By Brent W. Poling and Kentaro Udagawa
Contact Email: kentarou@isb.ac.th
Beginning Band Drive (to current grade 5 students/parents who signed up for MS Beginning Band in 2012-2013)
Dear Parents,
Welcome and congratulations on being a part of the band program in the Middle School. We are very excited to hear that your child will be joining us next year and we look forward to meeting you and answering any questions you may have.
In getting a head start for the next school year, we are planning a “Beginner Drive” set for Saturday, May 19, 2012. It will begin at 9:00 am and will finish at 12:00 pm and held in the Elementary MPR. At this time you will be able to meet the music teachers at ISB and your child will have the opportunity to try out various instruments; from flute to tuba and French horn to percussion, all wind and percussion instruments will be available. We will be looking for which instrument best physically suits your child as well as finding the instrument that he/she can excel on the fastest. This is a very important process because some children may not be physically capable of playing certain instruments or may be limited to minimal success.
For example, a child with a teardrop shaped upper lip will have a difficult time excelling on the flute. A child with an under-bite will have an extremely difficult time playing saxophone or clarinet.
Knowing which instrument your child will be playing in advance will help the school year begin smoothly and successfully. This will allow
you the opportunity to purchase a higher quality instrument at a better price. Unfortunately, rent to own programs don’t exist here as in North America or Australia, and getting repairs done on older,
lesser quality instruments is very difficult and expensive. Needless to say, buying a dependable good quality instrument is very important.
At the Beginner Drive, we will have a list of recommended brands/models and prices from some of the most reliable mail-order instrument companies in the states. This is great information to have because most music stores in the states will match the prices offered through these mail companies and delivery within the U.S. is free.
Marcato Music, a local music company will be represented as well. The school supplies the larger, more expensive instruments like the French horn, bassoon, baritone and tuba on a first come first serve basis. Other instruments such as flute, clarinet, trumpet, alto saxophone, percussion kits will need to be purchased by you.
We will split up the three-hour session by the last name of the student. It is as follows:
9:00-10:00 Last name beginning with A-J
10:00-11:00 Last name beginning with K-R
11:00-12:00 Last name beginning with S-Z
Conflicts may arise due to other obligations so we will be flexible and accommodate your needs. If May 19 is not possible please select
the box requesting an individual appointment.
Also note that if your child currently plays an instrument please answer the appropriate questions so we can place your child in the
appropriate class.
Depending on the child/instruments, 10-15 minutes per child is normal once the child starts trying out instruments. This session is not required; however, it will help make the school year start a lot smoother. If these times are inconvenient, please schedule an appointment with us between now and June 1. Please click on the link below and sign up for an appointment.
Please do this before May 10 so we can make arrangements to accommodate everyone.
**If the link doesn’t work, try copying it and paste it in a new page in your web browser.
Thank you all so much for your time. We anxiously await the day that we get to meet you. If you have any questions, please contact us.
Sincerely,
Brent W. Poling Kentaro Udagawa
Brentp@isb.ac.th kentarou@isb.ac.th
Ext. 8812 Ext. 8819