Information about Band 

Band meets every Friday at 8am in the school hall and is free of charge. All pupils learning a musical instrument at St Mary's may join once their instrumental teacher feels they are ready. 

 

The aims of the band are:

• Provide playing opportunities for children who are at the early stages of learning a musical instrument before they join orchestra
• Provide ensemble playing opportunities for more advanced guitar, piano and keyboard players

 

What will you get out of the band?

As a member of the band you are a valued member of a school team.You will discover how important a part you play in creating music with others. If you play an orchestral instrument, this is also your way into the school orchestra or it may be an opportunity for you to play your other instrument if you play two.

The band provides a fun way to make use of those skills you work so hard to achieve during individual practice. In an orchestra or band, you get swept along with the music (the band provides an excellent forum to learn to keep going no matter what!). It’s a fun process which will help to develop your confidence .

 

The music

The music will often have a backing track and will contain mostly notes and rhythms you already know. Sometimes the music will link to the seasons but other times it will be just for fun.

If your part is too easy or hard, please let Mrs Malone know or ask your teacher/ parent to tell her.

Working with a conductor

One of the challenges of being in a band is working as a team. The person who coordinates the music is the conductor. The principle role of conductor is to set and maintain the tempo (speed) of the music and to keep all of the musicians in time with one another during a performance.

The conductor will also use other gestures to remind musicians of key events happening in the music. You will need to learn to keep an eye on the conductor to ensure everybody is working together properly!

Performing

As a band, we will, on occasion, perform small concerts for fellow pupils and parents. This is

your opportunity to show off your talent, share the music with others – and gain the hard earned praise you deserve!

We will try to select an interesting mix of music that the audience and performers enjoy. Some children do get nervous about performing – but they feel fantastic once the concert starts and afterwards when parents and school staff are genuinely very proud of your commitment.

 

Google Classroom

Make sure you accept the invitation to our special google classroom.

Three simple rules for rehearsals

 1. Prompt start

 2. Remember your instrument and     pencil

It may seem obvious to state that you need to remember your instrument, but some people do forget! A pencil is very useful for marking helpful hints onto the music. Keep one in your case.

 3. No chatting - particularly whilst we’re working on other parts. Sometimes, your conductor will need to spend time on a particular section of the band. For example, we may need to work with violin players. In the mean time, there is always some “in your head” practice you can be doing. Just following along with the music is a valuable exercise. Talking or making noises during practice is very disturbing to the rest of the band, so you will have to learn to be quiet and patient during these times.