The Laing Middle School Band Program 2705 Bulrush Bask et Lane Mount Pleasan t, SC 29466 [email protected]
Dear Futur e Laing Studen ts and P arents:
Gree ngs fr om Laing Middle School of Science and T echnology! My name is Nick Na fplio s and I am one of the band dir ectors a t Laing Middle School along with Mr . Adam V ernon-Young. W e w ould lik e t o per sonally e xtend an in vita on t o y our s tudent t o join our a ward-winning pr ogram ne xt y ear. In addi on t o learning ho w t o pla y a musical ins trument, the y will also be part of one of the bes t bands in the s tate of South Car olina.
If y ou ar e in terested in joining the band pr ogram a t Laing and ha ve not done so , then it is not t oo la te! Enclosed with this le er is a br ochure tha t will pr ovide y ou with in forma on about our pr ogram, some of our accomplishments, and ho w t o r egister t o be a part of the Laing Band.
If y ou alr eady ha ve joined the Laing Band pr ogram, then y ou will be g e ng mor e in forma on on upc oming dates and pr ocedures this summer . Y ou c an also c all the school or visit the fr ont office and the y c an mak e sur e that y ou ar e signed up!
Covid-19 Consider a ons - Obviously the end of this school y ear is not wr apping up ho w an yone c ould ha ve predicted. Normally righ t no w w e w ould be sending y ou in forma on about our Spring Ins trument Placemen t Night, and b y the end of the school y ear y ou w ould ha ve a f air amoun t of cert ainty about which ins trument your child w ould be pla ying ne xt y ear. Limit a ons c aused b y social dis tancing measur es, and b y the decision t o keep classes fully online thr ough the end of the y ear, ar e making us t ackle this normally f airly s traigh orward process in a mor e cr ea ve w ay. W e ar e c on nuing t o e xplore op ons, but lik ely w e will be c onduc ng our instrument selec on pr ocess a er the s tart of school in the f all. W e ar e c ommi ed t o pr oviding the bes t musical e xperience w e c an, and will do e verything possible t o see t o our s tudents success, despit e the adv erse circumstances.
We hope tha t y ou decide t o join us this y ear in learning a skill tha t will las t a lif e me! Belo w ar e the ans wers t o some fr equently ask ed ques ons tha t man y par ents and s tudents ha ve about joining the band. Please f eel fr ee to email me or Mr . V ernon-Young, or c all the fr ont office with an y ques ons tha t y ou ma y ha ve. If y ou decide t o join, then w e will look f orward t o seeing y ou on y our fir st da y of being part of a tr adi on of e xcellence and music her e a t Laing!
Musically Y ours,
Nick Na fplio s Adam V ernon-Young Director of Bands Assis tant Dir ector of Bands
Media Link s
2020 Laing Band T easer: h ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4guD_DWMDr4
Laing Band Pr omo onal: h ps://youtu.be/0qIbp3qC0Mo
Laing Band W ebsite: h ps://laingmsband.membershiptoolkit.com/home
Laing Band F acebook P age: h ps://www.facebook.com/Laing-Middle-School-Band-Program-106222824406687/
Laing Band Interest Form: h ps://forms.gle/1dAzkS9pwMAMUWYz6
Frequently Ask ed Ques ons
What ins truments ar e in the Band?
Anything tha t y ou ha ve t o blo w air in to (also kno wn as ‘wind ins truments’) such as the flut e, trumpe t, fr ench horn, e tc. as w ell as per cussion. P ercussion c onsists of mor e than jus t drums; y ou mus t also learn ho w t o pla y a variety of diff erent ins truments including the mpani, chimes, and xylophone (which is laid out jus t lik e a piano).
When does the Band r ehearse?
The band mee ts e very school da y during one of the s tudents’ e xploratory periods.
I ha ve ne ver pla yed an ins trument be fore or r ead music. Will I s ll be able t o join Band?
Definitely! In f act, I had ne ver pla yed an ins trument (or r ead music) either be fore I joined band in 6 t h gr ade. B y the me I gr aduated high school, I had r eceived a c ollege scholar ship f or it. Mos t s tudents en tering the band program in the 6 t h gr ade s tart a t the gr ound le vel with no e xperience, so tha t is wher e w e s tart with e veryone. If y ou c an alr eady r ead music or pla y an ins trument, then y ou will jus t ha ve a li le bit of a head s tart.
