Central High School Instrumental Music Department 2016
Handbook
About Central Unified School Area
Central High School area is made up of one high school, Central East and West
Campus, three intermediate school, (Glacier Point, Rio Vista and El Capitan), and
twelve elementary schools. It is our goal to provide the 5th through 12th grade
students with an outstanding experience in instrumental music.
Instrumental Music at Central High School
Central High School has been committed to provide and maintain a quality music
program. The Central High School Instrumental Music Department offers Marching
Band, Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Orchestra, Jazz Band, Percussion Ensemble,
Winter Percussion, Color guard & Winter guard. The Central High School ensembles
have traveled throughout the United States performing in Disneyland, Nevada,
Hawaii, Washington D.C., and the Pacific Northwest. Central High School
performing ensembles participate in various festivals throughout the country and
California have consistently been recognized for high achievement and excellence
in performance.
The students that attend Central High School come to us through Glacier Point, Rio
Vista, and El Capitan Middle Schools. The success of the Central High’s Music
program is also due to the excellent instruction our students receive from our band
faculty, and the support given by the parents and school administrators.
Auditions
Acceptance into the Grizzly Marching Band and Wind Ensemble will be done by an
audition process. All students who are in Marching Band will not necessarily be
promoted to Wind Ensemble. All students that do not make it into the Wind
ensemble will be placed in Concert Band. Wind Ensemble is also extremely
competitive and requires a much smaller, competitive number of students, unlike
the marching band. Auditions for Wind Ensemble and Marching will be held in the
Spring and will consist of prepared pieces as well as sight-reading. The Wind
Ensemble Band will accept 8-12 percussionists, at the discretion of the directors.
Students who play alternate instruments will also have to audition on their
secondary instrument. Students who do not make the Wind ensemble will remain in
their respective percussion/brass/woodwind class and would return to PE for the
Spring Semester.
Grade Requirements
Students must maintain a 2.0 to be eligible for all instrumental music department
ensembles. Students who fall below a 2.0 during a grading period will be placed on
contract, requiring parent signature and weekly grade reports turned into Mr.
Ingrande or Ms. Pearce. Students who have below a 2.0 for two consecutive
grading periods will be removed from the ensemble. The Grizzly Marching Band
represents Central High’s finest students and low grades will not be tolerated.
Required Class
Winds: All Freshmen and Sophomores are required to take at least 2 years of
Applied Woodwind or Brass class in addition to Marching Band. Mr. Ingrande or
Ms. Pearce may wave this if a student is taking AP Theory or another preapproved
class.
Percussion: All grades are required to take Applied Percussion, in addition to
Marching Band. If a student does not want to be in competitive band, they may
take the non-competitive Applied Percussion Class. Students who want to be in
Winter Percussion, must be in Marching Band.
Fundraising
Fundraising is done throughout the year and is necessary to run a successful
competitive Marching Band. All funds raised are to benefit the whole of the music
program. There will be several fundraising opportunities throughout the year that
provide us with a chance to raise money for our program. Our fundraising
committee is actively working to generate funds. All students should participate in
fundraisers to help defray expenses required to be in the program, however, money
earned does not go into individual accounts. The district and directors are working
to find corporate sponsors.
Financial Responsibility
Students must have marching shoes and a band T-Shirt. If a student cannot afford
these items, please let Mr. Ingrande or Ms. Pearce know as soon as possible and
the following will be loaned to them.
Shoes: $45 (only freshman, and students who have lost/outgrown their marching
shoes.)
T-Shirt: $12
Gloves: $3
There is a cost of drill, entrance fees, music and many extra fees are also incurred
over the season. A general donation of $100/family is suggested to offset these
costs to the Central High Grizzly Band. Checks can be made to Central High.
Under the California Constitution, the free school guarantee prohibits charging students any fee, charge, or deposit for curricular or extracurricular activities that
are an integral component of the district or a school site’s educational program. There are, however, specific statutes in the Education Code and other laws,
which identify definite circumstances when fees and charges are permissible. Nothing in the law prohibits voluntary donations, contributions, and fundraising by
students and their families to support District and school site programs so long as monetary donations, contributions and fundraising activities are not made
mandatory for students and their families.
Band Claws
Come Prepared
• Attend all practices, competitions, football games and concerts.
• Excused absences must be cleared with Mr. Ingrande or Ms. Pearce.
• Bring all music, dot books, instrument parts to rehearsals and competitions.
• Anytime you are asked to be in uniform, it must be complete. This includes
black socks, jacket buttoned, band shoes, no jewelry.
