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Welcome to the Clear Sky Band Program!
An extension of the band program at Castle View high school, we are pleased to continue our relationship with Clear Sky Elementary. Each day, Clear Sky students will have the opportunity to experience instrumental music. During the daily ELT block from 12:00pm-12:45pm, Mr. Cellar will be providing band instruction without additional charge. Students and parents will still be responsible for providing an instrument and maintaining the instrument, but students will no longer have to pay the fee associated with band and orchestra. Be watching for information here! All Clear Sky Band and Orchestra dates and events will appear on the Castle View Bands Website, and will be available though the Clear Sky Website as well. For an method book, all students should purchase Sound Innovations for Concert Band Book 1. You can purchase your book from CIOMIT (Colorado Institute of Musical Instrument Technology) here in Castle Rock. 651 Topeka Way, Ste 100, Castle Rock, CO 80109, Phone (303)663-4084 CLEAR SKY BAND CLASS SCHEDULE:
Monday, May 8 - Woodwinds Tuesday, May 9 - Brass/Percussion Wednesday, May 10 - ALL BAND Thursday, May 11 - Quintet (intermediates) Friday, May 12 - Make up Monday, May 15 - ALL BAND Concert 5:30 in Gym (students report at 5:10) Tuesday, May 16 - ALL BAND Wednesday, May 17 - NO BAND - Castle View Graduation Thursday, May 18 - Quintet (intermediates) Friday, May 19 - NO BAND Monday, May 22 - Woodwinds Tuesday, May 23 - Brass/Percussion Wednesday, May 24 - ALL BAND (Last day) Thursday, May 25 - NO BAND Friday, May 26 - NO BAND Monday, May 29 - NO SCHOOL Memorial Day Tuesday, May 30 - Quintet Wednesday, May 31 - NO BAND Thursday, June 1 - 6th Grade Continuation Performance?? - Quintet |
Getting Started!
FIVE things to keep in mind as we get started:
1. A bit of time each day working on the instrument is recommended for fastest progress. Generally, 15-30 minutes daily would be a good starting place for beginner. Starting students just haven't built the muscles to be productive longer than 30 minutes. 2 hours on a Sunday may seem like a good idea, but it really is just not as productive and 2 hours spread out over 4-8 days. 2. Beginning sounds are going to be challenging to listen to at first. But your initial reactions are important in supporting the success of your child. I encourage you to be upbeat! 3. At no time, will I be encouraging your students to play with an ugly sound, however as a new player starts on the instrument, they will want to see what they can do. This should not be the entire practice time! You can tell if your child is seriously trying and just struggling (which is natural) or just making noise. It is completely appropriate to monitor the practice time and ask them what they are working on. You may also ask if they can tell you why they're doing what they're doing. 4. For the first couple of weeks, students will be asked to simply practice putting the instrument together, holding it, putting it away. It would not be weird to send your student off to 'practice' and not hear sounds for 10 minutes or more the first week. You will also start to hear single notes, "long tones" we call them. Simply long repeated notes. Students should be working on consistent sounds with not a lot of variation in volume or pitch. Relish this time! My neighbors growing up came to really appreciate my practice sessions and missed them when I went on to college. Remember these first notes, you will notice the greatest improvements in the way these notes sound in the coming weeks, months and years. 5. You will start to hear some simple songs in a couple of weeks. Don't be overly concerned that those songs are short, repetitive, and you hear them over and over. The most important thing to understand - playing an instrument is challenging and takes time to master. If it were easy, everyone would do it! We do need to start simple. We will be moving slowly at first to make sure we can go fast in the coming months. |
Instrument Demos
It's never too late to get started! Simply register below, and arrange to get an instrument.
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Instrument Rental
We are using CIOMIT as our rental company. They are located at
651 Topeka Way, Ste 100 Castle Rock, CO 80109 Phone (303)663-4084 |
