The Instrumental Music Program in School District 102 has existed for over 65 years. Through these years, thousands of children have received an education in instrumental music, performing in our bands and orchestras. Currently, anywhere from 550-650 students participate in our program which is one of the reasons why our Instrumental Music Program has earned a reputation of excellence in this community.

Band instruments include: flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon, cornet, French horn, trombone, euphonium, tuba, and percussion. Orchestra instruments include: violin, viola, cello and string bass. A quick way to distinguish band instruments from orchestra instruments is: Band--you ‘blow’, Orchestra--you ‘bow’. Our full-time Instrumental Music instructors are: Tom Culver (Orchestra) and Jason Lyons (Band). Our part time instructors include: Nancy Flanagan (Band), Carolyn May (Band), and Jeff Teppema (Orchestra).

There are three basic parts to our program: 1) Small Group Lessons, 2) Large Group Rehearsals, 3) At-Home Practice

 

1. Small Group Lessons - Each band and orchestra student will receive one 30-minute lesson per week on his instrument. Typically, each grade school has Orchestra lessons on one set day and Band on another. Quite often a 3rd lesson day per school may be added to accommodate large numbers of beginning (4th grade) members. Lessons are held during the school day at students’ respective schools. The lesson time will rotate by one half hour each consecutive week so that the child will not miss the same academic class more than once in a 9-week period of time. The student is expected to leave class 3 minutes prior to the lesson ‘start’ time, attend a 30-minute lesson, then arrive back to class within 3 minutes of the lesson ‘end’ time, for a total of 36 minutes. A schedule listing all the students with their assigned lesson dates/times will be issued every 3 months.

 

2. Large Group Rehearsals - Each band or orchestra member will attend one large group rehearsal per week. This rehearsal will be held before school at Park Junior High from 7:30 to 8:07am. All four district grade schools will meet with band or orchestra members of their age group for this large group rehearsal. There are two bus routes, known as the ‘Early bird’ routes that make designated stops throughout our community to pick up band/orchestra students and deliver them to Park Junior High. Some parents elect to drive the students to the rehearsal instead. At the end of our rehearsals, there are 4 buses that return students to their respective schools. The one ‘downside’ of this arrangement is that the buses that return the students to their respective schools are not always on time and you may find the band/orchestra members occasionally arriving up to10 minutes late to school. In such cases, students are instructed to check in with the health (attendance) office upon their arrival so that they are not marked as ‘truant’. Ogden students will be walked back to school after the rehearsal by a para-educator during our fair weather months and bused back to Ogden during Nov-March.

The Large Group Rehearsal schedule for this year is as follows:
Monday: Concert Band (7th/8th grade), Concert Orchestra (7th/8th grade)
Tuesday: Advanced Band (6th grade), Beginning Orchestra (4th grade)
Wednesday: Beginning Band (4th grade), Advanced Orchestra (6th grade), Jazz Band (7th/8th grade)
Thursday: Concert Band (7th/8th grade), Concert Orchestra (7th/8th grade)
Friday: Intermediate Band (5th grade), Intermediate Orchestra (5th grade)

3. At Home Practice: Each band and orchestra member is expected to practice his instrument at least 100 minutes per week. 20 minutes, 5 days a week is recommended. We hope that you will support your children’s decision to study a musical instrument and encourage them to keep up with ‘at-home practice’ and with their attendance to Small Group Lessons and Large Group Rehearsals.

Band and Orchestra is considered ‘co-curricular’ in our district. All members will receive a trimester grade. Currently we are unable to enter computerized grades as classroom teachers do. Instead, we will fill out a detailed report card for each band/orchestra member, and it will be delivered along with their regular classroom progress report.

It is inevitable that there will be an occasional conflict where a student may have a test or a special class function scheduled during a particular small group lesson. In these cases, we can often reschedule this student during another lesson time slot provided we are given advance notice. Please keep in mind that there is only one lesson day per week for a student to receive his/her lesson. If a child misses a lesson, the instructor has consequently not instructed the student for two weeks. Due to our unique schedule of teaching at all 5 district schools, doing make-up lessons on another day of the week is not feasible. In addition, since parents of band/orchestra members pay a yearly participation fee of $140 ($120 for 4th grade beginners) for their child to participate in band/orchestra, we feel that the students should attend as many of the lessons/rehearsals as possible to get their money’s worth.

