Elementary Band



Student Registration Steps:

  1. Click on the "STUDENT REGISTRATION" button below (Givebutter platform)
  2. Purchase a ticket by clicking on the yellow "Donate & Tickets" button at the top right of Givebutter
  3. Donations (optional)



STUDENT REGISTRATION
SUMMER VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION

2022-2023 Elementary Band Program Features





Instruments Offered:
Bagpipe*
Flute
Oboe
Clarinet
Alto Saxophone
Tenor Saxophone
Trumpet
French Horn
Trombone*
Baritone / Euphonium*
Percussion (Bells & Snare)**

*TBC provides a limited number of free rentals for these instruments, with priority going to low-income families.
**Students must learn both bells and snare



Student Materials Needed:

-Instrument
-Instrument bell cover
-Music Stand
-Standards of Excellence Book 1 & 2
-Tuner (optional)
-Metronome (optional)
-Additional accessories for your instrument



Details:
Starting: Monday, June 5th, 2023
Ending: Wednesday, July 26th, 2023

Times:
Class times vary by group and level, see below for details (All classes held on Sundays).

Costs:
FREE!
Donations are greatly appreciated to help keep music programs in our communities.

Grades:
Open to incoming 4th-8th grade students



2022-2023 Program Levels



Beginning





East Bay: Wednesdays 6:30 - 8:30 PM

South Bay: Mondays and Wednesdays 6:30 - 8:30 PM


Locations:

East Bay: Stratford, 43077 Osgood Rd, Fremont, CA 94539

South Bay: Stratford, 3800 Blackford Ave, San Jose, CA 95117



Requirements:
None
Students who are new to the program may audition for a higher level ensemble.



Intermediate





East Bay: Mondays 6:30 - 8:30 PM

South Bay: Mondays and Wednesdays 6:30 - 8:30 PM

Online: Tuesdays 6:00 - 7:00 PM


Locations:

East Bay: Stratford, 43077 Osgood Rd, Fremont, CA 94539

South Bay: Stratford, 3800 Blackford Ave, San Jose, CA 95117



Requirements:
Must be able to comfortably play Sawmill Creek in Standard Excellence Book 1



Advanced





East Bay: Mondays 6:30 - 8:30 PM

Online: Tuesdays 7:00 - 8:00 PM



Locations:

East Bay: Stratford, 43077 Osgood Rd, Fremont, CA 94539




Requirements:
Must be able to comfortably play Turkish March in the Standards of Excellence Book 2



Introduction Video



Want to learn what the Hastati Regiment is all about?

Come join our award-winning elementary band program!



2022-2023 VOLUNTEER INFORMATION


Register Here

Starting: Monday, June 5th, 2023

Ending: Wednesday, July 26th, 2023


Locations:

East Bay: Stratford, 43077 Osgood Rd,

Fremont, CA 94539


South Bay: Stratford, 3800 Blackford Ave,

San Jose, CA 95117)​



OUR PROCESS





Virtual Sectionals





Sectionals are led by students and teachers who specialize on your instrument, providing instrument specific instruction to help speed up your learning. Sectionals are crucial for student success and is the reason why we've been able to progress 4 times faster than most other programs. Sectionals are held on Sundays and will be VIRTUAL the entire school year.



Smart Music





Smart Music is a state of the art AI tool which uses the computer's microphone to listen to and analyze student performance providing instant feedback. We use Smart Music as a tool to supplement student learning and is the "homework" component of our program with assignments due each week.



FULL ENSEMBLE CONCERT REHEARSALS





We are all looking forward to resume in-person learning this school year after the COVID pandemic. However, unvaccinated students who are blowing air into the room through their instruments is still considered a higher risk activity. These concert rehearsals will be OPTIONAL and will only begin after vaccines are approved for elementary students.



Year End Concert





We will have a concert at the end of the year to show off everything that our students have achieved. The details still need to be finalized, as we need to wait for the state to open back up before facilities are open for booking.



STAFF



Harrison Cheng
Fremont Site Band Director


Harrison has been involved in music education for over 20 years in Fremont. Currently, he is the founder of the Tri-City Band Corps (TBC), and a board member with the Parents of Universal Performers, IHS Vikings Band Boosters, and an instructor at Mission San Jose High School. Harrison has previously been the band director at Gomes, Chadbourne, Mission Valley, and Mission San Jose Elementary.



Ben Wilkinson
San Jose Site Band Director


Ben is currently completing his music teaching degree and credential from San Jose State University.



Kuanhsuan Chen
Summer Band Director


Kuanhsuan Chen is a music teacher with 5 years of experience in Fremont. She currently serves as the Orchestra conductor and musical director at Stratford middle school.



Olivia lan

Director of Elementary Programs



Olivia is a senior at Mission San Jose High School. She has been with TBC for 2 years as a TA and plays flute.



Youda lin

Deputy Director of Elementary Programs

(Fremont Site Director)



Youda Lin is a senior at Mission San Jose High School. This is his second year at TBC, and he plays the clarinet.



