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. 

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 July 9th-August 1st.  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.

For 6th Grade Beginning Band or Orchestra, your child will attend the following middle school based upon what elementary they presently attend.  

• Students attending Beardsley, Eastwood, Osolo, and Pinewood will attend Beginning Band and Orchestra at North Side Middle School.  
• Students attending Beck, Bristol, Monger, Riverview and Roosevelt will attend Beginning Band and Orchestra at Pierre Moran Middle School.  
• Students attending Cleveland, Daly, Feeser, and Woodland will attend Beginning Band and Orchestra at West Side Middle School. 

If your child is in 6th grade next year (school year 2024-2025), they will ride on a bus to their middle school classes in the afternoon, during their regular school day. After 6th grade band/orchestra classes are over for the day, the students will ride on a bus and return directly to their elementary school prior to the end of their elementary school day.    

For those students who are in 7th grade next year, your child will have band or orchestra as one of their regular classes during the school day at the middle school they are attending.  
 

YES! Most of our students in band and orchestra are involved in sports at all levels in grades 6-12. Band and Orchestra students make up a high percentage of the sports teams in elementary and middle school athletics. We have had no conflicts between athletic events and elementary school athletic events. 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. Traditionally, the Band and Orchestra students are some of the most active students in the schools and develop amazing leadership skills due to their outstanding participation in a wide variety of activities. 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 Band and Orchestra staff will be starting from the very beginning of instruction on how to open the case, read music on the staff and how to begin making musical sounds on the instrument. If your child has had some instruction via private lessons or elementary music instruction on an instrument, 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.

We understand that sometimes students are not available to participate in summer band and orchestra classes due to transportation or family commitments. We do encourage those families who know their child will not be available to participate in the summer to acquire a private lessons instructor to give your child the best opportunity for success on their instrument. There are a number of exceptional private music instructors in the Elkhart area and the directors will have lists of instructors available at the tryout night to assist you with contacting a quality instructor. If your child is unable to begin in the summer, they will still be allowed to participate in the fall, but understand that a majority of the band and orchestra students will begin in the summer and have a much stronger foundation as they begin their musical journey.

From July 9 through August 1

The first day of 6th Grade band & orchestra will be Tuesday, September 3