Time to consider signing up for band

Students interested in joining band in fifth grade should consider the following dates and information.

 

May 7-11

All fourth-graders will see a band instrument demonstration during this week. At this demonstration they will see the various musical instruments that are options for them to play next year. After the demonstration, each student will have a sign up sheet to indicate their top two instrument choices. They should keep that form with them.

 

Monday, May 14

This is instrument testing day at the elementary multi-purpose room. The students will bring the form they filled out during the demonstration and have the opportunity to test their top two choices of instruments.

 

Eckroth Music will have professionals there to help the students see where their strengths are and to guide them to the best instrument choice for them.

 

Percussion notes

We start a maximum of six percussion students each year. Band director Mike Dailey will evaluate any student that wants to be in percussion after school on Thursday, May 10, Friday, May 11, or Monday May 14. The evaluations will take 5-10 minutes per student.

 

Dailey will do the evaluations on a first-come first-serve basis starting at 3 p.m. each day in the high school band room. His preference is for prospective percussion students to have two years of formal piano lessons.

 

Percussion evaluations will consist of rhythm reading, rhythm matching, tempo matching, note naming, a bell piece and a major scale. All materials will be provided. Email Dailey what day your student would like to try out at mike.dailey@delano schools.org.

 

Sign-up night

Wednesday, May 16, is the official sign up night for the fifth-grade band of 2018-19! Dailey will have two informational parent meetings in the high school band room at 4:30 and 6 p.m.

 

After the meeting you can sign your child up for band and, if needed, rent an instrument and/or buy supplies from Eckroth Music.

 

Signing up for band is, of course, optional. All students wishing to join the band must have an instrument that works well. To facilitate this, Eckroth Music will be renting instruments and will also have someone at the sign up night that can inspect an instrument you may already have.

 

What students need

All students participating in band will need a quality working instrument, lesson book (Traditions of Excellence Book 1), oils and/or cleaning supplies and a music stand.

 

Percussionists will need one additional book: Alfred Drum Method Book 1.

 

Free band camp

A free band camp will be held in the intermediate school music room Aug. 20-23. Sections will meet together Monday through Thursday each day to learn all of the basics and to get started before the first day of school.

 

• Flutes and oboes (8-8:45 a.m.), clarinets (8:45-9:30), saxophones (9:30-10:15), trumpets and French horns (10:15-11), trombones and baritones (11:15-noon) and percussion (noon to 12:45 p.m.)