Dear BNS families,

Registration is live for the 2026-2027 BNS Band program! You can now register your child for beginner instrumental and non-instrumental classes in the after-school program. 

Please use the following link to navigate to the program’s registration page on Amilia. If you are newly registering your child in our BNS Band after-school program, you will need to create an account on Amilia and create a profile for each child you are registering. If you already have an Amilia account that you used to register your child(ren) in the past, please use that same account, if possible, for continuity.

BNS Band After-School Program Registration: https://app.amilia.com/store/en/BNS-PS146/shop/programs

DETAILS / FAQ:

Do you have questions or need more information or before registering? Please read on! (Note: The information below was also provided in the announcement posted on June 4th)

Registering your child as a beginner instrumentalist (except ukulele) in after-school band:

• Who can register? Beginner Instrumental Band is for 2nd, 4th, or 5th graders who want to learn a new instrument in the afterschool program. Note: 3rd graders have an opportunity to learn a new instrument in the in-school program, and Ukulele is open to Grades 1 and 2 and has its own registration section.

• How will my child choose their instrument? Register your child for "All Beginner Instruments" and don't worry about which instrument it will be. In the fall, Sarah will have a one-on-one meeting with your child to talk about what instrument would be a good match, and we will register children for their specific class / instrument. 

• What instruments will be available for my child to choose from? During the 2025-2026 school year, we had after-school instrumental classes in clarinet, flute, guitar, percussion, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, and violin. However, adjustments are made every year depending on interest, teacher staffing, etc.

• How does scheduling work for these classes? After-school band runs on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. For this reason, if you can leave both Wednesday and Thursday open, you will have the most flexibility to choose afterschool BNS Band classes for beginner instrumental. Below is some information to help you have a general sense of scheduling, but please be aware that there may be some changes as registration and teacher availability become more solidified.

• We do our best to hold younger children's classes on Thursdays and older children's classes on Wednesdays. However, there are classes for 2nd grade on both days

• Beginner trumpet, beginner violin and beginner percussion will most likely be scheduled on Thursdays, and all other beginner instrumental groups are likely to be scheduled on Wednesdays. 

Registering your child in beginner ukulele and/or non-instrumental band classes in after-school band:

The following is more information about the classes/categories that will be available to register you child, including expected days and times. Note that class times with an asterisk* represent wider time frames during which the class may be scheduled, and specific times will be finalized based on registrations. Please be aware that for any of these classes, there may be changes as registration and teacher availability are more solidified.

• BEGINNER Ukulele

• Ukulele - Beginners (1st year Grades 1/2), Thursdays 2:30 - 3:15 PM

• Ukulele - Beginners (1st year Grades 1/2), Thursdays 3:15 - 4:00 PM

• Songwriting & Music Literacy

• Music Literacy for K-2nd Graders, Thursdays 3:15 - 4:00 PM

• Music Literacy for K-2nd Graders, Thursdays 4:00 - 4:45 PM

• Music Literacy for 3rd-5th Graders, Wednesdays 2:30 - 5:30 PM*

• Songwriting - 2nd-5th graders, Wednesdays 2:30 - 5:30 PM*

• Chorus

• Chorus - Kindergarten only, Thursdays 2:30 - 3:15 PM

• Chorus - K & 1st Graders, Thursdays 3:15 - 5:30 PM*

• Chorus - 2nd & 3rd Graders, Wednesdays 2:30 - 5:30 PM*

• Chorus - 4th & 5th Graders, Wednesdays 2:30 - 5:30 PM*

• Chorus - Adults / Families (2x / month), Wednesdays 4:50 - 5:30 PM

• Music & Movement (K & 1st)

• Music & Movement - Kindergarten ONLY, Thursdays 2:30 - 3:15 PM

• Music & Movement - K & 1st Graders, Thursdays 3:15 - 4:00 PM

• Dance (2nd - 5th)

• Dance (2nd and 3rd graders), Thursdays 2:30 - 5:30 PM*

• Dance (4th and 5th graders), Thursdays 2:30 - 5:30 PM*

What if my child is not a beginner on their instrument? 

• If your child is currently learning an instrument (except ukulele) in the after-school band program, you should have already received an email with a direct link to the next level class from notifications@amilia.com. 

• If your child learned an instrument in the 3rd grade in-school program this year and plans to continue with their instrument in the after-school program, you will receive an email with a link to the next level class on Monday as well.

• If your child was not previously enrolled in an instrumental class in the BNS band program but you would like to enroll them in a non-beginner/returning instrumental class, please contact Sarah.

• The registration pages for returning instrumental classes have the days and time frames that are currently slated for the classes. As with all other classes, please be aware that there may be changes as registration and teacher availability become more solidified. 

What about 3rd grade in-school band classes for next school year?

If your child will be in 3rd grade this coming fall, they will have the opportunity to learn an instrument or sing in chorus in the 3rd grade in-school band program. There is nothing to do at this time. In the fall, Sarah will have a one-on-one meeting with your child to talk about what instrument/class would be a good match. 

Questions?

We know this is a lot of information.

If you have further questions about the program/curriculum, contact Sarah Ferholt, BNS Band Program Director, at sarahferholt@bns146.org.

For questions about the registration process, contact Vivian Liu, Parent Liaison (Volunteer), at vivliu31@gmail.com

- The BNS Band Team