Wiley Elementary Band

Beginning Band News

Welcome to the home of the Wiley Elementary Beginning Band. This page is your home for all things Beginning Band--announcements, news, accomplishments, and other cool beginner "stuff".

Check out our Current Projects...

Project #1 - Small Ensemble Recording Project

The Small Ensemble Recording Project is a fun assignment designed to give our students experience working on music with their friends. Earlier in December, the students chose their groups and picked out several tunes, and when we return to school, each group will have the chance to record their songs and have them featured on the Wiley Band blog!

Why do this project?

Working on music in band class under the direction of an experienced professional musician is an exciting experience; students get to learn new concepts, and receive meaningful feedback that can help them grow as musicians. But teacher-directed learning is only the tip of the iceberg in the world of music! Independent learning, as well as learning with one's friends, are both important skills for musicians of all ages to have. As they complete this project, students will strengthen their problem-solving skills, engage in higher-order thinking, learn how to work on music with a team, AND have a great time doing it!

So, how to we do this?

First, make sure you practice your music on your own. Learn the rhythms and pitches just like you'd learn them for band class.

Once your music is prepared, call up your friends and set up a rehearsal! Ask around your group to find out whose parents would be willing to open their home for your rehearsal. Then, figure out a day and time that works best for everyone. You may have as many rehearsals as you like!

Make your rehearsal organized, focused, and fun. If you're not sure what to do in your rehearsal, think about what we do in our Wiley Band rehearsals: we warm up, play through some tunes, listen for strengths and weaknesses, polish up the rough spots in our music, and decide what to do for homework. You and your friends can easily do the same things, even without Ms. Thompson there!

Help! We're stuck on a tricky part in our music!

If you get stuck on a tricky part, or find it hard to get your band together, try asking yourself and your group some questions like these:

• Is the problem with rhythms or pitches? (If the rhythm is off, count. If the pitches are off, try saying their names while you do your fingerings.)
• Will slowing it down help?
• Is anyone rushing or dragging?
• Do we all have good embouchure and hand position?
• Is everyone tonguing?
• Is everyone breathing through their mouths?
• Are we using long streams of air, or little puffs?
• Percussionists, how's your hand position? Are you alternating?
• Are we looking ahead in our music?
• Did we count off before playing so that everyone knows where the beat is?

Feel free to give your friends feedback, but make sure you do it in a kind, friendly way. If there's a problem that your group can't solve on its own, you can email Ms. Thompson or ask for help in class when band starts up again on January 19th!

What if we finish everything we set out to do?

If your group polishes up all the songs you set out to do, congratulations! But you don't need to stop there. If your group wants to get creative and add stuff to your songs, like repeats or solo/tutti sections, or even create a brand new piece of music together, that's AWESOME! Ms. Thompson will record anything that you have prepared, whether it's from the red book or not.

Preparing for Recording

At our first band rehearsals on January 19th and 21st, Ms. Thompson will walk everyone through the basics of recording. It's actually a very quick and easy process! All you have to do is prepare your material to the best of your ability!

Project #2 - Practice Calendars

As a fun way to help the beginning band students maintain good practice habits over the winter break, Ms. Thompson has set up a practice contest! Here's how it works:

1. From December 18th-January 18th, students write down how many minutes they practice each day.


2. On January 18th, students ask their parents to sign the sheet where they've kept track of their practice. The parent's signature shows that the parent agrees with the amount of practice time the child has recorded.


3. At our first band rehearsal on January 19th, students bring their signed practice sheets to Ms. Thompson. Unfortunately, late or unsigned entries cannot be accepted.


4. Ms. Thompson will add up everyone's practice minutes, and the five students with the most practice minutes will be awarded a special prize on January 21st!

Our Past Projects

Music Reading project
Oye Como Va transcription project