* There are a limited number of these instruments available, consequently they are assigned on a first come first served basis.
If your child wants to be in the novice band program, then a check mark needs to be placed by YES on the school application form where it says BAND. It is important to remember that the initial commitment is for one year.
In June 2012, there will be two evenings set aside for students who are entering grade six to select an instrument for the 2012-2013 Novice Band. Parents will receive a letter in the last week of May reminding them to book an appointment to select an instrument. All instrument selection must be completed before June 28th, 2012.
At the instrument selection appointment, the band director will provide parents with information regarding the instrument chosen and the supplies needed for that particular instrument. All supplies can be purchased through the school band program. You can save time and money by purchasing these supplies from the school. A price list will be posted in the band room and students will also have this information written in their agenda books.
In September we begin by learning how to assemble our instruments and maintain them properly. Proper tone production on the mouthpiece is essential to producing a clear sound on the entire instrument. A few days are spent learning the embouchure, or shape of the muscles around the mouth, before we actually blow through the entire instrument. We also learn how to breathe correctly. Once we have talked about these concepts, we are ready to experiment with playing a clear tone on the mouthpiece of our instruments. Next we need to learn the basics of reading a fingering chart for our particular instrument. Each note that we play has a certain fingering. One of the most important skills when dealing with fingerings is to remember what the name of the note is, where it is positioned on the staff and what fingers are needed to produce that tone.
Students in the novice band program will construct a portfolio for the purposes of assessment and evaluation. In this portfolio, students will build a history of their learning that includes goal setting, student reflection, and both student and teacher assessments. Students will demonstrate their understanding of concepts and execution of skills through their playing during class.
At student led portfolio discussions, students will discuss their learning with their parents and present evidence of that learning from their band portfolio. A journal will also be part of the portfolio used to enable this conversation about learning. The band director will be available to address concerns at the end of each student led portfolio discussion.
The novice band traditionally performs at both of the school concerts: the Winter Concert held in late January and the Spring Concert held in the latter part of May. There may be other opportunities for performance throughout the school year.
Experienced Band
The experienced band is comprised of students in their second year of band.The experienced band contains full middle years instrumentation including flute, clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, bari sax, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, tuba and percussion.
The experienced band program continues where the novice program left off with students remaining on the instrument that they chose to play in the novice program. The basic program for all experienced band students includes skill development through the use of a method book and performance opportunities with school concerts.
Assessment and evaluation continue as they did in the novice band program with the use of a band portfolio. Students at the experienced level meet 5 times per cycle as groups of 25-40 students. In these classes, skills and concepts are introduced and problem solved in preparation for demonstrations of skills. There is a continued emphasis on listening, problem solving, and critical thinking and leadership skill in addition to further development of musical skills.
The experienced band traditionally performs at both of the school concerts: the Winter Concert held in late January and the Spring Concert held around the latter part of May. There also may be other opportunities for performance throughout the school year.
Concert Band
The concert band is comprised of students in their second year of band.The concert band contains full middle years instrumentation including flute, clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, bari sax, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, tuba and percussion.
The concert band program continues where the experienced program left off with students remaining on the instrument that they played in the experienced program.
The basic program for all concert band students includes skill development through the use of a method book and performance opportunities with school concerts. Assessment and evaluation continue as in the novice and experienced band programs with the use of a band portfolio. Students at this level meet 5 times per cycle as groups of 25-40 students. In these classes skills and concepts are introduced and problems solved in preparation for demonstrations of skills. There is a continued emphasis on listening, problem solving, and critical thinking and leadership skills in addition to further development of musical skills.
The concert band traditionally performs at both of the school concerts: the Winter Concert held in late January and the Spring Concert held around the latter part of May. There also may be other opportunities for performance throughout the school year such as school assemblies.
Helping the Novice Band Student
The first few weeks of learning to play an instrument are especially important. Good practice habits need to be established at home from the beginning, and you can HELP.
H elp to set-up the best possible practice area. This area should be well-lit and free from other distractions, and should have a straight chair and a place to put any music books so that your child is sitting up straight in the chair.
