5th Band--Your Choice

5th Grade BAND at ZCS--WHO should join?

If your family is considering joining the wonderful band program at ZCS in the fall, but you are not sure what you need to know to make that decision, you've come to the right place! Follow this blog site over the next few weeks as I attempt to anticipate and answer your questions about the band experience:

WHO should join band? Well, anyone can! But there are a few things to consider about your student and your family situation:

1. Band is tons of fun--but you have to 'want to'. I find the #1 predictor of success in band is motivation! It will involve extra time and effort, but can result in some very memorable experiences. Parent support and encouragement are also needed!

2. Band is tons of fun--but you have to be willing to work. The process of learning to play well takes time and effort. There will be days that are challenging, and your student has to be willing to work through those times. Parent support and encouragement are also needed!

3. Band is tons of fun--but you have to be willing to get up in the morning for it!  Our instrument classes meet one day a week at the 7:40 time period--what I call "0 hour", or the hour before school actually starts. Even students and families who are not 'morning people' are asked to come! 

4. Band is tons on fun--but it involves extra time. Besides getting up early (see #3), there is an expectation that all students will practice at home--consistently. If your family is already running on an overbooked schedule with no margins, please consider how you could make time for success in band.

All that being said--I would love to have EVERY 5th grader join the band program. Fifth grade is a great level at which to 'try out' playing an instrument. Science shows us learning to play is SO GOOD for brain development. And of course, I'm a really fun guy!

Over the next few posts, I hope to answer your questions about how the band schedule works, which instrument to consider, how to obtain and instrument, and how to get 'registered' with ZCS for band.

For HIM in all of our music,

Mr. Schonewill