Elementary Band


REGISTRATION TUTORIAL
2025-26 SCHOOL YEAR REGISTRATION OPENS JULY


2025 SUMMER CALNEDAR

2025-26 School year Program details



Locations





East Bay:

Stratford Middle School

43077 Osgood Rd.

Fremont, CA 94539



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



General Info





Starting: Sun, Sep 7th, 2025

Ending: Sat, May 23, 2026

​Year End Concert:

May 23rd, 2026

1:30 PM - 5:00 PM



Requirements:
All students must attend the concert

Student Materials Needed:
-Instrument (+accessories)
-Music Stand
-Standards of Excellence Book 1 & 2
-Tuner
-Metronome (optional)



Beginning





Fremont:

Sundays 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM


San Jose:

Sundays 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM



Requirements:
Grade 4+

Must attend the Summer End Concert on a Sunday evening



Intermediate





Fremont:

Sundays 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM


San Jose:

Sundays 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM



Requirements:
Grade 4+

Must be able to comfortably play page 20 in the Standard of Excellence Book 1

Must also attend the Year End Concert



Advanced





Fremont:

Sundays 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM


San Jose:​

Fall - Please register for Cadet Regiment

Spring = Sundays 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM



Requirements:
Grade 5+

Must be able to comfortably play all of the Standard of Excellence 2 Book

Must also attend the Year End Concert and NCBA Large Group Festival Performance





Sectionals





Sectionals are led by students who specialize in your instrument, providing instrument-specific instruction to help speed up your learning. Sectionals are crucial for student success and are the reason why we've been able to progress 4 times faster than most other programs.



MakeMusic





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



FULL ENSEMBLE CONCERT REHEARSALS





Concert rehearsals allow students to learn how to play and blend with other students in a team environment. By working together, students can perform advanced concert pieces showcased at our year-end concert.



Instruments Offered





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


*TBC provides free rentals for low-income families



Year End Concert





We will have a concert at the end of the year to show off everything that our students have achieved. Last year's concert at San Mateo Performing Arts Center featured over 400 performers and 700 audience members.



Donations




Each year, it costs us over $100,000 to operate our programs for facility rentals, MakeMusic licenses, sheet music, concert hall rentals, staffing, operations, insurance, thank-you gifts for our TAs, and so much more. It is also our core value that music programs be available for all students regardless of their financial status. To that end, we have provided FREE options for all students as well as instrument rentals for low-income families. We ask that families who can support the program with a financial donation please do so, but for those who cannot, parents may instead volunteer their time at TBC events and fundraisers to offset the cost for their child. Families needing additional support should reach out to us for options.


*Siblings receive a 25% discount on the same or lower-level membership

**All contributions are considered donations and are fully tax-deductible

***50% of all corporate matching donations will be counted towards you student





General Member





$0-$499



  • 15 Hours of parent volunteering required
  • Late notice performance addition or drop requires an additional 10 hours of parent volunteering


Bronze Member





$500
/School Year



  • No Volunteer Requirement
  • Late notice performance add and drop requires 5 hours of parent volunteering
  • No penalty for absences
  • Beginning students are guaranteed one of their top 5 instrument choices
  • Recognition on TBC Website
  • 10% Discount on Concert Tickets
  • TBC Baseball Cap




Silver Member





$750
/School Year



  • No Volunteer Requirement
  • No late notice performance add or drop penalty
  • No penalty for absences
  • Beginning students are guaranteed one of their top 3 instrument choices
  • Recognition on TBC Website
  • 15% Discount on Concert Tickets
  • TBC Baseball Cap
  • TBC T-shirt
  • 2 Free concert tickets


Gold Member





$1000
/School Year



  • No Volunteer Requirement
  • No late notice performance add or drop penalty
  • No penalty for absences
  • Beginning students are guaranteed their 1st choice instrument
  • Recognition on TBC Website
  • 20% Discount on Concert Tickets
  • TBC Baseball Cap
  • TBC T-shirt
  • Rotating TBC gift
  • 4 Free concert tickets
  • 5% discount on instrument purchase through TBC


Platinum Member





$1500
/School Year



  • No Volunteer Requirement
  • No late notice performance add or drop penalty
  • No penalty for absences
  • Beginning students are guaranteed their 1st choice instrument
  • Recognition on TBC Website
  • 25% Discount on Concert Tickets
  • TBC Baseball Cap
  • TBC T-shirt
  • Rotating TBC gift
  • 10 Free concert tickets
  • 10% discount on instrument purchase through TBC


Introduction Video



Want to learn what the Hastati Regiment is all about?

Come join our award-winning elementary band program!



About Us





TBC's Hastati Regiment is a beginning level music ensemble for elementary school students entering grade 4 and up. The program's structure is to ensure maximum learning for beginners. Come see why as much as 70% of section leaders at local schools participated in TBC programs!

  • Students will attend sectionals, allowing them to interact with other kids who play the same instrument and learn from a dedicated instrument specialist.
  • Students will also attend a full-ensemble rehearsal to learn teamwork and how to perform with others for our annual concerts.
  • We also provide all students with MakeMusic access, video lessons, music theory quizzes, virtual makeup class, and playing tests all designed to ensure continual learning.

