I am a firm believer that hard work and dedication are more important than talent. Someone with less talent who works hard, practices regularly, and truly wants to be the best they can be will always outperform someone with more talent who lacks dedication and who does not practice regularly. With hard work, perseverance, and a little guidance from their teachers, parents, and peers, anyone can become an accomplished musician!
Schoology: All assignments, lessons, music, resources, etc. for our music classes this year will be communicated via Schoology. As a parent, you have access to view your child’s Schoology courses and assignments. If you do not know how to access Schoology, contact the Main Office.
Zoom: All live instruction will be conducted via Zoom. Information on how and when to join Zoom classes is published on Schoology. Students do not need to have a Zoom account in order to join classes. In fact, they cannot have a Zoom account without your permission.
Class Website: Please bookmark this website where you can review the syllabus, calendar, Music Booster meeting minutes, and other important information.
New Parent Orientation Meeting: Is this your first year as a Benton Band or Orchestra parent? This meeting is for you! Monday, August 24th at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. I will send a separate email with the Zoom login info.
Back to School Night is Tuesday, August 25th. More details forthcoming.
More Information About Band & Orchestra: Check out BePartofTheMusic.org for videos about Band, Orchestra, and all the different instruments your child can learn at Benton, especially if they are not sure what instrument they want to play yet!
Choosing an Instrument:
In general, students get to choose their instrument. It’s important that your child loves their instrument - if they do not, they will not practice. However, there may be some instances where a student is asked to play their second or third choice instrument. Band and Orchestra are “team sports” and, just as a baseball team with 17 pitchers and no outfielders would not win very many games, a band with 17 percussionists and no flutes would not sound very good. Here are some helpful guidelines if you or your child are not sure:
Characteristics of a woodwind player:
- careful with fragile items and equipment
- good posture
- agile fingers
- thoughtful
Characteristics of a brass player:
- strong sense of pitch
- can produce a decent tone on a brass instrument almost immediately
- strong work ethic
- intelligent
Characteristics of a percussionist:
- highly-organized
- strong ability to focus for extended periods
- solid sense of rhythm
- patient
Renting an Instrument:
It is strongly recommended that students rent instruments from a local music vendor such as Imperial Band Instruments or Morey’s. High-quality student models are available at a very reasonable price, often with an option to “rent to own.” Most music vendors also offer free repair services. Please confer with Mr. Summers prior to renting to make sure you are renting the correct instrument!
Percussionists are expected to provide their own percussion kit including a practice pad (or snare drum) and a bell kit for home practice (approximately $15-30 monthly rental or $150-300 to purchase).
Woodwind players (except flutes) are expected to provide their own reeds.