DC Downbeat! - Band & Orchestra
DCHS will be hosting an instrument tryout and information night on Thursday, September 3rd at the Douglas County High School North Building Commons from 5:30-7:30.
DC Downbeat will offer classes in Band and Orchestra twice weekly, with options available for first (beginner) and second year (intermediate) students. Rehearsals will be with intermediate and beginning students by themselves, as well as combining both groups once per week. The regular rehearsal schedule at CRE will be as follows:
| Morning | Afternoon | |
| Monday | Beginning Band (7:35-8:35) | Intermediate Orchestra (3:35-4:35) |
| Tuesday | Beginning Orchestra (7:35-8:35) | |
| Wednesday |
Combined Orchestra: Intermediate Orchestra (7:35-8:35) Beginning Orchestra (8:05-8:35) |
Intermediate Band (3:35-4:35) |
| Thursday |
Combined Band: Intermediate Band (7:35-8:35) Beginning Band (8:05-8:35) |
The teacher for DC Downbeat Castle Rock Elementary will be Amanda Cox! Ms. Cox has been the General Music Teacher at CRE for the past 3 years, with prior stints at World Compass Academy and other schools in Castle Rock. She was also a band and orchestra instructor in the prior Douglas County Elementary Instrumental Music program at CRE! A viola player by trade, Ms Cox regularly performs with the Castle Rock Orchestra, among other groups. We are thrilled to have Ms. Cox on the team! To get in touch with Ms. Cox, you can email her at amcox@dcsdk12.org.
Outside of class, students will perform in concert 3 times over the course of the year, both as a school group as well as alongside students from other elementary schools and members of the DCHS and Mesa Middle school Band and Orchestra. We will also host additional joint rehearsal events for students to meet and rehearse alongside their classmates from the area’s other elementary schools. Concerts and other events are available on the DC Downbeat Google Calendar. DC Downbeat Classes will be offered from the week of September 14th, 2026 until May 5th, 2027.
DC Downbeat is intended to be a low-cost and accessible program. Tuition for DC Downbeat is $5 per week, plus a $50 registration fee, for a total annual cost of $200. Tuition is payable in two installments: $125 upon registration (which includes the $50 registration fee) and $75 in January 2027. Any tuition or registration fees will be waived for students who qualify for the Free or Reduced-Price Lunch program.
Families will be responsible for providing their student’s instrument, whether rented or purchased from a provider of your choice. The DC Downbeat staff will support participating students and families with resources and recommendations for renting instruments throughout the registration process, please follow the google form on the registration. If this presents a financial hardship, please reach out to the program coordinator—we are committed to finding options to ensure every student can participate.
To register for DC Downbeat, please follow this registration link on MySchool Bucks. You will also need to fill out the accompanying Google Form for your registration to be received.
We are so thrilled for this opportunity to provide these classes this year and bring music into the lives of our students. Please visit our website for more information about the program. If you have any questions about the program, please reach out to Program Coordinator, Josh Galerstein, at jgalerstein@dcsdk12.org. Thanks and have a wonderful week! Go DC Huskies!