Music Courses offered at YHS
*See course descriptions below
Concert Choir, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble,
Jazz Band, String Ensemble, and Marching Band
Concert Choir
This course is open to all voices, no experience necessary. Students will explore a variety of repertoire from different cultures and genres. Students will learn to sing major and minor scales using solfege and to sight-read an appropriate level of repertoire with pitch and rhythmic accuracy. They will develop the skills needed to sing confidently in unison and harmony, by themselves and in an ensemble. They will read, write, and perform musical notation in treble clef. This ensemble is frequently asked to perform at local events, and takes pride in its involvement in the mountain community.
Concert Band
Students in Concert Band will study, practice, and perform a wide variety of musical literature, with an emphasis on developing the musical skills necessary for promotion to Wind Ensemble, including technical facility, mature and expressive musicianship, and advanced aural skills. Students will improve their tone production and musical notation reading skills. All Concert Band musicians are highly encouraged to participate in the Marching Band as well.
Wind Ensemble
The Wind Ensemble is a high-quality performing ensemble intended for thoroughly developed musicians. Students will be accepted and placed in this ensemble by audition only. Musicians in this ensemble will study, practice and perform a wide variety of wind band literature, with an emphasis on a high artistic level of performance. As the flagship group of the YHS Band Program, the Wind Ensemble performs frequently throughout the year at school, community and festival events. All Wind Ensemble musicians are highly encouraged to join the Marching Band as well.
Percussion
This ensemble rehearses and performs a variety of percussion literature. They will prepare music in order to perform as the percussion section for the Concert Band and Wind Ensemble, in addition to learning percussion-specific repertoire. Students will gain experience on all types of percussion instruments, including pitched and unpitched instruments. Students will explore repertoire written for percussion ensemble as well as for drumline. Students will develop technical facility, musical notation reading skills, and rhythmic accuracy. Students in Percussion Ensemble are highly encouraged to join the Marching Band as well.
Jazz Band
Musicians interested in participating in the Jazz Band must be available to rehearse after school on a consistent basis. All students interested in developing skills in the jazz style are welcome to join, no audition necessary. This ensemble will focus on developing existing musicianship as well as introducing or furthering improvisation knowledge and skills. Students will develop their ability to play in the jazz idiom, including swing, “Latin”, fusion, and more. Students in the Jazz Band will study and practice a variety of jazz repertoire and learn about its history and culture. Students enrolled in Jazz Band must also be enrolled in another instrumental ensemble (Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, or Percussion Ensemble). There is a concurrent enrollment requirement.
String Ensemble
This course is open to all students, no experience necessary. Students in String Ensemble will study, practice, and perform a wide variety of musical literature, with an emphasis on developing the musical skills necessary to perform in concerts, including technical facility, mature and expressive musicianship, and intermediate aural skills. Students will develop and improve their tone production, musical notation reading skills, and rhythmic accuracy. Students will explore repertoire selection appropriate for their skill level and the context of their performances. Students will learn how to analyze the quality and effectiveness of their performance.
Marching Band
The YHS marching band is a club designed to reinforce fundamentals of music-making along with the incorporation of physical motion and halftime show design. This band will perform at all home football games and select away games, school and community functions, and other musical opportunities such as Fresno State Band Day. Most events take place in the Fall Semester, with only a few in the Spring Semester. Members of this group attend a three day band camp the week before school starts. Additional rehearsals may be scheduled as needed. Additionally, there is a concurrent enrollment requirement for this class: All marching band students must also be enrolled in another instrumental ensemble (Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, or Percussion Ensemble), unless an exception is made by the director. There is a concurrent enrollment requirement.
