Everyone makes the Atascocita HS Band!
Here is information concerning class placement, which can be found in the Band Handbook.
This is not an audition. Every student that is enrolled in a band class will participate in marching band. The great news is that band class placement does not matter that much for the fall semester since EVERYONE in band plays the exact same music for the fall semester regardless of class placement. We will hold class hearings and evaluations in late November that will determine band class placement for the Spring semester.
GUIDELINES FOR PLACEMENT
The placement of student musicians in the classes will be determined by the band directors.
This process will be based upon several factors:
1) Pass Your Classes - State Guidelines are very strict about "No Pass - No Play". Because of this rule, we must be very careful when selecting students for our ensembles to make sure we are filling the top ensembles with students who will be able to perform with us at contest. Students with problems passing all classes consistently may need to spend some time in a less competitive band class until their academic standing improves.
2) Attendance – Showing up for the team is so critically important to our success! We can't be successful when we don't have great attendance at EVERY rehearsal. Because of this philosophy, if you are someone that consistently has problems with rides, attendance, tardies, etc. we may need to consider having you placed in a lower ensemble that does not have the same attendance requirements outside of the school day. The Varsity and Non Varsity setting is for students that not only Pass their Classes and have great attendance, but can also demonstrate a high Musical Proficiency on their instrument.
Note: Attendance could be affected by other school activities. It is great for you to be in multiple activities. We ask that students who are involved in multiple activities be diligent in planning their schedules accordingly so that we can make sure that you as a shared student with other activities will not fall behind in band. We love when students are involved in multiple activities!
3) Musical Proficiency – Provided that you are someone that can Pass Your Classes and are able to attend required rehearsals, then we will place you in an ensemble that suits your ability! Most AHS Band Students do not have issues with criteria 1 and 2 listed above, so being great on your instrument is usually the best way to ensure that you will earn a spot in one of our top ensembles. However, if you are still struggling a bit on your instrument, we have some great ensembles that will work for you as well! There is always the rare occasions where someone could be a truly great musician on their instrument but just struggles with grades or attendance, and in this case, we would need to look at a less competitive situation to ensure that every student is being successful in every class!
Instrumentation – The integrity of balanced instrumentation is paramount for maximizing the musical potential of an ensemble. It will be the sole responsibility of the director to maintain a balanced instrumentation based upon current resources.
You can refer to the band handbook in terms of further grading information on high school band for students.
PLACEMENT MATERIAL
Class Placement Evaluation material consists of designated major scales, a chromatic scale and one brief musical excerpt.
CHANGE OF INSTRUMENTS
Due to the instrumental requirements of the music that is being studied, students cannot change instruments without director consultation and approval.
NO SENIOR PRIVILEGE IN EVALUATIONS
The above criteria have no correlation with the number of years that a student has been enrolled in the band program. Each student will be placed in chair order based on the scores of the evaluation. It should be noted that placement due to seniority or previous placement is not taken into consideration when the evaluation occurs.
TRANSFER STUDENTS
Transfer students must complete their evaluation by appointment with one of the directors. They will be placed based on their individual instrumental abilities and the overall instrumental needs of each band class.
ADVANCEMENT OF BANDS WITHIN THE YEAR
Once the student has been assigned to a band class, advancement of chair ranking can only take place within that particular band. Advancement to another band rarely takes place. The occasion when this does take place is when a student has moved out of the district or has been removed from the program and, thus, creates a vacancy. In these cases, filling the void that was created will be done at the director’s discretion. If no student is able to meet the musical or leadership expectations of the class where the vacancy occurs, the directors reserve the right to leave the spot vacant until a student is found to be competent enough to meet those expectations.
This is not an audition. Every student that is enrolled in a band class will participate in marching band. The great news is that band class placement does not matter that much for the fall semester since EVERYONE in band plays the exact same music for the fall semester regardless of class placement. We will hold class hearings and evaluations in late November that will determine band class placement for the Spring semester.
GUIDELINES FOR PLACEMENT
The placement of student musicians in the classes will be determined by the band directors.
This process will be based upon several factors:
1) Pass Your Classes - State Guidelines are very strict about "No Pass - No Play". Because of this rule, we must be very careful when selecting students for our ensembles to make sure we are filling the top ensembles with students who will be able to perform with us at contest. Students with problems passing all classes consistently may need to spend some time in a less competitive band class until their academic standing improves.
2) Attendance – Showing up for the team is so critically important to our success! We can't be successful when we don't have great attendance at EVERY rehearsal. Because of this philosophy, if you are someone that consistently has problems with rides, attendance, tardies, etc. we may need to consider having you placed in a lower ensemble that does not have the same attendance requirements outside of the school day. The Varsity and Non Varsity setting is for students that not only Pass their Classes and have great attendance, but can also demonstrate a high Musical Proficiency on their instrument.
Note: Attendance could be affected by other school activities. It is great for you to be in multiple activities. We ask that students who are involved in multiple activities be diligent in planning their schedules accordingly so that we can make sure that you as a shared student with other activities will not fall behind in band. We love when students are involved in multiple activities!
3) Musical Proficiency – Provided that you are someone that can Pass Your Classes and are able to attend required rehearsals, then we will place you in an ensemble that suits your ability! Most AHS Band Students do not have issues with criteria 1 and 2 listed above, so being great on your instrument is usually the best way to ensure that you will earn a spot in one of our top ensembles. However, if you are still struggling a bit on your instrument, we have some great ensembles that will work for you as well! There is always the rare occasions where someone could be a truly great musician on their instrument but just struggles with grades or attendance, and in this case, we would need to look at a less competitive situation to ensure that every student is being successful in every class!
Instrumentation – The integrity of balanced instrumentation is paramount for maximizing the musical potential of an ensemble. It will be the sole responsibility of the director to maintain a balanced instrumentation based upon current resources.
You can refer to the band handbook in terms of further grading information on high school band for students.
PLACEMENT MATERIAL
Class Placement Evaluation material consists of designated major scales, a chromatic scale and one brief musical excerpt.
CHANGE OF INSTRUMENTS
Due to the instrumental requirements of the music that is being studied, students cannot change instruments without director consultation and approval.
NO SENIOR PRIVILEGE IN EVALUATIONS
The above criteria have no correlation with the number of years that a student has been enrolled in the band program. Each student will be placed in chair order based on the scores of the evaluation. It should be noted that placement due to seniority or previous placement is not taken into consideration when the evaluation occurs.
TRANSFER STUDENTS
Transfer students must complete their evaluation by appointment with one of the directors. They will be placed based on their individual instrumental abilities and the overall instrumental needs of each band class.
ADVANCEMENT OF BANDS WITHIN THE YEAR
Once the student has been assigned to a band class, advancement of chair ranking can only take place within that particular band. Advancement to another band rarely takes place. The occasion when this does take place is when a student has moved out of the district or has been removed from the program and, thus, creates a vacancy. In these cases, filling the void that was created will be done at the director’s discretion. If no student is able to meet the musical or leadership expectations of the class where the vacancy occurs, the directors reserve the right to leave the spot vacant until a student is found to be competent enough to meet those expectations.