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Provo City School District

Dixon Middle School

Last modified: January 26, 2022

Beginning Band Instrument Letter

Dear Beginning Band Parents

 

I am excited to have your student in my class this year and to help them get started on this new musical journey.  Here is some information about what to expect for the first few days of band.

Students will NOT need to bring an instrument on the first day of school.  They will need to bring them on Tuesday, August 20.  We will be assigning lockers so they will have a place to store them during the day.  Students will be expected to take their instrument home after school each day to practice.

Students can try/choose an instrument at Back to School night on August 13. We will also have representatives here from Bert Murdock Music who can assist you with renting or purchasing an instrument.  Please DO NOT purchase an instrument from the internet without first contacting Ms. Giblon. There are a lot of junk instruments being marketed online that will be a waste of your money.  These poor quality instruments also make it difficult for your student to make a good sound which will cause them a lot of extra frustration.  Do not trust reviews that claim that the instruments are good for band.  Many of these reviews are fake. I am going to emphasize this again DO NOT buy an instrument from an online source before consulting with me. There are ZERO good instruments on Amazon in the $99 category.  Those are ALL junk horns..

We will also be helping students choose instruments during the first week of school.  The instrument choices for beginning band are flute, clarinet, trumpet, and trombone. This process does take a lot of time but we want to make sure your student chooses an instrument that fits well for them physically.  If you wish to choose an instrument before school starts, you can go to one of our local music stores and they will also help students try these instruments when you go in to rent one.  If we have some parents who do this before school starts, it saves us some class time so we can get to playing in class sooner.

We do have a LIMITED number of school instruments available for rental but we ask that these be used a last resort when there is no other option available for you to rent an instrument from a reputable music store.  The cost for renting a school instrument is $75.  Students will need to fill out an instrument rental form, have it signed by a parent, and have it signed by the office (to verify fee payment). This process will need to be completed by Friday, August 17 so the instrument can be checked out and ready for your student by Monday.  Supplies such as reeds, valve oil, slide cream and cleaning supplies are not included with school rental instruments.

The book we are using is Essential Elements for Band.  Students are NOT required to buy a book. We have them available for students to check out.  However, most students prefer to buy their own book so they can write in them.  The cost to purchase a book is $10.  We will do a book order during the first week of school for those who wish to purchase one.

Learning to play an instrument is a very rewarding experience.  I look forward to helping your student enjoy this adventure!  Please contact me if you have any questions.

 

-Christy Giblon

(801) 374-4980 ext. 1417

ChristyGi@provo.edu

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