What Bands does Landmark Collegiate Offer?
There are four band ensembles at Landmark Collegiate, the (beginner) Grade 7 Band, Grade 8 Band, Grade 9 Band and the Senior Concert Band, which is an ensemble open to Grade 10-12 students. Each of these levels is an elective full-credit course which meets four times a cycle. The program strives for a high standard of performance and achievement and offers many opportunities for enrichment beyond the basic curricular offering. This includes a Senior Jazz Band, which is an auditioned 1/2 credit course that meets twice a week.
What Instruments are Possible?
At Landmark Collegiate students in Grade 7 begin on flute, clarinet, trumpet, French horn, trombone, euphonium and tuba. The bass clarinet, saxophone (alto and tenor) and percussion are introduced in Grade 8.
Where do I get an Instrument?
There are several options. The major band instrument suppliers in Winnipeg (St John’s Music, Long and McQuade Music and Quest Musique) lease or sell new or used student models at reasonable cost and can repair much of what goes wrong from normal usage during the year. In a lease-to-own plan, equity can be later transferred to a different or higher quality instrument at any time, or you can choose to opt out of the plan altogether.
Another popular choice is to purchase a used instrument privately. If they are in excellent shape, and relatively new, they might cost less than half the price of a new instrument. Avoid getting instruments older than 10 years; they may have technical problems, which might hinder student progress. Also avoid getting instruments from department stores as they are not specialized in making instruments and problems can arise.
Landmark Collegiate also rents a low cost of $170 per year some of the more expensive instruments such as horn, tuba and bass clarinet.