General Questions
What do I have to do to register my child for the Band and Strings program?
You will be provided with instructions for registering your child in Bandforte. This is the band portal we use as the database for contacting band members, notifying families of band events, tracking attendance, managing band camp registrations, and tracking music instrument hire.
After registration, there is a selection process for instruments selection as explained in the next section. If you or your child have a preference for instrument, include this information in the registration.
When does the Junior Band rehearse?
Friday mornings/ before school from 7.30 to 8.30 am. Children should arrive by 7.20 am to unpack and set up, ready to start by 7.30 am.
Who supervises rehearsals?
The Conductor runs the rehearsal and coordinates the activities of the students. At each rehearsal, a parent of a child in Junior Band must be present for the full rehearsal as it occurs before school hours and there must be more than one adult present at all times to ensure the safety of the students. This attending parent will mark the roll and help the conductor with whatever is needed.
We invite a volunteer parent from the band families to act as the Junior Band Coordinator (note: this role can be shared between two parents) to attend rehearsals, assist the conductor, attend performances, and report twice a term to the Band Committee.
Who manages the Band and Strings Program?
The Band and Strings Committee oversees and administers the program, manages the finances, signs off on performances, organises parent involvement, and liaises with the school. The committee is entirely made up of parent volunteers (who, for the most part, volunteer alongside their full-time jobs!) and relies on parents volunteering to help with some events throughout the year. If people do not volunteer to help, the workload for the committee is huge, so please consider offering your assistance when there is a call-out for volunteers. Vacancies come up from time to time in essential committee roles when parents move on (and especially when their kids finish up at the school), so please consider taking up a committee position if you are in a position to do so when one becomes available.
The committee currently consists of a Convener, Bookkeeper, Scribe, Instrument Coordinator, Junior Band Coordinator, Concert Band Coordinator, Performance Band Coordinator, String Ensemble Coordinator, Music Librarian, Tutor Coordinator, and Events Coordinator.
Instrument Selection
What instruments are played in the band and strings program, and which are available for hire?
Concert band instruments include flute, piccolo, clarinet (including bass clarinet), oboe, saxophone (alto and tenor), trumpet, cornet, trombone, baritone horn, euphonium, French horn, tuba, percussion, and bass guitar. Many of these are available for hire with the exception of cornet and drum kits.
The Strings Ensemble is for stringed instruments such as the violin, viola and cello.
Can we choose our child’s instrument?
If your child is set on a particular instrument make sure to let us know through the registration process and this will be taken into consideration in the instrument selection process.
If current health restrictions permit, the band will conduct a music instrument trial session where students are able to have a try of each of the instrument types with help from one of the conductors. The instrument trials enable the conductor to advise which instruments the student may be more suited to playing.
What do conductors look for in instrument allocation?
The conductor will assess which of the instruments the student is most interested in is the most suitable based on the students capacity to play. They look at the child’s mouth on the mouthpiece, size of hands and ability to move fingers around the instruments, strength and size of the child for the larger instruments, the ability to make a sound, and other technical qualities. If the conductors doesn’t think your child is suited to an instrument, they won’t be allocated it.
Additionally, the overall balance of the band may affect the instrument recommended, however with a large enough cohort there is usually enough variety in the students tastes to cater for everyone’s preferences.
Band Membership Expectations
Private tutorials
Band members are required to have a private music lesson per week.
During band rehearsals, the students will be fully occupied with learning how to play in an ensemble but will not have much time to learn the intricacies of playing their particular instrument. The weekly tutorials will enable the student to learn to play their instrument and keep up with the progress of the band ensemble.
A list of recommended tutors can be found on this website. The tutorial lessons can be individual or, at the discretion of the tutor, as a small group with other student/students from the band playing the same or a similar instrument. Agreement is made privately between the parent and tutor.
What other expectations are there?
Band members are expected to attend a half-day Band Workshop held at school on a weekend in May and the Band and Strings Camp held on a weekend in March. These are intended to give the band time to get to know each other and form a cohesive unit which helps to motivate the students and improve their ensemble playing.
Attendance at performances music festivals and eisteddfods is expected. Parents are given a lot of advance notice for performance dates.
What is Band and Strings Camp?
The Band and Strings Camp has been held at various locations over the years and will be held at CRU Galston Gorge in 2025. On Friday night, Performance Band students will be invited to join the camp for an evening rehearsal and they will be joined by the remaining band and strings members on Saturday morning. They will play, rehearse and have fun from Saturday morning through to Sunday afternoon. Camp ends with a concert for parents on the Sunday afternoon. String Ensemble students who are in below Year 3 will be daytime students only.