5th and 6th Grade Band

Lesson Expectations

     There are four parts to a successful instrumental music lesson:

        1. The Student - at the Correct Time

There will be several different places that students can check for their lesson time:  Homeroom, the Home Copy, Mr. Hawks’ Room or the Band Room.  Lessons will be 30 minutes in length and will rotate throughout the school day.  This means that a student will not miss an entire class.  It is the responsibility of the student to make up any work missed during the lesson.

            2. Pencil
With our lesson times being shorter, it is important to make every minute count.  This is where each student, having his or her own pencil (not pen), comes into play.  When we are marking accidentals, fingerings, breath marks, etc., it is faster for all move at the same time, rather than one pencil moving through four, five, six or more hands.  At the end, when it is time to write down the assignment, it is faster for each student to mark his or her own book.

        3. Instrument
The bringing of the instrument is pretty self-explanatory.  The confusing part is that lessons are on the same day each week and Band meets every other day.  So, sometimes it is M,W,F and the next week is T & TH.      

        4. A Parent or Guardian signed Homework Record
The last piece of a successful lesson is the Homework/Practice Chart.  This is where you let me know how much your son/daughter is working at home.  When I listen to the lesson and something is not going well, I ask myself the following question:  “Is the difficulty due to lack of understanding or lack of effort?  By checking the homework chart, I can make my decision; along with my response.  I am looking for, at least, 100 minutes of preparation, on the lesson material and band music, per week.  What days you practice on is up to each individual family.  Four or more days, per week, is much better than one or two long sessions.