Question to all the parents of musical kids in high school. I am wondering what grade level music your orchestras and bands play, particularly your highest level orchestras and bands (just within your school so not including all-district or all-county or all-state).

In DS' and DD's public high school, the highest level is GT Band and GT Orchestra, which play Grade 5 and Grade 6 level music, which is a huge jump from their middle school classes. Of course, very few freshmen (even including most who are playing less competitive instruments) end up in the GT ensembles.

Grade 6 sounds reasonable. As a former first violin, the music I played was probably grade 6 level around (scholastic) grade 9/10, and approached grade 8/9 conservatory level by end of high school. My seatmate was first chair, and she was far more proficient than me, maxing out conservatory grades.

If the students are able to play as a small ensemble for a few hours a week in class, it's entirely reasonable to achieve 2-3 conservatory levels in a scholastic year. An hour or two a day of solo practice will get you there, too.

My son is 8 th grade at an arts school (6-12 grades). He has been playing since 6th grade. He is playing grade 4 and grade 5 music. I don't know the highest level yet but I would assume at an arts school they can get pretty high. I guess I'll know more about that next year.

DD is in 8th grade and played grade 4 music last year in band (highest level band at her middle school). Her band teacher will often say that they play "high school level" music?

At the high school, I've noticed that it varies year to year, possibly based on the ability level of the students who make it into wind ensemble in any given. In the typical years, they play level 4 pieces, i.e. Kahn (I swear my kids have to play it every second semester), with a a couple "reach" pieces that are level 5-6, i.e. Angels in the Architecture, Russian Christmas Music. Often the latter get thrown out there, my kids all excited to play something more interesting and then the director decides not to play it at the concert/festival because it is not ready. They tend to play higher level stuff at their extra curricular band.

Our (public school) band department publishes details/expectations for the various bands.

Freshman Band is 3-3.5 (open to anyone)
Symphonic Band is 4 (open to anyone)
Wind Ensemble is 5-6 (audition required, private lessons recommended)

There's an invitation-only extra-curricular group also, not published, but I assume at the higher end.

I have no idea what grade our H.S. Band played. We have 4 different bands. (concert, symphonic, wind ensemble, and wind symphony) The wind symphony which my son was in last year plays music often performed by university bands. The director never talked about the Music level. I could probably dig up the name of some pieces. The lowest level band will take beginners although most students have played an instrument for a few years by that time. Band director places a student in by audition and every year a few freshman get into the top level band, but mostly the concert band is freshman/sophomores. And wind symphony mostly seniors.

DD's school has 4 orchestras. Freshme do get into the top level one. They play what you normally expect from a decent community orchestra.

They are not exactly up to a professional standard but I still enjoy attending their concerts.

I don't think our school band or orchestra plays above grade 6 - it may be partly that publishers (at least the American ones that I have seen) of band and orchestra arrangements don't sell stuff above grade 6. On the other hand, some publishers use grades 1,2,3,4,5,P rather than grades 1,2,3,4,5,6. I do know what you are referring to though as I have seen solos and competition/certification music rated higher.

Grade 5 is very advanced for middle school, especially since this is only his 3rd year!

I think that high schools do play a lot of grade 4 music, at least according to some of the publishers. DS/DD probably did mostly grade 2 and grade 3 music in middle school although I do remember at least one grade 4 piece for honor orchestra (club) from 6th grade.

That was what I observed in DS/DD's middle school. It seems that the talent pool varies from year to year so that some years there may be more difficult music than others. At other times, the director simply told certain students to refrain from playing a piece or certain sections from a piece.

Our high school has three levels of band and two levels of orchestra although there is more overlap of parts of the ranges.

That makes sense. Publishers generally uses grades 1 through 6. If I am remembering correctly, one publisher lists grade 5 as advanced high schools, small colleges and all universities and grade 6 as top high schools and large universities.

In prior years, freshmen were not allowed into the top band/orchestra. I am not sure how a decent community orchestra would compare to high school or college . . . Would they be better or worse?

Let me amend that I asked the band director what level music I should be buying for My DS for individual work (solo and ensemble adjudication as well as for fun) 4 and 5 was for him alone. I bet his band is 3.and a few 4 pieces for challenge.

I bet when he auditions for high school he won't be in the lowest group. He is probably a bit ahead of some of the other but as a whole their school is advanced. It is by audition (although you don't have to be playing in 5th grade) and they have a 20% population of gifted kids (which is high for here).

I think the highest level orchestra unofficially reserves the CM and associate CM chairs for seniors and juniors but all other spots are assigned based on audition held twice a year. Given how much traveling they do, I think it is a bit cruel to demote older players to a lower level orchestra when accomplished freshmen enter the scene but that is how they do it.

I don't think they are anywhere close to a good college orchestra that is only open to music majors.

It is still advanced for a 3rd year student for solo & ensemble purposes. Of course, it is less unusual than for a whole middle school band/orchestra to tackle level 5.

It seems a bit cruel but it is probably meant to keep those upperclassmen on their toes. I think sometimes students back-slide after freshmen year.

I think it is because they are on block schedule. Four classes A/B alternating days. The 6th grade band has band for a two period block every day. They have adjunct professors who come and work with entire sections as well as private lessons. I think they accomplish a ton that first year.

Then in seventh and eighth grade you have a block of band one day alternating with a block of either jazz band or a block of symphony orchestra. My son is in the symphony orchestra.

Just back from middle school first band concert of the year. 6th graders were all playing grade 1 stuff. Concert band is made up of 7th and 8th graders and some years one or two sixth graders. Concert band played four songs and I looked them up. The publisher didn’t list a grade on them but at the bottom listed what lists they appear on. Three of them were listed by some states as level 2 and some states as level 3 (so maybe a 2.5? And the fourth piece was listed as a level 3. I think by the end of the year they will be strongly in all level 3s like they were last year with a few level 4s. They work on Some pieces that don’t make the cut for performances but stretch the kids

That is a huge commitment to music so no wonder they are able to make such progress! DS/DD's middle school had about 4 hours a week before they changed to A/B/C/D schedule and got only about 2 hours a week although Honior Band/Orchestra (clubs) added another hour a week.

Yes..I mentioned before that DD's middle school band routinely plays level 4 music, but maybe I should say that she has band class every day and her level of band also has extra morning practice for 1 hour every week. They also have local university students come in and give group lessons to each section. They take band seriously at her school, and a lot are accepted to all county. This is also DD's third year.

Well it is an arts school. So I guess they should be. I didn’t mention that before? It was by audition but you didn’t have to be playing in 5th grade. He played a couple of pieces on the recorder and they had other activities to test your musicality and potential. But other kids are already playing an instrument and they audition on that. You can audition on the piano or guitar but you get another instrument if you go.

That is a big commitment to band time-wise Having group lessons regularly would make a huge difference as well especially if a significant number of the students do not take private music lessons. Most (almost all?) of the students in GT Band and GT Orchestra take private lessons.

Interestingly, at one of the magnet middle schools to which DS/DD applied, a number of the students who went through the instrumental music magnet did not choose to continue playing in high school. DS/DD had applied to a different magnet program at that school but had a number of friends in the instrumental music magnet. It may be in part because the standards weren't very high and people audition mostly to get out of the neighborhood middle school.