Band/Orchestra in School

[ssmjlm]

Does your school system offer one or both?

When do they start offering them?


Growing up, I was lucky that my school system started orchestra in 3rd and band in 4th. It was 2x a week in elementary.

I knew that neither was offered in elementary where we live, but I just found out there is no orchestra in the entire county.

I’m disappointed because my plan was private violin lessons this year and then I guess I expected she could join in middle with basics already.

There is band in middle and high, although I know nothing about band instruments. I was a violin player.

[erbear]

My school does strings (cello, violin, viola) in 4th. Then in 5th (middle school - through 8th) they have to be in music - strings, band or chorus. In high school, they switch to elective music if they want to continue.

Ours is band and strings. Sometimes they combine for an orchestra.

[abs]

Yes.

In 5th grade you can start taking Strings. It’s twice a week after school and taught by the junior high teacher.

Band/orchestra start in 6th grade.

Choir and chimes starts in 4th. DD did that last year and is thinking of Strings this year.

[nicolewi]

When I was growing up, we were close to a university with a very strong music program. Strings were offered starting in first grade (Suzuki method), and band starting in fifth.

In our school district now, I was shocked that we have no strings program. Seems so weird to me! Band starts in six grade (middle school). You have to choose band, chorus, or general music.

[gretchenindisguise]

I grew up in a district that started strings in 2nd grade and we had a robust orchestra/band through high school. I played violin and loved it.

My kids’ school does not. There is a neighboring elementary school that had band we could apparently enroll them in but as working parents it was wholly unfeasible.

They have a band starting in middle school but no idea how it would work as a beginner.

I’m disappointed but have gotten mostly over it.

[devonpow]

Yes. Our district has everyone do recorder in 3rd, then do band or orchestra starting in 4th. Starting in 6th and through 8th kids pick if they continue in band/orchestra or switch into either chorus or music production.

[noodleoo]

Interesting. In my area, strings has never been offered. Only band with brass, wind and percussion instruments. I’m always surprised when I find out other people were able to learn violin or other strings in public school. Must be regional? I think band starts in middle school here.

[waverly]

There might be orchestra in middle or high school.

Band after school starts in 4th grade. Band in school starts in 6th grade.

[redpenmama]

Orchestra starts in 4th grade and is a feeder program into our middle school, so the middle school teachers come in and teach it once a week during specials rotation. In 5th grade, you can choose band or orchestra and carry that into middle school, at which point it's a daily class.

[kershnic]

In my school growing up orchestra started in 4th grade and band in 5th, and they were then available through high school.
I don't know yet what my kids' school offers.

[plutosmoon]

Band is offered, I think it starts in 4th grade, my understanding is the school even provides the instruments. I plan to have DD try it. They also have a chorus starting in 4th, kids can do both. I attended several elementary schools growing up, band was always 5th grade and up. My older sister started band in 6th grade because of moving, she caught up quickly, they encouraged kids to join at any point.

There is an outside group that comes and does an after school strings program with I think 5th and 6th graders, it's supposed to be a really good program, I don't know a lot about the program. I have no idea if orchestra is a jr/sr high school offering, band is and it's a really good program.

[court26]

My kids could start band or orchestra in 4th- except for last year when they didn’t begin any new students in either program due to Covid and safety protocols.

[huskymom]

Aug 26, 2021 20:37:59 GMT -5 devonpow said:

Yes. Our district has everyone do recorder in 3rd, then do band or orchestra starting in 4th. Starting in 6th and through 8th kids pick if they continue in band/orchestra or switch into either chorus or music production.

Pretty much the same. They are pulled out during the school day for lessons. But they are not doing ensemble stuff this year again because of Covid. Everything at school is only with their cohort (class). No chorus either.

[expectantsteelerfan]

Ours is orchestra starting 3rd and band starting 4th (and chorus starts as an option during one of those grades too, can't remember which).

[gardengal]

We also do recorder in 3rd, band or orchestra choice in 4th. It’s just 1 day a week, tho, until middle school when you can take it as a class. In elementary, it’d be in addition to your usual music class.

Where I grew up, however, there was zero orchestra.

[pooh8402]

My school district growing up began offering in 6th grade (band/orchestra and choir) as an elective. If you didn't want either one of those, you took "pre-athletics" PE, which was basically a slightly more difficult PE to prep us for actual athletics classes and sports once we got to 7rh grade and could play school sports.

No clue about where we live now.

[stemmie]

Strings start in 3rd at both districts in which I lived; band in 4th in both. They get a small group lesson once a week and band/orchestra practice for performances once a week before or after school which can be a challenge with transportation.

