We'll be playing outside on the patio as much as possible. Please Get Vaccinated and wear your mask when you're not playing.
All San Jose, CA area students in grades 4-12 are invited to join us to learn to play a musical instrument. The lessons are free, but students must have their own instrument/book/ stand and must be committed to attending every week and practicing at home.
WE DO NOT TEACH GUITAR, DRUMS OR PIANO
We meet every Friday at Almaden Hills United Methodist Church
1200 Blossom Hill Road (by Costco/Whole Foods)
The instruments we teach are :
Very beginning 4th-6th graders: recorder for the first 3 months, then
Trumpet, flute, clarinet, saxophone, trombone, baritone, tuba.
(Grades 7-12 can start with these instruments.) Students choose one instrument to learn to play.
Intermediate/Advanced band for students who already play an instrument proficiently.
Intermediate/Advanced violin (if we have volunteers available)-- students can transfer to violin after they learn the basics of playing a musical instrument by playing one of the above band instruments. Students who already play the violin proficiently and can read sheet music can join our intermediate and advanced program as well.
Here is our schedule for group lessons on Fridays:
Beginning: 4-4:30pm
Intermediate 1: 4:30-5pm
Intermediate 2: 5-5:30 pm
Advanced: 5:30-6pm
Music mentors will let you know what session you should attend. Please note your musical experience on our form for placement consideration. We will place most students in the lower classes and make adjustments within the first few weeks if their skill level is consistent with the advanced levels. We prefer to move students up in levels, not down, so please be patient with our placements.
Please review our rules/requirements for our program and make sure that your student is willing and able to follow these expectations before signing up.
We are a group of volunteer "Music Mentors" who meet once a week, on Friday afternoons, to teach students in grades 4-12 how to play a musical instrument. All beginning students will learn the basics of music playing a recorder. Once they master the basics they will be eligible to play: flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, tuba or saxophone. (students will be able to choose which one they want to learn to play.)
Please see our Program Details page for more information.
Please note: we do not offer classes on drums, guitar or piano.
If you're early, you're on time!
Here is our Fall Class Schedule:
Beginning: 4-4:30 pm
Intermediate 1: 4:30 - 5pm
Intermediate 2: 5-5:30 pm
Advanced (requires pre-approval from instructor): 5:30-6pm.
Yes! Parents provide the instrument, book and music stand (all available at local music stores) and we provide the group lessons, free of charge. We do not collect or charge any participation or performance fees. We like to say: The price of admission is commitment! Please see our "Program Expectations" page to see what our idea of commitment looks like.
Our annual registration took place on August 26th for beginners. New, beginning students can join us each August, please check back next summer for our next registration date.
If you already play a band instrument and would like to join us for extra rehearsal time, please email us!
Adults: Do you play a musical instrument and want to volunteer 2-hours a week to share the joy of music with students? Please see our "Volunteer" page.
Please see our "Donate" page to donate a musical instrument, sheet music, etc. Please note: we are unable to accept pianos or piano sheet music at this time due to space limitations.
If you would like to make a financial donation to our program, please contact us: freemusicschool@yahoo.com
Beginning Students will need a recorder and a portable music stand. These can be purchased at any music store. Soprano recorder with baroque fingering -- do not buy a fancy recorder, just a $10 or less one. Here is the basic example.
All students will need a portable music stand, like this one:
https://www.wwbw.com/Musicians-Gear-Folding-Music-Stand-451034-451034000001000.wwbw
Our band students use the "Standards of Excellence" book 1 by B. Pearson. Choose book 1 for your instrument. Note, this is the trumpet example, you need to purchase the one for your instrument!!!
Beginning woodwind players will need to purchase size "2" reeds. We recommend the 10-pack for starting on the instrument. Here is a link to what we recommend: https://www.musiciansfriend.com/woodwinds/rico-bb-clarinet-reeds-box-of-10/j24847000001000
For our more advanced students, I really enjoy the "ear training" games at this website. You do not have to register to use it. Theta Music Trainer:
https://trainer.thetamusic.com/en/content/music-training-games
http://www.virtualbandpractice.com I've created a website with some of the songs we practice in class listed. You can click on the links and play along. This page is also one of the pages of this site. A work in progress.