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Maplewood Richmond Heights Middle School Beginning Band Information PacketJason Harris - Director

CONGRATULATIONS for choosing to enter the 2013-2014 Seventh Grade Beginning Band Program at MRH Middle School! You have selected to participate in an extremely valuable and productive educational program. The Maplewood Richmond Heights Band Program begins in the seventh grade year and extends all the way through high school. When school begins, we will discuss the instrument(s) your child would most like to play and I will make a visual assessment to see if that instrument would be a good fit for your child. Basically, if your child can buzz/flutter their lips, they are probably suitable for a brass instrument, likewise, if they can whistle, flute shouldn’t be too big of an obstacle. Also, the clarinet and saxophone are the easiest instruments in the band to get a sound, yet they have the most difficult fingerings. Overview: We will begin the year with basic fundamentals of music reading and tone production on the instruments. By December, we will be able to function as a full band and perform a short concert, and by spring, we will be able to perform even more substantial musical literature. Our classes will be conducted in a very methodical fashion, with no wasted time. Students are expected to be quiet, well-behaved, and responsible for their own actions, equipment, and achievement. I insist on these high standards so that the band students experience maximum educational

benefits from their time invested. Students will be regularly graded on individual achievement, and will be given written feedback on their performance. Students can expect band classes to be fun because of the discipline. I intend for the vast majority of the students to find great rewards and enjoyment within the band program. I ask that parents and students enter the band curriculum with the attitude that they will work hard to achieve excellent musical and behavioral goals. In return I will work hard to provide the best educational situation for students. Please take some time before school begins to read through all the information in this packet. Many of your questions and concerns will probably be answered within the next couple of pages. Also, feel free to contact me anytime in regards to the Band Program. ! ! ! ! - Jason Harris - Band Director - MRHSD- President Elect - SLSMEA

jason.harris@mrhschools.netwww.bluedevilbands.org

www.jasonharristrumpet.com314-368-7451

MRH BLUE DEVIL BANDS

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Band instruments are demonstrated to your child in music class and they have a chance to try to make a sound on the instrument(s) they are most interested in playing. Students can select the instrument of their choice. I will make a recommendation on instrument choice based on specific reasons, those being: 1) the ability to physically play the instrument, 2) the results of the Selmer Music Guidance Survey, and 3) the necessity of maintaining a proper instrument balance in the band. For example, a successful band cannot have 30 flutes, 45 percussionists, 20 saxophones and 2 clarinets. Beginning band students can choose from the following instruments: Trombone, Trumpet, Flute, Clarinet, and Alto Saxophone. Occasionally a student might be placed on his/her second instrument choice due to the overall instrumentation of the band. Experience has shown that one-on-one consultation with the director during the selection process will help in matching your child to the best possible instrument. Parents will be notified via phone if a second choice is recommended. The 7th grade beginning band is split into two different classes. All brass instruments (trumpets, trombones, and horns) will meet one period and all woodwind instruments (flutes, clarinets, and saxophones) will meet during a different class time. I'm often asked at the beginning of the year "which instrument is the easiest to play?" This question does not have an easy answer. The flute can be a straightforward instrument to learn, but some children have difficulty getting the flute to produce a sound. This can be very discouraging for a beginner. In order to make a good clear sound on the flute it is essential to be able to form the lips so that there is a small oval opening centered between the two lips. Some people have a small dip in the centre of the upper lip that makes it difficult to form a good flute embouchure (the way the lips are set to play an instrument.) The fingerings for flute in beginning band are also a bit tricky and flute players are advised to spend a fair bit of time at the beginning practicing moving the fingers from one note to another until it becomes easy. The clarinet is an easy instrument to start on. The fingerings are very similar to the recorder and producing a sound on the instrument is usually not too difficult. The clarinet becomes more challenging as the year progresses. Clarinet players learn more notes than any other of the band instruments during the first year meaning that they have more fingerings to remember. They also have to place their fingers carefully on the instrument to cover the holes or the instrument will produce a shrill squeak! The saxophone is one of the easiest beginning instruments to learn. The fingerings are almost identical to the recorder and the instrument has pads to cover the holes so they don't squeak the way a clarinet can. Occasionally I've had students with small hands who

