Welcome to 5th Grade Band at Miscoe Hill School!!
New 5th Graders
Welcome to 5th Grade Band at Miscoe Hill School! 5th Grade is an exciting time in the middle school with so many new opportunities to explore. Being a part of band is a great place to learn a new instrument and meet new friends! No previous experience on an instrument is required and before long, students will start playing a few well-known tunes!
All bands at Miscoe Hill meet every other day. 5th Grade Band, with Mrs. Amitrano, meets on Days 2, 4 & 6. All 5th and 6th graders are fortunate to have small group lesson with other students who have chosen the same instrument. These small group lessons are taught by one of our instrumental lesson teachers: Mrs. Amitrano, Ms. Clarke, or Mr. Harding. Small group lessons are pull out, which means that students are taken out of class for 50 minutes. Lessons are once every 6 days and will rotate from cycle to cycle so that students do not miss the same subject each week. Students are responsible for making up missed work during the time they are away. Small group lessons are extremely important in the overall experience and success of our students.
At home practice is also an important part of a young musician's success. Making practice a part of your child's daily routine is a great way to incorporate it into their schedule. Although practicing every day would be optimal, it is not always possible. A good goal is 3-5 times a week for 15-20 minutes. Even early on students are able to share how to put their instruments together and how to get a sound out. Ask your child to share what they are learning in school. Soon they will be able to put on a short concert for you!
All bands at Miscoe Hill meet every other day. 5th Grade Band, with Mrs. Amitrano, meets on Days 2, 4 & 6. All 5th and 6th graders are fortunate to have small group lesson with other students who have chosen the same instrument. These small group lessons are taught by one of our instrumental lesson teachers: Mrs. Amitrano, Ms. Clarke, or Mr. Harding. Small group lessons are pull out, which means that students are taken out of class for 50 minutes. Lessons are once every 6 days and will rotate from cycle to cycle so that students do not miss the same subject each week. Students are responsible for making up missed work during the time they are away. Small group lessons are extremely important in the overall experience and success of our students.
At home practice is also an important part of a young musician's success. Making practice a part of your child's daily routine is a great way to incorporate it into their schedule. Although practicing every day would be optimal, it is not always possible. A good goal is 3-5 times a week for 15-20 minutes. Even early on students are able to share how to put their instruments together and how to get a sound out. Ask your child to share what they are learning in school. Soon they will be able to put on a short concert for you!
2018-2019 Lesson Schedules
Mrs. Amitrano-Flutes/Oboes/Clarinets
Ms. Clarke-Trumpets/French Horn/Trombone/Percussion
Mr. Harding-Alto and Tenor Saxophones/Percussion
Instrument Choices
At Miscoe Hill, we teach a variety of instruments to our beginners. Students have the choice of a woodwind, brass or percussion instrument. Some instruments offer an even greater challenge to those students who need something a little extra. One of the most important things about choosing an instrument is for the student to like the sound of it! Please see below to learn more about the families of instruments.
Woodwinds
Woodwind instruments include the flute, oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone and tenor saxophone. All of these instruments have keys and students will learn the different finger combinations to create different notes. The oboe is probably considered one of the more challenging woodwind instruments with it's double reed. With practice, anything is doable! Click on the images below from more information and to hear how each instrument sounds.
FLUTE
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CLARINET
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OBOE
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ALTO SAXOPHONE
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TENOR SAXOPHONE
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Brass Instruments
Brass instruments include the trumpet, french horn, trombone and euphonium. All of these instruments have three valves, except the trombone, which has a slide, to change the notes. In order to produce a sound out of these instruments, the student needs to "buzz" their lips. Please click on the image of the instrument for more information and to hear how each instrument sounds.
TRUMPET
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FRENCH HORN
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TROMBONE
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EUPHONIUM
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Percussion
Students who wish to play percussion in 5th grade band need to also have a second choice of instrument they would like to play. Once we know who is interested in playing percussion, we conduct an evaluation for rhythm and beat awareness. If there is a large number of students interested in percussion, we may need to narrow it down. Too many percussionists in the band gives the students less of a chance to participate in each of the full band as well as makes the sound of our band unbalanced.
The percussion kit comes with a snare drum, practice pad and bells. Although the case with everything inside is pretty heavy, it does have wheels for easier transporting back and forth from home to school. Percussion students will also learn a variety of other percussion instruments in school, including the bass drum, suspended cymbals, crash cymbals, etc.
Concerts
The 5th Grade Band performs twice during the school year, both at our annual Winter and Spring concerts. Each member of our band is an important and necessary part of our group. Attendance at our concerts is expected. Please put the following dates on your calendar to ensure your availability.
2018-2019
5th Grade Band & Chorus Concerts
Winter Concert:
Tuesday, January 15, 2019 at 7:00pm in the Miscoe Hill Lower Gym (Snow date of Tuesday, January 23, 2019)
Spring Concert:
Tuesday, June11, 2019 at 7:00pm in the Miscoe Hill Lower Gym
Students should arrive to concerts in "Concert Dress" for 6:15pm
Concert Dress:
Girls: White blouse, black skirt or pants, black shoes
Boys: White collared shirt, any color long tie, black pants, black socks, black shoes
Tuesday, January 15, 2019 at 7:00pm in the Miscoe Hill Lower Gym (Snow date of Tuesday, January 23, 2019)
Spring Concert:
Tuesday, June11, 2019 at 7:00pm in the Miscoe Hill Lower Gym
Students should arrive to concerts in "Concert Dress" for 6:15pm
Concert Dress:
Girls: White blouse, black skirt or pants, black shoes
Boys: White collared shirt, any color long tie, black pants, black socks, black shoes
Other
Playing an instrument takes time, patience and persistence. There is no magical number for how many minutes a student should be practicing each day. Some students will catch on quickly, while others need more repetition. The focus should be on playing the assignment or band music until it is comfortable.
Full band class meets every other day on Day 2, 4 and 6. Instruments and books should be brought to each band class, as well as each lesson. Instruments should be placed neatly on shelves in the bowling alley. Be sure to put your name on all cases and books!
Instrumental Teachers:
Mrs. Lauren Amitrano lamitrano@mursd.org
Ms. Beth Clarke eclarke@mursd.org
Mr. Simon Harding sharding@mursd.org
Mrs. Lauren Amitrano lamitrano@mursd.org
Ms. Beth Clarke eclarke@mursd.org
Mr. Simon Harding sharding@mursd.org