Airport Community Schools

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Airport Community Schools
5th Grade Beginning Band 2006-2007
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Airport Community Schools

What is Beginning Band? Students in the fifth
grade have the opportunity to learn how to play a
woodwind, brass, or percussion instrument. This
class emphasizes tonal and rhythmic development,
performance skills, and parent partnerships.
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Airport Community Schools

• Introducing the instructors
• Mrs. Stephanie Christensen, Wagar Middle School
  band director and elementary band director
• Dr. Colleen Conway, University of Michigan School
  of Music professor
• Assisted by current U of M students

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Airport Community Schools
Students learn to play one of the following
instruments Flute, oboe, clarinet, alto
saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone,
euphonium, or percussion. Percussionists will
play bells and drums, but mainly bells, their
first year.
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Airport Community Schools
When does Beginning Band meet? Starting on
October 3rd, all students from Sterling and
Niedermeier will meet from 730-820 in the high
school band room on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Ritter and Eyler students will start before
school band on October 4th. They will attend band
on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Prior to these dates,
students will meet in small groups to get started
on their new instruments.
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Airport Community Schools
Beginning Band Camp What is it? One Friday night
kick-off event five 45-minute after-school and
evening small group lessons during the week of
September 25th and October 2nd. Who? Students
and a practice partner! Why start this way? More
individual attention, faster mastery of the
basics in a condensed time frame (less
forgetting), parental involvement, and
interaction with U of M faculty and students.
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Airport Community Schools
Beginning Band Camp I will make every effort to
schedule the lessons at a convenient time for
you. Please indicate your preferences on your
registration form. I hope that all students will
be able to attend with a practice partner
(parent, grandparent, older sibling, cousin,
etc.) but students can still enroll in band
without one. I will contact you in the next few
days when the schedule is done.
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Airport Community Schools
Concert! At the end of six lessons, students will
present a short concert to demonstrate what they
have learned! This concert will take place on
Thursday, October 4th at 600pm in the high
school cafetorium.
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Airport Community Schools
Transportation When full band rehearsals begin
before school, students can either be dropped off
at the high school or can ride the high
school/middle school bus. If you are planning on
sending your child on the bus, please indicate
this on your registration form. The
transportation office (654-3433) can tell you
what bus number and the time it arrives. All
students ride a bus from band to their elementary
schools. You do not need to register for this
after-band bus.
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Airport Community Schools
Instrument Rental Marshall Music representatives
are here today if you would like to rent an
instrument. Books and folding stands are also
available for purchase. Students should have a
folding stand to practice with at home and will
need the book in class.
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Airport Community Schools
Contact Info I can be reached through email at
schristensen_at_airport.k12.mi.us or on the phone at
654.6205 x 4239. Please dont hesitate to contact
me with any questions or concerns. Im looking
forward to another great year of beginning band!