While we encourage students to rent or eventually purchase their own instrument, we have a modest supply at TL for band musicians to borrow. Since some music stores have adjusted summer availability, you may have to wait until August to get an instrument. There are lots of great local music stores in San Carlos and the broader Bay Area. The best places to get string instruments are a little further away, but worth the drive/investment. Heaney Violins, Sono Strings, Kamimoto Strings and Ifshin Violins are great places to go. Clock Tower Music in San Carlos has Violins/Violas but does not rent Cello/Bass.

We recommend that parents rent the instrument for the first year. For strings, as your child grows, the size of the instrument will also grow. Instrument changes are most common during the first year or two. After one year of playing, many families decide that the time is right for purchasing an instrument. Please consult your music teacher before deciding to buy an instrument. Some online sources are appropriate (sharmusic.com, wwbw.com) and some are a bad choice (Amazon or eBay). Craigslist can have some gems, but be sure to test drive the instrument first. Brand names you recognize are always encouraged (for Band: Yamaha, Bach, Holton, Getzen, Gemeinhardt, Conn, Selmer).

Music stores are currently open, and renting to students. We usually start playing the first full week of school. If you are capable of doing so, you may get the instrument and supplies at any point between now and the end of August. Please keep in mind that instruments are fragile, and students should only play their instrument once they have been taught its proper care by a TL instructor or a private teacher. It is much easier to form good playing habits from the beginning than to change bad habits caused by trying out the instrument before the school year starts. It is recommended that students do not play until band & orchestra class starts (or they have had a private lesson). While Amazon is a poor choice for instruments, they carry a lot of fine supplies that all students will need to be successful.

Yes! Be sure to bring the instrument by a music shop to be tested by a professional repair person BEFORE school starts to make sure it is in good playing condition. Over time in storage, many instruments do not work as well: they might be out of adjustment or need new strings, pads, springs, etc. An instrument in poor repair can be extremely difficult to play, and that will be very frustrating and discouraging for a child who is trying their best. We want all of the kids to have a good experience in our program.

Yes, used instruments are perfect for beginning students. If you obtain the instrument from a source other than a music store, be sure to have it checked at the repair shop to make sure it is in good condition. It is difficult to play an instrument that is in poor repair, and it will be very frustrating for a child who is trying their best.

Before COVID-19, students shared cellos, basses, and other large instruments at school. If you and your family do not feel comfortable sharing a string instrument with other students, then your child may need to bring their own to school. The good news: students only have music twice a week in 5th grade, so you would not need to bring them every day. The other possibility would be for students to share instruments, and we would require them to wash their hands/use hand sanitizer before using at school instruments or bows. For Band, we require 1:1 instruments to students so sharing is not an option currently.

When you bake a cake, you may need 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar, 2 eggs, some other ingredients, and a teaspoon of vanilla. The proportions need to be correct in order to make the cake taste good. The cake isn’t going to come out well if you mix in 2 cups of vanilla and a teaspoon of flour. Similarly, in order to make our ensembles sound good, our proportions need to be correct as well. When we don’t have enough of a certain instrument (or too many of another) it greatly limits the music we are able to perform. Each piece of music is composed for a balanced instrumentation and if we lack the correct instruments, then often we cannot perform that piece.

One thing we strongly discourage is thinking of an instrumental music class like it is a petting zoo. Sometimes kids say something like, “I want to start out in art, then try violin in 6th grade, then switch to band in 7th grade.” There are several problems with this. The main one is that the band and orchestra curriculum increases in difficulty each year. It is unfair to the class to have 50 kids who are ready to learn more difficult material wait for one or two students who are beginning an instrument. It is also unfair for one or two students to be in a class that is far above their ability level. Except for unusual cases, students will remain on the instrument they begin on. Students should never “plan” on switching instruments each year. Your teacher must also consider the balance of the ensemble. We need a certain proportion of students playing each instrument. If a student wants to switch, but the section is full, we cannot allow more people to be added to the section, even if they would be good candidates.

If your 4th grader is interested in taking music or art, we highly recommend they try band/orchestra first in 5th grade. It is much easier to switch into Art in 6th grade than try to switch from Art into band or orchestra in 6th grade.

For Band, there are some exciting 'evolutions' of certain instruments. Clarinet players, for instance, can choose to switch to Bass Clarinet, Oboe, or Bassoon (the two latter would require private instruction). Alto Saxophone players can pick up the Tenor or Baritone Sax. Trombone and Baritone players might switch to Tuba (high demand) and Trumpet players can try French Horn (also high demand, requires private instruction).

5th grade students participate in one formal concert during the school year. All required performance dates will be communicated on a syllabus in August when the school year starts. We will ask for your signature so that you and your student understand the required events.

There are two commitments that a student (and family) can make that will nearly guarantee their long-term success in our music programs.

• The first commitment is regular attendance to all classes at school. This includes making sure that the student comes to class ready to participate by having an instrument, supplies, music binder and pencil each day.

• The second commitment is regularity in practicing daily at home. Without daily practice, progress on any instrument is nearly impossible. Once instruction begins, there is a continuing introduction of new techniques and new music. Unless students practice each day to perfect each new technique or piece of music, it will be very difficult for the student to keep up with the class. Students complete monthly practice records so their teacher and parents are able to monitor the effort of the student. Please discuss the importance of this commitment with your child.

The students turn in a Practice Record every month on which they record how many minutes they have practiced during the previous 4 weeks. Students should plan to practice for 110 minutes each week. Most students accomplish this by practicing a little over 20 minutes, 5 times per week. There are students who practice much more than this, but it is not required to do so. Students who practice regularly are most successful in band & orchestra.

Yes, private lessons are a good idea for everyone. They are especially helpful when students are just starting out, since the private teacher can give your student so much individual attention. Your teacher will try to give individual attention, but with such large class sizes (50+ students!), it can be difficult to get around to every student. A private teacher devotes the entire lesson time to only your child. Private lessons help a struggling student to catch up, an average student to excel, and an above-average student by giving them harder material to work on if they have already mastered what is being done in class. If you would like to set up private lessons for your student, local music stores have lists of private lesson teachers available.

Unfortunately, due to the scheduling nature of Mariposa, all 5th graders must be placed in the same class. However, if your student is rather advanced, they will have the option of auditioning into a higher level class at the end of 5th grade, when they enter Tierra Linda Middle School as 6th graders.