Angelica Wang

Deputy Director of Elementary Programs

(Cupertino Site Director)



Angelica is currently a Senior at Monta Vista High School where she is also the drum major for her school marching band. Angelica primarily plays Bari Sax, but also Alto Saxophone, and is also involved in color guard. She has been in TBC for 3 years.



Lavinia Lei

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ELEMENTARY PROGRAMS

(Virtual SITE DIRECTOR)



Lavinia Lei is a Senior at Monta Vista High School. She has been playing flute since 4th grade and has been a part of TBC since her sophomore year.



ABOUT US





TBC is excited to announce its Elementary Band tailored for elementary school students. The program's structure is to ensure maximum participation for beginners.

  • Once a week, students will attend sectionals, allowing them to interact with other kids and ask questions.
  • We provide all students with SmartMusic access, video lessons, music theory quizzes, and playing tests.
  • As a chance for students to get the opportunity to play with larger groups of kids, we will be working towards incorporating in-person full band rehearsals in the foreseeable future, while strictly following COVID health guidelines.

This program is completely FREE for all, but donations are highly encouraged in order to help us keep this program available to students. We hope to see you attend, either as a participant or as a volunteer!​



Advantages of Band



Brain Development



  • Music is an extremely important subject for all students to learn and can lead to better brain development, increases in human connection, and even relief from stress.
  • Learning to play a musical instrument in childhood stimulates cognitive development and leads to enhanced skills in a wide variety of areas and boosts creativity
  • Musically trained students excel in cognitive and executive function skills, like holding multiple ideas in mind at the same time compared to students who are disengaged from bands
  • Music also improves listening skills and children are better at detecting speech sounds so that they can communicate more effectively


Career Development



  • Band training is a great example of how a complex skill is developed through effortful, mindful and informed practice. It helps students adopt a growth mindset and build grit, determination and self-confidence
  • Benefiting from band and taking music lessons, shown to correlate with better overall academic performance and higher IQ scores and improves performance across the board like working memory, vocabulary and acquiring a second language
  • Students have noticed measurable brain benefits from a band program, benefits that extend beyond social and emotional factors


Multi-Tasking



  • Students are generally not very good at multitasking. Our brains aren’t well equipped to focus on many things at once, though our education and success demands it
  • Musicians tend to show better working memory and better performance on tasks of executive function that require rapid shifts of attention
  • Making music is an all-encompassing experience that requires doing many complex tasks at once: listening, imagining, creating, executing complex movements, coordinating many different body parts, and adapting to changing circumstances


Sense of Community



  • Flexibility of group size,, the thrill of performance, the feeling of joint accomplishment, and the acquisition of a skill can be shared with others throughout life
  • Performances provide a space for neighbors to gather and interact, which is becoming increasingly rare
  • Children who participate in music programs have been shown to talk and collaborate more, fostering a sense of community
  • Music programs have an incredibly positive effect on their surrounding communities.


Call to Action



  • Music training enhances brain development and improves everything from language and literacy to reasoning and creativity
  • Music-making increases connectivity in the brain, giving kids an edge when it comes to integrating information and coordinating thinking and behavior
  • Children with music training also gain a boost in working memory and executive function — both of which are necessary for critical thinking, decision-making, and other tasks that require focus


Research Studies



  • In a U.S. study, students who participated in group music were less likely to engage in risky behaviors, particularly related to alcohol use, compared with their un-trained peers. These same students were also more likely to report liking high school, had a higher GPA, and were more likely to be attending college full-time at the right age.
  • In another study, primary school children were exposed to either music training or enhanced natural science lessons. After 18 months, the music students outperformed their science-trained counterparts on measures of working memory. This result included the core cognitive function affecting performance in a number of different domains, from creative writing to math.


Our Mission



Supporting Music Programs



Since 2000, local schools have lost more than 50% of elementary band sections which is now resulting in decreasing enrollment in music programs at the junior high and high schools. A big part of our mission is to build a pipeline for developing musical talent for local schools. We encourage all of our students to take band at their local school through a series of counseling workshops each year. We do our best to maintain the quality and standards our students have come to expect. Additionally, we are providing community service hours for high school students who need these hours to graduate.



Supporting Local Music Stores



Since the beginning TBC has partnered with local music stores to provide instruments to students. We send out flyers on their behalf and encourage all of our students to rent their first instrument, until they decide that they are ready to buy a quality instrument. At the moment, we only provide bagpipe chanters as these are not carried by local music shops. In the future we hope to be able to provide a limited number of free instrument rentals to students from low-income families to allow more students to participate.



Supporting Local Music Teachers



We are growing the number of kids involved in music throughout our community, which has in turn led to a larger number of students seeking professional music instruction. As our teaching program lasts approximately 2 years, we only provide the initial music instruction to get students started on their instrument. We encourage all of our students to seek professional music instruction once they are interested in continuing their instrument. We provide a free listing of local music teachers and send out messages on their behalf to our students. Additionally, we hire local music teachers when possible to provide instruction to our beginning students.