Instrumental Music

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Instrumental Music Information Packet

GROUP LESSONS - Group lessons will be held during the school day following the hyperlinked schedules below under Mr. Benjamin and Mr. Heater's names. Your child will be assigned a letter, which represents the grade/instrument group they will participate in lessons with during the week.  Group lessons are held four 45 minute time periods per month for each student. We will provide each student an Edline Symphonic Band, Wind ensemble, Concert Band Website as our communication tool to students and parents.

Group lessons will be held in the Fine Arts Office (Mr. Benjamin Schedule) next to the stage in the auditorium and the soundproof room on the stage (Mr. Heater Schedule). Lessons will also take place in the Music Room.

Requirements for group lessons vary depending the instrument played, which band the student is in and what time of year it is (middle or end). Students who are beginners or somewhat behind may be given alternative requirements to meet their own ability level. There is one set of skills that will always be required: Scales. Students should practice it daily, all year! Students need to bring their instrument, book, and practice chart to each group lesson.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC POLICY - Please read the Instrumental Music Attendance/Academic Standing Policy. This document explains in detail the policy for attending group lessons and rehearsals and maintaining academic standing as established by the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School and Music Department.

PRACTICE is what makes the difference. Your child is not keeping up and is not having a successful experience if you are not hearing practice at home! It is impossible. What we do in school is not enough! Minimum practice at home should be 10 minutes, 6 days a week. 20 minutes is better. Consistency is the key here; 20 minutes on three days is better than one hour one day a week. (Even 5 minutes every day will help establish a practice habit and hopefully the habit will grow.)

Please help your young musician with his or her practice. Most elementary/middle school students can not keep it up themselves. Ideally, spend some time sitting and listening to the student's work and asking questions (even if you are not a musician, your interest will help!). Get him or her to show you what is being worked on and how it all fits together. Praise goes a long way toward sparking interest in the young musician. Please Call or e-mail us if there seems to be a problem.

Hints for practicing your music...
Refer to Wynton's Ways To Practice and

• Always, always, always pay attention to dynamics.
• Check for slurs, accents, staccatos, ritards, and other details.
• Watch your dynamics.
• Feel free to see us for help or take it to your private lesson teacher.
• Be very careful to play correct dynamics.
• Use the SmartMusic system

GRADING SYSTEM - The Band program will be utilizing a letter grade system.  Grades will be determined utilizing the following criteria:

TALK TO STUDENTS ABOUT GOALS - Grade time gives the music teachers as well as parents an opportunity to check in on the individual goals set by the student, to suggest goals or to suggest ways to practice to achieve the student's goals and (just as important!) to compliment the student who is achieving his or her goals! The grade report also gives the student time to self-assess his/her progress.

BAND REHEARSALS - Band Rehearsals for Symphonic Band (Advanced Band) are held on Tuesday and Friday mornings at 7:30 a.m., Placement in the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble will be determined by auditions held in September of each year.

Band rehearsals for Wind Ensemble (Intermediate Band) Members will be held on Monday and Wednesday mornings at 7:30 a.m.

Concert Band (those students beginning new instruments in October of each school year) will begin rehearsing as a band beginning in January after Christmas break. These rehearsals are held on Thursdays at 8:00 a.m.

Attendance is required at all morning rehearsals to prepare for performances. We will use the tardy/absence policy as outlined in the student handbook. Please refer to the Instrumental Music Attendance/Academic Standing Policy for detailed information.

The Code of Conduct for the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School will be adhered to for all band rehearsals, performances, and trips.

CONCERTS - As a participant in the Instrumental Music Program, you will be expected to make a commitment and attend all rehearsals for your particular band. You are expected to participate in all performances/parades that we present throughout the year. Performances are equated to final exams.  Any absence from public performances must be discussed and excused by Mr. Benjamin and Mr. Heater.  Final grades will be affected for absences from performances.

 CONCERT DRESS

Black pants or skirt. NO SHORT SKIRTS!!! They look terrible on stage. If the student wishes to wear a skirt, please be sure it is fairly full and falls somewhat below the knee when she sits down. We want a uniform black leg appearance. Band Polo shirts are worn at all concerts.
Band Logo Polo shirt - Orders for these shirts are taken before the May concerts, so please order a replacement if needed.

Remember, the point of a uniform is so that the whole group looks the same and feels united. We don't want anyone to stick out and draw the audience's attention away from the music. Also, concerts are formal occasions and the performers are traditionally dressed up in Black and White Attire.

 Thanks for your cooperation.

 PARADE
For the parade: long black pants and polo shirts only; no shorts and no skirts (skirts in the wind are dangerous!). White athletic shoes are nice for the parade, but try to stay away from extreme colors if all you have are colored sneakers.

WHAT WE WANT FOR OUR STUDENTS

We want independent learners. To achieve this, we spend a lot of lesson time on rhythm reading and sight-reading. We don't want to hear "How does this go?" and "Was that right?" but rather each musician to be able to figure it out alone! Rhythm reading is the key here. Much of this work is done in our weekly lessons.

We want well-rounded musicians. To achieve this, We feed them more. No, no! I mean I feed them more different types and styles of music. In our lessons, we practice reading rhythms while listening to many different types of instrumental music. We cover a variety of historical periods (Renaissance & Baroque to contemporary), we explore new instruments (from crumhorns to the Irish harp), we discuss composers and performers, and we experiment with improvisation and some advanced theory. In full band rehearsals, we perform many different styles of music, and when we are performing an orchestral transcription, we also listen to the original version.

We want musicians who practice self-assessment. Through our "Thoughts Papers", we will be doing intensive work on learning to be reflective about one's own playing, as well as the performance of the section and the whole group. We want the musicians to tell me how it is going, and not just sit passively waiting for me to report to them. We are going to practice intellectualizing about what we know and determining what we don't know. (There is some written work in band; please support your child in getting these assignments, too! In most cases, there is time to get these assignments done in class; if you find that your child is complaining about having to do them at home, call us! -- Beginning Thoughts sometimes do have to be done at home and they count as part of the student's practice time.)

We want musicians who know how to speak the language and think in musical terms and analyze the music intellectually using these terms. We are going to be working on using musical terms in our listening for specific musical happenings. This skill is one that can carry over into all of the student's musical listening, no matter what the style of music is.

We want musicians who see the notes on the page as a representation of emotions and who are progressing toward being able to play the notes musically and with feeling.

Lastly, we want musicians who enjoy music! Hopefully, We can help each student get a deeper understanding and enjoyment from all types of music: the classics, jazz, rock, folk, or music of other cultures.

OUR CHARACTER AND THE TWO "R WORDS"

We put a heavy emphasis on two words: Responsibility and Respect. In some ways, these two words are the bulk of our curriculum.

Responsibility is the key word in a band or any group situation where others rely on your part in the group. No one benefits from a student who is a real whiz on the instrument but doesn't bother to bring it to rehearsal, misses concerts or if he/she does come, doesn't bother to dress appropriately. This student isn't learning much and lowers the band morale. By contrast, the student who may not have much technical ability, but is reliable, practices and really tries, can't help but improve and contributes immeasurably to the group spirit and cohesion!

Respect for ourselves, for each other and for our physical surroundings, while unfortunately often conspicuous by its absence in our world today, is of paramount importance to all of us. Maintaining a healthy sense of self-esteem, developing good relationships with those around us, and ultimately developing and maintaining satisfying communities in which to live (not to mention doing well in band and getting along with other band members!) all depend on this second "R word."