Mission and Goals

Why should parents consider the Guild programs?
The Guild provides a unique opportunity to play challenging music in supportive and fun settings, accompanied by encouragement to work hard and interact positively in a musical context. Moreover, the Guild views music as a means to a greater end: helping to prepare students for success in life. Some students will go on to pursue careers as music professionals. However, we expect most will go other directions professionally. We feel strongly that music, like sports and other extracurricular activities, provides a framework for building character, discipline, teamwork, interpersonal skills and self-esteem. Development of these qualities is accelerated through the small group setting used by the Guild. Students are challenged by their peers and mentors to reach new levels of excellence, and this is done in a supportive atmosphere of camaraderie.

How is the Apprentice program different from school band?
We view all the Guild programs as complementary to the school music experience. Although we may meet less frequently, we spend a concentrated period of time together. The Apprentice sessions are held at a relaxed pace, and typically have one mentor for every two to four students. This allows a degree of individual attention that simply is not possible in school band. The Journeyman program allows students to have exposure to a variety of ensembles that perform at a level beyond most school bands, and to perform a greater quantity and variety of music. School band programs prepare students for their participation in the Guild, and the Guild helps to hone those skills, which benefits the school bands.

Is the Guild a replacement for private lessons?
No. The Guild does include considerable individual attention, but this generally occurs within a group setting. Most of the practice in the Guild is in small groups. This allows students to get used to playing their music together with others, refining skills in intonation, style, balance, and dynamics. Many students will take private lessons in addition to participating in the Guild.

Why do you call it a "Guild"?
This program embraces the traditional concept of a guild system where newcomers learn through a period of apprenticeship with those who have mastered the craft. Through the Phillips Music Guild, young musicians get the opportunity to practice and perform alongside adults who have a strong interest in sharing the many tips and techniques that will make music easier and more rewarding for the student. At the same time, the students receive positive reinforcement about the value of dedication and hard work.

Is the Guild just for students who intend to pursue professional careers in music?
No. Although many of namesake Bob Phillips’ protégés became highly successful professional musicians, that was never the primary goal of his work as a pioneer in youth eduction. The main mission is to develop character, social skills, teamwork, and self-respect using music as the common element. We do expect Guild students to come to the program with a strong desire to develop and hone their musical skills, and we hope that a large majority of them build on this passion throughout their lives. In the course of the Guild instruction sessions, students will meet many professional musicians and have an opportunity to get a realistic view of music as a career choice. They will also meet many professionals in other fields, giving them opportunities to learn about other career choices as well.

Program History

How many students are in the Guild today?
For the 2004-5 term there are approximately 60 students enrolled in the three programs. We plan gradually to expand all three programs. However, we will expand only as we can maintain a high ratio of mentors to students, so we cannot guarantee when additional openings might occur.

Is the Guild affiliated with other organizations?
The Guild is a private corporation with its own board of directors that sets the strategy and oversees the operation. We work closely with many other musical organizations in the community.

What is the Guild's relationship with the Indianapolis Public Schools?
We have no formal relationship with the Indianapolis Public Schools and we receive no funding from IPS. We work closely with music teachers throughout the IPS system to recommend students who can benefit from the Guild program. While we concentrate on serving the central city well, the Guild is open to students outside IPS.

Instruction and Activities

What instruments does the Guild teach?
The Guild teaches band instruments, specifically woodwinds and brasswinds. For strings and vocal studies, we recommend other similar programs in the community.

Where are the sessions held?
The Guild incorporates a variety of activities. The Explorer and Apprentice programs are scheduled for a series of Saturday mornings. These sessions are conducted at Martin University, on 22nd Street just west of Sherman Drive. This is a convenient central location. During the semester, we also have some music-related activities, such as music laboratories and field trips. These activities are held at various sites as needed. In addition, we expect at least one session per semester where the students perform in a public location. Students in the Journeyman program attend a variety of rehearsals and performances. Some of these are at the Martin University location. Others are at various locations in the Indianapolis area.

Does the Guild provide instruments to the students?
For the Explorer program, the Guild provides recorders and method books. Apprentices and Journeymen are expected to provide their own instruments. The Guild can work with families to obtain instruments.

Does the Guild provide transportation?
In general, the parents are responsible for transportation. We provide information to assist families in organizing carpools.

Are there any sessions during summer vacation?
The Journeyman program is very active during the summer as we seek opportunities for the students to perform with adult groups. In addition, we partner with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Indianapolis to present the Strings and Jazzy Things camp, which is available to students in the Apprentice program.

Who are the mentors?
The Guild draws upon the talents of a large number of professional, amateur, and retired musicians in the community. In many cases, these mentors developed under founder Bob Phillips’ tutelage and are eager to pass on this experience to a younger generation.

How is student progress evaluated?
The mentors perform periodic evaluations of the students. The Guild mentors work closely with parents to help them assess progress and set goals for their children. As skill levels increase, students will earn the opportunity to join the Journeyman program. True to the spirit of a "guild," these opportunities will present themselves as the mentors see the skills and demonstrated commitment reach the necessary levels.

What is the adjudication process?
The Guild has identified 10 key skill sets and has established an ideal level of achievement of each skill at the various stages of the student’s career. The adjudication process is a periodic assessment of the student’s abilities in each of these 10 areas. We do not assign grades, per se, we provide an assessment and practice recommendations. We provide this adjudication report to parents and schoolteachers to ensure we are all working together.

Expectations and Requirements

How long do students participate in the program?
The Guild is for students and parents who are willing to make a long-term commitment to develop their musical talents. Students can join the Explorers program when they enter the 4th grade. Students enter the Apprentice program after about a year’s experience on their wind instrument (usually 6th grade). Students join the Journeyman program as their skills reach the required level, usually about the 10th grade. We expect students to remain with the Guild until they complete high school. As skills progress, they begin to assist in the mentoring of younger students. Beyond the high school level, some students will continue their formal musical training in college and others will pursue other careers while still maintaining their musical interests.

How are students selected?
Each semester, we determine a number of openings based on the mix of current students, availability of mentors, and available facilities. We are not always able to accept every applicant. Our goal is to expand the Guild over time so that every serious applicant can be included. See the program details earlier in this handbook for specific admission requirements for each of the programs.

What can parents and students expect from the Guild?
They can expect the Guild to provide a supportive environment for the sharing and learning of music. They can expect mentors to have a genuine interest in the students' well-being. They can expect the mentors to be very experienced, highly qualified musicians. They can expect the sessions to be held in safe locations with adult supervision at all times.

Money

What is the cost of the program?
The Guild meets its operating expenses with a combination of donations and grants. Students are admitted to the program based on their commitment and the commitment of their parents, not on their ability to pay tuition.

For families that are able, we suggest a donation of $25 per semester to help us offset the actual operating costs. However, these are entirely voluntary donations and have no bearing on the students’ eligibility for the program.

Does the Guild have paid staff?
All of the mentoring is done on a volunteer basis. We may provide small stipends for duties that require extensive time and preparation. The total of stipends is expected to be less than 20% of our operating budget.

Will the students give any performances for pay?
We plan public performances from time to time. This gives the students a musical goal to strive for and allows them to enjoy the satisfaction of sharing their talents with others. The Guild may receive nominal payments from the organizations sponsoring these performances. This helps to offset the costs of operating the Guild.

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