Arundel High School Music

Philosophy

“Tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.”

The Arundel High School Band Program is dedicated to guiding its students to reach their highest possible level of excellence. The ultimate goal is to instill a life-long appreciation and love for music.
The Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Symphony are the foundation of the band program at Arundel High School. Although we provide many different opportunities for music performance, these ensembles provide the fundamentals of music performance from which the other opportunities stem. Students are required and/or encouraged to participate in several other ensembles and musical venues in order to attain the most rewarding musical experience so that all of the foundational goals for music education are met.

Although performance is a major goal for these courses, it is not the only one. There are standards that are not met through performance. It is our belief that “the process is just as important as the product.” Most musical concepts are taught through the rehearsal of quality literature for performance. Student objectives include listening to, discussing, and writing about music as well as acquiring a basic knowledge of music history and theory.

All students are encouraged to participate in as many musical opportunities as they can both through and outside of Arundel High School. Private lessons are strongly recommended. If a student is interested in continuing with music beyond high school, private lessons and involvement in as many
musical opportunities as possible are essential for success.

Arundel Concert Band is comprised of the younger musicians in the band program and is designed for the development of basic fundamentals, technique, and musicianship skills. Placement within the ensemble is based on audition and director recommendation. Most recently, the Concert Band earned straight Superior ratings at the 2008 and the 2009 FBA District Music Performance Assessment and received straight Superior ratings at the 2009 State MPA - the first time in FBA history that the Otto J. Kraushaar Award was given to a school's 3rd band!