VIDEO: Clarence Elementary Students Pick Musical Instruments

Fourth graders across the Clarence Central School District began their school music careers as they picked the instruments they would try for the next year.

The instrument tryouts came after music staff held assemblies to show different instruments and the sounds they made.

“It’s the best day because they get to be excited,” said elementary band teacher Dana Bennett.

Among the available instruments for students to try are trumpet, trombone, cello, saxophone oboe, violin, French horn, percussion and flute, with students able to try multiple instruments during the initial trial. 

“We want you to be able to see how the instrument feels, and then you can make a choice,” Bennett told one group of students.

Some of the initial work for students was seeing if they could produce sound with their selected instruments, with music staff talking students through the breathing techniques and hand placements necessary to get started.

“Once you get sounds, with a little bit of work, you’ll make songs,” said Thomas Furminger, a fellow elementary band teacher.

The instrument selection process is a starting point for students, with the District offering a wide range of formal and extracurricular music offerings at the elementary, middle and high school level. For more than 10 years in a row, the District has received the Best Communities for Music Education Award from the NAMM Foundation.

More information about the District’s music program can be found at https://www.clarenceschools.org/music.