse, etc. The skirt should meet school dress code for
length. During the school day at
the beginning of May, beginners perform a concert for the 5th
grade students. This is called our
“recruiting and demonstration concert”.
The band will give the 5th graders a preview of what band
life is like, demonstrate their instruments, and play a few of the concert
selections from their pending Spring Concert.
At the end of the concert, the 5th graders are given a band
choice sheet and asked to select their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd
choice for an instrument. PRIVATE LESSONS The Band Students have the
opportunity to take a private lesson, once a week on their instrument. These lessons are conducted by a specialist
on their instrument who will give the student individual instruction for 30
minutes. Each lesson costs $10.
Private lesson night is Tuesday and the time slots are variable based on
need. Contact Ms. Johnson at the band
office for further information. “WHAT IF I WANT TO PURCHASE MY BAND STUDENT AN
INSTRUMENT?” PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE DOING SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Before you run out and buy
a horn for your child please contact one of the band directors. There are many factors about buying a horn
that you need to be aware of. These
include but are not limited to: price,
condition, service, level of musicianship, recommended instruments, the best
deal, warranty, etc. We strongly
encourage you to contact us to protect you from purchasing poor quality
instruments. For example, some of the
local department stores sell instruments of very low quality. They can be purchased for very little money
but you get what you pay for and they don’t last. Think of this like buying
a car; you want a name brand that you know and trust, and you want to
purchase from a dealer with a great service department. Each of the band directors
has been involved with the music industry long enough to be able to guide you
in the decision to purchase an instrument.
Whether new or used, student or professional model, we can help
you. Please call BEFORE YOU BUY. GRADES Grades are assessed in the
following ways: During each 6 weeks period
we will have 4 daily grades, 6 practice chart grades, and 4 performance
grades. Daily grades are participation
grades…do you have all of your materials?
Are you trying? Are you being
disruptive? Practice chart grades are
explained above. Every band student should make an A in band. Performance grades are for chair tests and
playing assignments. Daily and
practice chart grades combined equal 60% of the average while the other 40%
is performance. THE DIRECTORS’ ROLE Learning to play a band
instrument is a time intensive task.
It takes practice and dedication from the student, and a patient
teacher. Becoming a musician is an
even longer journey. It will be
frustrating at times and positive pressure will be applied. I told the students the first day: “You’ll
get upset, you may even cry a time or two.
But when you recover, you’ll try again. And when you succeed after all of that “boo
hooing”, you’ll be a stronger person.” We use every means necessary to teach the
students what it means to be a band member.
Each section is dependant on the others to be successful. The directors are here to
guide the students on their journey.
We will tell them how, show them how, make them do it, and praise them
when they succeed. We have a large orange
sign in the band hall that reads: “Great leaders aren’t born, they’re made…welcome to the assembly
line.” |
This
page is maintained by shjh technology staff and
Email: sagathr@springhill.esc7.net