Staley Band Alto Saxes

Staley Band Families,

This semester has been unlike any other. We appreciate your flexibility as the district finalized our 6th graders on campus on Monday 5/12. As you can imagine this has put our usual timeline of communication and preparing for next year in uncharted territory. Here is what we DO KNOW.

1) Next year is going to be amazing! We have some wonderful trips planned, will make some amazing music together.

2) Our band staff is returning in full force and are committed to not only teach them a new instrument, but help make the transition to middle school as smooth as possible.

3) While we are still not sure of our long-term future as a campus, we will continue to fight for our community and remind everyone how special Staley is. Your family is a part of this and we encourage you to stay up to date with school board meetings and let us, our admin team, and district leaders know if you have any questions, thoughts, or concerns.

After a long delay- we want to finally welcome you to the SAXOPHONE class!!! NOW is the time to start looking to reserve an instrument and get your supplies. This newsletter has everything you need to know for the start of the school year. Please let us know if you have any questions and we look forward to working with your family next year!

Your teacher will be Mrs. Webb- webband@friscoisd.org

Thank you,

Mr. Wood, Mrs. Webb, Mr. Carter

Private instruction is a highly encouraged program that supports what your student is doing in the classroom. Private lessons can serve as an advanced program as well as tutorials all in one!

• Lessons that will occur face to face either during your child's band class or before or after school (the schedule is set by our lesson staff)
• The instructors are highly qualified professionals that have anywhere from 1-3 degrees in performance on their instrument.
• Background checked, fingerprinted and approved instructors through Frisco ISD
• $25 per week and paid directly to the instructor.
• There is some scholarship money available on a first-come first-served basis so please reach out if you would like more information. We would LOVE for everyone to be in lessons, so please reach out if you need assistance!

CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT OUR INTEREST FORM!

Students who sign up in band will need to have an instrument and supplies for their instrument. If you could start on that process now so we can have instruments in 3-4 weeks that would be ideal. Below are some options regarding instruments.

Rent from a music store:

• Brook Mays Music: https://www.brookmays.com/ 12388 FM 423 Suite #200 Frisco, TX 75033 469-362-7171 (This is our recommended store as they have a repair tech on site)

• Music & Arts: www.musicarts.com; (972) 668-1176 - Closest location is at Preston and Gaylord in Frisco.

Used/Online/Already Owned- If you already own an instrument or are looking to purchase an instrument second hand, please include us in the conversation. If you know what you are looking for, you can find deals online- but there are also a lot of inferior instruments that can actually hinder your child's progress. We are always happy to review any links or even inspect an instrument for you!

School Owned Instruments- Saxophone is not a school owned instrument and is rented from the music store. If this is a problem starting out we may need to unfortunately recommend another instrument as we do not have the inventory to help out families with a saxophone.

There are many great brands out there as well as some ‘instrument shaped objects’. Below is our preferred instrument list that includes some of our trusted brands and required mouthpieces. In addition to an instrument, students have a list of instrument supplies needed to care for and maintain their instrument. These supplies should be purchased directly from a music store or online. Please let us know if you have any questions

• *Saxophone: YAS-26, Mouthpiece: Vandoren Optimum AL3, Rovner 'Dark' ligature, Protec neck strap

• Reeds: 1 box Vandoren 2 ½ reeds
  

• Band Book: Traditions of Excellence Book 1

• Cleaning Supplies and accessories: Cleaning/Care kit
  

• Tuner: Korg Tuner

• Music Stand: Wire music stand
  

If you want to get another Alto Sax model or a used sax- please reach out to Mrs. Webb so she can give you advice and thoughts on if it is worth it. In some cases we can even play-test it for you to make sure you are getting a good deal. Keep in mind some used flutes may have a great price initially, but need hundreds of dollars in repair to get it functioning properly. We can help if you give us a chance!

In addition to music specific supplies we will need the following items on the FIRST DAY of school. These are vital as we will begin passing out paperwork on day 1 and we need our students to stay organized!

• 1 inch binder (any color) with your name on it.
• 5 tab dividers
• Pencil
• Optional: quick combo lock for your band locker. Note that you cannot put the lock on your band locker until the directors have the combo. No key locks are allowed.

The Staley Band is proud to offer financial assistance through the Staley Middle School Band Parent Association, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Any student can be in band no matter what their financial situation is. Families that qualify through FISD for free and reduced lunch (f/r) are automatically enrolled in our financial aid program. This reduces the band, uniform, and instrument fee by half! Since all our financial aid is through the SMSBPA it is suggested that every family join for $10. This is not a requirement for financial aid, but we would hope that every family joins this group as they are a huge part of our program!.

Band is one of the most active organizations on campus. Because our students work so hard we also have additional rewards and trips not available to other classes. Between rewards and other expenses band has additional costs. We are committed to making band possible for everyone- no matter your financial situation. If you are concerned about money please let us know as we are eager to work with everyone's unique situation. We are happy to say that we will continue to have the lowest fees in the district!

Band Fee- $40 ($20 f/r ) and is used to help offset the cost of materials, contests, and other events throughout the year. The average fee for FISD is $100 so we are happy that we are able to be at HALF what other schools charge. Families may pay once at the start of the year or $25 each semester.

Uniform- $15 ($10 f/r) We have a band t-shirt that students will be required to wear multiple times throughout the year.

Band Parent Association Membership- $10 This optional fee is to join our band booster club. The Staley Middle School Band Parent Association (SMSBPA) is the primary reason we can stay so active. Please consider not only joining, but volunteering!

Mrs. Andrea Webb- Assistant Director: webband@friscoisd.org

• Beginning Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet, & Saxophone
• Honor Band (Band B on the schedule)
• Concert Band (Band C on the schedule)
• Any questions about private lessons, weekly newsletter items, and canvas

Mr. Chad Wood- Director of Bands: woodc@friscoisd.org

• Beginning Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, & Tuba
• Symphonic Band (Band A on schedule)
• Any general questions about band, the BPA, or financial aid

Mr. Jacob Carter- Percussion Director: carterja@friscoisd.org

• Beginning Percussion
• Percussion Lead for Memorial High and it's cluster (Staley, Trent, & Maus)