Live Responsibly
• Always represent Central High School proudly and with excellent Character.
• Always have a positive attitude, work hard and with your best effort.
• Represent Central High School positively, even when not at rehearsals or in
uniform.
Act Safely
• Be focused at practice and at competitions.
• Always wear the right kind of shoes at rehearsal. Sandals are not
appropriate and can be unsafe.
• No rough play ever.
Work Together
• Always work hard and remember you are part of a team!
• Missing rehearsals and competitions lets the entire team down.
Show Respect
• Treat the staff, other band members and parents with respect and kindness.
• Use social media appropriately. Remember your digital footprint.
• Respect yourself- do not use profanity or excessive PDA.
Discipline
The following actions are cause from immediate removal from band. All discipline is
at the discretion of the directors.
• Use are/or possession of alcohol, drugs, or tobacco
• Stealing or possession of stolen goods
• Use and/or possession of weapons
• Defiance of director, coach, staff, parent, teacher, or administrator
• Two grading periods below a 2.0
• Passing less than 20 credits in one grading period
• Fighting on or off campus
• Any school offense you may be suspended.
• Anything deemed inappropriate posted on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook,
etc.
Grading & Expectations
Grading Policy Overview
The Instrumental Music Department Grading Policy is designed to ensure
accountability for all students participating in the program. The success of our
ensembles depends on 100% involvement of ALL students, therefore a large part of
the grade is based on Attendance and Participation. It is also important to stress
the individual development of the students. The final piece is teaching the students
to be consumers of art through Concert Credit. The overall goal is to encourage
consistent participation, development, and responsibility of all members of our
performing ensembles.
Attendance & Participation
Attendance at all rehearsals outside of the school day, performances, concerts,
festivals and competitions, including all trips, is a key component of the
instrumental music experience and is expected from all students. As long as the
student shows up each day and participates, they will not have any attendance or
participation grading issues.
Description
Missed Class (Unexcused Absence)
Deduction
25 Pts Regular
Day
50 Pts Block Day
Tardy (Unexcused)
15 Points
Lack of Effort/Disruptive Behavior/Unprepared for class.
10 to 20 Points
Missed rehearsal scheduled outside the school day without prior 75 Points
notification.
Missed Concert
150 Points
Missed Festival/Competition
250 Points
Improper attire/missing instrument or music at performance
75 Points
Other Important Grading Information
Daily Expectations
For each scheduled class period, students must be in class and have everything
necessary for a successful rehearsal. This includes: Student’s instrument (in good
working order), student’s own music, pencil, and an excellent attitude. Students are
expected to put forth a high level of effort and observe appropriate rehearsal
etiquette for the entire class. Students must also show consistent improvement in
your playing through regular practice at home. If a student forgets their instrument,
student must sit in their regular assigned seat and follow along with the music at the
rehearsal. Student may not do homework, read, or anything else.
Practice Outside of School
Students must show consistent improvement in your playing throughout the year
due to regular practice at home. While we do not ‘grade’ their practice time at
home, it is expected and should be done on a daily basis. Twenty to thirty minutes a
day (or more) would be a starting suggestion. A portion of student practice time
should be devoted to developing their technique on their instrument with the
remainder of the time spent on the music they need to prepare for class or
upcoming performances.
Tardy Policy
Students are expected to be inside the band room by the time the tardy bell rings.
They have 3 minutes from the time the bell rings to get your instrument, music etc.
and be setup ready to rehearse. If they are not inside the band room by the bell or
not setup to rehearse by three minutes after the bell, or the student will be marked
tardy.
Absences From Class
Absences from class will be excused and unexcused based on the school’s
attendance guidelines as recorded by the attendance office on campus. Excused
absences do not need to be made up as long as the student puts in extra practice
time beyond their normal practice amount. Unexcused absences may not be made
up. It is very important students make sure all absences are excused.
Absences From Instrumental Music Events & Outside of the School Day
Rehearsals
Anticipated absences from any rehearsal/event outside the school day should be
communicated to the directors utilizing the email.
In cases of illness please contact the directors (e-mail or phone) as soon as it is
determined that the illness may cause the student to miss the event. In most cases,
this will be several hours before the event begins.
In case of family emergency please contact the directors as soon as it is
reasonable to do so. Email is preferred.
Missing Other Classes
Occasionally, band/orchestra/color guard/Jazz may cause you to miss other
classes. When band/orchestra/color guard/Jazz is the reason for an absence from
another class, students may be allowed to use the music class period immediately
following the day we missed class to make up a test/study session for that class.