Middle school is a pull-out for small group lessons, but band/orchestra meet twice weekly during a resource period. In high school both become elective classes plus an after school activity.

[madringal]

Orchestra begins in 5th grade, and band begins in 6th.

[mccallister84]

When I was growing up band and orchestra started in fourth grade. Through HS you were pulled for a half hour small group (4 kids) lesson once a week with kids who played your instrument (time rotated) and then had orchestra/band once a week until junior high and then it was a class (every other day).

When I taught I’m not sure when band/orchestra started but it was before middle school. In middle school it was an every other day class. I have no idea how the kids actually learned how to play because there weren’t lessons - just the entire group together every other day.

[roxysoxy]

When I was growing up, my school started both band and orchestra in 4th grade. 

The school my kids attended started band in 3rd grade, but they have no orchestra at all (even in high school). Very few public schools around here offer orchestra. 

[ssmjlm]

So one good thing about being on PTA is that I've been at the school for the last 3 days and I got to talk to the music teacher some more. She said orchestra isn't really done at all in the whole area, not just our county.

So I guess I'll see what my kid wants to do. She's definitely musically inclined (teacher agreed), which is not surprising given that I was in it and so was my mom and brothers. She said we could look into maybe piano (although I have no room for a piano in my house).

[penguingrrl]

My kids go to the district I grew up in, and it’s mostly the same as it was then.

3rd grade chorus starts
3rd grade kids spend a marking period learning violin in music class
4th grade you can begin band or orchestra and they’re offered through HS

Band and orchestra involve one period of rehearsal during 2 school days per 6 day cycle, plus being pulled out of class for small group lessons once a week. Because of that very few kids are allowed to do both ensembles, but they do make exceptions for students who can handle being pulled out more often (my oldest was allowed to do that starting in 6th grade), no restriction on chorus as it doesn’t involve small group lessons during other class time.

Our HS (a regional HS) offers a county-wide magnet program for performing arts, that is by audition only. Those students continue whichever their voice or instrument is and get music theory and instrument or voice specific training daily as well in a conservatory style program. My oldest was accepted into that and will be starting HS as a woodwind major in a few weeks.

[luckystar2]

We have both and they start in 4th. They used to start older but the year my daughter started 4th it moved to starting that grade. In 4th/5th they had weekly lessons they get pulled out for and once a week group practice that was before school (their school has a pretty late start time). Starting in 6th they take orchestra or band as a class and still get pulled weekly for lessons.

My daughter has been doing violin since 4th (going into 8th). I know at some of our concerts they’ve talked about being lucky and proud of our orchestra program as it’s not offered at every school.

[mainelyfoolish]

Very few school districts in my area offer orchestra, I’m guessing because our school districts aren’t large and it’s not economically feasible to hire an orchestra teacher. The district I live in offers band starting in 4th grade, no orchestra option.

I grew up in a different area of the country and started violin in 5th grade and then switched to viola in 6th grade and played all through high school. I’m a little sad that I’ll never see either of my kids play in an orchestra concert; I like orchestra better than band. 

[af1212]

3rd grade is recorder for all

4th/5th - you can choose a band or orchestra instrument with weekly lessons given during the school day

MS and you you take it as a class - if not in band/orchestra you take chorus or general music

[SusanBAnthony]

We are in a smaller district (graduating class is less than 200) so we can only offer so many choices. We have band and choir starting in 5th and they continue all the way through.

I grew up with orchestra starting in 5th and band in 6th, but my graduating class was twice the size so there plenty of kids to keep teachers busy for both and have a full band and full orchestra.

[sarahsas]

My district has an optional before school strings program for 4th, and in 5th all students have to choose band, orchestra or choir. In 6th they can choose to continue or not or have one last option to start an instrument.

[redheadbaker]

Starts in 4th grade, and kids can choose from trumpet, saxophone, flute, clarinet, trombone, and drums. They list a first, second and third choice, and the music teacher tries to keep the numbers even among the instruments. DS will be learning the trumpet.

[starlily]

Band is offered in 5th grade and feeds into middle school band. It meets 1x/wk as a 'pull out' class, with 2x/wk sessions near the end of year recital. Orchestra isn't offered ... perhaps it is in high school? I'm not sure.

[niq]

There are 4th and 5th graders who carry instruments to school. I don't know exactly what the deal is -- private lessons after school vs. a pull-out class. The PTA budget pays for a lot of the music as a supplement.

I went to a private K-12, orchestra & band start in 4th grade, everyone has to choose between one of those or chorus.

Most high schools in our district have a band. Orchestra looks like it's about 50-50?