Band/Orchestra members are expected to take their instruments home at the end of every lesson/rehearsal day. It is greatly appreciated if you could remind them of this. Instruments left at school cannot be practiced and pose a greater risk of being misplaced or stolen.

Some of the grade schools have a designated location for band/orchestra members to store their instruments.

Missed classroom work or activities as a result of a band/orchestra member attending a lesson, rehearsal, or field trip is to be handled as the classroom teacher feels fit. The student should get the assignment from the teacher and be prepared for class the next day.

Band/Orchestra members will attend a few field trips during the course of the school year. The dates of these can be found in your school calendar. In addition, you will receive an information sheet and email reminder about two weeks before each of these events.
A handful of 5th and 6th graders may be selected to perform with one of the Concert groups (Junior High level) to further challenge them. This will not affect their small group lesson at their school during the day, but will require them to attend two additional large group rehearsals before school.

We hope to have covered all the pertinent information regarding our program. If after reading through this, or at any time during the school year you have questions please feel free to contact one of us.
Sincerely,
Tom Culver (Orchestra), culverto@dist102.k12.il.us, ext. 7051
Jason Lyons (Band), lyonsja@dist102.k12.il.us, ext. 7050
Carolyn May (Beginning Band), mayca@dist102.k12.il.us, ext. 7134
Jeff Teppema (Orchestra), teppemaje@dist102.k12.il.us, ext. 7015
Nancy Flanagan (Band), flanaganna@dist102.k12.il.us, ext. 7147

District 102 supports music as an integral part of your child’s education. The Band or Orchestra fee ($140 for 5th/6th grade, $80 for 7th/8th grade) that you pay to School District 102 covers District fees such as bus service back to your child’s school after morning rehearsals.

PIMA (Parents Instrumental Music Association) is a volunteer parent organization which supports the Band and Orchestra Programs for 4th – 8th grades in District 102. PIMA is comprised of an executive board as well as representatives from Congress Park, Cossitt, Forest Road, Ogden and Park Junior High. We also have committee chairpersons for fundraising, band / orchestra chaperones, refreshments and social events.

PIMA sponsors music field trips, such as the 5th/6th grade outing to West Suburban Symphony and the 7th/8th grade trip, as well as Band/Orchestra tours and workshops.

PIMA helps pay for musical instruments, equipment and uniforms for the band/orchestra program.

PIMA provides scholarship money for summer music camps for students entering 8th grade as well as monthly instrument rental fees for students who demonstrate financial need and participate in PIMA’s Fall Fundraiser.

PIMA sponsors social events, such as a mid-year roller skating party and the End of Year Celebration for 4th – 6th graders at Enchanted Castle in May.

In order for PIMA to be able to provide these benefits and opportunities, we ask every band or orchestra student to participate in either our annual Fall Fundraiser OR Buyout option.  Each year at registration you will receive a Fundraising / Buyout Form. 

The Parent Instrumental Music Association (PIMA) is an all-volunteer group that supports the Band and Orchestra through fundraising and communications. Because of your generous time and donations, we are able to provide the music program classroom instruments, uniforms, annual social events and much more.  We have only 3 meetings per year in late September, January and April from 7pm-9pm.
 
Won't you join us in supporting our amazing musicians?
 

PIMA is also looking for a few individuals to join the PIMA board. Please contact Valerie Moore or Laura Tussing if you can help us with any of these positions: 

Orchestra Instructors
Band Instructors
LTHS Orchestra Camp
OPUS Music Camp

Every year our music parent's group, PIMA, provides scholarships for 7th grade band and orchestra students to attend a summer music camp of their choice.

Many students have benefited from these scholarships in the past. We usually help between 4-10 students attend the camp of their choice. The scholarships are intended to provide partial financial assistance for students who want to attend music camp, as the typical cost is between $300-$600 per week. Scholarship amounts vary from year to year depending on how many students are selected to receive a scholarship.

