Instruction by  Ms Marissa Berthiaume berthiaumem@stratk12.org

The Wooster Middle School Band Program is comprised of three major ensembles, the Advanced Band, the Beginner Band, and the Jazz Ensemble. All ensembles include seventh and eighth graders who are placed according to their ability level and experience.

• WELCOME TO THE WOOSTER MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND

• THE WOOSTER MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND HANDBOOK

The Advanced Band is an award winning group which has performed at the Trills and Thrills festival in South Hadley, MA, and in Meriden, CT., as well as the High Note music festival in CT and MA. They have also performed in and around the Stratford community for various events. Many of the students who are in the Advanced Band have already completed two or three years of study on their instrument at the elementary level, or have studied privately on their instrument. This ensemble performs at the Winter and Spring concerts, the Wooster Middle School open house, and the Bunnell Cavalcade of Bands, and the Memorial Day ceremonies at Academy Hill behind St. James Church. Also, the band performs in and around the community at various functions as needed. Additionally, the Advanced Band performs at various music festivals where they are adjudicated and awarded certificates and trophies according to their level of achievement.

The Beginner Band is an ensemble comprised of seventh and eighth graders who have not yet had the opportunity to study an instrument, or who have switched to a new instrument and want to become proficient on it. During the first year of Beginner Band the students gain the necessary skills to become proficient on their respective instruments. Students can play the flute, oboe, clarinet, alto sax, trumpet, trombone, french horn, bass guitar, or percussion. There is also a limited supply of school instruments for those students who are not able to purchase or rent an instrument on their own.

The Jazz Ensemble is an advanced level, select group of seventh and eighth grade musicians who are admitted into the ensemble on an audition basis. The group has played at many events and functions as well as at all the major festivals that the Advanced Band has performed at. They perform a variety of styles such as rock, latin, bebop, and swing, as well as popular, and holiday classics. They perform for the school, at concerts, and at the Baldwin Center in Stratford every year.