Middle School Band Clinics

General Information

The program is open for Middle School band students with 1-2 years of experience. Grouped by instrument, they will work with an Okanagan Symphony Orchestra (OSO) professional and Okanagan Symphony Youth Orchestra (OSYO) students in a 75-minute clinic.

The clinic will cover:

• Care of the instrument (proper cleaning, set up, storage)
• Correct embouchure
• Breathing
• Tone quality and colour variation
• Range and tessitura
• Fingerings
• Repertoire
• For basses: the students will spend half their time on electric and half their time on upright where they can try playing with the bow

OSO players will provide some exercises for the students, perform for them and with them so that they hear the sound colour of a professional player. The goal is to have every student get a check-in with an OSO player to ensure that they are set up well without any bad habits. It is also an opportunity for students from different school programs to meet other students – and OSYO players – who share their instrument and to connect with OSO musicians. The ratio will be approximately one professional to fifteen students. Large clinics may be split into beginners and more advanced students.  

Students bring their own lunch and eat it within the clinic groups.

After lunch, the student participants will attend the OSO Open Dress Rehearsal for the performance Kindred Spirits at the Kelowna Community Theatre. It is open to the public and runs from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. Each February, the OSYO performs with the OSO for one piece in a side-by-side experience. This year, the piece is Rossini’s William Tell Overture. It will be rehearsed first as part of the dress rehearsal.

There will be a 20-minute intermission during the rehearsal, which would be a chance for schools to leave. Nevertheless, schools are welcome to stay for the entire Open Dress Rehearsal.