MS/HS Band - David Hock, director
7-12 CONCERT BANDS
HS JAZZ BAND
5/6 BEGINNING BAND
COMMITMENT & SIGN-UP
- All 5th and 6th grade students must do either band or chorus/general music. Students who sign up to do band must commit to band for the entire school year.
- Band in middle school is a graded class during the school day. Students who sign up for band will attend weekly lessons and rehearsals during their specials rotation.
- Each student must have parent permission to join band. At the beginning of the school year each band student must return a parent permission form.
- Mr. Hock will set a deadline to sign-up at the beginning of the school year. You can only join at the beginning of the school year. Anyone who moves to Tyrone in the middle of the school year will be allowed to join.
- 5th Grade: Students are initially not enrolled in band. Once all students turn in their parent permission forms, guidance will add band to your schedule. Students do not have to have an instrument chosen at the time they sign-up for band.
- 6th Grade: Students who were in band the previous year and want to continue in 6th grade will already be assigned a lesson group based on what they played in 5th grade. If you were not in band in 5th grade you can join in 6th grade. New students must get a permission form signed within the first 6 school days, then guidance will add you to a band lesson group.
SELECTING AN INSTRUMENT
- 5th Grade: During the first part of the school year students will have the chance to try out each of instruments to determine which ones they like and are able to successfully play. After this try-out phase, students will be required to pick one instrument and focus on that instrument for the entire school year.
- 6th Grade: students who played an instrument before will be assigned a lesson group based on their preferred instrument. However, students will have a chance the first 2-3 weeks of school to try other instruments and switch. New students will obviously be given a chance to try out instruments before deciding on one instrument on which to focus.
You may choose one of the instruments below. You may choose one of the instruments below. Not all instruments are the same and each has its own challenges. It’s recommended that student try out instruments before deciding on what to play. All Instruments are equally fun and require the same amount of effort and practice time!
- Flute
- Clarinet
- Saxophone
- Trumpet/Cornet
- F Horn/Mellophone
- Trombone
- Baritone/Euphonium/Tuba
- Percussion - must learn both xylophone and drums
For an introduction to each band instrument, watch this YouTube video by the U.S. Army band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCTeSjpDsIs
HOW DO I GET AN INSTRUMENT?
6th Grade students need an instrument the beginning of September. 5th Grade students take more time to try out instruments at the beginning of the school year and will need an instrument by the middle to end of October.
SCHOOL-OWNED INSTRUMENTS
- The school has a limited number of instruments. Use of a school instrument is not guaranteed, and parents should first pursue options to rent, buy, or use one you already own.
- School instruments are reserved only for those who cannot afford to rent or buy.
- School instruments have to be signed out and the student is responsible for any damages
- Percussionists will use the equipment at school, but still need their own drum pad & sticks
Visit the RESOURCES page to find information about where to rent an instrument and an Instrument Purchasing Guide
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Students cannot do string instruments, guitars or piano in 5th or 6th grade at Tyrone. Why do we not have these instruments? String instruments are very different from wind and percussion instruments in many ways, including the techniques needed to play and the notes that they learn. Beginner string players need to learn separately from beginner wind or percussion instruments. In larger schools they have a separate string teacher who is able to teach those students separately. At Tyrone we don't have to resources, teachers, or time in the schedule to teach string players, so we focus only on wind and percussion instruments.
In 7th grade and up, If a student moves to Tyrone who already has 1-2 full years of experience playing a string instrument (violin, viola, cello, bass), and you can also provide your own string instrument, you can join our band and play your string instrument with the band. However we do not have the capacity to teach string instruments in 5th or 6th grade.
Guitar and piano players are sometimes accepted in concert bands in 7th grade and above, however only in a limited capacity and by audition only. We do need guitar, bass, and piano players in our high school jazz band, but this is also by audition only. But since we do not have dedicated guitar or piano teachers at Tyrone, it is recommended that you find a private teacher with whom to study guitar or piano. If you are good enough, you can audition to play a guitar or piano in high school and sometimes also in 7th/8th grade.
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If you have any questions, feel free to contact Mr. Hock.
MARCHING BAND
Handbook
Competition Rules
Good Sportsmanship & Respect
- Please be mindful of how you talk about other units and our own students. Be polite, respectful, and wish students well. While we like to have healthy competition with other units, at the end of the day we are all here to improve ourselves, make great art, and have a good experience. If you feel it necessary to criticize a show or score you don’t like, please be mindful of who can hear you and how you talk about it.
- There should never be any “booing”, negative or inappropriate comments directed toward any of our students or other students and instructors. This includes about a student’s appearance or ability.