have had trouble reaching the keys, but rarely on the smaller alto sax. The trumpet is a fairly straightforward brass instrument. In order to produce a sound on a brass instrument, students must be able to produce a buzzing sound with their lips. Some children have difficulty doing this and as a result their trumpet playing is restricted to only a few low notes. With hard work this can be overcome, but it can be very discouraging for the young musician. All brass players need to have a musical ear as the same fingerings will produce different pitches and they must rely on their ear to let them know if they are playing the correct note. The trombone is similar to a trumpet in difficulty. The slide has seven positions. Trombone players need to have a good musical ear in order to know if they are on the correct note and if they are playing it in tune. Drums are not allowed in beginning band as experience has shown that students who already read music are easily bored by the simple drum parts of elementary band music, and students who do not already read music have difficulty learning to read music from drum parts. If students are really interested in playing drums, I recommend that they start taking private lessons with a competent percussionist right away. All 7th grade band students who successfully complete their first year of beginning band at MRH will be allowed to audition for a few percussion spots for their 8th grade year. All MRH percussionists must play a wind instrument during their 7th grade year. No student will be allowed to join the band in later years if they did not complete their 7th grade beginning band curriculum. If you are determined to play percussion, I suggest you choose an instrument to play in band and enroll in private drum lessons on the side. The same criteria applies to the electric bass and guitar. As your child progresses through the band program, more instrument choices will become available with each passing school year; such as Tenor and Baritone Saxophones, Bass Clarinet, Baritone, Oboe, Tuba, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drum Set, and Synthesizer. Please note, that you must complete the middle school band program in order to be eligible for the High School Jazz Band, Rhythm & Blues Band, and Concert Band.

(continued)

Instrument Selection: Things You Should Know

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RENTAL INSTRUMENTS

Nottelmann’s Music Company (314-631-1486, 1590 Lemay Ferry Road) & Music & Arts offer band instruments to rent on a monthly basis through convenient rental-purchase plans, so you can rent an instrument for a trial period to see how your child will progress. Each of these companies provide free maintenance to all instruments under their rental agreements and they send a representative to the school on a weekly basis to repair and/or deliver instruments. Typically, monthly rental fees range from $19 - $45, depending on the type of instrument and its condition, used or new. (Note: There are other music stores in the St. Louis area that offer similar rental programs but from those stores do not make regular visits to the MRH Campus.)

USED INSTRUMENTSUsed instruments are also available at some local music stores and through ads in locals papers. Please take the time to get a used instrument checked by either a music store or your child’s teacher if you are going to purchase an instrument from a private individual’s ad. It is absolutely essential that every student begins playing on an instrument that is in good playing condition or the student will soon get discouraged.

SCHOOL INSTRUMENTSThe school has only a few instruments available each year for check-out to beginners. These instruments are generally the larger, more expensive instruments and are checked out on a first-come, first-serve basis. During the summer, the school instruments are checked and cleaned at the school’s expense. Once a student checks out a school instrument, the student is then responsible for maintenance and repair of the instrument he or she is using. Trombone players should check with the director right away about school instruments, as MRH currently has quite a few of these instruments in stock. Generally, school owned instruments are reserved for families requiring financial assistance. Please contact me for a confidential consultation as we will ensure that a quality instrument will be available for your child.

DROP-OUT PERIODBeginning Band is a full-year course. The students must realize that they are making a commitment toward giving their best sustained effort for one full year of musical study. They will not be allowed to drop the class whenever they want to during the year. The only drop-out time during the year occurs at the end of the first semester. A parent conference with your child’s band teacher is necessary before the instrument is returned and the student is dropped from the program. Once the second semester starts, no more schedule changes will be made. The first few weeks are the toughest, right after the newness wears off and they realize they are really going to have to practice and work at it diligently to learn to play. Some early problems at this time in the year are

very normal. Just encourage them to stick with it and keep trying. If your child continues to experience problems, please call early enough in the trial period so I can provide extra help to get them back on the right track before the decision is made to return the instrument. My primary goal is for your child to succeed!

CLASS MATERIALSStudents will be provided with a beginning band book . The name of the book is Tradition of Excellence, Book 1. Additional materials needed are a pencil (sharpened), paper, laptops (with required programs). Sheet music and a music folder will be provided by the director.

SHEET MUSICMusic is checked out to students by the director. If it is damaged or lost, there will be a replacement fee charged.

PERFORMANCE DATES1. Winter Concert: Wednesday, December 4, 2013 @

7:00PM (MRH Theatre)2. Spring Concert: Wednesday, May 7, 2014 @ 7:00PM

(MRH Theatre)

CONCERT DRESSBoys: Black dress shoes, black socks, black dress pants,

black dress shirt. No t-shirts, jeans, or tennis shoes.Girls: black shoes, black dress or black pants, and black

dress blouse.

LOCKERSEach band student will be issued an instrument locker with a combination lock at the beginning of the school year. For the protection of the instruments, the students will be expected to keep their instruments locked in their band lockers during the school day, not in their regular school lockers nor will they be left unattended in other classrooms. The student will be charged $5.00 for any lost combination lock checked out to the student during the year.

CODAThank you for reading through this information. If you

have any questions or concerns, please contact me at your earliest convenience. - Mr. Harris

Email: jason.harris@mrhschools.netCell: 314-368-7451

Website: www.bluedevilbands.orgYoutube Channel