Fine Arts

Students in the Wilson band program advance their music skills, make friends, and become responsible people by practicing, paying attention, attending lessons, and helping each other. Our goal is to be musicians who take pride in what we do and better appreciate music later on in life.

There are six bands at Wilson, two for each grade level. The bands meet twice per week and every other Friday during the school day and are a part of the class schedule. Students will earn a grade on their report card for their participation in band and the band’s performances. In addition, each student will have a small group lesson once a week.

Home practice

All band members should practice regularly at home to ensure progress. It is not possible to perform well with good tone quality, accurate pitches and rhythms, correct articulation, dynamic control, and style without home practice. The greatest benefit of home practice is building self-confidence and gaining pride in one’s performance.

The practice time suggested for all band members is 100 minutes every week (20-30 minutes daily). Practicing all 100 minutes during the weekend may result in sloppy habits and lack of accomplishments.

Quality practice time is much better than quantity of practice time; therefore, the band members will be graded on what is accomplished (performance) not how much they practice.

Performances

Band is a performance activity and students are required to attend the concerts for their respective band. The assessment of a student in a performance-based group is different from that in an academic class. A test in an academic class may be made up at another time. A concert must be performed at the scheduled time.
How do I get an instrument?

Don’t worry if you don’t have a band instrument. Many students rent an instrument from local music stores. We have some instruments available at school for a yearly fee. Ask your family members; maybe someone played an instrument and isn’t using it now. Getting an instrument shouldn’t stop you from trying band if you really want to participate.

A choir is a group of people who sing together, and so much more. It is a team, a family, a support group and an ensemble of singers who share a positive, uplifting, and inspiring message through music.

Choir at Wilson Middle School is a class that meets every other day during the regular school day, and optional after school rehearsals. We work on developing good singing skills, how to read music notation, and sing a wide variety of songs. For those who like to sing and dance, Wilson also has a show choir that rehearses after school.

At Wilson Middle School, there are three levels of orchestra: beginning (sixth grade), intermediate (seventh and eighth grade), and advanced (seventh and eighth grade). Each orchestra meets two to three times each week and all students have a weekly lesson. In the orchestra rehearsals, we work on fundamentals of reading music (a foreign language!), technique (the act of holding and playing the instrument), and ensemble skills (playing as a team).

In lessons, each student gets individualized instruction designed to make continuous progress on their chosen instrument.

We come together to present our learning in concert format. It is time to celebrate the hard work that goes into our learning! There are three concerts each year and other performance opportunities like metro honor orchestra in the Paramount Theater, city music contest (chamber music for a rating), and some ideas currently in development.

Who knows? You may be a future professional musician! At the very least, you will have fun learning and making new friends. All it takes is patience, persistence, and hard work.