Hello St. Rose Families,

My name is Preston Weber, and I am very excited to teach Band and Orchestra at St. Rose this year! I am a music teacher in Hill-Murray’s Performing Arts Academy, teaching Band and Orchestra at schools just like Mr. Matchey and our other music teachers. I am currently a band teaching assistant at the University of MN, I taught Band and Orchestra at Hill-Murray for three years, and I perform occasionally on oboe and saxophone. I live in Roseville and am very excited to be a part of the St. Rose community! My picture is at the bottom of this email as well.

It is with joy I write to let you know that Band and Orchestra is being offered this year at St. Rose. The plan is to start with in-person lessons and rehearsals, starting on Monday, September 14, and continuing with in-person lessons at least through September. We have a virtual curriculum ready to go at a moment’s notice if we decide to switch to all-virtual. Safety precautions based on the latest research, including musician-specific studies, will be followed to ensure our students’ and families safety. Below are the precautions we will be taking during in-person band lessons:

• 10 feet minimum spacing for winds

• 6 feet minimum spacing for percussion and strings

• Teacher wears mask + face shield

• All musicians are asked to wear a mask with an opening in it for mouthpiece

• Bell covers for all brass instruments

Our Program at a Glance:

• Tuition for the 2020-21 school year is $525.00/$425.00 (for families on free/reduced lunch)

• 30 minute small-group weekly lesson

• 30 minute full group weekly rehearsal (may be split into two groups for safety if numbers are large enough)

• How to choose an instrument?  If your student doesn’t know what instrument they like the most yet, follow this link to explore and listen to different band/orchestra instruments!

  • Be a Part of the Band/Orchestra Website

• How to get an instrument: We partner with Eckroth Music. Learn more about this here: https://www.eckroth.com/aeRntSchoolSelect.aspx

  • Select Minnesota

  • Select Pioneer Arts Academy as the School District

  • Select your school from the drop down list

If you already know band/orchestra is for you, feel free to REGISTER HERE for Band/Orchestra: https://pioneerartsacademy.epaytrak.com/

• Note: The "Private Lessons" in the link are only if you are interested in extra lessons outside of school during the school year.

If you have any questions you'd like answered, please contact me, Preston Weber at pweber@hill-murray.org. I look forward to hearing from you!