Beginner FAQ’s:
1. Do I have to know anything about music to join band? No! We teach it all to you! It is helpful to know some music beforehand, but definitely not required!
2. Who will be in band? All of your friends will join you in one of the best experiences Warren Middle School has to offer! With 200 students in band, you will definitely find a place and a group of friends to fit in with at Warren!
3. What fun things do we do in band? Learning an instrument and making music! Also, we have lots of fun activities such as parties, concerts, and more! You are going to LOVE it!
4. Can I do athletics and band? Yes! You can do ANY ELECTIVE YOU WANT and participate in band at the same time. We actually encourage our students to be in other electives!
A Note to Parents: Please do not immediately run out and get an instrument until you have met with the directors at the Instrument Placement Drive, so you are sure you have all the necessary information about quality brands, models, and the list of required accessories to accompany the instrument. Also, please do not buy used instruments from various sources such as pawn shops and E-Bay without consulting one of the Warren Band Directors. We want to make sure you get the best instrument for your money!
Woodwinds!
Flute
The flute is the smallest of the instruments, and it is lightweight and easy to carry. The flute is higher pitched and frequently gets the melody. It is a very popular selection each year, so only a small portion of students who wish to play it will be picked.
Do You Have a “Flute Face”?
Flute players have NO teardrop shape in the middle of their top lip. Tear drop lips make it virtually impossible to direct the air where it is supposed to go. Also, students with extreme overbites can have trouble making a flute sound. Flute players must have above average lung capacity.
Flute players should have longer, agile fingers for playing fast. It also helps if flute players are not double jointed, since it can make the fingers less agile.
Famous Flute Player:
Hallie Berry- Actress
Click to See and Hear The Flute!
Oboe
The oboe is a very unique instrument! There are only a few oboes selected each year. It is best for people who are perfectionists, detail oriented, love a challenge, and want to perform solos!
Do You Have an “Oboe Face”?
Students with large overbites or under bites will have EXTREME difficulty producing a good sound on the oboe
Other Considerations
Since this is such a selective instrument, only students with high academic performance records, and no discipline records, will be considered.
Students who are selected to play oboe are REQUIRED to take lessons ($19 for half an hour) starting over the summer. Scholarships are available based on financial need, and desire to work hard. Students are required to maintain 3-4 working reeds at ALL times.
Although all of the reeds and lessons may sound like a lot of money, Warren Middle School will provide an oboe for only $50 a semester!
Famous Oboe Player:
Chester Pitts- NFL Player
Click to See and Hear the Oboe!
Bassoon
The bassoon is the lowest of the woodwind instruments. Like the oboe, only a few students will be picked for the bassoon each year. It is a one-of-a-kind instrument, designed for detail oriented, perfectionist type people.
Do You Have a “Bassoon Face”?
Students with an extreme underbite will have a VERY hard time playing bassoon.
Students that play the bassoon will need very agile thumbs!
Other Considerations
Since this is such a selective instrument, only students with high academic performance records, and no discipline records, will be considered.
Students who are selected to play bassoon are REQUIRED to take lessons starting over the summer. Scholarships are available based on financial need, and desire to work hard. Students are required to maintain 3-4 working reeds at ALL times.
Although all the lessons and reeds may sound like a lot, the benefit is that Warren Middle School will provide a bassoon to you for only $50 a semester!
Famous Bassoon Player:
Rainn Wilson – Actor
Click to See and Hear the Bassoon!
Clarinet
The clarinet is a single reed instrument. The clarinet also gets the melody frequently, and is an extremely important instrument. The clarinet class is one of the biggest classes in the band at Warren Middle School!
Do You Have a “Clarinet Face”?
Clarinet players must be able to make sure that they can put their chin flat. Very rounded teeth will make it hard to play clarinet.
Clarinet instruction can be very detailed. If you have trouble focusing for long periods of time, or if you have trouble following a list of meticulous instructions, then this might not be for you.
Students must also have very agile fingers, since the clarinet usually has a lot of fast parts!