This program is completely FREE for all, but donations are highly encouraged to help us keep this program available. Families who are unable to donate will be asked to volunteer their time instead to help support TBC activities and fundraisers.



2025-26 SCHOOL YEAR
VOLUNTEER INFORMATION


TA REGISTRATION OPENS JULY 15

Starting: Sunday, June 1st, 2025

Ending: Sunday, July 27th, 2025

Locations:

East Bay: Stratford

43077 Osgood Rd,

Fremont, CA 94539

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

South Bay: Stratford Preparatory

3800 Blackford Ave.

San Jose, CA 95117​

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM



CURRENT STAFF



Harrison Cheng

East Bay 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) 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.



Roberto Ruiz


A California native of the San Francisco Bay Area and trumpet player of 20 years, Roberto enjoys playing different styles and genres of music including classical, jazz, salsa, and fusion. In addition to being a trumpet player, Roberto enjoys teaching the youth in all age groups. He is currently a Brass Teaching Artist for the Bay Area Music Project in Alameda where he teaches brass fundamentals and ensembles. Roberto’s musical background includes playing with various orchestras, wind symphonies, jazz ensembles, and Afro-Cuban ensembles in addition to local pit orchestras for theater companies.



Trenton Kozel

South Bay Director


Trenton has been in marching bands and played the trumpet for over 10 years. Originally, Trenton is from Santa Maria, California where he was a part of the Orcutt Academy Spartan Marching Band, being appointed as drum major in his senior year. Currently, he studies music education at San Jose State, marches with the San Jose State Spartan Marching Band, coaches band, and gives private lessons throughout the South Bay area.



STUDENT STAFF



PRISHA PATEL



Executive Director of Elementary Programs



Prisha Patel is a sophomore at American High School. This is their fifth or more year in TBC, and they play oboe. If Prisha won the lottery, she would first set some aside to save for the future. She would invest a portion of the money and use the rest to travel around the world. Prisha's biggest pet peeve is when the internet gets slow right when she starts working on something. Her favorite pasta shape is the twisted shape (fusilli) because that is the pasta shape that used to be served at Sweet Tomatoes before they closed.​



ANNABELL SZE



Deputy Director of Elementary Programs



Annabell Sze is a junior at Mission San Jose High School. This is their second year in TBC, and they play baritone/euphonium. If Annabell were to win the lottery, she’d go on vacation to Hong Kong. With a fortune in her pocket, she’d eat unhealthy amounts of dim sum, egg waffles, and pineapple buns. Annabell’s biggest pet peeve is slow or unstable internet. Should her streaming buffer more than twice, or the loading circle spin for over 20 seconds, she will request access to your hotspot. Conchiglie pasta is Annabell's favorite pasta shape. She says it holds sauce better than the other shapes and never becomes mushy. She likes that it comes in multiple sizes and can be found virtually anywhere.



SWARNA VINAITHEERTHAN



Deputy Director of Elementary Programs (East Bay Int/Adv)



Swarna Vinaitheerthan is a junior at Irvington High School. This is their third year in TBC, and they play flute. If Swarna won the lottery, she would spend it by buying a house on a large plot of land in the countryside and using the rest of the money to buy chickens and cows and pigs and other farm animals. She would also buy seeds to cultivate crops to sell and eat and become a real farmer. Swarna's biggest pet peeve is people who use their pencils to drum on their desks. She finds it very distracting during class, making it difficult to concentrate on her work. Swarna's favorite pasta shape is penne. She thinks penne just tastes better than all the other ones.



ERIC ZHU



Deputy Director of Elementary Programs (Floater)



Eric Zhu is a senior at Mission San Jose High School. This is their second year in TBC, and they play percussion. If he won the lottery, he would spend it on traveling around the world and trying all kinds of food. His biggest pet peeve is receiving negative attitudes when there are still potential solutions to the issues. His favorite pasta shape is fettuccine because it can hold onto rich and creamy sauce, making every bite delicious.



EVAN HONG



Deputy Director of Elementary Programs (South Bay Beg)



Coming Soon!



YOUZE LIN



Deputy Director of Elementary Programs (Beg/Bagpipes)



Youze Lin is a junior at Mission San Jose High School. This is their third year in TBC, and they play baritone saxophone. If Youze won the lottery, he would spend it on paying off his debts and donating the rest to the Ronald McDonald Foundation. Youze's biggest pet peeve is when someone tries to initiate a conversation while he is enjoying food. His favorite pasta shape is the one that makes spaghetti because spaghetti is one of the foods of all time.



NEHA SESHADRI



Chief Administrative Officer



Neha Seshadri is a junior at American High School. This is their fourth year in TBC, and they play clarinet and bass clarinet. If Neha won the lottery, she would spend it on all the overpriced food she wants. For example, she would buy Krispy Kreme donuts and Starbucks coffee. Her biggest pet peeve is when people leave their alarm ringing after they get up. The loud blaring is so annoying! Her favorite pasta shape is the Penne or the Rigatoni shapes. She especially likes to eat them with Alfredo or Carbonara sauce.



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 a complex skill 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 has been shown to correlate with better overall academic performance and higher IQ scores. It 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



  • The 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 a substantial 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 untrained 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 several 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 instruments. 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.