At what grade does your public school offer instrument lessons?

[princesspumpkin]

I started playing violin in third grade. DD-9's school doesn't offer instrument lessons until fifth grade - and then it's only a few instruments (no strings). Is this common around the country. I grew up in the inner city but now live in the suburbs. If this mostly an inner city thing (maybe it's felt that suburbanites can afford private lessons instead - not my personal opinion - just wondering). Thanks.

 

[merrily]

4th grade here and it is only a few select instruments- trombone, sax, flute, clarinet and trumpet.

 

[mrsmom]

It fifth grade here for violin and all instruments.
Kim

 

[Tigger&Belle]

4th grade here for violin and other instruments--clarinet, flute, trumpet, trombone. They prefer for the kids to wait a year or 2 on the sax because it's such a heavy instrument they don't want them to get turned off to it and they also prefer them to not take drums the first year so they can learn to read music on other instrument.

 

[Caropooh]

6th grade(middle school) here
My DD11 just started clarinet this year and loves it!

 

[Scutapipig]

Tee hee hee....

My two are in the third grade and will be starting the recorder in a few weeks. Does that count?

My husband and I had some really good roll-on-the-floor laughs last year remembering our recorder days.

 

[SleepyMom]

Here it is 4th grade for orchestra and 5th grade for band.

 

[Galahad]

Here it is 4th grade for orchestra and 5th grade for band.

Really shouldn't start a wind instrument before about age 9 or 10(some small percentage of kids will do ok, but statistically, few are physically ready for it before they are big enough so they just get turned off. Strings can start at age 3 if they want). I think our district start both in the 5th grade.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

It's 3rd grade in our district. My 9th grade DD has been playing the violin since the 4th grade. This is her last year, she doesn't like it much anymore.

 

[stacy347]

Wow, I guess we're pretty behind in the instrument dept. They did mention wanting to start earlier in years to come ~ we'll see

In our district they have every 5th grader learn to play the recorder ~ once they get into 6th grade, they can pick band intruments (flute, clarinet, etc.), there are more instrument choices as they go up in grade (7th grade DD gets to play piccolo {sp?} next year and is so excited ~ she plays piano, flute and bassoon currently and 6th grader plays flute as well).

 

[Tracey1974]

When I was in school-

2nd grade for the recorder which was part of music class but I can't remember if we had a concert or not
3rd grade for strings (I started the violin)
4th grade for woodwinds and brass (ditched the violin for clarinet)
Started brass (trumpet, french horn) in high school

I stayed in band until I was a senior- music classes were always my favorite

 

[Stitchfans]

In DDs school they start at 5th grade.

 

[mchames]

In our elementary school it is 3rd grade. Each student has to pick a track for 3rd grade. I believe it is done at the end of 2nd grade for scheduling purposes. The choices are: General Music (chorus & music history), Band or Orchestra. A child can switch from Band or Orchestra to General Music in the 4th or 5th grade, but not the other way around.

DD8 in second grade wants to play violin next year.

Mary

 

[buddy&wooz]

When we moved here 10 years ago the schools didn't offer any musical instruction! I started lobbying for it right away (with other parents), I think it's important.

They started to offer after-school classes (for a fee) in a few instruments with an outside vendor who came in, but they only started offering instruction in school about 3 years ago, and only for grades 4 and up. Only piano and band instruments, no strings.

This year they started a new program in keyboards (the musical, not compututer kind!) for the elementary school kids, the have a room full of them with headphones. Not sure how it works- does the teacher plug in to the keyboards to hear how they're doing? It's on the "specials" cycle, they spend about a quarter of the year with it. At least it's something.

The middle school program is progressing nicely- the band doubled in size since last year and they're looking into starting a jazz band.

 

[jim and meesie]

I started playing violin in third grade. DD-9's school doesn't offer instrument lessons until fifth grade - and then it's only a few instruments (no strings). Is this common around the country. I grew up in the inner city but now live in the suburbs. If this mostly an inner city thing (maybe it's felt that suburbanites can afford private lessons instead - not my personal opinion - just wondering). Thanks.

3rd grade srings, 4th grade band instruments each only one year of lessons, after that if you want to continue they offer a list of private teachers. They do also offer orchestra and band starting in 3rd and 4th grade continuing through HS but lessons are on your own. This is in a suburban Boston town.

 

[Christine]

In my son's private school, they start in 4th grade and it is wind instruments only (no strings). Our public school system (county) starts in 5th grade and the entire county only does strings.

 

[Pam]

4th grade all students play the recorder.

5th grade - instruments - but no strings or piano

 

[laura001]

Grade 6 here, you have a choice of clarinet, flute, sax, trumpet or violin. The parent has to pay a nominal fee of $50.00 and also take the child to a band practise outside of the school one night a week. When my kids started in this program, there was only a small handful of kids that did it.

I remember when I was growing up, we were able to start in grade 4 and we had a huge band program, with the practise inside the school, it was free too! Guess it is just another cut back.

 

[clh2]

In our school district, band starts in 6th grade. There is no orchestra at all in our school district.

 

[TEENEE]

In my area it depends on the school. My ds started taking lesson in 3rd grade. They were offered once or twice a week before and after school. Other elementary schools only offer the recorder starting in 4th grade. In 6th grade they can play any instrument, not sure about strings though.