Music Education

St. Johns River City Youth Bands

The St. Johns River City Youth Bands, entering their fourteenth season, provide a wonderful learning experience for the middle and high school age musician. Each school year, students from across the First Coast area are selected by their band directors for the St. Johns River City Youth Bands. The St. Johns River City Youth Band program is free of charge, and no students are ever turned away from the program.

The students of the SJRC Youth Bands are challenged with learning and preparing for performances of the finest band literature available and by rehearsing with their director, mentors from the community, and members of the St. Johns River City Band.  As well as preparing music for concerts, the Youth Band program promotes music fundamentals by having the students take part in master class situations with members of the SJRCB; prepare for All-State, All-District, and Solo and Ensemble; and work in our Sightreading Band – taking advantage of Michael Davis’s book on the fundamentals of sightreading.

The Youth Band season is divided into two sections; Middle School Youth Band from September to June and High School Youth Band from January to June. During the Youth Band season three concerts are presented and a joint trip is taken at the end of the year.

CLICK HERE FOR YOUTH BAND INFORMATION

Duval County School Board Partnership

Over the past seventeen years the St. Johns River City Band, in partnership with the Duval County School Board, has performed in every Duval County Senior High School and has reached over 75,000 students through educational concerts and master classes.  The prevalent theme of the school concerts has been The Music of America, where music from John Phillip Sousa to Duke Ellington is comprehensively explored over years of continuing evolution.  The St. Johns River City Brass Band presents Music for Young People to Elementary School aged children teaching them about the wonders of all types of American Music; while the St. Johns River City Big Band presents Jazz in the Schools to the Middle School aged student educating them on America’s True Art Form. As well as those two programs, small ensembles from the St. Johns River City Band visit various schools throughout the year.

Visit the Duval County School Board's Website at  www.educationcentral.org

St. Johns River City School of Music

The mission of the School of Music is to provide Jacksonville with a high quality, affordable music school that provides personal instruction in a friendly, musically rich environment.  

The purpose of the school is multi-dimensional:

• To facilitate the development of aspiring student musicians
• To foster the understanding and appreciation of quality art music
• To encourage and promote student interest and participation in musical honor activities such as; All-District, All-State, Music Scholarships, the Jacksonville Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the St. Johns River City Honor Bands

The school's calendar year coincides with the school year. Summer programs are be offered and include individual instruction, music camps, music clinics, master classes, ensemble instruction, and artist visits.

In addition to private study, the School of Music offers:

• Opportunities for solo and ensemble performances
• Master classes by area professional musicians and members of the St. Johns River City Band

For more information contact us by phone at 904-355-4700, Opt 2 or email at frances@rivercityband.com