Back to School: What you should prepare
Going back to school each year requires preparation in the weeks before. Here are a couple of things to expect and to help you get ready if you are a music student or interested in becoming one. (This list starts at the third grade only because ensembles are limited in the grades prior to that. The best thing you can do as a music student in the elementary age range is to take private lessons and get very good at sight-reading.)
1. Third Grade: Not in all schools, but in most, you will learn the recorder in third grade. Your teacher will most likely require you to buy a recorder, perhaps even two so that you can practice at home. You don’t have to buy one preemptively, but it can never hurt to have some extra fun and get a head start.
2. Fourth Grade: This is usually the year you will get to select an instrument to play in the band or orchestra. (Some schools do this at the end of third grade.) Beware that “popular” instruments, such as percussion, will be very hard to obtain a spot in, so try to have a list of instruments you wouldn’t mind playing. From personal experience, I was chosen to play percussion in my band because my band teacher knew I was a good pianist; so perhaps letting your band teacher know you’re capable at one instrument can help you get picked for the one you want to play in the school’s ensemble!
3. Fifth-Eighth Grade: In these grades you will participate in your chorus, band or orchestra. There are usually other extra-curricular activities such as jazz band, a capella ensembles and other ensembles you can participate in. These are the grades where you usually start to participate in NYSSMA and All District; if you do well in the later grades you can go on to perform at All-County and even All-State!
4. Ninth-Twelfth Grade: These are the grades where there is the most room to explore and branch out as a musician. If your school has a well funded music program, you can take elective courses such as music theory, AP music theory, audio recording, keyboard classes and guitar classes. These courses are usually only available to upper-class students. Again, check your school’s curriculum for extra curricular activities. If you are having fun or looking forward to your music classes, some private lessons are always a good idea to augment what you’re learning at school and help you to turn that 99 into a 100 at NYSSMA!
Good luck!