So, you’ve filled out your band registration form and sent your check for the band fee to the Wiley PTA. Your child is all signed up for band–but wait! There are still several things you and your child need to do to get ready for band. Here, we’ll walk you through the process of instrument selection, and what you can expect over the summer before band starts.
1. Help your child choose an instrument EARLY in the summer. In the Wiley Band, we take only a certain number of students in each instrumental section–this helps give our band a nice, balanced sound. As soon as you register your child for band, begin talking seriously about which instrument your child would like to play. Encourage your child to learn more about the instrument via books or the internet, or even visit a music store to try out the instrument. It’s a good idea to have a solid instrument choice in mind by the end of June.
2. Look for Ms. Thompson’s email in late June. Toward the end of June, your band director Ms. Thompson will send out an e-mail welcoming you to band and asking what your child wants to play. When you reply to this message with your child’s instrument choice, Ms. Thompson will reserve a spot in that section for your child. Share your instrument choice with Ms. Thompson as early as possible–waiting until the last minute could mean your child’s preferred section is closed, and you’ll have to switch to another instrument!
3. Get an instrument. Using the Wiley Band Handbook as a guide, go out and find an instrument for your child. You have until Monday, August 20 to obtain an instrument and a Standard of Excellence band book for your child.
If you have any questions along the way, please don’t hesitate to email Ms. Thompson!
After a long year of playing in band class, many kids are tempted to stuff their instruments in the closet on the last day of school and leave them there until fall. Unfortunately, forgetting about one’s instrument over the summer can lead to needless frustration down the road. In this article, you’ll learn why summer is one of the best times to play music, and discover easy ways to grow as a musician when the weather’s hot.
Why play over the summer?
Musicians are athletes and strategic thinkers. We train our muscles to perform precise actions, and use our brains to do the detective work involved in fixing musical problems. When we use our musical skills, we make them stronger, sharper, and better. On the other hand, when we stop practicing, we become out-of-shape. Just like having to go on a diet after overeating on Thanksgiving is no fun, returning to music at the end of a practice-less summer is very frustrating! When you keep playing, you prevent yourself from growing a musical potbelly, and you build musical muscle with every note you play.
Practicing over the summer doesn’t just help you grow musically; it keeps your thinking skills polished as well. Playing music presents us with a variety of problems to solve, like “Why did I miss that note?” and “How is this supposed to go?” When you practice thoughtfully, you’re building valuable problem solving skills that can help you in many subjects besides music. By practicing, you’re actually preparing yourself to do well in school next year–no textbooks required!
Another reason to keep practicing is practical–to keep your instrument in good working order. Regular use keeps instruments healthy; when you don’t play your instrument for months on end, problems develop that can result in costly repairs. If the valves on a trumpet aren’t moved regularly, the oil dries up and the valves get stuck. Likewise, stashing a clarinet in the garage all summer can cause its pads to pop off, making it unplayable. Every fall, repair shops are flooded with instruments that are broken due to a summer of neglect. If you play all summer, though, you can save that repair money to buy something you’ll really enjoy.
Instruments aren’t the only things that suffer when left unused. Imagine your first day of band class after summer break. You take out your instrument just like you did last year, but something’s different. That pretty tone you developed last year is gone, and you’ve forgotten half your fingerings. The instrument that you once played easily now feels awkward in your hands. Discouraging, huh? Fortunately, this story doesn’t have to come true. If you choose to play over the summer, odds are you’ll return to school sounding GREAT!
How Parents Can Help
The first step to helping your child to practice over the summer is developing a positive outlook on summer practice, and communicating it to your child. Practicing over the summer doesn’t mean your child won’t be able to relax and enjoy the vacation; it just means he’ll spend a few minutes each day playing music. While practicing an instrument requires effort, it’s also a fun activity that doesn’t need to take up much time. If you present practice as a drudgery that will take all the fun out of summer, it’s likely that your child will put her instrument down. However, if you frame practice as a fun and creative activity, your child will be more likely to excitedly continue playing.
You may also want to talk to your child about the benefits of continuing to play music over the summer. Ask your child about her experiences this year in band class. Does she enjoy how she plays? Has he learned a lot? Then, introduce the summer as a great time to become even better at music, inviting your child to imagine how great she’ll sound after 3 more months of practice. If your child has a competitive streak, have him imagine what might happen on the first day of school if he practices and no one else does. What will the teacher’s face look like when she hears that wonderful sound? What will the other students say? Imagining positive outcomes can help motivate your child to keep practicing.
Another great way to motivate your child to practice over the summer is to augment your regular music lessons with fun musical camps. Many local music schools offer mini-camps that focus on different kinds of music. Camps like these give kids the opportunity to learn about new musical topics and styles in a fun atmosphere, and provide plenty of chances to make new friends. Also, universities like UNC-Greensboro offer weeklong band camps designed for young musicians. These camps are especially exciting for kids, because they allow them to meet new friends, play challenging music, and stay at a real college campus.
If you’re short on cash, just being there for your child can help. Encourage her to find a special time and place to practice, and make sure that you show your support of your child’s musical endeavors regularly. Consider having “concerts” at your house, where your child gets a chance to play for family and friends. If you have a recording device, try making recordings of your child playing a piece of music at the beginning of the summer. Then, at the end of the summer, help your child make another recording of the same piece. Make a point to watch or listen to both recordings side by side, and celebrate the progress your child has made by practicing over the summer.
Evelyn Glennie is a virtuoso percussionist from Scotland. Dame Glennie is the first full-time solo percussion artist in modern Western history, giving over 100 performances each year. One interesting fact about Dame Glennie is that she has been profoundly deaf from age 12–but this hasn’t stopped her from reaching the highest levels of musical performance. She has discovered ways to use different parts of her body, like her feet, to hear the music.
To learn more about Dame Glennie, please visit her website.
Christian Lindberg is a trombonist, conductor, and composer from Sweden. Mr. Lindberg began his professional career at age 19–only two years after he started playing trombone! As his career progressed, Mr. Lindberg became well-known as a virtuoso trombone soloist. He has recorded over 60 albums, and continues to make major contributions to the musical world.
To learn more about Mr. Lindberg, please visit his website.
Maurice André was a French trumpet master who lived from 1933-2012. Mr. André began studying trumpet with a family friend, and then joined a military band so he could attend conservatory for free. After only six months at the conservatory, he won a prize for his playing. He went on to perform thousands of concerts and create over 300 recordings as a trumpet soloist, and his work helped establish the trumpet as a solo instrument.
Marcel Mule was a French classical saxophonist who lived from 1901-2001. Throughout his career, Mr. Mule was well-known as a masterful performer and an extraordinary teacher. In addition, he composed, arranged, and premiered many compositions for saxophone, greatly expanding the number of pieces available for future saxophonists to play.
Sabine Meyer is a renowned clarinet soloist from Germany. She began taking clarinet lessons as a young child, and made her solo debut at age 16. Since then, Ms. Meyer has performed with symphony orchestras and chamber groups all over the world.
To learn more about Ms. Meyer, please visit her website.
Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway are two of the leading flute players of our time. Both musicians perform all over the world, and devote a great deal of time to helping young flute players through workshops and masterclasses. To learn more about them, please visit their websites:
