Starting in Grade 4, all students are given the opportunity to select a musical instrument and join the Beginning Band program. In this graded curriculum, which includes the National Standards for Music Education, students learn how to read music, and also learn the fundamentals of playing an instrument. Students in Grades 5 to 8 who do not have instrumental music experience may also join this course. Beginning Band students have a chance to perform a full-length concert for the entire student body at the end of the school year.
After Beginning Band, SDS students advance to the award-winning SDS Concert Band, where they perform 8 to10 times a year (in chamber, solo or full band groups) at school and community venues. The band curriculum is expanded greatly so that by graduation, students have experience with nine major scales, chromatic scales, advanced lip slurs/arpeggios, number patterns, and complex rhythms and meters. St. Dominic band students are consistently recognized in OMEA solo and chamber ensemble contests and through annual selection to the Ohio Music Education Association District 7 Honors Band.
Students from Kindergarten through Grade 8 may avail of private, on-site piano, voice and instrumental music lessons for reasonable rates both from the band director and the general music instructor. Typically, these lessons are 30 minutes in duration and are held at school during After Care hours or at a time convenient to all.
Beginning in Grade 5, students may try out for St. Dominic Music Ministry, an opportunity to perform both vocally and instrumentally at school masses and prayer services. Students prepare for these liturgical celebrations by rehearsing with the music teacher and parish music director.