Good evening,

We have had a very successful start to our semester in band class. Our concert cycle for early Spring involves more than one rehearsal so please take some time to check our calendar on our website and let me know if you see of any conflicts.

Instrument/Mouthpiece Upgrade:

When our students begin band in 5th grade we like to place them on high quality instruments that are designed specifically for beginners. They are developed to allow students to make a sound on their instrument easily so that they can gain confidence at the beginning stages. Some instruments are made at a lighter weight and smaller so that young students can hold and play them without any limitations.

As students become more advanced and mature in their playing, those beginner instruments actually can begin hindering their playing. Students begin to notice that some notes become difficult to play due to the limitations of the beginner instrument, some notes are unplayable due to a missing key available on ore advanced instruments, and they begin having intonation issues as their music requires a more expanded register.

A great and much cheaper upgrade for our brass and woodwind players is simply upgrading their mouthpiece. This one upgrade can change their playing completely. Students will be able to play louder, softer, more in tune, and sound better all with so much more ease!

A more expensive upgrade would be finding a new or used instrument that is an intermediate or advanced model. I have added a PDF with suggested instruments and mouthpieces for more instruments that I would love for you to read through.

Rental companies also allow for you to begin renting a more advanced instrument and apply your payments on your current instrument towards the upgrade. This is a very common option.

I hope that you will consider one of these upgrades for your student so that they can continue growing even more than they already have. I would love to answer any questions or provide more suggestions if needed. This would be a great birthday present from a relative or loved one!

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Upcoming Rehearsals and Concert:

2/7: 7th Grade Rehearsal at CJHS until 5:00

2/8: 8th Grade Rehearsal at CJHS until 5:00

2/14: 7th Grade Rehearsal at CJHS until 5:00

2/15: 8th Grade Rehearsal at CJHS until 5:00

March 1: Pre LGPE Concert at Mabry Arts Center. Report time at 6:00 PM

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday night!

Sincerely,

Ms. Menendez

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net