Holiday Break

We are quickly moving towards our highly anticipated winter break!  In an effort to prepare for a grading period that will end soon after our January return, I am informing students as to any missing assignments.  These assignments will need to be completed no later than Friday, December 17 in order to earn credit for them.  The handout that students received regarding these make-up assignments can be found here.  Look in the Class Files/Links box to find all of the needed materials.  Here is another link to the holiday concert if you are in need of that as well.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns about any of these assignments.

Concert Recording

Want to hear a recording of our holiday concert?  Clink on the link below!

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/svouz5s8zg8zrck/9OOttNQjDC

OUTSTANDING!

Congratulations to all of the members of the Freshmen Concert Band on their outstanding performance last night!  I was very proud of how well you played and conducted yourself - BRAVO! Many thanks to all of you that came out to support the students - the concert was very well attended.

Today we will spend some time listening to the recording from the concert.  Students will complete a reflection activity and then develop a goal sheet for the remainder of the grading period.  Our work will then turn to sight reading pieces in preparation for our next concert in March.  We will focus on determining what pieces fit us the best so we can go on Christmas break knowing what we will be working on.  On Thursday, we will discuss Solo & Ensemble contest (February 16) and the preparations that we need to continue making as we move forward in that area as well.  Always a lot to do around here! :-)

What was I thinking?????

I have incorrectly posted the date of our concert as tonight - that is NOT correct!  All members of the Freshmen Band will perform tomorrow night - Tuesday, December 11.  All other information concerning arrival and performance times is correct.  Tonight's concert will be for Symphonic Band, Black Band and Jazz Ensemble.

Many, many apologies for my error.  I attribute this to holiday fatigue . . . . . . :-)

Concert Update

Good afternoon!

The busy month of December is upon us and with it comes numerous holiday activities.  I hope everyone is looking forward to our first performance of the concert band season.

All members of the Freshmen Concert Band will perform on Monday, December 10.  Students need to arrive at the high school no later than 5:45 to dress for the performance.  After getting into uniforms, students will move to the auditorium to have their picture taken.  Pictures will begin promptly at 6:00, so please do your best to be on time so that things can progress smoothly.

Everyone needs to wear black shorts and a plain white t-shirt with no writing on it.  Gentlemen need to wear black dress shoes or their marching band shoe and ladies need to wear black flats.  The concert begins promptly at 7:00 and should last no longer than one hour.

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns that you may have.  I look forward to seeing everyone next week!

Large Ensemble Rehearsals

Happy Friday!

We have had another great week in Freshmen Band.  The students continue to work diligently in rehearsal and I am very pleased with their progress so far.

This week, we began to have rehearsals for our brass choir, woodwind choir and percussion ensemble.  (Click here for the Ensemble Rehearsal Schedule.)  In order to provide the students with instruction on their specific instruments, the band directors regroup the students by instruments and prepare these ensembles to perform at our holiday concerts in December and at Solo and Ensemble Contest in February.  For these events, the Freshmen Band has been paired with the Gold Band students to create these groups.

In the large ensembles, students are able to work on issues directly related to their family of instruments.  During these rehearsal, we not only focus our attention on learning a piece of music, but on how to improve our range on brass instruments, our intonation on woodwind instruments, alternate fingerings and trills, etc - things that we are not always able to work on in great detail in a full band setting. . Additionally, this time allows percussionists the opportunity to work on developing their skills in a setting where they all can play all of the time - something that is not always possible in band.  Be sure to ask your son or daughter about their experience this week in these ensembles.

Finally, I have still not received all of the band contracts from the students.  If you need a copy, click here and look for the Freshmen Band Handbook.

Have a great weekend!

A few updates . . . .

By now, you have hopefully seen a copy of the Freshmen Band Handbook.  All students were given a copy of this document, including the contract.  This contract needs to be signed and returned to school as soon as possible.  This is my way of knowing that you are aware of the performance schedule.  If you need a copy, click here and look in the box labeled 'class files'.

Later this week, we will begin to adjust our band schedule for woodwind choirs, brass choirs and percussion ensembles.  Students will receive a schedule in band on Tuesday, November 13 to follow on the select days.  I will post a copy here as soon as I have it put together.    

Many thanks for taking the time to check this blog.  As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns.

Happy Monday!

We made it through our first rehearsal together!  The students did a nice job adjusting to the new schedule and all of the logistical challenges that we face.  I am looking forward to an even smoother start to our class tomorrow.

All of the students received a handbook today full of information about performances, grades and expectations.  There is a parent signature document that needs to be signed and returned by Friday.  If you are reading this, I am guessing that your student brought the paperwork to you!  Here is a link to the documents on line.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.  Thanks for stopping by and check back often! :-)

Just a quick note . . . . . .

I am posting a link here for you to visit a page where all of the documents for Freshmen Band are available.  I know that it is a hassle to check two places, but I am new to this blogging thing and can't figure out if I can actually post a document here.  So, I will post links here for you to get the information you need.  

In the 'Class Files/Links' box on the page, you will see a copy of the Freshmen Band handbook as well as a quick reference list for all of our performances for the remainder of the year.  

I hope that you find this helpful! :-)

Welcome to the Freshmen Concert Band blog!  I am excited to use this as a tool for better communication between myself, students and parents.  I will do my best to update the blog with weekly announcements about what we are doing in class, upcoming events and performance details.  Please take a moment to subscribe to the blog so you can receive an email alert whenever there is a new post.

Thank you so much for visiting - stop by again soon!