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SKDS Bands

SKDS Bands webpage:
http://www.skdsbands.50webs.com/Index1.html

More about the Bands at SKDS
St. Katharine Drexel School is home to the only middle school band in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Students may participate in the following band options:

Junior Band, 5th Grade
Mezzo Band, 6th Grade
Senior Band, 7th and 8th Grade
Jazz Band, 6th through 8th Grade
Marching Band, 4th through 8th Grade

Band practice takes place three periods per six-day cycle. Students also have one 20 minute lesson per six-day cycle. Jazz Band meets for an hour Tuesdays after school.


What is SmartMusic?
SmartMusic is a computer program that enables kids to practice their instrument with accompaniment. It is so much more than just playing along with a recording, though! Students can choose any song from several different method books, including the ones we use at SKDS. SmartMusic will show the student the notes of the song, and have a green cursor following along in time - no getting lost! Kids can record themselves, save the recordings as .mp3 or .wav files, then e-mail them to friends and relatives or burn a CD. In addition, the program can assess students and show all the correct notes in green and all the wrong ones in red. Students can click on a note to have a picture of the appropriate fingering pop up. A tuner and metronome is also built in.

Smart Music is not inexpensive ($30 for a year subscription; you'll need a microphone but any inexpensive computer microphone will do), but it can be an incredibly useful motivator for many students. We've been using it at school, so SKDS kids should already be familiar with it. Check out their website and see if it's for you!

www.smartmusic.com

 

 

503 South Spring Street  ·   Beaver Dam, Wisconsin  ·   Phone: (920) 885-5558  ·   Fax: (920) 885-7610
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