Congratulations on your child becoming a member of the Cedar Springs Band! This is intended to provide information for your child’s decision to join 6th grade band – a decision that will enhance your child’s overall education.
One factor to consider when scheduling your child for band is their enjoyment for performing music. Band is a great way to be artistic and become involved in a school activity with friends!
Benefits of Band
Everything in band is a microcosm of what the kids will see in the next phases of life. What we do is have an opportunity to partner with you, longer than a semester…we’re going to see your kids for multiple years, and we have the opportunity to teach them critical skills they’re going to need when they move forward.
- Discipline
- Honor
- Intensity
- Integrity
- Dedication
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Social skills
- Problem solving
That’s what we do, because we know you’re not going to work in your own bubble in the future. You are going to work as a part of a team. If the first time you come up with conflict on a team is when you’re fresh out of college and you’ve got your big fancy job and all of a sudden, you’re on a team with someone you don’t agree with. What are you going to do? Now we don’t expect you’re going to remember “my band director taught me…” But, you’ll default back to “where can we find common ground? Have I taken the time to figure out where they’re coming from?” Alternatively, when you’re in your first difficult class in undergrad and while everyone else’s eyes are glazed over, you’re sitting there “I have to read this many pages a night…I learned to memorize stuff in marching band…” and just start putting one foot in front of another.
Did you know…
- On average, 30% of students honored monthly at Middle Level schools for outstanding character are band students.
- Our band students are amongst the top academic performers in Cedar Springs, both high school and middle level.
- Continuing band in high school will satisfy the required Visual, Performing Arts (VPA) credit to graduate.
- Continuing band for three years in high school will satisfy not only your VPA credit, but also your PE credit and second year of foreign language. All of these credits are required to graduate high school.
How Do I Sign Up?
When you schedule your classes for 6th Grade, select band as one of your encores.
There will be an instrument fitting day in the spring during the school day where your child will come and try out multiple instruments. At the end of the fitting, students will be given recommendations for which instruments they fit well with. Once a student chooses an instrument, you can get their instrument at any time. If you’re itching to get started, you don’t have to wait until school next year to get an instrument. We strongly recommend that if you get your instrument before 6th Grade, you read the instructions that come with your Beginning Band book or watch some YouTube videos to put your instrument together safely. Click the link below to view our recommendations for instruments and where to get them.
Your child deserves the best and most well rounded education Cedar Springs has to offer. Please visit our Beginning Band FAQ for some more information. Please feel free to reach out to Mr. Nabozny or Mr. Weber at band@csredhawks.org. When your child signs up for band, they are joining one of the largest and consistently most successful organizations in Cedar Springs Public Schools. Band begins in 6th grade, but music lasts a lifetime.
In the best interest of your child,
Colin Weber & Matt Nabozny, Band Directors at Cedar Springs.
Sample Schedule
Cedar Springs Bands 