In the last several months, I have seen several students from public school band programs (elementary and middle school) that have come to the academy for help. We are happy to have them and love the opportunity! But these students have been faking it in their band programs. They can’t read music. They don’t know the fundamentals. This is tragic.

If you know local band directors, please tell them, they need to know their students. Especially those that are completely lost. We are more than willing to come out and help! Just give us a call. But please, don’t let lost students get lost in the mix of it all.

We also have a Brass Lab that would be perfect for many students like this. The class meets Tuesdays: 5:30-6:30PM. One of our most popular classes, this is a perfect class for brass student musicians with one to two years of experience on their instruments.

These students are picking up important fundamentals of brass playing and music in general, and having fun in a great small group environment while doing it! One of our student mentors spends 20-30 minutes each period working closely with students that need a little extra help with basic note reading and remedial work while the rest of the class works on honing their technical chops. All of the students gather for the last half of class to learn to play new music using various different methods, including learning by scale degree, solfege, and traditional note reading.

We would also be more than delighted to open up a woodwind lab as well if the need arises. But please, if you know students that need help, or band directors that need help identifying those in need, and helping them—give us a call.