Band FAQ
- Is band mandatory or an extracurricular activity?
In elementary school (4-5) band and choir are not mandatory. However, many 4th grade students do take an instrument in their 4th grade year. For the last 5 years, about 97% of 4th graders have participated in 4th Grade Band. Once students enter middle school (6-8), they are required to take a music class, and must choose to take band, choir, both, or general music.
- When does band meet?
In 4th and 5th grade, students have band twice a week. One time for a large band rehearsal and one time for a small group lesson. Both the lesson and rehearsal happen during the school day. The rehearsal is with the entire band, and it is built into the students’ schedule. Students do not miss any class time for rehearsal. The second meeting is a small group lesson. This happens during the day, and students will miss either LAL or Science. We work with the 4th and 5th grade teachers to coordinate this schedule, and since so many students take band, many times teachers schedule band lesson times as review periods. The 4th and 5th grade teachers are phenomenal in ensuring students stay up to date with all their work.
- Are the different instrument rentals all the same price or does it vary? What is the pricing?
There are different instrument prices for the rentals. Attached is a flyer that shows the different price points. Although this flyer is from Music and Arts, students are free to rent their instrument from whichever store they wish. Russo Music and National Educational Music Company are other companies that service the area. Additionally students may also choose to purchase a used instrument in lieu of renting.
However, we discourage families or students from choosing an instrument based on money. Students succeed and enjoy band more when they play an instrument they want to play. The school can (and has in the past) helped families financially with rentals. We also have many school owned instruments that we can loan out to students and families in need, free of charge. Our primary goal is that every student has the opportunity to participate in band and has the greatest chance of success!