S cool Spirit Band at West Valley Mail forms by Wednesday, October 1st

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1 S cool Spirit Band at West Valley Mail forms by Wednesday, October 1st The S cool Spirit Band Program is starting its fourth year here at West Valley School! The band program is offered to 4th-5th grade students where they are taught the basics of playing a band instrument in a full band setting. The instruments taught are flute (beginning band limited to 17), clarinet, trumpet, trombone, alto sax and snare drum (5th grade only). THE PROGRAM Band lessons are offered after school and take place in West Valley s GLC. Band classes meet once a week for a 45-minute lesson and each semester culminates with a concert for parents. The band year is divided into two semesters giving students the chance to try an instrument without a yearlong commitment. The cost for each semester is $ (approx. $13.50 a lesson). Because of the structure of the class, sign-ups are only taken in the fall. NOTE: BEGINNING BAND CLASSES WILL BE FILLED ON A LOTTERY BASIS. S COOL SPIRIT WEBSITE Our website provides many resources for parents and students. We provide online instructional videos that will assist students with their progress. On our website, students can watch, pause, and replay any of our online instructional videos whenever they want! NEWLY ADDED! We ve recorded audio and video examples for each instrument for the majority of the songs students will perform in band! In these examples, teachers demonstrate how each piece should be played. This helps answer the common question of students, How does my part sound? CLASS TIMES One beginning class is offered for students who haven t played in band before. This class is offered on: Wednesdays 2:45pm.-3:30pm. (limit 60 students) These classes will be offered dependent upon a minimum of 15 enrolled students per class. Note: High school student helpers will assist teacher for more individual group instruction (i.e: flutes, clarinets, trumpets, etc.) One Intermediate class is offered for students who have played in band before. This class is offered on: Tuesdays: 1:45pm.-2:30pm. (no limit) PERFORMANCES & ACTIVITIES Students will enjoy the opportunities to perform and have fun. These performances and activities include: 1 st and 2 nd Year Students 2 nd Year Students Only Winter Concert Los Gatos Christmas Parade Performance at Local Retirement Homes Holiday Performance at Vallco Mall Spring Concert Performance at Local Retirement Homes Annual Band Competition/Trip to Great America!!! Blackberry Farm BBQ Opportunity to Perform the National Anthem at a San Jose Giant s Baseball Game

2 GOT QUESTIONS? GET THEM ANSWERED AT OUR BAND INFORMATION NIGHT ON THURSDAY, SEPT. 25TH AT WEST VALLEY. At this information night we will provide and overview of the band program, answer questions and let your child try a couple instruments to help them with their choice. INSTRUMENTS & CLASS SUPPLIES An instrument, music book Accent on Achievement book 1 (for their instrument), and number 2 reeds (altos and clarinets only) need to be obtained before the first class. Quality brand name instruments are required for the band class. Please review the FAQ page for recommended brands. S cool Spirit will hold a band night at Ortega Park Harrow Way in Sunnyvale on Monday, Oct. 13 th at 6:30pm where band parents can obtain instruments and supplies. If you would like to rent an instrument via the band night, follow the instructions on the following page. Local music stores that rent quality instruments include Cannon Music (408) , Exploring Music (408) , Crossroads Music (408) , Starving Musician (408) , or West Valley Music (650) There are THREE snare drum spots available for the INTERMEDIATE class and these players will be selected by AUDITION. The audition will take place on the evening of Monday, October 6 th at 7:00pm. Please meet in front of West Valley s school office at 7:00pm. IF you need to reschedule this audition, please call Keith Pennings at Students interested in signing up for drums must have at least one year of private lessons on any instrument or have been in band for one year. The drum test may be found online at Since there is limited space for drummers in the band, we recommend choosing a second instrument choice. (new instrument = beginning band; last year's instrument = intermediate band). QUESTIONS? If you have questions please read through the attached FAQ sheet first or visit our website at If you do not find the answer to your question, please contact Keith Pennings at for assistance. Important Info and Dates Band Information Night Thursday Sept. 25 th at 7:00pm at West Valley Mail Sign-up Forms to S cool Spirit P.O. Box San Jose CA Postmarked No Later Than October 1st Drum Audition Monday, October 6th at 7:00pm at West Valley Band Night-Monday, Oct. 13 6:30pm at Ortega Park, 636 Harrow Way in Sunnyvale