E stablish a regular time and routine for practice sessions. Students should begin with warm-up exercises and then move into the week's assignment. Trouble-some parts should be isolated and worked out before the entire song is repeated. Students should end the practice session with a few favourites just for fun!
L isten enthusiastically to your child's practicing. Recognize his or her efforts with a comment such as, "I really liked the sound of the tones on that piece." You are the audience your child will most appreciate.
P articipate in our three-way partnership: parent(s)/guardian(s), student, and teacher working together to make band an enjoyable and worthwhile experience. Start by reinforcing your child's practice routine and completing their practice log each week. Next have your child demonstrate what he or she has learned and discuss the comments they have written in their band portfolio.
Enjoyment in playing a band instrument and a desire to practice come with success; success is the result of dedicated practice. Together we can guide your child on the road to those rewards.
Band Portfolios and Practice Sheets
Every student in the band program is expected to keep a log of their practice time outside of the classroom. A sheet for this practice log will be provided for each student at the beginning of the school year. Students are expected to write in the time in minutes, that they practice at home each day. At the end of the week, minutes are added and a rubric level is assigned to that week of practice. A standard of 150 minutes per week is desirable for all students. The goals behind these practice logs are:
- To promote the understanding that practice reinforces concepts and skills taught in the classroom.
- To promote increased organizational skills and self monitoring of practice time.
- To promote a standard by which all students should be able to demonstrate growth on playing assignments.
- To promote student accountability for the assignments given in class.
- To share their accomplishments with parents/guardians.
Each student in the band program will have a duo-tang that will be called his or her band portfolio. This duo-tang should be in the student’s band folder along with method books and other music provided by the band director. The band portfolio contains evidence of learning with practice sheets, method book skills and concepts sheets, journal entries and other band related assignments. Students will continue to build one band portfolio throughout their three years in the Band program at Leila North. By the completion of grade eight, students will have an "album" of their learning.
All band students will discuss their new band portfolio entries during student led portfolio discussion three times each year. The band director is available to discuss any concerns parents/guardians may have. Portfolios are turned in just prior to the student led portfolio discussions and once they have been presented to and discussed with parents/guardians, they are taken with the student at the end of the discussion.
The portfolio is intended to be a history of the student's learning in the band program. Over the three years that a student is in band, he/she should be able to identify areas of strength and weakness, provide insight into how he/she learns music best, and demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving skills. Since band is a group experience, students are also expected to work together towards common goals and demonstrate teamwork skills. The journal section of the portfolio is an ongoing reflection and response written by the student that not only should help the student become a better musician but also help the teacher become a better band director. The relationship between the students and the band director is based on honesty and trust so that all participants are internally motivated to produce high quality results. It's about learning.
A rubric is an assessment tool that is used for practice logs and playing assignments in the band program at all levels. At Leila North we use a six level rubric that describes what students have demonstrated on a particular set of skills or concepts. The rubric is designed to assess progress, not as a final evaluation. It is part of the process of becoming a better musician.
|
Rubric Level |
Practice Sheets |
Skills Demonstrations |
|
Not Evident |
Student practices below 69 minutes per week. |
Student does not demonstrate any criteria correctly or refuses to attempt demonstration. |
|
Beginning |
Student practices 70-99 minutes per week. |
Student demonstrates partially correct notes and rhythms without any other criteria. There are many errors due to a lack of understanding of correct fingerings or rhythms. |
|
Developing |
Student practices 100-129 minutes per week. |
Student demonstrates partially correct notes and rhythms without any other criteria. There are a few mistakes due to a lack of understanding of correct fingerings or rhythms and little attention is paid to any other criteria. |
|
Strengthening |
Student practices 130-149 minutes per week. |
Student demonstrates partially correct notes and rhythms with only accidental errors. Student is able to identify errors and provide solutions for them. Other criteria are usually being demonstrated. |
|
Secure |
Student practices 150 minutes per week. |
Student demonstrates all the criteria with only infrequent error that is immediately identified and a solution is provided. Other criteria such as articulations, dynamics and tempo are confidently demonstrated. |
Supplies