Please be sure to check with the director before missing your music class for makeup due to any absence. Please be sure to check with your teachers anytime we
miss class.
Grades in Parent Portal (Parent/Student Connect)
Current grades are available on PP.
Concert & Performance Schedule
We hand out Calendars for Fall, and Spring. They will also be on our website:
http://www.chsgrizzlyband.com
Private Lessons
Looking to improve fast? There is no better way than when you take private
lessons. These are private teachers available for each instrument. Taking private
lessons is something you do independent of Central High School and as always,
you should research your options when it comes to finding a private instructor who
is right for you.
Please contact Harvard House, Horn Shop, Gottschalk Music for information on
private teachers.
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC DEPARTMENT ENSEMBLES MARCHING BAND The Central High School Grizzly Marching Band is comprised of members of
the Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, and Percussion class in grades 912. Marching Band performs with Color Guard at all home football games and
in town events, and travels around the local region and state to adjudicated
marching band competitions. A team of adult instructors provide students with
first-rate instruction on their instrument and their marching. Specialized
instructors teach percussion (drum line and front ensemble), woodwinds, brass,
marching, flags, rifle/saber, and dance. In addition, a dedicated team of student
leaders is always willing to help new members build their individual skills.
The marching season begins before school starts, kicking off with band camp
(typically held the one week before the first day of school), and concludes with
Championships November 19th. In the fall semester, Marching Band meets
after school on Tuesdays and Thursday from 6 pm to 9 pm and occasional
Saturdays 9 am to 2 pm. Evening rehearsals and Saturday competitions end in
early December. WIND ENSEMBLE The Central High Wind Ensemble is the premier performance group at Central
High School and consists of instrumentalists who perform wind band repertoire
at the highest level. The students rehearse during the day (7th block) as well as
Tuesday evening rehearsals/sectionals. The group performs at CMEA festivals,
State and National Festivals. Wind Ensemble is determined by an audition that
is conducted during the previous school year. There will also be auditions for
chair placement.
CONCERT BAND The Concert Band (5th Block - All Year) performs exciting concert band
music throughout the year with a high level of focus on preparing the
students for Wind Symphony. They will also perform at concerts and
festivals.
JAZZ BAND The Central High School Jazz Ensemble is comprised of students in grades 912 who play trumpet, trombone, saxophone, piano, jazz guitar, bass guitar,
string bass, and drum set. The jazz ensemble meets during 2th block throughout
the entire school year and performs at school concerts, adjudicated festivals in
and out of town.
The jazz ensemble performs diverse styles of music such as swing, Latin,
bebop, ragtime, and pop/rock/jazz fusion, in big band arrangements. The band
occasionally works with clinicians during the year who specialize in these
styles to help students gain deeper understanding of jazz performance.
Members of this ensemble also explore improvising and playing in smaller
“combo” groups. Students in this ensemble who take this class must be in
Marching/Concert Band. Jazz Band is an audition-only ensemble or director
recommendation (all decisions are final). Previous participation in a middle
school music program and an interest in jazz music is important.
PERCUSSION The Music Department offers an elective course, Applied Percussion, that is
required by all grade levels if they plan to do Marching Band and/or Winter
Percussion. This course is taken in addition to Marching Band and is offered at
two different class periods. Placement is determined by Ms. Pearce at auditions
in May. The goal of the class is to provide a solid foundation for all percussion
techniques (rudimentary, mallets, timpani, and small auxiliary) while preparing
percussion ensemble music throughout the year. Students will acquire the skills
needed for future placement in the Percussion sections of Concert Band/Wind
Ensemble, and for participation in the Winter Percussion ensemble.
String Orchestra The String Orchestra is open to all students who play a string instrument in any grade level. The group performs at concerts and festivals throughout the year. COLOR GUARD The Central High School Color Guard is comprised of students in grades 9-12
who utilize flags, rifles, sabers, and dance choreography in drill routines to
make the marching band music come alive for the audience. Color Guard
meets during the school day and also practices after school throughout the
school year. Though dance experience is not required, auditions may be
necessary for particular equipment or specific elements of Color Guard.
In the fall semester Color Guard performs with Marching Band at football
games, adjudicated competitions, and community events. During the
winter/spring semester, when it is known as Winter Guard, the ensemble
performs at regional competitions and school events.
school year. All members will also audition twice during the school year
(August & January) for chair placement.