What to expect
Welcome.
I would like to welcome everyone to what promises to be a successful year of music-making here at Ecole Salish Secondary.
I can’t wait to hear the music and see the community and relationships we create together. - Mr. Clark
Philosophy
First, and absolutely foremost, our goal is for music to serve an important educational role, helping students develop the skills and sensibilities that help them become successful and well-rounded students as well as members of the community. The skills developed in music classes and ensembles help to develop creativity, focus, communication and cooperation among many other positive traits.
“Education in music is most sovereign because more than anything else rhythm and harmony find their way to the innermost soul and take strongest hold upon it” - Plato
Course Expectations
- You must bring a pencil and music binder to every class
- Music should be kept in a three-ringed binder in page protectors
- Listen and participate
- Ask for help when needed
- Be on time and be ready to work. If you miss practice, it is your responsibility to get caught up
- Use of electronic devices permitted for academic purposes only and when appropriate
Field Trips & Tours
Performing is an essential part of the musical experience. All our individual and group practice and hard work are with the intention of sharing our art with an audience. This means that throughout the school year, we will have performances and tours where we can share our love of music and music-making with others.
Some performances could include:
Christmas Concert at Salish, Java and Jazz Night, Surrey Provincial Jazz Festival, a trip for Senior Band every other year, Elementary School performances hosted at Salish, Spring Concert Band Night, End of the Year Concert at Salish and other outreach performances in the community.
Concert Attire
Required for all Concert Band and Jazz Bands
Black dress shirt, dress pants, socks, and dress shoes
Students are responsible for obtaining, maintaining, and wearing their concert attire at every performance.
Mark’s Work Warehouse, Wal-Mart, and local thrift stores often have sales on these items.
Supplies & Workbooks
1” Black 3 -ring binder, 25 page protectors, and a pencil.
Staples/Dollar Store works well for this!
It is highly recommended that students have their own copy of their workbooks.
Grade 8 and 9 Concert Band
Essential Elements Book 2
Beginner Jazz Band
Essential Elements for Jazz Ensemble
PRACTICE
To effectively learn to play any instrument, regular daily practice is required. 5 days a week for 15 to 30 minutes (or more of course) is recommended.
PRIVATE LESSONS
Regular, or semi-regular, private lessons are a huge benefit at this age while students are first formulating their fundamental technique for playing their instrument. Highly recommended.
PRACTICE TIPS
You can accomplish more in a short amount of time when you have a focused objective (pick a particular challenge in a piece, or a specific goal to accomplish, even if it is purely focusing on getting a good sound on some long tones).
- Don’t look at practicing as putting in a certain amount of time at your instrument. Look at practicing as finding and solving problems in your pieces that will help you better understand the music and have fun playing – play your favourite songs as well!
- Listen to recordings or watch YouTube videos of great musicians who play your instrument for inspiration. Begin to create a list of your favourite musicians that play your instrument. Hear their sound and try to copy it.
- Don’t feel rushed. Learning to play an instrument is a long-term process.
- Enjoy!! Be an optimist. You won’t feel improvement every day, but over time you will continually improve and be able to play a wider range of music and enjoy the process more and more.
INSTRUMENT CARE AND SUPPLIES
If you need information as to where you might purchase or rent band supplies, below is a listing of local vendors: Long & Mc Quade Music Ltd. Langley/Surrey, Tom Lee Music Langley, Matterhorn Music Surrey, R & R Music Surrey and Tapestry Music South Surrey.
Band instruments will need additional items in order to function correctly.
Although you may already be familiar with some of the necessary accessories needed for your particular instrument, I recommended the following: a music stand, tuner, & metronome are necessary for home practice. There are also many free tuner and metronome apps for android and apple products.
FLUTE
- Cleaning rod
- Cleaning / polishing cloth
ALTO / TENOR SAXOPHONE:
- A minimum of at least 2 reeds at all times**
- Reed guard
- Neck strap
- Mouthpiece brush / cleaning swabs
- Cork grease
TROMBONE / BARITONE HORN/ TUBA:
- Slide/valve oil
- Slide grease
- Bore brush cleaner (snake)
- Mouthpiece brush
- Polishing cloth
OBOE:
- A minimum of at least 2 reeds at all times**
- Feather cleaner
- Cork grease
TRUMPET:
- Valve oil
- Slide grease
- Bore brush cleaner (snake)
- Mouthpiece brush
CONCERT PERCUSSION:
- Percussion practice kit featuring: a drum pad
- Two pair of 5A drum sticks
- One pair of hard bell mallets
CLARINET / BASS CLARINET:
- A minimum of at least 2 reeds at all times**
- Reed guard
- Mouthpiece brush / cleaning swabs
- Cork grease
FRENCH HORN
- Rotary valve oil
- Slide grease
- Bore brush cleaner (snake)
- Mouthpiece brush
- Polishing cloth