Dear Parents and Students:

Welcome to the Greenwood Lakes Middle School Band website!  This site has been organized to familiarize you with the many aspects of the program, and to ensure an enjoyable and educationally rewarding musical experience. 

Band is an ELECTIVE and SELECTIVE course.  It differs from the general music class, or any other course on the enrichment wheel, in that we seek to develop greater proficiency over a longer period of time.

It involves learning math concepts and applying them (rhythm); learning and applying a new system of notation; developing fine motor skills; developing the ability to listen critically, and becoming sensitive:  to the sounds we make, to the sounds others make, to the Director, and to the musical demands of the music.  It requires cooperation with a large team of musicians and the Director, working together towards a common goal.  And, of course, it also requires extra practice at home, occasional after school rehearsals and performances, and an investment in and proper maintenance of an instrument. 

Band involves responsibility to the group.  The sound each student makes can change the sound of the entire group.  Most students possess the musical and mental skills necessary to be good student musicians.  Success is most likely if the student has the desire to learn and play; the parents and students understand what is required for success; and the parents share responsibility for the music education of their child. 

I hope your membership in the Greenwood Lakes Middle School Band will be a rewarding and productive musical experience.    Have a great year!

Sincerely:

David Allen

Director of Bands