Competition etiquette
- Be sure to arrive early. Sometimes shows run ahead of schedule. You cannot enter the gym while a group is performing.
- Do not move in and out of the stands during a unit’s performance (except in an emergency of course)
- Avoid anything that could block the view of other spectators, such as standing or holding phones in front of others view
- Clap and cheer for groups at appropriate times and in an appropriate manner
- Listen and watch without talking and be respectful of performing units
Videos & Pictures
- Nobody (audience or instructors) is allowed to take pictures or video another unit’s performance for any reason. You can only take photos/video of your own child. This for both copyright and privacy reasons. If you are caught videoing another unit’s performance, the chief judge can stop the competition and have security remove you from the gym.
- Mr. Hock or one of the instructors will almost always get a recording at each competition for the purposes of student educational review or judging review. Videos will be put on the google shared drive.
Things that could result in a score penalty for our unit…
- “Adult or non-performing personnel that coach, cue, etc. any performing member.”
- In the past units have been given penalties for unintentional coaching by someone in the audience. If the chief judge sees anything that looks like coaching, they can assess our unit a 2-point penalty. Basic clapping and cheering is of course encouraged, but to be safe I would avoid using any distinct words when cheering. We all want to be encouraging, but yelling specific things could be considered coaching. Also try to avoid obvious time-keeping such as clapping or stomping in time with the music, especially if you are sitting close to the student performers.
- “Improper conduct by any competing member with another unit’s performance”
- “Interference by a staff or unit member with another unit’s performance”
- “Interference by a staff or unit member with the judging of their own unit’s performance”
WINTER PERFORMING ARTS
Winter performing arts, also referred to as the "Indoor Percussion" and "Indoor Guard", are like marching band, but inside during the winter. Indoor percussion & Guard are for 7th grade through 12th grade students. The season occurs between December and May. We practice several days a week throughout the season, including weekends. We travel to several competitions from February through May, always on Saturdays. Championships occurs the first weekend of May (Wed-Sunday) in Wildwood, NJ. Information on how to sign up will occur in the month of November.
Handbook
Competition Rules
Travel Policy
- All students are expected to ride the bus to and from competitions.
- Exception: Parents/guardians can transport their own child to or from the competition. Students cannot ride with any person other than their own parent/guardian
- You must give Mr. Hock written documentation (email or note) BEFORE WE LEAVE for the competition. Do not just tell someone by word of mouth. This is required to account for all students in general, but also in case of emergencies.
- Students are to respect the chaperones and bus driver at all times and represent our school with PRIDE.
Good Sportsmanship and Respect
- Please be mindful of how you talk about other units and our own students. Be polite, respectful, and wish students well. While we like to have healthy competition with other units, at the end of the day we are all here to improve ourselves, make great art, and have a good experience. If you feel it necessary to criticize a show or score you don’t like, please be mindful of who can hear you and how you talk about it.
- There should never be any “booing”, negative or inappropriate comments directed toward any of our students or other students and instructors. This includes about a student’s appearance or ability.
Competition etiquette
- Be sure to arrive early. Sometimes shows run ahead of schedule. You cannot enter the gym while a group is performing.
- Do not move in and out of the stands during a unit’s performance (except in an emergency of course)
- Avoid anything that could block the view of other spectators, such as standing or holding phones in front of others view
- Clap and cheer for groups at appropriate times and in an appropriate manner
- Listen and watch without talking and be respectful of performing units
Videos & Pictures
- Nobody (audience or instructors) is allowed to take pictures or video another unit’s performance for any reason. You can only take photos/video of your own child. This for both copyright and privacy reasons. If you are caught videoing another unit’s performance, the chief judge can stop the competition and have security remove you from the gym.
- Mr. Hock or one of the instructors will almost always get a recording at each competition for the purposes of student educational review or judging review. Videos will be put on the google shared drive.
Things that could result in a score penalty for our unit…
- “Adult or non-performing personnel that coach, cue, etc. any performing member.”
- In the past units have been given penalties for unintentional coaching by someone in the audience. If the chief judge sees anything that looks like coaching, they can assess our unit a 2-point penalty. Basic clapping and cheering is of course encouraged, but to be safe I would avoid using any distinct words when cheering. We all want to be encouraging, but yelling specific things could be considered coaching. Also try to avoid obvious time-keeping such as clapping or stomping in time with the music, especially if you are sitting close to the student performers.
- “Improper conduct by any competing member with another unit’s performance”
- “Interference by a staff or unit member with another unit’s performance”
- “Interference by a staff or unit member with the judging of their own unit’s performance”