Beginning Band, Choir, and Orchestra

You and your child will meet with one of the Elkhart Community Schools Band or Orchestra teachers to help your child select an instrument which will fit them the best. Directors look at size of hands, teeth and facial structure, past musical experience, and rhythmic/pitch understanding to assist your child in selecting an instrument which would be best suited for them to play.  We ask that each child select three options due to the possibility that your child may not be able to play their first choice. 

Your child will have band, choir or orchestra as one of their regular classes during the school day at the middle school they are attending.  For band and orchestra, Elkhart Community Schools will provide a summer instruction program to assist your child in getting off to a great start on their musical instrument journey. The dates of this year’s summer music program will be announced soon. This summer program is not required for participation in Beginning Band or Orchestra, but it is highly recommended. During the summer, students begin in small group lessons, by instrument, for an hour of instruction each day. We have found that the students who participate in the summer program are much better prepared when the full group meets for the first time in August.

YES! Most of our music students are involved in sports at all levels in grades 6-12. Music students make up a high percentage of the sports teams in elementary and middle school athletics. At the middle school level, the band and orchestra teachers schedule with the athletic department to avoid conflicts between sports and music events. At the high school level, athletics and music work closely together to ensure that students can successfully participate in sports and music throughout their high school careers. In Elkhart, we have traditionally had wonderful cooperation between the music department and athletics.  The busiest students are usually the best students!

No. Our ECS music staff will be starting from the very beginning of instruction on how to read music on the staff and how to begin making musical sounds. If your child has had some instruction via private lessons or elementary music instruction, they will be able to help those students around them who are starting off and actually get to assist their peers as the instruction begins! Many of our Roosevelt students have had some instruction on beginning band/orchestra instruments and have helped greatly in the classroom when we begin instruction in the fall.
 

The tryout night is a time for the parent/guardian and their child to meet with an Elkhart Community Schools Band/Orchestra teacher and select an instrument. You will want to have access to your calendar to schedule summer activities. If you are renting or buying an instrument from Quinlan and Fabish Music, sales representatives for that music store are available to assist you with that transaction and all forms of payment are available. Students trying out during the school day need to turn in the permission form to try an instrument. 

Students renting an instrument from Quinlan and Fabish Music will be guaranteed to have a new or high quality used instrument available for them to play. Quinlan and Fabish also has a reduced rental pricing period for beginning band/orchestra students. People who choose to rent an instrument from Q & F will make regular monthly payments until the instrument is purchased (similar to financing a car). We have also found that students who rent a new or slightly used instrument from the music store tend to take better care of the instrument and have greater pride in their instrument. We are very fortunate at Elkhart Community Schools to have a number of instruments available for rental. Unfortunately, many of the school rental instruments have been played by many students throughout the years since they were purchased by the corporation. We have a limited supply of certain instruments, so if we do not have the instrument available that your child selects, they will be asked to play on another instrument.  

If you own an instrument, bring it along to the tryout night and we will check to see if it is in a condition which allows your child to be successful. Your child is welcome to use that instrument as they begin their musical journey as long as it is a good fit for them.