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
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 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.
MakeMusic
MakeMusic 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 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 are able to perform advanced concert pieces showcased at our year-end concert.
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.
*TBC provides free rentals for low-income families
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 are able to support the program with a financial donation to 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 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
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 in order 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.
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.
Trenton Kozel
South Bay Summer 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, and 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 highschool 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
SAMYUKTHA GOPINATH LAKSHMI
DIRECTOR OF ELEMENTARY PROGRAMS
Samyuktha Gopinath Lakshmi is a sophomore at Irvington High School. This is her second year in TBC and she plays percussion. Disneyland is her favorite place to visit because she is a huge fan of Disney and loves to go on rides. If she were a time of day she would be late night. This is the best time of day because she enjoys sleeping and relaxing in her comfy bed. If Samyuktha could be any animal, it would be a wolf. Wolves are playful, caring, and very energetic.
GUHAN GOPINATHAN
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ELEMENTARY PROGRAMS (EAST BAY BEGINNING)
Guhan Gopinathan is a sophomore at Mission San Jose High School. This is his second year in TBC and he plays trombone. His favorite place is Cancun, Mexico because he made many memories there, seeing a new culture and places, enjoying with his family, and eating amazing food. If he were a time of day he would be dawn since it's peaceful, quiet and beautiful. If he could be any animal he'd be a monkey because they're intelligent, great at teamwork, innovation, and are very curious like him.
ARJUN MURUGAPPAN
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ELEMENTARY PROGRAMS (EAST BAY INT/ADV)
Arjun Murugappan is a sophomore at Irvington High School. This is his second year in TBC and he plays the tuba and sousaphone. His favorite place is not one, but many of the hiking trails in the Santa Cruz Mountains, because he loves hiking. He usually visits these trails when he is either backpacking with his Boy Scout troop or hiking with this family on the weekends. If he was a time of the day, then he would be early morning (5-7 am). it's the best part of the day because he is very calm during this time and isn't bothered by anyone. At this time, he usually goes out for a jog or catches up on schoolwork. If he could be any animal, he would be a cheetah. Cheetahs are the fastest land animals on Earth, and he wishes that he could be as fast as them
OSCAR WANG
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ELEMENTARY PROGRAMS (SOUTH BAY)
Oscar Wang is a senior at Monta Vista High School. This is his first year in TBC and he plays the alto and baritone Saxophone. His favorite place to visit's Yosemite because it's a great hiking spot both in the summer and winter. If I were a time of day I would be the afternoon. The afternoon is when school is almost over and he will be home soon. If he could be an animal, he would be a bird. He loves traveling and being a bird would make such travel much easier.
SANDRA HSIEH
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ELEMENTARY PROGRAMS (VIRTUAL)
Sandra Hsieh is a senior at Misson San Jose High School. This is her second year in TBC and she plays the trumpet. Her favorite place is Taiwan, because all of her relatives live there and she goes every summer. In the summer, she loves sitting indoors with the aircon on full blast, going to the markets with her mom, and eating all of the good street food. She particularly likes riding the train to Taipei and shopping at the large malls they have in the city. If she were a time of day she would be dawn. It's the time of day when she can sit in silence to mentally prepare herself for the day's activities while watching the sunrise and the sky change colors. It's also the time when she feels most refreshed, like the crisp air at dawn. If she could be any animal, she would be a capybara. She would love to sit all day in a hot spring and be able to balance oranges on top of her head. Capybaras are also good swimmers and are brave, which Sandra admires. She hopes she can be able to interact with them more in the future.
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 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.