JUNIOR HIGH BAND INFO

JUNIOR HIGH ENSEMBLES

  • HONOR BAND

    The Honor Band is the Gatesville Junior High School’s top performing ensemble. This ensemble represents the highest musical standard and achievement for students in grades 7 and 8. The goals of this ensemble are exposing students to a broader range of music literature, instilling a greater sense of musicality in performing, competing in group and individual competitions, and preparing students for high school band. Students in this ensemble participate in ATSSB Region Band and the UIL Concert and Sight Reading Evaluation, as well as other events throughout the year.

  • SYMPHONIC BAND

    The Symphonic Band is the second performing ensemble at Gatesville Junior High. This ensembles is comprised of students in grades 7 and 8 who are developing ensemble skills and refining technique on their instruments. The goals of this ensemble are exposing students to a standard music literature, instilling musicality in performing, competing in group and individual competitions, and preparing students for high school band. Students in this ensemble participate in ATSSB Region Band and the UIL Concert and Sight Reading Evaluation, as well as other events throughout the year.

  • CONCERT BAND

    The Gatesville Junior High Concert Band is the third performing group at Gatesville Junior High. It is composed of students in the 7th and 8th grade. This ensemble’s focus is continuing to reinforce fundamentals learned in beginner band, and starts to build learning how to rehearse and participate in an ensemble, refining note-reading and rhythm-reading skills, and competing in individual and group competitions.

 Junior High Band FAQS

  • Our goals are to encourage and promote musical technique so that our students gain a higher appreciation in music throughout the rest of their lives.

  • While we try to cover most issues with our concert repertoire in class, we encourage our students to practice a minimum of 120 minutes per week outside of class. This helps our students to continue to reinforce what we teach during class as well as serving to further their own playing ability. Students will also have weekly assignments that reflect on concepts we have worked on in class to demonstrate their musical mastery.

  • The answer is an enthusiastic YES! We want our students to be involved in organizations as much as possible. We only ask that students and their parents keep us informed of their conflicts so that we can resolve those conflicts and make sure they’re keeping up.

  • All band-related events will be posted on our Google Calendar, Google Classroom, Remind, and on our website so that students and families can plan accordingly. In the weeks leading up to a concert, directors will pass out information regarding concert attire and itinerary. As always, please feel free to e-mail our directors if there are any issues with dates or times. Communication is a major key!

  • Yes! We like to reward our students for all of the hard work they put in over the year! We usually plan a spring trip and, details of the trip will be made available in the spring semester.

  • We provide each student with a method book and a tuner. Students will need to make sure that they provide their instrument, instrument supplies (reeds, mouthpieces, neck straps, etc.), a 3 ring binder, pencils, and a 6 pack of AAA batteries. Students are expected to keep all materials in working order and excellent condition. Students will be expected to replace any school materials that are damaged or lost.

  • The majority of our students are strongly encouraged to own their own instrument, with a few exceptions (French Horn, Baritone, Tuba, Percussion). We do have limited instruments available for those interested in renting them. An annual fee will be applied to your band account in order to pay for required maintenance throughout the year.

  • We love for our students to take private lessons! We wish that we could give individualized instruction to all of our students every day, but with 50-100 students in each of our classes and only 45 minutes in our class period, it’s just not possible. The band directors are happy to help students find a lesson teacher.. Scholarships for private lessons are available from the Gatesville Band Boosters and help defray costs by 50%. Please speak with a director for more information.

  • We’ve been there! When your child first gets braces, it can be uncomfortable. It’s actually fairly rare for it to prevent them from playing their instrument. After braces are put on, most students have an adjustment period, and some use wax to help make playing more comfortable. We can also provide “bumpers” for students to use on their brackets to protect their mouths while playing. Ask a director for more information. We do ask that parents/students try to be mindful about scheduling dental appointments in close range to auditions/contests/performances, as adjustments made to the braces may affect the student's ability to perform for a few days.

  • Absolutely not! We will never prohibit a student from participating due to financial reasons. Please communicate with a director to address student needs so that we can make arrangement to assist as necessary.