Summer music camps are an excellent way to improve your music skills, meet new people who play your instrument, and play in some outstanding bands and orchestras. There are usually a lot of social events planned during the evenings. Most camps run 1 or 2 weeks, and give you a few different dates of attendance to choose from.
 

Some of the camps our students have attended in the past are:

Illinois Summer Youth Music at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, MI (lower peninsula) [Note: Blue Lake may also offer small scholarships for some of their camps.]
The University of Wisconsin at Whitewater (between Milwaukee and Madison) 

 

The university camps provide dorm housing, and Blue Lake provides a more outdoor-type environment (the students sleep in cabins.)

As a 7th grader, you are eligible to apply for the scholarship by writing an essay explaining why you would like to attend a music camp this summer. Everyone can benefit from music camp, no matter what level of ability they have, as long as they enjoy playing their instrument. Everyone is encouraged to apply.

Please write at least two paragraphs explaining why you would like to attend a summer music camp. The following questions are provided for you to help with the content of the essay. All essays must be submitted to your band or orchestra teacher by Thursday, March 13th in order to be considered. Essays should be typed. Essays should be at least two paragraphs and no more than two pages in length.

Topics to Cover:

 What is your instrument and how long have you been playing?
What type of activities have you been involved in while in Orchestra or Band (i.e. Solo/Ensemble contest, section leader, Outstanding Progress Award, Attendance Award, Prelude, Jazz Band, other ensemble member, etc...)
What types of skills would you like to learn at camp?
How do you plan to use the skills learned at music camp in the Band or Orchestra?
Do you have any additional closing comments?

 

If you have any questions (dates of camps, etc.), please see your teacher.

Band and Orchestra rehearsals are held at Park Jr High at 7:30a.m. (arrive by 7:20) on the following days:

Mondays: Concert Band and PSO
Tuesdays: Advanced Band (6th grade) and Beginning Orchestra (4th grade)
Wednesdays: Beginning Band (4th grade) and Advanced Orchestra (6th grade)
Thursdays: Concert Band and PSO
Fridays: Intermediate Band (5th grade) and Intermediate Orchestra (5th grade)

The schedule for Rehearsal and Lessons for the final few weeks of the year (May, 2014) is as follows:

“Daytime Lessons” will conclude on the following dates:

Park - Monday, May 22
Forest Road - Tuesday, May 16
Congress Park - Wednesday, May 14
Ogden - Thursday, May 15
Cossitt - Friday, May 16

“Morning Rehearsals” will conclude on the following dates:

Beginning Orchestra -Tuesday, May 20
Intermediate Orchestra - Friday, May 24
Advanced Orchestra - Wednesday, May 21
PSO Orchestra - Thursday, May 22

The 'District 102 Orchestra Tuning Guide' was put together by Mr. Culver and Mr. Teppema. This guide serves as a reference for students, as they start taking more initiative to tune their instruments.

The tuning guide refers to several products and programs that students can use to assist them with tuning (i.e.. pitch pipes, tuning forks, smart phone apps, on-line tuning aids {including URLs}, etc).

Mr. Culver and Mr. Teppema recommend that you peruse the tuning aids mentioned on page 3 of the 'District 102 Orchestra Tuning Guide' with your child before making a decision on which tuning aid is best for them.

The end of the year is quickly approaching and you may have a few questions about what to do over the summer. Hopefully this letter will answer those questions.

What should I do with my instrument? Keep your instrument over the summer so you can continue practicing so you won’t forget all that you have learned this past year. Do not return your instrument if you plan to play in Intermediate Band next year because you will lose all the rental credit you have built up during this past school year. If you have decided to drop band in 5th grade, please return your instrument at the last early rehearsal on May 25th to Mrs. May at Park Junior High.

What music should I practice? You should continue practicing in Essential Elements, Book 1. Review old material and go ahead in the book, if you’d like. Remember, you need to be able to play up to #100 in the book to move into Intermediate Band. There are a lot of fun songs further along in the book for you to learn. Study the fingering chart at the end of the book to expand your range of notes that you know. Make sure you can play the rhythm exercises on page 42--see how far you can go without making a mistake. Start working on the new band music you will receive for next year’s Intermediate Band. Play through any of your “fun” tunes.

