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| Want to be a part of the Freedom Band program? Come join one of the oldest traditions in the Franklin Schools, and begin gaining a skill that will enable you to make music and enjoy music more fully for the rest of your life, no matter where you are. |
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Who can join band at Freedom Intermediate and Freedom Middle?
All students, regardless of musical ability or background in music instruction are invited to join the band. Students must commit to practice regularly outside of school, be present at any performance or required activity, and are expected to conduct themselves with good self-control in the classroom and when in public with the band.
Beginning band is first offered in fifth grade at Freedom Intermediate School. A beginning class is also available to seventh and eighth graders at Freedom Middle school, and students in this class move into intermediate and advanced seventh or eighth grade classes as their skills advance to an appropriate level.
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How do you sign up?
In May each year, the band directors will make presentations at the feeder elementary schools for fourth graders and at Freedom Intermediate School for rising sixth graders who did not join band as fifth graders. The preferred way to join band is to pre-register in the spring of the preceding school year and sign the student up for an instrument orientation session, scheduled in early summer or right before the start of the school year, where the student can make their instrument selection with the guidance of a band director as they try all of the instruments.
However, students frequently join band at different times, for instance, when a student moves to town at a later time of year, or a long-time Franklin student simply decides later than others that band is for them. Students new to Franklin after the start of the school year, or who wish to join later than their peers, should contact a band director to make necessary arrangements. Students who join after the late summer/early fall time may have fewer instrument choices since a balanced mix of instruments is considered as new students are enrolled. |
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Where do I get an instrument?
Band students in the FSSD usually provide their own instruments, with the exception of those who play bassoon, French horn, baritone (euphonium), or tuba. These students must supply their own mouthpiece or reed and rent the instrument from the school. Students who play flute, oboe (sometimes also available from the school), clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and percussion typically rent or buy their instrument from a local music dealer. Percussionists provide their own practice instruments for home, and their own set of various sticks and mallets for use at school.
Parents: Beginners need instruments that play easily, and these will only be quality instruments in good repair! If purchasing a musical instrument is new to you, please call a band director for advice before buying an instrument from anyone other than a recognized musical instrument retailer such as the ones listed below. The band directors are ready and willing to help parents understand what they are purchasing. Do not purchase an instrument on the internet unless you have specific, current knowledge of instrument brands and models. The band directors can provide you with a list of recommended instrument brands. Do not purchase an instrument from a “big-box” retailer unless it is a recommended brand. (It is unlikely that the recommended brands will be carried in such stores. Unfortunately, in the fall of each year, attractive displays of otherwise quality-looking band instruments can be found in all sorts of retailers who sell everything from audio electronics to food, fooling innocent parents into purchasing an instrument which is difficult to play and for which replacement parts cannot be obtained and repairs cannot be made. These instruments are often not made to the exact tolerances necessary to make joints and pads airtight, which makes them extremely difficult to play. This is not usually visible to the naked eye. What an instrument looks like tells you nothing about how well it plays. Don’t be taken! Call a band director with the brand name and model if in doubt.)
If purchasing a used instrument from a friend or relative, feel free to ask one of the band directors to evaluate its condition and quality. Bear in mind that hand-me-down instruments may need expensive repair and reconditioning to be suitable for a beginner to play. This can sometimes be as expensive as buying a quality used instrument. The band directors can competently evaluate a used or older instrument, but you should also consider having the instrument evaluated and a repair estimate made by a professional instrument repair shop. Both local music stores, Shuff’s and Music and Arts Center, contract instrument repairs to a professional shop, and the band directors also recommend the repair shop, Harley’s Band Room, in Nashville. (Addresses and phone numbers listed below.) |
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What else do I need?
Every student must purchase their own copy of the method book, Essential Elements 2000, Book One, for their specific instrument. This book can be found at area music stores or even ordered through an online book seller like Amazon.com. Students are expected to have their method book in class at all times, replacing it when it is lost. Advancing students purchase Book Two of the same method.
Students who play a school-owned brass instrument such as French horn, baritone, or tuba are encouraged to purchase their own mouthpiece. In addition, each instrument has specific needs such as reeds, neck straps, oils and greases, which students are expected to have on hand at all times. Supply list: Students will learn what is necessary when they select their instrument.
In the first year, percussion students must have a practice snare drum or drum pad, a practice bell kit or otherwise suitable keyboard for practice, snare drum sticks and medium-hard keyboard mallets. Advancing students will be required to purchase other types of snare sticks, keyboard mallets of varying strengths and materials, and timpani mallets as they advance to the second year. Percussionists should have a stick bag which will accommodate their growing sets of sticks and mallets over the years.
All students are encouraged to purchase their own home subscription to the Smartmusic practice software. This innovative software program allows the student to practice along with their home computer, hear the music, play along with accompaniment, and see their mistakes with feedback on screen as they play with a Smartmusic microphone. Many instrumental method books, including the Essential Elements series which is used by Freedom students, are programmed into this software. In addition, hundreds of full band arrangements and individual solos are also available. Students may work on built-in scales and technique exercises and may even work on improvisation skills. For any practice selection, students may vary the tempo, set practice loops and more.
