Band Classes

The Discovery Concert Bands are the core of our music curriculum. The Discovery concert bands have a sustained tradition of symphonic excellence. Students performing in the concert bands will have the opportunity to receive a progressive and diverse music education through a sustained participation in the program. 

We currently have 3 ensembles at Discovery High School: Concert Band (Intermediate Band), Symphonic Band (Advanced Band), and Wind Symphony (Mastery Band). Ensemble placements are made based on teacher recommendations, with considerations made for each student's performance level, maturity, responsibility, and rehearsal etiquette.

Access Google Classroom Here: Coming soon!

Welcome to the Discovery Titan Bands. Some students already own their instruments, but some of you may need to rent an instrument from the school. We have a limited amount of instruments and mouthpieces available to rent. The cost to rent a school-owned instrument is $60 per year, or $30 per semester. 

Regarding the least expensive options: Musical instruments and equipment are like anything else: you get what you pay for! The cheapest item you can find on Amazon/Temu/AliExpress/etc. will often be tempting, but please consider WHY they are so inexpensive. These items are made with poor quality materials and will often cost you MORE in the long run because they will break down quickly and you will either be getting repairs done or replacing the instrument. For a list of high-quality, reliable brands, check out the suggested materials below or ask your band director!

Instrument Materials 

Students renting instruments from the school will need their own mouthpiece. We have a limited amount of mouthpieces we can rent out.

Below are links to these products on Amazon, but they can also be bought at any music store around, such as Jackson's Music, Music & Arts, and Music Go Round. Please do not buy other cheap brands or imitations as they can worsen the playing ability of your student or cause health risk due to poor silver plating.

Mouthpieces:

If you own or rent your instrument, below are mouthpiece upgrades that you can buy to make your instrument suitable for the high school band. By having your own mouthpiece, this will allow you to take it home at any time and sanitize it. Updating the mouthpiece can in many ways be more effective than upgrading the instrument itself for just a fraction of the cost.

• Clarinet Mouthpiece: Vandoren CM308 B45 Traditional 

• Bass Clarinet Mouthpiece: Vandoren CM344 B45 

• Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece: Vandoren SM711 AL3

• Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece: Vandoren SM721 TL3 

• Bari Sax Mouthpiece: Vandoren SM731 BL3

• Trumpet mouthpiece: Bach 351 - 5C 

• French Horn mouthpiece: Bach 336 - 12 

• Trombone and Euphonium (No trigger/small shank): Bach 350 - 6 1/2AL (small shank) 

• Trombone and Euphonium mouthpiece: (With trigger/large shank): Bach 341- 6 1/2AL (Large shank) 

• Tuba mouthpiece: Bach 335 - 18 

Reeds: 

Clarinet and saxophone players will need working reeds with their instruments daily. A box of reeds should last about 9 to 18 weeks of playing if properly cared for.

• Clarinet (Recommended strengths are 3 or 3.5) Vandoren CR103 Clarinet

• Bass Clarinet (Recommended strengths are 3 or 3.5) Vandoren CR123 Bass Clarinet

• Alto Saxophone (Recommended strengths are 3 or 3.5) Vandoren SR213 - Vandoren SR213 Alto Sax

• Tenor Saxophone (Recommended strengths are 3 or 3.5) Vandoren SR223 - Vandoren SR223 Tenor Sax

• Bari Saxophone (Recommended strengths are 3 or 3.5) Vandoren SR243 -Vandoren SR243 Bari Sax

Percussion:

Percussionists will need to have sticks and a practice pad for at-home practice. Discovery Percussion students are responsible for having the necessary materials and mallets to be able to play any percussion instrument without having to borrow. If you don't have these exact items, that's fine! You should have the sticks and mallets to fill each "role" in your bag. If you're starting from scratch, consider a bundled set, as they will usually give you pair for each role: sticks, hard mallets, soft mallets, and timpani mallets. Low-quality items will tend to be extremely lightweight, which will cause difficulties for fundamental techniques due to balance issues. Plus, they break easily!

• Bag, Sticks, and Mallet Bundle: Innovative Percussion

• Concert Snare Drum Sticks: Vic Firth SD1

• Marimba Mallets: Vic Firth American Custom Medium

• Xylophone/Bell Mallets: Vic Firth American Custom Poly Ball - Soft

• Timpani Mallets: Innovative Percussion CT3

• Stick/Mallet Bag: Innovative Percussion SB-3

• Practice Pad: Evans Real feel 2-Sided

Instrument Oils and Grease:

Brass and woodwind players will need these in order to keep your instrument lubricated and in working condition. Failure to keeping your instrument lubricated will cause slides, valves, rotors, corks to get stuck and possibly damaged. This will result in having to spend extra money to get the instrument fixed.

• Tuning Slide Grease (All brass instruments) - Amazon Link Click Here

• Valve Oil (Trumpets, Mellophones, Euphoniums, and some Tubas) - Amazon Link Click Here

• Rotor Oil (French Horn and some Tubas)- Amazon Link Click Here

• Slide Oil (Trombones) - Amazon Link Click Here

• Cork Grease (Clarinets and Saxophones) - Amazon Link Click Here