I pla y sports and/ or do other a er school ac vi es. Can I s ll par cipa te in Band?
When I w as in middle school, m y dad w as also the head c oach of m y bask etball t eam. Tha t’s one of man y reasons tha t w e do e verything w e c an t o mak e sur e s tudents ar e able t o par cipa te in band along with other a er school ac vi es and sports. W e ar e v ery fle xible with the scheduling of a er school ac vi es as long as the s tudents and their par ents ar e willing t o w ork with us.
Middle school is not a me t o pick a major . It is a me f or s tudents t o e xperience and learn diff erent skills, lessons, and hobbies in a v ariety of se ngs. While w e do ha ve high e xpecta ons of our band member s, w e also w ant them t o be w ell r ounded s tudents and individuals.
Fortunately in 6 t h gr ade band, ther e ar e not man y things y ou w ould need t o w orry about as f ar as a er school rehearsals and c ommitments ar e c oncerned (e xcept f or pr ac cing, of c ourse). W e ha ve a f ew da ys a t the beginning of the y ear when w e mee t a er school t o help us g et s tarted, as w ell as 2-3 a er school r ehearsals before our win ter and spring c oncerts.
Can I s ll do Band if I am in or chestra or chorus?
Absolutely! Studen ts w ould be in band during one r elated arts class period and chorus or or chestra during the other.
How long will it be be fore I c an pla y m y ins trument?
If y ou w ere lik e me gr owing up, y ou w ould ask y our par ents t o measur e ho w t all y ou w ere and mark it on the wall. I c ould ne ver actually see fr om da y t o da y tha t I w as gr owing, but e very f ew mon ths or y ears, the mark s would r eveal tha t I’ d gr own a f ew inches.
Learning t o pla y an ins trument in the band pr ogram is v ery similar , only the r esults ar e e ven mor e as tounding. On the fir st da y tha t w e all pla y our ins truments t ogether, it ’s g oing t o sound v ery…interes ng ☺ . Ov er the ne xt three mon ths, ho wever, w e will gr adually learn mor e and mor e about ho w t o mak e a g ood sound, r eading rhythms, and pla ying t ogether as a gr oup. B y Win ter Br eak, y ou will ha ve pla yed a c oncert with r ecognizable music—and y ou will sound gr eat doing it!
Do y ou g o on an y trip s during the y ear?
Yes, w e t ake a trip t o Car owinds in the spring. W e pla y a t their annual music f es val and find some me t o g o on the rides, t oo ☺ . Our 7th and 8th gr aders t ake an annual trip t o either Disne y W orld or Univ ersal Studios in Orlando, FL.
How will I kno w wha t ins trument I will pla y?
We w ould normally ha ve a spring Ins trument T es ng Nigh t in la te Ma y f ollowed b y a f all Ins trument T es ng Night in Augus t or early Sep tember. Since our spring t es ng da te ob viously c an’t t ake place as scheduled, w e will r oll it in to the one a t the beginning of ne xt school y ear.
During tha t e vent, pr ofessional musicians will c ome t o Laing and “t est” s tudents on each ins trument tha t w e offer.
From ther e, w e look a t ins truments on which w e think y ou w ould be highly success ful, ,and tha t y ou w ould enjoy pla ying. F or e xample, if y ou t ested incr edibly w ell on tr ombone, but the though t of pla ying tr ombone is completely unappealing t o y ou, then w e w on’t mak e y ou pla y it. On the other hand, if y ou alw ays w anted t o play the flut e, but the t ester de termines tha t y ou w ould ha ve a v ery difficult me learning it, then w e will look for some thing else tha t w orks f or y ou.
This e vent will be f ollowed a f ew da ys la ter b y Fir st St eps Da y, an e vent wher e pr ofessional musicians giv e an introduc on t o each sec on on ho w t o s tart pla ying (and pr operly c aring f or) y our ins trument.
Speaking of ins truments, ho w will I g et one?
We ar e partner ed with Music and Arts, which giv es a disc ount on mos t ins truments t o beginning band students. W e also ha ve ins truments tha t c an be r ented fr om the school.
How much is all this g oing t o c ost?
Prices of ins truments and wher e y ou r ent y our ins trument fr om depends on wha t y ou pla y, but e xpenses ar e something w e c an alw ays be fle xible about if a s tudent w ants t o be a part of the Band. If the y r ent an instrument fr om the school, w e c an o en w aive the f ee.
