I love the beginning of each school year. This year marks my 12th year of teaching music full-time at various schools around the U.S.A. It is always so fun to plan, decorate and meet the kids. It's especially interesting for me to see the crop of kids that decide to take the band elective class. The school I'm currently serving, unfortunately, only has time for a beginning band class.
For those outside the band world, some of this won't make sense. For my band nerds, try not to let your eyes roll too loudly! Before the year started, I tried to meet each family that signed up for band at orientation and give them the beautiful flyer I had created that gives them all the information they will need for band. When classes started, we had 4 classes in which we talked about how to make a good sound and how music was constructed (theory). Then came Meet Your Instrument day! Here's how it went:
- One clarinet with bent keys and covered in mold.
- One blue flute.
- One student dropping out saying "it wasn't for him".
- One student, who didn't have his instrument, trying to teach another how to put their clarinet together. It was backward.
- Several reed players with upside-down reeds.
- Two flute players who were delighted to find they had flute stands.
- One trumpet valve that was in pieces (still not sure if the player did it or it came that way!)
- Most trumpet players able to get two pitches on open valves.
- Flutes getting an actual sound.
- Clarinets learning how to move their fingers for the first five notes.
- And the prize: several clarinets leaving their sectional saying "that was fun!"
