Band Standards
Grading and auditioning for ensembles is very difficult in music because students develop at different rates, and much of the grading is subjective. One student may start at a very novice level and show great improvement, while another higher level student may put in very little effort and still play stronger than the former student. It’s also common for higher level students to hit a ‘speed bump’ and improve very incrementally, but still put in amazing effort. All of that being said, the standards below show skills that anyone should be able to attain from a beginner to a student preparing to audition for major conservatories. NOT ALL STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO PERFORM AT THAT CONSERVATORY LEVEL!!!! This is more of a guide to communicate to students and families where their musicianship should be at any given time for their 4 year goals in high school.
Note: These levels are given titles to help guide students towards benchmarks, but they’re really a spectrum. Students may be in one level on a given benchmark but be in another level in another. Also, this is based on the ideal situation. If students haven’t mastered ‘middle school’ benchmarks going into 9th grade, that’s fine – and expected. It just communicates that these skills should be worked on first before moving to high school level benchmarks.
By following these guidelines, students can have a learning plan tailored to their needs. That is explained in more detail underneath the standards. Students, please read through the scenarios and decide which path to work towards. You can always change that path at any time. I will assess these benchmarks as you achieve them, and you can work at your own pace.
What are the requirements to get into Wind Ensemble
There’s no definite answer to that question, but the standards below give some objectivity to the decision. If you finish the Concert Band requirements, you should be in Wind Ensemble, right! Well, probably, but not necessarily. We still have to consider instrumentation and musicality. The Wind Ensemble is a top level high school concert group, and instrumentation matters. For example, we can’t have 10 flutes and 3 clarinets. Therefore, if 10 flutes all met the standards, then we’d have to look at more subjective things – who plays the scales more in tune, who phrase better in their sight-reading, etc. Seniority also plays into the decision at this point. This is why if we have a lot of Freshmen on one instrument, we encourage students to learn an instrument of need early on so we don’t run into these problems. Think of a football team. If you’re a great quarterback, but you’re #3 in the school, you’ll probably be on the JV team – but if can be the #2 wide receiver, you’ll have a better chance to make varsity! With all that being said, here’s some rough estimates on what band you’ll play in:
Incoming Freshmen – Concert Band. Very few Freshmen will play in Wind Ensemble. The difficulty from middle school to Wind Ensemble is massive. Students who have taken private lessons or who auditioned into the SCSBOA (not CUSD) All-Southern or CBDA All-State ensembles may make Wind Ensemble. CUSD honor orchestra members playing instruments of need (oboe, bassoon, tuba, etc.) may also be considered
Sophomores – Likely concert band for a 2nd year. Students who complete all of the Concert Band requirements listed below will make Wind Ensemble unless they are playing an impacted instrument. In that case they will be ranked. For example, if we can only take 5 trumpets, and 7 trumpets meet the criteria, it’s possible #6 and #7 will be leaders in concert band the next year. Students playing instruments of need may make Wind Ensemble without completing all of the Concert Band requirements, though it’s not ideal – but it is an incentive to learn oboe, tuba, bassoon, etc.!!!
Juniors and Seniors – You have priority to make Wind Ensemble, but you must complete the Concert Band requirements. Also consider time commitment. It’s not unusual for students who love playing music, but can’t make the larger time commitment of Wind Ensemble (about 10-12 more after-school/evening requirements than Concert Band) to continue in Concert Band.
Please review the Band Standards and some example scenarios of 4 year band pathways by clicking the button above. Everybody has their own situation, and you can speak with Mr. McElroy about what plan meets your goals. The important thing is that you are moving forward. These standards will be assessed and recorded, but in terms of grades, as long as students are making progress towards their plan, they can be comfortable that they will get full credit for the ‘music progress’ portion of their grade.