| Marching Band
Jazz Band Wind Ensamble Concert Band Percussion Ensamble Orchestra
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The
Fairborn Instrumental Program
Fairborn, located in northwestern Greene County near Dayton, Ohio, is a suburban community of approximately 31,000 residents. It is the result of the merger between two Fairborn High Schools, Park Hills and Baker. There are five elementary schools and one junior high school which feed into Fairborn High School. The high school has a student body of about 1,556 students in grades 9-12. The Fairborn City School District covers 12 square miles in an area with rural, urban, and suburban development. Instrumental music instruction begins in the sixth grade with three directors covering the five elementary schools. The largest elementary school uses a two member team teaching approach. Sixth grade students meet twice a week for 30 minutes. The success of the Fairborn instrumental program is due to the junior high program. The seventh grade band meets five days a week for 50 minutes. Students are divided into three groups according to instrument: brass, woodwind, or percussion. One day a week the three groups converge as a full band. The eighth grade band has two full band classes and three group rehearsals. Students at the elementary and junior high levels are encouraged to participate in a private lesson program established at Fairborn in 1995, The Progressive Performance Program (PPP). The high school instrumental program has over 260 wind, percussion and string students who participate in Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Orchestra, Jazz Band, Pep Band, and Marching Band. The Skyhawk Marching Band is a co-curricular activity and is mandatory for freshman students and voluntary for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The concert season is the heart of the Fairborn program and is a year-round activity. Students audition and are placed according to their musical maturity. At the high school level, all students are encouraged to take private lessons, and about 90 percent of the Symphonic Band members participate in lessons. The instrumental music department strives for excellence in all areas of its performing ensembles, and stresses the importance of learning and enjoying music as a part of a student s well rounded education. The concert program has a long history of musical excellence. The Symphonic Band consistently receives superior ratings in class A, and AA in O.M.E.A. District Adjudicated Events. This past year, the Band participated at the state O.M.E.A. AE for the first time and received straight superior ratings. The band traveled to Toronto recently and received the highest honor, the Sweepstakes Award in the Heritage Festival event. The band this year will be participating in the Bands of America National Concert Band Festival as the first Ohio band to receive that honor. The Fairborn Band program receives continued support from both the school administration and from an active booster organization. Their efforts are a tremendous asset to the program, and their support is greatly appreciated by both the students and directors. 
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