The band directors use the educator gradebook interface with Smartmusic which allows them to make individual student assignments. All students create their own personal log-in account to access their assignments through the band room computers which have Smartmusic software. When they have practiced their assignment and are satisfied with their recorded performance, they "submit" it to their band director who will then assess it and give feedback. This software allows the band directors to individualize instruction for every student, allowing students who are learning quickly to progress beyond their class's level, or to get extra help with a skill with which they might be struggling. Assignments submitted through Smartmusic will be incorporated into assessments that make up part of a nine-week's grade. Having Smartmusic at home enables students to spend more time with the computer, allowing multiple attempts to submit their very best performance to be graded by a band director.
A yearly home subscription costs $36.00 per computer and may be ordered with a credit card online or by phone. It is best to purchase the specific microphone for Smartmusic which attaches directly to the instrument, either from the website or at one of our local music stores. See www.smartmusic.com for more detail, purchasing information, and computer system requirements. Parent sessions to demonstrate Smartmusic will be scheduled in the early fall of the school year.
As the 2010-11 school year starts, FIS has no computers available for student use with Smartmusic. The band directors are looking for donations of laptops which may be set up with speakers, microphone, and carrying bag to make portable Smartmusic stations for fifth and sixth grade student use at school. If you have a computer to donate, check the system requirments under the "support" tab on the Smartmusic website to see if your computer will meet our needs.
Our local music stores are:
- Shuff’s Music
118 3rd Avenue North
Franklin
615-790-6139
(just off the square)
- Music and Arts Center
539 Cool Springs Boulevard
Franklin
615-771-3113
(behind P.F. Changs, near Borders Bookstore)
- For repair only: Harley’s Band Room
3016 Hedrick Street
Nashville
615-383-8001
(near Vanderbilt University)
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How are instruments chosen?
When starting beginning students in band, one of the most important aspects to consider is choice of instrument. A careful, thoughtful approach to choosing an instrument will set a student up for success for years to come. The band directors will personally help each student try each instrument and will guide them toward a choice with which they are most likely to succeed.
A schedule of summer orientation sessions is planned to help students choose their instrument. These sessions are held in the Freedom Middle band room. At the time chosen, students may try all the instruments, and if not ready to make a decision after one visit, may come again. We want to make sure we have enough staff at each session, so when signing up for band, please make sure you mark the session and time you’ll attend on your registration form. You will probably spend an hour or more. We prefer that a parent stay with each student. Expect a phone call about a week before sessions begin to confirm the time you should arrive on your chosen date. We try to space students out across the allotted time so that none have to wait too long and to prevent too many students trying instruments at one time. If summer plans change and you need to reschedule, simply call or email Ms. Grooms.
It is helpful for as many students as possible to have their instrument choice made and confirmed before the first day of school. It is to students’ advantage to attend an orientation session before the first day of school, if at all possible. When selecting instruments, the band directors consider the balance of instruments in the band in addition to suitability to individual students. At a point, it is sometimes necessary to halt additions of certain instruments until other instrument group sizes have confirmed numbers large enough to balance the band. Some instrument sections, like clarinet, can be very large and are never “full”. Others, like saxophone and flute may quickly grow too large in relation to the other instrument groups and be limited. The earlier a student can attend an orientation session, the wider variety of instruments will be available to them.
Since many students are interested in percussion, and this instrument group must not be too large in relation to the full band, percussion assignment is handled differently from other instruments. When a student is interested in percussion, they may go through an evaluation while at a summer orientation session. This evaluation consists of exercises such as tapping the steady beat with various recordings, singing melodies, and tapping rhythms in order to assess the student’s rhythmic and melodic awareness and internal sense of pulse. Students who play in the percussion section learn to play all percussion instruments, from keyboard instruments such as bells, xylophone, and marimba, to all manner of drums, snare drum first, and later bass drum, timpani, and all accessory instruments. After a thorough explanation of the activities and expectations for percussionists, and only if both student and director feel comfortable with the student’s experience with the percussion evaluation process, the student may wish to have their name placed on a list of potential percussionists. During the first week of school, the directors will consider the number of percussionists needed to balance all other instruments and select the appropriate number of students from the list of names compiled during the summer orientation sessions. All students who wish to be considered for percussion should also have a secondary instrument choice in case there are more students than needed. |
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Who teaches beginning band?
The band classes at both Freedom Intermediate and Freedom Middle are instructed by Mark Garey and Carole Grooms . Their primary office is located in the Freedom Middle band room area, and they travel to the FIS building everyday to teach the fifth and sixth grade classes. It is expected that parents may have questions regarding the program, and you are encouraged to call either of the band directors at their Freedom Middle School office. During normal school-day hours, call 794-0987 to be transferred to a band director. You may also call the band directors and leave a voice mail message (during school-day hours, teacher phone extensions go directly to voice mail) or email:
Mark Garey: 615-472-3544, gareymar@fssd.org
Carole Grooms: 615-472-3546, groomscar@fssd.org
For more information about the directors, CLICK HERE. |
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When do band classes take place?
