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General Questions about WNY HSMA Q. Can students participate in both choir and orchestra? A. Yes! We highly encourage students to participate in both. The groups rehearse one right after the other so there is no time conflict. There is even a multi-program discount for students enrolled in both groups. See our fee schedule (under the Registration Forms tab) for more details. Q. Is there a minimum age my child needs to be to join? A. We accept school-age children who are able to focus for one hour rehearsals. You know your children the best and we trust that you will know when your child is ready to join us. We have had children as young as 5 years old in our ensembles. Q. Do parents need to stay on site during rehearsals, or are they free to drop their children off and come back to pick them up? A. We encourage parents to join our ensembles along with their children. It is so helpful to have older mentors showing the new beginners how things are done! However, there is no requirement that parents join or stay during full rehearsals. There is a volunteer requirement for each family, but only some of the jobs would require being on site during rehearsals. This year we are hoping to offer babysitting for younger siblings to free up our conductors and parents of young children who would like to participate in ensembles. Q. Are you only opening your group up to Christian home schooled kids? Are you affiliated with any specific church or denomination? A. WNY HSMA is not affiliated with any particular church or denomination, but are grateful to The Tabernacle for offering us rehearsal space. Families are welcome to participate in WNY HSMA regardless of their faith. However, we are an unapologetically Christian organization. We do a short Bible-based character building devotional at each rehearsal, we have a time of prayer for any requests brought up by members of our ensembles, and our music choices include hymn arrangements.
Questions about our Orchestra Program Q. What instruments are included in your orchestra? Are there any not included? A. At this time, we have a full orchestra, meaning that we have traditional orchestral strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion all playing together (like the Buffalo Philharmonic.) Guitar, piano, and drum set are the main instruments that are not a part of our orchestra. Q. Does my child need to have prior experience on an instrument to join? Does my child need to take private lessons? Do you offer private lessons through your organization? A. No! We accept brand new beginners as well as more advanced students. Taking private lessons is encouraged, but not mandatory. We do not offer private instruction through WNY HSMA. Mrs. Haas, our orchestra director, teaches private violin and viola lessons from her home studio in Orchard Park. We are working to compile a list of private instructors in our area whom we could recommend. Q. What genres of music do you play? A. The orchestral repertoire currently includes hymn arrangements and classical music. All students will learn to read written notation as part of their studies. Questions about our Choir Program Q. What kind of music will you be singing? Traditional choral sheet music? Contemporary praise & worship that can be learned by ear? A. We sing using traditional choral sheet music and students are expected to learn to read music. However, many teaching styles are employed when helping students learn their music, and they will often learn by ear first and learn to read the music later. Have a question that hasn't been answered above? Send an e-mail to
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and we will answer you personally. Your question and response may even be posted here to help others!
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