Bedford MS Bands

Greetings,

I am so excited you and your child have chosen band for a class at Bedford Middle School. Middle School is an exciting time in a child’s life and I hope we will play a big part in making BMS a special place to be the next three years.

I know there may be some questions about the BMS band experience if this is your first opportunity with our program. We have six concert bands composed of nearly 300 students. We offer a multitude of musical and travel experiences that grow and expand as your child’s confidence and playing ability grows and refines. Some experiences like concerts are a required part of the class and some experiences are voluntary. It is my hope that your child will continue on to high school band and continue to play.

The most pressing question most new parents have is about getting an instrument. To answer that you may need a brief explanation of how the 6^th grade band is structured. The 6^th grade band students will be assigned to a brass class or woodwind class to study for a year. Percussionists will be chosen from the brass and woodwind students to learn percussion for that class. You may want to wait until August to locate an instrument if your child going to try out for a percussion spot. Your child will be assigned to the corresponding brass or woodwind instrument they chose on the band sign-up form.

This year the instrumentation of the band was fairly even and most of the students were able to play the instrument they chose as a favorite. Just a few were assigned to a resource class that met when the favorite choice was being taught and automatically transitioned to the second choice.

The next step is to decide where to locate an instrument. Here are two choices the vast majority of our parents use and why they may have chosen that company. This is just a brief description. Both sell instruments and both have quality instruments. More information is available at each website.                                                                                          

Paige’s Music -This is a rent to own program.Monthly paymentsFree maintenance or replacement, no questions asked. Rep. comes to the school once a week. Instruments delivered to BMS in August Can choose to purchase at a reduced price Check them out at www.paigesmusic.com

Melody Music Shop -Rent by the school year or full year.One payment up front. Free limited maintenance Can choose to purchase at a reduced price Check them out at www.melodymusicshop.com

 

If your child may want to try another instrument in the fall they may be able to change within the class they have been assigned. The woodwind class could change within the woodwind family and the brass could change within the brass family. You should wait until August to locate an instrument if you are thinking about switching the instrument selected on the sign-up form. I’m hoping some of our trumpets switch to trombone or baritone to help balance the brass class. We are a little trumpet heavy right now. We do have some school trombones and baritones students can use in lieu of renting an instrument from a music company and save you some money. Tubas and Bari Saxes also use school instruments.

I would move sooner, than later, if you are going to move forward with the instrument selected. There are benefits to lining things up now. I know Paiges’s Music rents instruments as new or used and it is cheaper to rent a used instrument. There are more used instruments in inventory early in the summer and they tend to run out of used instruments. This would leave only renting new as a more expensive option. Most new instrument monthly payments are less than a cell phone payment or a family night out for pizza. If you buy from somewhere else use these websites to identify good brands and remember, “Buyer Beware.”

You can find out a lot about our band program on our web site: www.bedfordmsband.com. I update that site ever Friday during the school year. You can see everything the band has done the past few years at that site. You can also sign up for a weekly update by entering your email address at the site and keep up to date. It is our main means of communicating and relaying information.

I am looking forward to seeing your child in August and getting to know you over the next few years.

Have a great summer!