Welcome back to band! 7th Grade Band is a little different from the 6th grade year in that you will have 4 concerts instead of two - Fall, Winter, Festival Preview, and Spring Concerts. Additionally, the Festival Preview Concert is preparation for another event 7th grade band has - State Performance Evaluation. This evaluation allows our bands to be evaluated by other band directors and receive a constructive review of our performance. Our band also participates in another festival towards the end of the year - the Six Flags Festival Performance. After participating in the Six Flags Festival on a Friday, our Band enjoys a Saturday together at Six Flags Over Georgia!

DMS Band Grading Policy

A student’s grade in band class is determined through a points system. Students are awarded points for actively participating in class activities, being prepared for class, and completing assignments.

7th and 8th Grade Policy

Band Required Materials

The following materials will be required of all band students during every rehearsal. Students should bring each of these items to class every day, unless instructed otherwise.

• Instrument
• Accessories
  • Mouthpiece
    • Hard rubber mouthpiece for clarinets and saxophones
    • 5C or 3C mouthpiece for trumpets
    • mdc mouthpiece for French horns
    • 6 ½ AL mouthpiece for baritones and trombones
  • minimum of 2 good reeds (clarinets, saxophones, and oboes only)
  • neckstrap (saxophones)
  • valve/slide oil (brass)
  • slide cream and small water “squirt” bottle (trombones)
  • metal straight mute (trumpets)
  • sticks/mallets and stick bag (percussion)
    • 1 pair general snare drum sticks (SD1 or equivalent)
    • 1 pair yarn marimba/vibe mallets
• Band Method Book (can be found at all local music stores)
  • Warner Brothers Band Expressions, Book 1 (6th Grade)
  • Foundations for Superior Performance (7th and 8th Grade)
• Theory Book
  • Alfred’s Essentials of Music Theory (6th Grade Only)
  • 1” 3-Ring Notebook (6th Grade Only)
• Music Folder
  • provided by local music stores and distributed by band directors
  • all music must be kept in a student’s folder!
  • Students will be responsible for replacing lost sheet music
• Pencil
  • mechanical preferred (it is best to just keep one in your case)
  • no pens, please!
     

Recommended Materials for Home Practice

The following materials will make home practice much more enjoyable and productive!

• Metronome
• Electric Tuner
• Wire Music Stand (required for UGA Clinic, All-State and Honor Bands)
• All-State Sight-reading Book (order forms available from Band Directors)
• Tape Recorder (to record practice sessions)
   

Uniform

When the Dickerson Bands perform, either at Dickerson or elsewhere, band students are acting as representatives of our school, our community, and perhaps even our state. Therefore, it is important for all students in the group to look their best at concerts. Depending on the type of performance and the time of year, the uniform will either be CASUAL or FORMAL.

If CASUAL, students will wear the Dickerson Band T-Shirt, blue jeans (without holes!), and school-appropriate shoes. If we are performing outdoors, shorts may be substituted for jeans. The Sixth Grade Band will always perform in this uniform.

The FORMAL uniform is a black dress with black, closed toe shoes for the girls, and a tuxedo with black socks and black dress shoes for the boys. These will be ordered at the beginning of the school year. Information on the uniform will be sent home from the Parent Uniform Committee in August. In general, formal dress is designed to exhibit pride in yourself, your band, and your school. NO jeans, T-Shirts, or sneakers/tennis shoes will be allowed as part of the FORMAL uniform. All students must wear the proper uniform in order to perform with the band.