Junior High Band
Grading Tips

Concerts

Quarterly Concert (10% of grade) - If the concert is enjoyable and if it's a positive experience, attendance will not be a problem. I remember parents hiring a helicopter so the family could attend an important function 40 miles away and still be on time to the concert. One family arranged for their son to fly back early from a European trip to be at the concert.

Some directors fail their students if they miss the concert, no matter the reason. That to me is very inflexible and unfair. Of course there will always be emergencies - the car breaks down on the way to the concert, or the family is in an automobile accident. Those absences ought to be excused. A student who falls asleep watching TV and sleeps through the concert or just forgets about it deserves a lower grade, and in my opinion ten percent lower is enough.

Video Disclaimer

The attached videos are not perfect examples of how each tune should be played. They are recordings of junior high students, some of whom have had their instruments for only a few months. Also, they are not professional recordings. They were taken by band parents using home equipment and naturally focusing on their own children.

I include them for two reasons: (1) To give you an idea of what the arrangements are like, and (2) To illustrate the kind of performance you can expect from your junior high students.