Beginning Band
About Beginning Band |
Beginning Band group lessons are offered to students in Fourth and Fifth Grade for thirty minutes, once per week. Lessons are scheduled either before or after school in each elementary school. Students who demonstrate the appropriate skills after several months of lesson instruction, will be invited to participate in an additional 45-minute full band rehearsal beginning in January. (All students attend group lessons all year.) Please click the Elementary Band button at the top of the page for our schedule and other general information about playing band instruments.
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drawing by Owen N., 2017-2018 4th grade beginning trumpet
Professional RecordingsListed below are links to professional recordings of all (or part) of each piece in our folders:
How to use recordings: 1. Listen to them to get the idea. 2. Listen while following along in your music with no instrument; really concentrate on hearing your part! 3. (Without the recording) Work on the parts that need it. 4. Check back with the recordings to make sure you are playing accurately. Later, you could play along when you are ready! |
Joining BandThe 2023 beginning band demonstration for ALL fourth and fifth graders took place during school on Friday, September 8, at 1:30pm. Links to the flyer and the website will be included in that day's Newman News as well as in an email sent directly to all 4th & 5th families by the other music teacher, Ms. Casados. The deadline to register is Friday, September 15, in order to have instruments ready at the first lesson! Families can still register late, but students will not be guaranteed the same starting experience.
(links below updated for 23/24) NPS Beginning Instrumental Flyer NPS Beginning Instrumental Music Website Google ClassroomAll students will soon receive an invitation to the Beginning Band Google Classroom via their Needham Google account. Students can access their Google Suite here: http://start.needham.k12.ma.us/
Joining FULL Band!Students who are ready will be invited to join the beginning full band, which will begin in mid-January. Like-instrument group lessons continue until the end of the year, regardless of participation in full band; however, our final performance in June is only as a full band.
The requirement for students to be invited to full band will be to individually play a short tune from our books that we will learn together. Usually, students are not ready to play this on their own until after about three months of lessons, and they begin to check it off with me before, during, or after lessons. Students must play individually to show capability in a larger group and demonstrate steady beat, correct rhythms and pitches, breathing and characteristic sound (including tonguing), and correct posture and hand placement. Generally, about 1/4 to 1/3 of the beginners are ready to join full band the first rehearsal in January, and about 3/4 have joined by February break. Some are not ready until March or even April. |