Specials » Instrumental Music
Instrumental Music
Welcome from Mrs. Jorgensen
Welcome to Instrumental Music at Trinity, led by Mrs. Kris Jorgensen! We have a dedicated group of band students who are very excited to be making music and work hard. This year almost 100% of students in grades four through six play an instrument, Typically over 50% in grades five and six participate at a more dedicated level in performances around Oswego, in festivals, and many take additional private lessons.
Band begins in fourth grade, after learning a bit about the different instruments and getting advice from the older students in the spring of third grade and trying out each instrument in the fall.
Fourth grade students have one shared lesson twenty-minute lesson per week; fifth and sixth graders have a shared fifteen-minute individual lesson per week. Full band rehearsals are forty minutes long weekly. Fourth graders begin full band in the late winter, and a combined fifth and sixth band rehearses the entire school year. Advanced students perform chamber music, such as duets and trios.
Students are required to practice a minimum of 75 minutes weekly and bring their instrument and music for every lesson and rehearsal. We have various practice incentives, from drawings for dress-down passes to (really good!) candy to a fast-food lunch delivered to school. There are also punishments . . . each student has one free “pass” of forgetting per fall or spring. Two phone calls are available in the fall and spring for parent deliveries; beyond that is an unexcused absence.
Becoming musically literate is a main focus of the program. Students learn to read notes and rhythms fluently, with a goal of being able to read any piece of music without having to hear it. In rehearsals, I emphasize that students come to rehearsal being able to play their part independently so that we may focus on making music as a group. I expect the best from each student, resulting in performances they are very proud of! Students have the option of earning Honors at various levels by demonstrating their abilities through book progress, rhythmic understanding, sight-reading and scales.
Additional information is available on this website, including lesson schedules, Honors requirements, copies of letters sent home and permission slips.
Family members are welcome to contact me at any time with questions or concerns. The easiest way to reach me is by email at Kristen.jorgensen@oswego.edu.
All students are encouraged to challenge themselves, explore their strength and develop lifelong skills for the enjoyment and participation in the making of music.
Band students at Trinity are always working hard, and the first week of May was an extra-special week! Nine of our students performed for the New York State School Music Association’s (NYSSMA) Solofest on May 7. They worked hard for months to perfect a challenging piece of music and learn scales to play for a judge and earn a rating and medal. This is quite a big deal, and they deserve congratulations and recognition!
OUTSTANDING
Elizabeth Martin
Allison Pasco
Philip Cummings
Ronald McKinstry
Mark Schuffenecker
EXCELLENT
Tanner Coleman
Kristen Skinner
Danica Aquitania
Nikita Sharkey
Part of our preparation process is to perform within the community, both as community service and to learn to deal with nervousness. This year, on Tuesday May 3, we played at Bishops Cummings assisted living home and at the meeting of the Noontime Rotary Club at Patz on the River, both to rave reviews! We had a great time and really enjoyed all of the sugary treats both places shared with us!
