2024-2025 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: Sunday, September 8th, 2024

Ending: Saturday May 24th, 2025


Year End Concert:

May 24th, 2025

San Mateo Performing Arts Center

1:00 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+



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 Sawmill Creek on Pg 20 in Standards of Excellence Book 1



Advanced





Fremont:

Sundays 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM


San Jose:​

Please register for Cadet Regiment



Requirements:
Grade 5+

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

Must also attend the Spring Concert Festival on a Saturday morning





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, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Baritone / Euphonium, 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





General Member





$0-$499



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


Bronze Member





$500
/School Year



  • No Volunteer Requirement
  • Late notice performance 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 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 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 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 is excited to announce its Beginning Band tailored for elementary school students. The program's structure is to ensure maximum learning for beginners.

  • Once a week, students will attend sectionals, allowing them to interact with other kids and ask questions.
  • Students will also attend a full-ensemble rehearsal to prepare for our annual concerts.
  • We provide all students with MakeMusic access, video lessons, music theory quizzes, and playing tests.

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.



2024-2025
VOLUNTEER INFORMATION


Coming Soon!

Starting: Sunday, September 1, 2024

Ending: Saturday, May 24th, 2025


Locations:

East Bay: Stratford

43077 Osgood Rd,

Fremont, CA 94539


South Bay: Stratford Preparatory

3800 Blackford Ave.

San Jose, CA 95117

​



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.



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.



Alejandro Gallo

South Bay Instructor


Alejandro Gallo is a current student of San Jose State University majoring in Music Education (instrumental emphasis) and now entering his fourth year. His journey started in high school where he first picked up the Tuba and fell in love with music. He has since had the great opportunity to explore his comfortability with other instruments and perform with groups such as S.F Nova Allianca (2016-2021) a local Portuguese band, and the Santa Clara Vanguard cadets (19' 20' 22') where he was taught to value self-discipline and hard work. He has also had the opportunity to tutor high school students and works very well with taking a relatable and understanding approach.



STUDENT STAFF



ANYA FARIA



Executive Director of Elementary Programs



Anya Faria is a senior at Mission San Jose High School. This is their third year at TBC, and they play the flute. If Anya won the lottery, she would travel the world, experience different cultures, and would love trying all kinds of foods. She’d also do exciting things she's never done before, like skydiving and scuba diving, going on new adventures and making unforgettable memories. Anya’s biggest pet peeve is when people are always late. It’s annoying when she makes plans and people don’t show up when they said they would, messing up her schedule and making her feel unimportant. She believes being late isn’t just inconvenient; it’s also disrespectful and shows you can’t be relied on. Anya loves all pasta shapes– she thinks fusilli has a cool twist, farfalle looks pretty, and rotini's ridges are neat. Anya enjoys every pasta shape because they each make meals exciting and delicious.



ARJUN MURUGAPPAN



Deputy Director of Elementary Programs



Arjun Murugappan is a junior. This is their third year at TBC, and they play the Sousaphone. He would give his lottery winnings to charities, because there are probably people who are in more need of the money than he is. His biggest pet peeve is when someone talks too much, because he finds people who do to be annoying sometimes. His favorite pasta shape is fettuccine, because he likes fettuccine Alfredo, and thinks it is a unique shape.



ANYA CHOPRA



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



Anya Chopra is a senior at Mission San Jose High School. This is their third year in TBC, and they play flute. If Anya won the lottery she would spend it on K-Pop merchandise and food. She would buy as many K-Pop albums and light sticks as she could. She would also go out and eat at many different fancy restaurants. Her biggest pet peeve is people that walk slowly. She is someone that tends to walk really quickly and doesn’t like to slow her pace. Her favorite pasta shape is bow tie. She likes bow tie pasta because it is easy to chew and looks nice.



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.



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.