Q: What is the difference between Intermediate Band, Advanced Band, and Instrumental Ensemble?
A: Intermediate Band is a continuation of middle school band for woodwind & brass players. This course begins where eighth grade band ends and works to further develop those fundamentals from middle school.
Advanced Band is an in-depth and more rigorous study of musical performance for woodwind & brass players. Students must be admitted to Advanced Band through approval of the Director, usually by audition.
Instrumental Ensemble is a class entirely made up of percussionists. We spend the time focusing on percussion-specific content that often gets neglected in a full ensemble setting.
Q: Is marching band required?
A: Not currently. It is entirely extra-curricular. You will only receive P.E. credit for participating in marching band.
Q: How often does band practice after school?
A: For concert & jazz band, we typically have 1-2 after school rehearsals before a performance. Everything else is during the school day.
For marching band, we currently rehearse 1-2 times per week in the evening.
Q: I play sports. Can I still do band?
A: YES! It is entirely possible to be an athlete and musician. There are many students in our program that also participate in other activities at the school.
Q: How many concerts do we play per year?
A: We typically play 4 concerts at NAHS (one per quarter) as well as a festival performance in March/April.
Other performance opportunities, such as honor bands, solo & ensemble, etc., exist for students that want to do more.
Q: What is the uniform for band?
A: For performances, we wear "concert black." This is dress clothes with a black top, black bottoms (dress slacks, skirt, dress), and black shoes. Ties and jackets are optional.
Q: What is the cost for high school band?
A: There is no fee associated with the band class.
Marching band has fees attached because of the costs involved with running the program. Details on that are presented at the kickoff meeting in May when the specifics are finalized.