We want to provide you with all the information you need! The questions below represent some of the most common questions we have been asked over the years. We know it can be a little overwhelming transitioning to middle school, so we hope this information helps your family make a decision on your child's elective choice. We hope you consider joining band! If you have any questions that are not answered below please contact Mr. Wood at woodc@friscoisd.org.
Why Should I take band in 6th grade
Band is a great way for your child to meet new friends, learn a new skill, and have fun! Students in band learn much more than music. All classes also focus on organization, goal setting, and performing at the highest level. All these skills are highly valuable both inside and outside of the music room. If students are remotely interested in trying band it is STRONGLY encouraged that they sign up for it in sixth grade as opposed to waiting until seventh grade.
How do we sign up for band?
Once you receive your child's schedule card all you have to do is mark band as their NUMBER ONE choice. Once you turn in their card your child is automatically enrolled in band. The next step will be to meet with a band director to decide what instrument is the best fit for them. This takes place at the annual 'Instrument Carnival' or in an individual appointment if you are unable to attend. After you have been placed on an instrument all you have to do is secure an instrument. We will communicate everything to our administration and have you placed into the correct class. Again though, the only way to guarantee that your child is enrolled in band is to mark it as their NUMBER ONE choice.
What if I have never played an instrument?
You do not need any experience to sign up for band! We begin all students with the basics of posture, air, and sound. You will not believe how quickly your child will go from not knowing how to open the case to playing beautiful music.
Asthma? Braces? Other Concerns
Families and students do not need to worry about asthma, braces, or other concerns as there are proven ways to find success no matter what physical concerns you have. The best option is always for students and parents to discuss their concerns with their child's director so we can be aware of any concerns and start forming the path to achievement.
Can i do band and...
YES! Our program is one of the largest and most active on campus. There are band members in literally EVERY activity on campus. We work with coaches, sponsors, and teachers to allow our students to participate in football, basketball, cheer, NJHS, volleyball, guitar, etc.! In 7th and 8th grade the Staley Band averages 70-80% of our students in athletics in addition to band. In 7th grade students will be given additional elective choices so it is easy for them to find ways to get involved. As a sixth grader the students choices are very limited regarding electives (athletics is not offered in 6th grade). For that reason, we would again encourage any student who is interested in learning an instrument mark band #1 on their schedule card for sixth grade.
How Much Time Does it Take?
Almost all the instruction in Beginning Band takes place during the school day with the exception of personal practice. We ask beginners to practice 20 minutes 5-6 days a week. We find that this short amount of time spread over multiple days leads to greater retention and success. If your child is heavily involved in church, select sports, or other activities, beginning band will rarely have anything that would conflict. For this reason we encourage everyone to mark band as their number one choice on their schedule card for sixth grade!
How Many Trips will we go on?
We are not shy about how hard our students work throughout the year. Learning an instrument takes time, patience, and dedication. Since we work so hard we like to have 'Reward Trips' throughout the year. Beginning Band students have the opportunities to participate in the following reward opportunities:
- Trip to UNT to hear a band performance
- Trip to Interskate Roller Rink
- Movie Party
- Annual White Elephant Gift Exchange
- Luau Party
- Trip to Urban Air
- Annual Family Barbecue
How many performances will there be?
Most of Beginning Band's focus will be on learning an instrument through personal practice and time during the school day. We will have performance opportunities and look forward to 'showing off' how much we have progressed.
- Preview Recital: Towards the start of the year we will show our basic fundamentals and beginning sounds.
- Holiday Recital: In December we will play some holiday favorites.
- Winter Concert: This event will be the first time the band performs as one large ensemble!
- Solo Contest: Students will prepare and perform a solo to develop their personal skills.
- Spring Contest: Students travel to a local high school (during the school day) to perform for judges- then we go to STRIKZ!
- Spring Concert: This is a special event that features every student in the program from 6th-8th grade!
How often will we have music class
In elementary school students only have music one day a week. If your child marks ban #1 on their schedule they will have band EVERY DAY! You will be amazed at how much they will progress with daily instruction.
What is the average Class Size?
While typically band has almost half of the entire sixth grade class, we break the large group into ten separate band periods. Our larger classes (clarinet, trumpet, trombone) are around 10-15 students and the smaller classes could be as few as 5 students (double reeds).
What are School Owned instruments
In most cases families are encouraged to rent an instrument from a local music store. Some instruments are very expensive though and the music stores do not provide a rental option. For our most expensive instruments FISD will provide the instrument for student use for a small maintenance fee of $100 for the entire year. Students are still responsible for purchasing mouthpieces and reeds as well as keeping the instrument in good working order. The following instruments are provided by FISD:
- Oboe
- Bassoon
- Horn
- Euphonium
- Tuba
How Much Does it Cost... really?
This can obviously be a huge deciding factor for many families. It the goal of the band staff to make band a possibility for EVERY child- no matter how great the need! There are three main costs associated with band- the instrument, supplies, and band fee. We have done our best to give you a 'real world' estimate for beginning band to help you determine the costs. As it states multiple times below, do not let any of the numbers below steer you away from band- we have many families that utilize our financial aid program, many of them paying NOTHING for their child to be in band!
1) Instrument Costs: Instrument rentals range from $15-55 a month. Some instruments are owned by the school and the usage fee is $100 for the year (or about $8.50 a month). Most families will rent through a local music store as your monthly payment is going towards the purchase of the instrument. In many cases, families choose to try to find a deal online or use an instrument that was owned by a family member or friend. In either of these cases be sure to include the band staff so we can be sure the instrument is of good quality and worth the investment. Financial Aid is available to help cover instrument reservations.
