Celebrate the small things!

We had a fun time practicing Jingle Bells today in the woodwinds class!

Reminders!

Band only meets 2 days a week. Please do not forget to bring your instruments!

Instruments should be brought to school every Tuesday and taken home every Thursday.

Students are expected to practice their assigned lines at home Thursday through Monday so they don't get behind. Playing tests will try to be scheduled only on Tuesdays, allowing students time to practice before the test.

5th Grade Band is in progress!

All students should have their instrument and band book by now. If not, your child is getting behind in class. If you are having difficulty getting an instrument or book, please let the band director know.

Clarinet and saxophone students should have at least 3 reeds at all times! If a reed breaks, they need to have a back up. A box of 10 reeds should last the entire school year. A limited supply of reeds are available to purchase at school. This is to be used for emergencies only (i.e. "My last reed just broke."). Clarinet reeds are $2.00, and alto saxophone reeds are $2.50. Please do not rely on the school to provide students with reeds. Just like students are expected to have supplies for other classes, reeds are part of their band supplies.

Please do not hesitate to contact a band director if you ever have any concerns or questions. We are here to help.

Important Band Meetings!

We have two very important 5th grade band parent meetings coming up.

Thursday, August 31 - General Meeting to go over everything you've always wanted to know about 5th Grade Band. 7:00pm. BES Music Room

Tuesday, September 12 - Band Instrument Drive for students that have not yet purchased or rented an instrument. Representatives from Veritas will be present to set up rentals through their company. 6:00pm-8:00pm (You may come anytime during the two-hour block. It will take about 15-20 minutes total to complete the rental process. Please bring a credit card.)

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below or email Mrs. Conard.

Woodwinds - Chair Test on Thursday, Jan. 26

The 5th Grade Woodwind Class has a Chair Test on Thursday, January 26th over Line 43 -- "Long, Long Ago."

Objectives:

• Good Posture/Foot tap
• Good tone (Do you have good reeds--clarinets and saxes?)
• Slow, steady tempo
• Correct notes/fingerings and correct rhythms
• Holding out the long notes
• Playing smooth and connected style
• Breathing only at the beginning and at the breath mark ( ' )
• Playing piano (p) = softly

Our First Concert is in Two Weeks!

(A letter has been sent home about our upcoming Christmas Concert. If you did not receive it, please continue reading.)

We are excited to be preparing for our annual Band Christmas Concert. This year’s concert will be

held on Tuesday, December 13^th at 7PM in the High School Cafeteria. The concert will be approximately one hour long and is free and open to the public.

·         5^th Grade Band:  Be in the HS Cafeteria ready to play at 6:30PM

·         6^th Grade Band:  Be in the HS Gym ready to play at 6:20PM

·         7^th/8^th Grade Band:  Be in the HS Band Hall ready to play at 6:40PM

For musical performances, it is important to dress for success. Boys should wear, at minimum, a collared polo or button-up shirt with khakis or slacks. Suits/Ties are optional. Girls may wear dresses or a nice blouse with a skirt or dress pants. Pay special attention to skirt lengths; knees should be covered when sitting! 

For all students' attire: Please, no t-shirts, shorts, athletic shoes, or fitness type clothing. School dress code applies. Fun Santa hats and Reindeer antlers are acceptable and encouraged!

This concert is an extension of our band class. All of our hard work in class culminates with this one performance. Every student is important to the success of the bands. All band students are required to attend and stay for the entire performance. As a reminder, all band performances are counted as test grades. Band directors must be contacted in writing, in advance, if there is a known conflict.

If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Conard, Mr. H, or Mr. Aly. You may also leave a comment or ask a question in this blog.

❄Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!🎄

What should students be practicing?

Students should be practicing songs on pages 6 and 7 in their book. Reminder, they should practice each line 3 ways:

1. Clap and count it
2. Say note names and pretend to play (do their fingerings/slide positions)
3. Play it!

Students have been tested on line 14 and line 18 (woodwinds will be tested on line 18 soon). 

Ask them to play a mini concert at home!