Famous Clarinet Player:
Julia Roberts- Actress
Click to Hear and See the Clarinet!
Saxophone
Conically shaped, the saxophone is the only woodwind instrument made of brass. It is a single reed instrument, like the clarinet. Like the flute, saxophone is a VERY popular instrument, and only a select few will be chosen to play it.
Do You Have a “Saxophone Body”?
Saxophone players must be able to sit up completely straight, since the instrument is balancing on a neck strap.
Like the clarinet, the saxophone player must have 3-4 working reeds at all times.
Famous Saxophone Player:
David Robinson – NBA Player
Click to See and Hear the Saxophone!
Brass
French Horn
The horn or French horn consists of about 12 feet of narrow tubing wound into a circle. The player obtains different notes on the horn with a clear mellow sound by pressing valves with the left hand and by moving the right hand inside of the bell.
Do You Have What it Takes to be a Horn Player?
Having a severe underbite can hinder playing the horn. A horn player must have a very good musical ear (think choir students, or piano players!), and be able to hear pitches.
Students with academic or behavioral problems will NOT be selected for horn. Private lessons are strongly encouraged due to the challenges of the instrument!
Famous French Horn Player:
Samuel L Jackson – Actor and Jedi
Click to See and Hear the French Horn!
Trumpet
The trumpet is the highest sounding member of the brass family. The trumpet frequently has the melody, so trumpet students should be confident, with a high motivation level and a strong personality.
Do You Have a “Trumpet Face”?
Even a slight underbite can make it very difficult to play trumpet. Other than that, trumpet students come in all shapes and sizes!
Famous Trumpet Player:
Drew Carey – Actor
Click to See and Hear the trumpet!
Trombone
The mouthpiece of the trombone is larger than that of a trumpet, and gives the instrument a more mellow sound. Like the horn, it helps if trombone players have taken piano, or been in choir! The trombone has slides instead of valves, so trombone players have to hear the EXACT spot for each note/position.
Do You Have a “Trombone Body”?
Trombone players need slightly thicker lips than average. An underbite would make it extremely hard to play the trombone. While long arms are very helpful for trombone, they are not a requirement, since there are lots of accommodations to help students of all shapes and sizes play trombone.
Famous Trombone Player:
Nelly Furtado- Singer
Click to See and Hear the Trombone!
Euphonium
The Euphonium often looks like a smaller version of the tuba. The Euphonium sounds more mellow than the tuba, and often gets the melody in marches.
While some people think that the Euphonium might be too big to manage, we provide instruments to stay at home, so you do not have to carry them back and forth!
Do I Have a “Euphonium Face”?
Euphonium players should have moderately full lips. Students should have above average lung capacity, and students with braces often find this instrument more comfortable to play than the trumpet or French horn.
Famous Euphonium Player:
Neil Armstrong- Astronaut
Click to See and Hear the Euphonium!
Tuba
The tuba is the lowest instrument in the whole band! We will give your child a home horn so they do not have to carry it back and forth. We also have “tuba stands” to help hold the instrument if we need them!
Do I Have a “Tuba Face”?
Tuba players need above average lung capacity, and very full lips.
Famous Tuba Player:
Aretha Franklin- Singer
Click to See and Hear the Tuba!
Percussion
With a name that means, “the hitting of one body against another,” instruments in the percussion family are played by being struck, shaken, or scraped. In the orchestra, the percussion section provides a variety of rhythms, textures and tone colors. Percussion instruments are classified as tuned or untuned. Tuned instruments play specific pitches or notes, just like the woodwind, brass and string instruments. Untuned instruments produce a sound with an indefinite pitch, like the sound of a hand knocking on a door. The percussion instruments are an international family, with ancestors from the Middle East, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe representing musical styles from many different cultures.
Those wishing to play percussion as a first choice must select a second choice instrument. FHS percussion instructor Mr. Warren will meet with prospective percussionists.
Famous Percussionist:
Walter Payton – NFL Player