2) Supplies: Instrument supplies vary greatly ranging from $3 for a bottle of oil to $80 for a mouthpiece. Most music stores offer a package that includes all the basics (like the school pack pre boxed supplies you may have purchased in elementary school). Next year, Instead of having you purchase individual instrument supplies, our band boosters (a 501(c)3 organization) is going to work directly with local music vendors to get the absolutely lowest price on every required item. This should drop the overall price around 20% what you might see if you were to go directly to the music store. The exact amount will be broken down in your child's band fee. Financial aid is available to help cover instrument supplies.
3) Band Fees: We have a one time fee to help cover the cost of our T-shirt, two contests, and bus transportation to events. The one time, general fee is $50 in addition to the supplies mentioned above. A complete breakdown of supplies and band fee will be available towards the end of the current school year, but the average will be around $60 total. Financial aid is available to help cover band fees.
1) Instrument Costs: Instrument rentals range from $15-55 a month. Some instruments are owned by the school and the usage fee is $100 for the year (or about $8.50 a month). Most families will rent through a local music store as your monthly payment is going towards the purchase of the instrument. In many cases, families choose to try to find a deal online or use an instrument that was owned by a family member or friend. In either of these cases be sure to include the band staff so we can be sure the instrument is of good quality and worth the investment. Financial Aid is available to help cover instrument reservations.
2) Supplies: Instrument supplies vary greatly ranging from $3 for a bottle of oil to $80 for a mouthpiece. Most music stores offer a package that includes all the basics (like the school pack pre boxed supplies you may have purchased in elementary school). Next year, Instead of having you purchase individual instrument supplies, our band boosters (a 501(c)3 organization) is going to work directly with local music vendors to get the absolutely lowest price on every required item. This should drop the overall price around 20% what you might see if you were to go directly to the music store. The exact amount will be broken down in your child's band fee. Financial aid is available to help cover instrument supplies.
3) Band Fees: We have a one time fee to help cover the cost of our T-shirt, two contests, and bus transportation to events. The one time, general fee is $50 in addition to the supplies mentioned above. A complete breakdown of supplies and band fee will be available towards the end of the current school year, but the average will be around $60 total. Financial aid is available to help cover band fees.
What if our family cannot afford band?
We understand that many families naturally hesitate when considering band due to financial reasons. As far as the band department goes, we feel strongly that EVERY child interested in band should have the opportunity no matter how many financial hardships they have. We have an amazing booster program (SMSBPA) that raises scholarship money for band fees and instruments. We also have a very successful student work program for students to earn credit towards any items they need. Every family has a unique situation and we are happy to work with you. If needed we can provide your child with 100% free instrument rental and supplies. We discuss our financial program at our parent meeting towards the end of the school year. If you need more specifics on the program before signing your child up for band please contact Mr. Wood at woodc@friscoisd.org.
How Does Financial Aid Work?
The Staley Middle School Band Parent Association (SMSBPA) raises funds throughout the year to lower the cost of band and provide opportunities to all members. If your family is approved for the district's Free and Reduced lunch program you are already enrolled in financial aid. All our fees and costs are automatically cut in half. If you need further discounts please let us know as we are happy to make band affordable for everyone!
HOW many directors are there?
The Staley Band has 3 primary directors- Mr. Wood, Mrs. Webb, and Mr. Carter. We also have an additional percussion director (Mr. Martinez), regular student teachers, and a full lesson staff of professional musicians. There are a lot of people here to help ensure your child gets instruction taylor made for them to be successful!
What is the 'Instrument Carnival'?
When you mark band number one on your schedule your child is placed into a generic 'beginning band' class. At this point we know your student will be in band but we do not know what instrument they will play. The next step is to sign up for an appointment for the 'Instrument Carnival' via the volunteer spot account or by contacting the band staff directly. When you show up to the carnival students will have the chance to work individually with a band director or professional musician to see what instrument they would be the most successful on. This is the event that students will be holding, learning about, and MAKING NOISE on the instruments! Parents don't forget to bring your camera- this is one of our favorite days of the school year. Our goal is for all students to know what they are playing when they leave that day. After we know which instrument your child is going to play the directors will work with the counselors to get your child placed in the correct band period.
Why do I have to try out on the instruments?
Students need to try the instruments to get an idea of what works and what doesn't. In many cases students have an idea of what they like, but then they try it and cannot even make a sound on it. Likewise, many students have found great success in our program playing instruments they had never even heard of until they tried it at the carnival. Working one-on-one with a band director is the best way to ensure long-term success.
What if we cannot make the carnival date?
We understand that schedules are crazy- if you cannot make it we are happy to work directly with your family to schedule a personal appointment. Please note that you can still sign up for band even if you do not know when you are going to be screened! Our counselors mainly want to know what major choice of elective first- then we will sort by classes as we go. Note that February through the start of April is the heart of contest season for our advanced bands. We will do our best to get everyone placed on an instrument as soon as possible, but we will have multiple events with our seventh and eighth graders during this time as well. Keep in mind that we screen some families even into summer or the start of the school year. The important thing is to get your child enrolled in band as we can audition your child on potential instruments at any time.
Where do we get an instrument?
Are there any dates in the summer?
We will have a summer camp just for beginning band before school begins. This camp will take place in the afternoon one day and students will participate in team building activities as well as getting familiar with our staff and program as a whole. This event is meant to ease all our students into the start of the year and we strongly encourage students to attend.
Can our friends join band if they did not mark it on their course card?
Only students enrolled in band will be placed in an instrument class. However, if they did not mark band on their original course card we are happy to still meet with them and see what instrument works best for them. If they want to be in band all we will need is a parent signature and counselor approval!
Remember the only way to guarantee that your student is in band is to mark band as their #1 choice.
We hope see your child in the Staley Band and can't wait to work with your family!