Imagine that your students in beginning band show up on the first day of class with some basic instrumental skills including embouchure, air support, and knowledge of instrument fingerings. You also notice that your beginning band numbers have grown substantially compared to last year. This is not just a fantasy; band directors across the United States are reporting similar experiences within just one year of starting a pre-band program.
What is Pre-Band?
Pre-band is the bridge in instrumental learning between the recorder and beginning band. The core goal of pre-band is to help all students achieve success playing a wind instrument. NUVO pre-band instruments are durable, 100% waterproof (easy to sanitize), and they sound great! Building upon what students have already learned from the recorder in elementary general music classes, a WindStars pre-band program allows students to extend their wind instrument learning and confidence without being overwhelmed by a full-sized instrument.
What are the Benefits of Pre-Band?
The WindStars pre-band program introduces true instrumental skills that will directly transfer when students move on to beginning band. These instrumental skills include embouchure, air support, reading music, and instrument fingerings. There is no transposition required in a WindStars pre-band program. This makes it easier for the educator but also allows for students to try multiple instruments more easily. If students can learn even just a few notes on various pre-band instruments, they will be able to make a much more informed decision about what they want to play in the band.
“Adding a WindStars pre-band allows my students to make a more informed decision about what instrument they want to play in the band. The first day of beginning band is now much easier since students come from pre-band with embouchure and note reading experience.”
“When my students move up to beginning band, they already understand hand placement, posture, fingerings, and even reed care.”
What are the Pre-Band Instruments?
A WindStars 1 pre-band class uses recorder-step up instruments called the Dood and Toot. The Dood uses recorder fingerings but teaches single-reed embouchure with a durable synthetic reed. The Toot teaches flute embouchure through two lip plates; one similar to a recorder to help get a sound right away and a standard flute lip plate they can transition to later.
A WindStars 2 pre-band class contains the jFlute, jSax, Clarinéo, and jHorn. The jFlute has a shortened headjoint and key extenders. The jSax is so light that it does not require a neck strap. The Clarinéo is much lighter than a B-flat clarinet eliminating thumb strain and requires a shorter finger reach. The jHorn has a revolutionary multi-cup mouthpiece system. Students can try high, middle, and low brass cup sizes with a single jHorn instrument.
“When my students move up to beginning band, they already understand hand placement, posture, fingerings, and even reed care.”
What are the Pre-Band Instruments?
A WindStars 1 pre-band class uses recorder-step up instruments called the Dood and Toot. The Dood uses recorder fingerings but teaches single-reed embouchure with a durable synthetic reed. The Toot teaches flute embouchure through two lip plates; one similar to a recorder to help get a sound right away and a standard flute lip plate they can transition to later.
A WindStars 2 pre-band class contains the jFlute, jSax, Clarinéo, and jHorn. The jFlute has a shortened headjoint and key extenders. The jSax is so light that it does not require a neck strap. The Clarinéo is much lighter than a B-flat clarinet eliminating thumb strain and requires a shorter finger reach. The jHorn has a revolutionary multi-cup mouthpiece system. Students can try high, middle, and low brass cup sizes with a single jHorn instrument.
WindStars 1 Class Set
WindStars 2 Class Set
Most educators choose a single WindStars level that they feel comfortable with and that helps them reach their goals most effectively. Both levels of the WindStars pre-band program have a teacher book and student books for each instrument. There is also a WindStars website with additional free resources like backing tracks, practice tracks (backing track with the instrument part), and music PDFs.
Why We Need Pre-Band More Than Ever
Through my own experiences working with pre-band students and talking with other pre-band teachers, I have seen how pre-band can support both educators and students. For students, pre-band instruments help them build confidence playing a wind instrument by alleviating the obstacles of holding a large, heavy instrument. For educators, stress caused by repairs is reduced due to the instrument’s durability. I have witnessed that the majority of students can transfer from their pre-band instrument to a full-sized band instrument in a single lesson.
“I am able to combine different NUVO instruments into one class easily (with no transposition) and work with students together. WindStars is a great program!”
I have worked with hundreds of pre-band teachers across the United States over the past few years, and on average, teachers have reported a 30% growth in their beginning band numbers within just one year of starting a pre-band program. These band directors are also finding that this growth is carrying over to their secondary band program as retention increases. If you are looking to build or rebuild your instrumental program, pre-band could be the perfect recruitment tool for your program.
To learn more about NUVO pre-band products, please visit nuvoinstrumental.com
To learn more about the WindStars program and view additional resources, please visit nuvo-windstars.com
About the Author
BRITTANY BAUMAN is the Music Education Director for Nuvo Instrumental. She is the author of the WindStars pre-band curriculum focused on bridging the gap between recorder and beginning band. As an elementary music educator, Brittany saw the potential for pre-band to extend recorder instruction and inspire student growth. She started a pre-band program and was amazed how quickly her students’ engagement and excitement increased. Fueled by her positive experiences, Brittany now guides new pre-band educators in teacher training workshops. You can also find Brittany presenting at various MEA conferences across the US.
Previously, Brittany taught elementary general music, chorus, and beginning woodwinds in New England for over a decade. Brittany completed her M.M. in Music Education from Kent State University with an emphasis in general and instrumental music. She currently oversees two pre-band programs in her local communities, in partnership with the YMCA, focused on bringing instrumental music to students with limited access.
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