At Freedom Intermediate School, band is scheduled during the Encore class periods near the end of the day. The Encore period is approximately 30 minutes in length and adjacent to an Enrichment period of equal length during which the students may do homework or receive extra help from core subject teachers. The fifth grade Encore begins at approximately 1:05 and sixth grade at 1:40. All FIS students are given the choice of one class - band, strings, chorus, or an additional related arts exploratory rotation - for their Encore period. Once Encore selections are made, the students go to this class daily for the entire school year.
At Freedom Middle School, band classes are scheduled as one regular class period in a seven-period day. Students who are in band, string ensemble or chorus attend their performance class daily in lieu of a quarterly rotation of exploratory Related Arts classes. (All students have a second Related Arts class period which alternates physical education and computer lab on an A-B day basis). |
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Other Frequently Asked Questions:
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Can I participate in a sport or be a cheerleader and be in band at FIS or FMS?
Absolutely - every year members of all sports teams and cheerleaders can be found in band at all grade levels. Some students have participated in as many as three to four sports activities in the course of a school year while also successfully participating in band! Since band is taught during the school day hours, there is no regular conflict with extra-curricular activities. Band students must practice on their own, but may do this according to their own schedule, working around other activities as necessary. (In the older grades when a pep band performs at football games, students who are football cheerleaders or football players simply miss the band activity.)
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Doesn’t band take a lot of after-school time?
Not at the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade level. At this level, most after-school time is that the student commits to practicing. Students should try to practice for a total of about two hours during the course of a week, as much as possible spread out over multiple shorter practice sessions, not in one or two long sessions. Students are expected to participate in any performances outside of school hours (see the Activities and Information page for specific details) but these are limited in number. On occasion, an after-school rehearsal is scheduled to supplement class instruction before a major performance. These are always scheduled with much advance notice, and if there is a conflict with any other school activity, the adults at the school will handle any resolution needed, as long as the student makes the band directors aware of the need.
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Do you have to be able to read music to be in band? What if you have never had music lessons before?
No previous musical experience or knowledge at all is necessary to participate in band. Students are taught everything “from scratch”. How to read music is taught simultaneously with how to play the instrument.
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What if there is no musical ability in my family?
Whether or not music has been a part of your family in the past, everyone has what it takes to learn to read music and play an instrument in a school band program. Special talent may help one reach higher levels of achievement, but anyone willing to practice can be successful in a school instrumental ensemble. Families who have had no previous experience with a school band program will be guided through all aspects of participation, with the band directors available to answer questions whenever necessary.
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Can I be in chorus and in band?
At Freedom Intermediate, many band students participate in Honor Chorus, an auditioned group, which meets after school three days a week. See Mrs. Gibson, the choir director, for more information. At Freedom Middle, band, string and chorus classes meet at the same time, so it is not possible to take both performance classes simultaneously. Many band students enjoy singing by taking part in the school’s yearly Broadway musical production. Students interested in this and other singing opportunities should see Ms. Fuller, the choir director.
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What if I don’t join band in fifth grade and decide to join later?
Fifth grade is the best time to join and get the benefits of the four-year instructional sequence that prepares students for participation at the high school level. 2010-2011 is the first year that fifth grade beginning band has been offered, so both fifth and sixth graders are actually beginning classes this year. In the future, students who wait until sixth grade will have the opportunity to start as a beginner but may have to work along experienced students to catch up. Students joining in the seventh or eighth grade must put forth extra effort in order to catch up with their peers. The seventh and eighth grade beginning band classes require students to work independently and at a face pace to progress as quickly as they are able, transferring into classes with experienced peers when ready. Some students choose to take private lessons to aid their progress when joining later and this is often the best way to ensure success. In any case, parents may contact a band director at any time during the year if their child would like to participate in band to discuss the best options available.
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Aren’t instruments expensive?
You’ll need to visit a music store, such as Shuff’s or Music and Arts Center to get a specific answer to this question since makes and models of instruments, whether new or used, vary widely. In general, flutes, clarinets, trumpets, trombones, and percussion kits can be rented from $20 to $50 per month, depending on the instrument. (Saxophones are more expensive than others.) The large school-owned brass instruments, such as French horn, baritone, and tuba have a usage fee of $100 per school year, paid in September or in increments through the year.
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What if I can’t afford to be in band?
Financial limitations should never stop a student from participating in band. Parents may talk confidentially to one of the band directors when a student needs financial assistance of any level in order to participate. In addition to the regular school-owned instruments (French horn, baritone, tuba,) the school owns a number of flutes, clarinets, trumpets, and trombones which are available first for students who need financial assistance. Students who qualify for free and reduced lunch are given priority for these instruments. (Let the band directors know early if this is your situation!) |
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