The Fair Lawn High School Instrumental Music Program is one of the finest of its kind, offering students a variety of opportunities to study and perform music.

Our ensembles strive to improve the individual performance and ensemble skills of its members; introduce exciting new literature to our student performers and audiences; act as goodwill ambassadors at the local, state, and national levels; strengthen the intellectual, aesthetic and social skills of its members; and teach important life skills, develop strong leaders and productive members of society.

Studies have shown that high school students who participate in instrumental music scored significantly higher than their non-band peers on standardized tests. Music covers a broad range of disciplines including science, math, foreign language, history, and physical education.

SYMPHONIC BAND offers students a study of quality literature from traditional and contemporary composers as well as important compositions and arrangements from popular sources. Students will gain an understanding of intermediate training in musicianship, efficient and effective practice techniques and excellent ensemble performance standards. The Symphonic Band is comprised of woodwind, brass and percussion instruments.

The Symphonic Band has a minimum of four public performances each year including the Winter and Spring concerts, at graduation, and at our middle schools. Every other year, Symphonic Band students have the opportunity to travel to Florida to perform in Walt Disney World.  

WIND ENSEMBLE offers students the greatest challenges both musically and technically. Students learn the skills necessary to make the transition to college level music an exciting and enjoyable one through instruction in advanced technical skill with important aesthetic listening training. The repertoire that the Wind Ensemble performs is considered some of the most important standard pieces of literature with exploration of some of the latest contemporary sources available. Wind Ensemble meets daily to prepare for a minimum of five performances throughout the year including evening concerts, graduation and school assemblies. The Wind Ensemble is comprised of woodwind, brass and percussion instruments.

STRING ORCHESTRA offers the enhancement of string playing, musicianship, rehearsal technique, and small and large ensemble experience throughout the year. Students perform pieces expressly written for the violin, viola, cello and base, covering standard literature from the baroque period through 20^th century modern music. Performances include the Winter and Spring concerts held at the high school.

Students also have the opportunity to be selected to perform with the Symphonic Band and the Chamber ensembles, with performances at school functions such as the French and Spanish National Honor Society inductions as well as community functions at the public library and the George Frey Center for Arts & Recreation.

JAZZ ENSEMBLE offers students the opportunity to perform contemporary and standard jazz literature at an advanced level. The Jazz Ensemble employs big band instrumentation with emphasis on improvisation and jazz theory; instruments include saxophone, trombone, trumpet and rhythm. The Jazz Ensemble performs a minimum of four performances each year including two evening concerts, the Rotary, the Jazz-Dance Concert, the Teen Arts Festival, and during trips.

Auditions for Jazz Ensemble take place in late October.

PIT ORCHESTRA is the most challenging wind, string and percussion experience in the Instrumental Music department. And our students have proven to be up to this challenge, entertaining audiences with outstanding Broadway productions that have earned nominations for “Most Outstanding Orchestra” in the State of New Jersey at the Paper Mill Playhouse Awards in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 ... with wins for “Most Outstanding Orchestra” in 2001 and 2003!

Auditions for Pit Orchestra take place in early December.

PERFORMANCES

Students in the Instrumental Music program perform two major concerts during the year. These concerts feature performances by more than one hundred instrumental music students in the Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, String Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Mr. Paul Kafer and Ms. Alison Lucas.

Students take the knowledge, training and skills they learn in the classroom in musicianship and technique to perform a repertoire of standard and contemporary musical selections for the enjoyment of the entire Fair Lawn community.

This year’s Winter Concert will be held December 15, 2009. This year’s Spring Concerts will be held May 13, 2010 and May 24, 2010.