Students will also need t o buy 2 book s (usually $8-$12 each) and supplies f or their ins trument such as r eeds, valve oil, e tc. Once ag ain, these ar e mor e o en than not things w e c an w ork ar ound if a f amily is not in a financial posi on t o a fford an ins trument on their o wn.
We also ha ve a band f ee of $180 tha t c overs c osts tha t the c ounty does not pa y f or such as music, clinicians, fes val f ees, unif orms, e tc. This is due in ins tallments and c an also be off set b y fundr aising and scholar ships f or students whose f amilies ar e in financial need. Tha t f ee c an also be r educed or w aived if needed.
A s tudent will ne ver be denied the opportunity t o be in Band due t o financ es. I migh t not do band this y ear. Can I sign up in 7 t h or 8 t h gr ade?
In mos t c ases, the ans wer is no. Band is a v ery sequen ally s tructured class; things tha t ar e learned in 6 th gr ade are built upon in 7 t h gr ade and 8 t h gr ade. If y ou w ant t o join the band pr ogram, this is the y ear t o s tart and see if y ou lik e it.
I s ll ha ve some ques ons. Wher e c an I g et mor e in forma on?
If y ou ar e s ll unsur e about joining and w ant mor e in forma on, y ou ma y c ontact the band a t [email protected].
I am c onvinced! I w ant t o join one of the bes t middle school band pr ograms in South Car olina. Ho w do I sign up?
You c an c all the Laing fr ont office a t 843-849-2809 or fill out the in terest f orm a ached belo w!
Laing Band Interest Form: h ps://forms.gle/1dAzkS9pwMAMUWYz6
Meet the Dir ectors
Nick Na fplio s - Direct or of Bands Nick Nafplio s has been the band director at Laing Middle School of Science and Technology. This is his 15th year teaching, all of them with the Laing Band Program. Under Mr. Nafplio s' direc on, the Laing Band has consistently received superior ra ngs at State Concert Fes val while also placing a large number of students into the All-Region and All-State honor bands.
Nick is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, where he received his Bachelor of Music Educa on Degree in 2003 (while also becoming a devout fan of the Kentucky Wildcats basketball and football teams). He studied trombone under Dale Warren while also being an ac ve member in many of the performing ensembles, including the Symphonic Band and Orchestra.
Nick Nafplio s is a member of the South Carolina Band Directors Associa on, the Na onal Associa on of Music Educators, and an alumnus of Phi Mu Alpha music fraternity. He currently resides in Mount Pleasant with his two dogs, Benjamin and Half Pint.
Adam V ernon-Young - Assis tant Direct or of Bands Adam Vernon-Young is beginning his second year as the Assistant Director of Bands at the Laing Middle School of Science and Technology. Addi onally, Mr. Vernon-Young (Mr. V) also serves as an Assistant Director of Bands at Thomas C. Cario Middle School. Mr. Vernon-Young recently received his Master of Arts in Teaching degree from the University of South Carolina, where he also previously received his Bachelors in Music Theory, as well as an Undergraduate Performance Cer ficate in Bass Trombone.
During his me at Carolina, Mr. Vernon-Young accumulated numerous performance and teaching credits, including playing with the USC Wind Ensemble, conduc ng one of the University Bands, and serving as a Graduate Assistant for two seasons with the University’s Marching Band. Other performance credits include being a finalist at the American Trombone Workshop Na onal Solo Compe on, and two years marching with the World Class Drum and Bugle Corps, Carolina Crown.
Mr. Vernon-Young is a regular instructor, consultant, and guest conductor with various groups across the Southeast, working with high school marching and concert programs, as well as University ensembles. Addi onally, he has spent the past two years on the brass staff with the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps from Lacrosse, WI. He is also an avid arranger and composer, and writes for numerous compe ve high school groups, as well as for the University of South Carolina’s own "Mighty Sound of the Southeast." His professional affilia ons include the Na onal Associa on for Music Educa on, and both alumni and honorary membership in the Kappa Kappa Psi, Na onal Honorary Band Fraternity.
Mr. Vernon-Young was fortunate to spend his teaching internship at Cario Middle School and Wando High School in the Spring of 2019. He is very excited to return to the Charleston County School District, and is very happy to be working with the fine students of both Laing and Cario in a more extended capacity.