3 BAND REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS NOTE: BEGINNING BAND CLASS WILL BE FILLED ON A LOTTERY BASIS. 1) Complete the form below. Mark your choice of class(es). 1A) Attach a check in the amount of $ (Payable to Active Learning in the Arts) 1B) Mail the form and payment to S cool Spirit P.O. Box San Jose CA Sign-up slips must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, October 1st. 2) You will receive an notification no later than Saturday, Oct. 4th regarding your child s enrollment. Beginning classes are filled by lottery, If your child is not enrolled, your check will be shredded. 3) Obtain an instrument and class supplies before the first class (refer to the previous page for list of supplies). If you would like to pick up your instrument and supplies at our Band Night at Ortega Park, you may go online to to rent your INSTRUMENT BAND METHOD BOOK (Accent on Achievement book 1 for their instrument) and REEDS (Clarinet and Sax players only). Once on the site, click RENTALS. Then click RENTAL PROGRAMS (left side of page in red) and find your school. If you choose this option, you must complete this process by Saturday, Oct. 11th. Parents may choose to obtain an instrument and supplies through local music stores if they wish. Please review the FAQ on the last page for the required brands. 4) If you rented an instrument from Bronsteins, attend the Band Night on Monday, October 13th at 6:30pm at Ortega Park to pick up your instrument, along with your class supplies and band handbook. If you did not rent your instrument through the Bronstein website, you may still rent an instrument at the Band Night if you wish. If you rented an instrument through a local dealer please go online to and download your BAND HANDBOOK under the Forms and Handouts tab. Check your handbook for the first day of class.

4 S COOL SPIRIT BAND AT WEST VALLEY - REGISTRATION FORM Include check for $ (Payable to Active Learning in the Arts). Mail both to Active Learning in the Arts P.O. Box San Jose CA post marked no later than Wednesday, Oct. 1st Student s Name Grade School Phone Number hm. ( ) Parent s Cell ( ) Emergency Phone ( ) Address (please print in CAPITAL LETTERS) Example: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Choose an Instrument (If flute or drum is your first choice, we recommend choosing a second choice of instrument as well) Flute Clarinet Trumpet Trombone Alto Sax Snare Drum (5th grade only) BEGINNING BAND CLASS (Limit 60 per Class) [ ] Wednesday 2:45-3:30 INTERMEDIATE BAND CLASS (No Limit) [ ] Tuesday 1:45-2:30

5 Frequently Asked Questions 1) Are there any scholarships available? Yes, some scholarship assistance may be available for those in need. Please contact Keith Pennings at for further details. 2) My child is an intermediate band student and has their instrument already. Do we need to go to the Band Night? If you have your instrument AND music book (Standard of Excellence bk. 1) (for their instrument) you don t have to go to the Band Night. You WILL need to go online to and download your school s band handbook under the Forms and Handouts tab. The handbook contains important information as well as your child s schedule for the year. 3) Can our son/daughter use their own instrument? Can we rent an instrument through another music store? The short answer is yes, but please know that you would be responsible for the upkeep of the instrument including any repairs or adjustments. Local music stores that rent quality instruments include Cannon Music (408) , Exploring Music (408) , Crossroads Music (408) , Starving Musician (408) , or West Valley Music (650) Also, over the last couple of years, a number of instruments have been offered over the web and through large general merchandise stores (Costco, etc.) at very low prices. Many of these have been of sub-standard quality. It is our concern that students attempting to learn to play music on these instruments will become discouraged and not reach their potential through no fault of their own, but because of the instrument. It is because of this that we require proven brands, manufactured by musical instrument companies dedicated to music education. We have put together a list of brands known to provide quality instruments at a reasonable price. You will find these brands at many music stores and online. If you do decide to rent or purchase from a store other than Bronsteins, you will be responsible for the cost of maintaining the instrument so that it plays well. REQUIRED INSTRUMENT BRANDS Flutes: Armstrong, Emerson, Gemeinhardt, Selmer, Yamaha, Image, Jupiter Clarinets: Buffet/Evette, Leblanc/Vito, Selmer/Bundy, Yamaha, Image, Jupiter Trumpets: Blessing, Getzen, Selmer/Bach, Yamaha, Image, Eastman, Jupiter Trombone: Conn, Holton, Selmer/Bach, Yamaha, Image, Eastman, Jupiter Alto Sax: Selmer, Yamaha, Conn, Image, Jupiter 4) I want to rent from Bronstein but can t make/missed the Band Night? What can I do? If you haven t done so already, you can rent your instrument from the Bronstein Music website at When completing the rental process write the following in the Comments section: Cannot make it to the Band Night, please deliver to (name of your school). Bronsteins will deliver the instrument by the first day of class. If you rented and missed the band night, call Bronstein Music at and they can assist you.