Current Student Updates

Christmas Concert, Friday, December 13th, 2024

Spring Concert, Friday, May 16th, 2025

The concert will start at 7pm in the Sanctuary of AHJMC. Please invite friends and family, as well as future students, to attend -- it's free!

All FMS students should arrive @6:30 pm for set up/warm up. We will meet in the back office rooms where the dessert reception will be. Parents and guests can wait in the sanctuary while we warm up.

Please do not arrive before 6:15 pm so that I have time to set everything up, thank you!

Concert Dress: white top, black bottoms -- like the picture on our homepage. Please email me if you have any questions.

The concert will last about an hour and all students should plan to attend the entire event. We will have a solo/ensemble section. Students who would like to perform a solo should email me at least one week before so that I can arrange them on the performance schedule.

Yes, we are having a pot-luck dessert reception following the concert -- families and friends will be invited to eat with us. Please bring a dessert to share (no popcorn, food that needs to be cut or difficult for small children to eat w/o making a mess.)

I will provide plates/cups/forks as well as cake, water and hot coco:)

Reeds: if your student is playing clarinet or saxophone, they will need to purchase reeds for their instrument. Size 2 for beginners. In 3-6 months, they will need size 2.5.

Reeds are disposable and need to be thrown away when chipped or cracked. They usually last 2-3 weeks, but can break easily when we're learning how to care for them:) I would recommend the 10-pack for beginners. Here are 2 examples:

Clarinet Reeds: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RICL2--daddario-rca10-rico-bb-clarinet-reed-strength-2.0-10-pack

Saxophone Reeds: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RIAS2--daddario-rja1020-rico-alto-saxophone-reed-strength-2.0-10-pack

Trumpet players will need valve oil -- once per year.

PLEASE go to Music Village or another music store to buy these items -- support local music stores!!

About Free Music School

Why not saxophone for beginners?

We will start our 4th-6th grade aspiring saxophone/ flute/ oboe and bassoon players on clarinet. Saxophones are the loudest and heaviest instrument in the beginning band. Due to the volume students are reluctant to play. Due to the weight, student need to spend equal effort on posture as making the proper sound -- that can be too much to focus on for a young musician. Therefore, we will start on clarinets to learn proper reed instrument basics and proper posture. For the first few notes, clarinet is the easiest reed instrument to learn on (it does become equally difficult as all the rest after the first few notes, I am not saying that clarinet is easy to play!!!!)

Trombone, baritone and tuba also speak a slightly different language than the other band instruments, therefore, our young future trombone players will begin on trumpet -- the easiest of the brass instruments (on the first few notes) to learn proper lip position, air flow and posture on.

I have found that it is easiest for all of us for our youngest beginners to start on clarinet or trumpet. Also, we will also be learning the same notes at the same time. After our students master the basics of these instruments we will invite them to change to a different instrument when we feel that they are ready.

Once they choose clarinet or trumpet they will need to continue on that instrument for the remainder of the session -- no switching after a couple of weeks. Both are hard. Both can be easy with practice.

Thank you for your support and encouragement for them practicing at home. (Oh, a big tip is to pretend that you can't hear them practicing -- no one wants people to listen and comment on their practicing, not even me!) Thank you!

Concert Details:

Friday,

For upcoming concert (I'm leaving these details here for later:)

What to wear?

We encourage all students to wear "concert dress" which is black on the bottom and white on the top, like in the picture on our homepage. It does not need to be fancy, but fancy is nice.

What to Bring?

Students will need to have their books and music stands clearly labeled so they do not get lost among the many.

Also, it is tradition to bring a dessert to share. We will all enjoy a dessert potluck in the back fireside room after all of the instruments and stands are put away after the concert. Please do not bring popcorn or anything likely to make a huge mess by young children. Yes, family members are invited to the potluck, so please bring a finger-food dessert item to share :) Items can be dropped off in the fireside room before the concert (the building opposite where we practice.)

What do students practice?

Students should all be practicing exactly what we are playing in class. Please make sure your student is practicing 3-7 times each week so that they will feel confident in their playing.

Will all students be performing?

Yes!

"My child is scared, do they have to perform" Yes. Please have them practice more if they are insecure about performing. Performance is an important part of music, and they will not be alone. No one will need to play a solo unless they want to.

Can we leave early?

No, all students should plan to stay for the entire concert. We owe it to each other to listen to all of us play, and, we'll hear what the other classes are working on to inspire us.

Free Music School

Winter Session begins Friday, January 3rd. New intermediate/advanced students are welcome to join.