Be sure to have enough reeds to get you through the summer. P.M. Music will be happy to mail any order of music or supplies (630-978-9927.)

You could also take private lessons—please see the Private Teacher list that we have compiled.

Most importantly, don’t let your instrument just sit in the case all summer. If you do, you will be very disappointed when you realize how much you have forgotten when September comes around.
 

When does Band start up in the fall? You will receive a letter in the mail in late August with all the information about first rehearsal dates, lesson schedules, concert dates, etc. We’ll be looking forward to seeing you then.

 
HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!! 

Where?—Find a quiet place to practice (your bedroom, the basement, etc.).

When? - Decide on the best time to practice: before school, right after school, before dinner, right after dinner, etc. Try to make practicing part of a routine, just like doing homework.

How long? - Gradually build up to 20 minutes a session (or longer if desired). Be sure to fill in the practice chart as to how many minutes you practiced and have your parents sign your chart before your lesson. Your goal is to practice 100 minutes per week. Grading scale: 100 minutes=A, 75-99 min.=B, 50-74 min.=C, 25-49 min.=D, less than 24=F

What do you need? - We highly recommend purchasing a music stand and sitting on a firm chair. This will encourage correct posture which will affect your tone and breathing capability. We also recommend that clarinet, sax, and oboe players have a supply of reeds at home to use as theirs break; clarinet and sax players should purchase a box of #2½ reeds, and oboes should always have 3 medium-soft reeds to use. Flutes need to have a square piece of cotton material to swab out their flutes - a man’s handkerchief or a bandanna works well. Brass instruments need valve oil and slide grease.

What to expect? - It takes awhile for you to sound really good on your instrument. It takes time, patience, practice, and encouragement from parents!

Rehearsals and lessons - Ask your parents for help remembering when you have your early morning practice and when you have your small group lesson. Be on time! Remember, you are wasting other student’s time when we have to send someone to get you in your classroom.

Parent’s Instrumental Music Association (P.I.M.A) - This “booster” group helps the Instrumental Music Department in so many ways. Please consider volunteering one time a year to help out with all our activities.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call 482-2500 (Ex. 2134 for Mrs. May, Ex. 2050 for Mr. Lyons). We’re glad to help. Let’s work together to make your first year in the instrumental music program a great success!!!

 

EARLY BIRD (SOUTH SIDE)

 

STOPS	CORNER	TIME
Windemere and Raymond	SE	6:48 am
Windemere and Maple	SE	6:50 am
Rochester and Maple	NW	6:56 am
Rochester and Raymond	NE	6:57am
Shields and Raymond	SW	6:58 am
Congress Park and Raymond	SW	7:00 am
Cossitt and Washington	SW	7:03 am
7th and Elm	SE	7:06 am
Ashland and Cossitt	SE	7:09 am
Goodman and Sunset	SE	7:12 am
Blackstone and Linklater	NW	7:14 am
Park Junior High	ARRIVE	7:20 am

 

 

 

 

 

 

EARLY BIRD (NORTH SIDE)

 

STOPS	CORNER	TIME
Woodlawn and Newberry	NE	6:48 am
Harding and Newberry	NW	6:50 am
Jackson and Newberry	SE	6:52 am
Garfield and Newberry	SE	6:53 am
Garfield and Kemman	SE	6:54 am
26th and Newberry	NE	6:56 am
30th and Beach
30th and Newberry	NE	6:57 am
31st and Newberry	NW	6:58 am
29th and Community	SE	7:02 am
Scotdale and Stonegate	NW	7:03 am
Garden Drive and Stonegate	NW	7:04 am
29th and Woodside	NW	7:06 am
26th and Forest Road	SW	7:08 am
30th and Forest Road	NW	7:10 am
Jackson and Forest Road	NW	7:12 am
Harding and Forest Road	NW	7:13 am
Homestead and Sherwood	NW	7:16 am
Park Junior High	ARRIVE	7:20 am