We have been providing Chicago area schools with band and piano programs for twenty five years. Our teachers have instructed more than twenty thousand students during that time. We offer schools a full range of music education services including band lessons, concerts, solo contests, honors ensembles, jazz ensembles, field trips, and Kinderkeys piano lessons.
Highlights and features
- Trombone, Trumpet, Clarinet, Percussion, Woodwinds, Flute, Piano, Saxophone
Services
Band lessons
Report
Group band lessons are taught using Sound Innovations. This method book comes with a DVD giving the student a visual guide to help in the early stages of development. This book also comes with a Play along CD. Using this CD to practice with will enable a student to improve aspects of their playing such as rhythm, pitch, range, and overall musicianship.
Piano Lessons
Report
People
Mr. Barton
This will be Mr. Barton’s fifth year with Band for Today. Previously, he has experience teaching in the School District of Philadelphia and the Clarke County School District (Athens, GA). Mr. Barton graduated from Millersville University (PA) in 2003 with a B.S. in music education and from Ithaca College in 2005 with a M.M. in trombone performance.
Ms. Helstad
Ms. Helstad is excited to teach with Band for Today! She has previously taught general music in Chicago, middle school band and choir in Minnesota, and middle school band and choir in Nevada. She also served as an adjunct professor of saxophone at the University of Nevada-Reno for two years before moving back to the Midwest.
Videos
Band For Today
Band For Today has been providing Chicago area schools with band and piano programs for twenty five years. Band For Today teachers have instructed more than twenty thousand students during that time. We offer schools a full range of music education services including band lessons, concerts, solo contests, honors ensembles, jazz ensembles, field trips, and group piano lessons.
Chicago Youth Symphony Brass Quintet
The Chicago Youth Symphony Brass Quintet performs for students at the Band For Today Solo Contest in Wheaton, IL.
Band For Today Plays Chicago Wolves
Over 100 band students played before the Chicago Wolves game at the Allstate Arena. The band played a number of songs including We Will Rock You, Surfin' USA and Let's Go Band! Afterwards, students enjoyed a fireworks and laser showed followed by a great hockey game.
Band For Today - Star Spangled Banner
Band For Today students playing the Star Spangled Banner before the Kane County Cougars baseball game!
Band For Today
Band For Today has been providing elementary schools with band and piano programs for twenty five years. Band For Today teachers have instructed more than twenty-five thousand students during that time. We offer schools a full range of music education services including band lessons, concerts, solo contests, honors ensembles, jazz ensembles, field trips, and Kinderkeys piano lessons. www.BandForToday.com www.BandForToday.com/principals
Reviews (1) N. K.
Sep 18, 2019
This company is a vendor for our school in the City of Chicago. They sell music lessons to students at our school in Chicago. September 16th, 2019, the company had the kids test and try out instruments during the school day at our public school. It was not during music class and it was not part of the curriculum. As a parent I was aware this company is used at our school by parents who choose to sign their children up for paid lessons.
A flyer was sent home on Sept. 16th, 2019 AFTER evaluating my child for playing a music instrument that said, "Band For Today has looked at your child's physical characteristics to help guide the instrument selection." While I can understand the reasoning behind that statement, I did not give my consent prior to this music evaluation that took place during math class.
During the school day. Another factor is many kids can afford the lessons whilst some cannot. The issues involved are: 1. Your company comes in without the parent's signed consent to try the instruments during the school day. It is different from having a child and parent give consent to try out an instrument. This is during the school day. We parents have to sign forms for everything else our kids do.
This should be no different. While your vendor is contracted as an outside service to teach for profit music lessons at the school, you are not teachers within the school system. You did not have my consent as a parent. 2. Allowing kids to try out the instruments and tell them what instrument is best for them gets kids excited about music lessons that the parent/s may not be able to afford without the parents having a conversation first. 3.
Your customer service person is awful. I left a message stating you did not have my permission to try my daughter out on an instrument. Left the message on 9/17/2019. The call was returned on 9/17/2019 at 12:53. Caller I.D. name stated call came from, "The Music and Dance." Very rude woman that told me, "You should have called the school and told them you did not want your child to try an instrument." I had no idea this was going to even be happening during the day.
If I had known, my child and I would of reviewed the financial information pertaining to the lessons and talked about it. I suggested to the representative from your company you do a sign up sheet for after or before school to try the instruments. I said, "I am sure this would generate interest." Your representative responded that it does not. So the bottom line is really all about the money. Procuring students to pay money to rent the instrument and for the lessons for your for profit organization.
If it were about the children, your for profit company would consider having students try the instruments before or after school after parents have had a chance to evaluate the cost. Not during school. Dealing with the public is part of your job. If a parent tells you that you need to get consent before dealing with their child, that should be the end of the discussion. Not an argument from your representative from your company.
A flyer was sent home on Sept. 16th, 2019 AFTER evaluating my child for playing a music instrument that said, "Band For Today has looked at your child's physical characteristics to help guide the instrument selection." While I can understand the reasoning behind that statement, I did not give my consent prior to this music evaluation that took place during math class.
During the school day. Another factor is many kids can afford the lessons whilst some cannot. The issues involved are: 1. Your company comes in without the parent's signed consent to try the instruments during the school day. It is different from having a child and parent give consent to try out an instrument. This is during the school day. We parents have to sign forms for everything else our kids do.
This should be no different. While your vendor is contracted as an outside service to teach for profit music lessons at the school, you are not teachers within the school system. You did not have my consent as a parent. 2. Allowing kids to try out the instruments and tell them what instrument is best for them gets kids excited about music lessons that the parent/s may not be able to afford without the parents having a conversation first. 3.
Your customer service person is awful. I left a message stating you did not have my permission to try my daughter out on an instrument. Left the message on 9/17/2019. The call was returned on 9/17/2019 at 12:53. Caller I.D. name stated call came from, "The Music and Dance." Very rude woman that told me, "You should have called the school and told them you did not want your child to try an instrument." I had no idea this was going to even be happening during the day.
If I had known, my child and I would of reviewed the financial information pertaining to the lessons and talked about it. I suggested to the representative from your company you do a sign up sheet for after or before school to try the instruments. I said, "I am sure this would generate interest." Your representative responded that it does not. So the bottom line is really all about the money. Procuring students to pay money to rent the instrument and for the lessons for your for profit organization.
If it were about the children, your for profit company would consider having students try the instruments before or after school after parents have had a chance to evaluate the cost. Not during school. Dealing with the public is part of your job. If a parent tells you that you need to get consent before dealing with their child, that should be the end of the discussion. Not an argument from your representative from your company.
