Holiday Concert Details

The month of December is upon us and the holiday concerts are just around the corner!  Here are all of the details you need to know for the upcoming performances.

On Monday, December 9, the instrumental music department will present a concert featuring the Black Concert band, Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble.  Freshmen that participate in Jazz Ensemble will need to plan to arrive at the high school at 5:30 to dress for the event.  At 6:00, group photos will be taken of each ensemble performing that evening.  The concert begins at 7:00 and should last no more than one hour.  While all students are invited to this performance to support their peers, only students participating in Jazz Ensemble are required to attend.

On Tuesday, December 10, the Gold Concert Band, Gold Tones and Freshmen Concert Band will perform.  All students should arrive at the high school at 5:30 to dress for the event.  At 6:00, group photos will be taken of each ensemble performing on the concert.  The performance begins at 7:00 and should last no more than one hour.  All members of the Freshmen Band are required to attend and participate in this concert.

All students need to come dressed appropriately for their uniform.  All gentlemen need to come wearing black shorts, a white t-shirt with no writing on it, black shoes and black socks.  Ladies need to also wear black shorts, a whit t-shirt with sleeves and black flats.  Since we all need to put our uniforms on in the band room, wearing these clothes allows us to do that.

Please don't hesitate to contact me regarding any questions or concerns you may have about these performances.  I look forward to seeing all of you next week!

This Week in Freshmen Band . . . . . .

Happy Monday!

This week in Freshmen Band, we will continue to focus our attention on preparing A Charlie Brown Christmas for our concert in December. I am hopeful the students and I can progress at a good pace and will be able to look at another selection for our upcoming performance.  This all depends on our focus in rehearsal, our retention between practices and our attention to details.  I am excited to see what the students are capable of!

Last week, students earned three grades - one for their participation in rehearsal, one for turning in their contract from the band handbook and one for commenting on the blog.  All grades have been updated in Progress Book and you can click here to access the website.  If students are missing assignments, I will gladly still accept them this week.  I try very hard to keep the grade book up to date, so be sure to check back frequently to monitor your student's progress.

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

Have a great week!

And we're off!

Today was our first day of Freshmen Band and I am thrilled to report we are off to a very positive start!  Students did a great job exhibiting patience as we assigned instruments, passed out folders and found our new seats.  We were able to sight read all of A Charlie Brown Christmas and had a very successful, positive first practice together.

If you are reading this, then I am assuming you have seen a copy of the Freshmen Band Handbook.  I will do my very best to update this blog weekly with information about what the group is doing.  Students have two brief assignments to complete by Friday, November 15.  The first is to comment on this post with their first name and the first initial of their last name (for example, James P.).  The second is to have their parent or guardian sign the contract on the last page of the handbook and return it to school. This lets me know that you have seen a copy of the handbook and performance schedule.

Please don't ever hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.  I look forward to making this a successful, positive experience for all of the students. :-)

Welcome to Freshmen Band!

Hello all and welcome to Freshmen Band!

Students will begin to regularly meet as a group beginning on Monday, November 8.  They will eat lunch during 4A before reporting to room 620 for rehearsal during 4B and 4C.  Our focus during these first few weeks will be on reviewing fundamentals and preparing our music for the holiday concert on Tuesday, December 10 at 7:00 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

All students received a Freshmen Band Handbook at our first rehearsal on November 8.  This document contains many details, including grading policies and a calendar of events.  (I am guessing if you have found your way here, you may have already seen this document!)  At the end of the handbook is a contract for you and your student to sing and return to me.  Please return this to school no later than Friday, November 8, 2013.  If you have not seen the handbook or have lost track of it, you can find another copy here under "Class Files/Links".

Finally, consider signing up to receive an email notice when a new post is added.  I try to update the blog every week or so to keep parents and students up to date.

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.  I look forward to a productive, rewarding experience with all of you! :-)

This Week in Freshmen Band

Hello, all!

This is a very busy week for us in Freshmen Band!  Below are the contents of a handout being sent home with all students.  Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns!

·         Tuesday, May 14 – Spring Concert and Awards Program

o   Concert begins promptly at 6:30 p.m.

o   Students need to be dressed and seated in the auditorium no later than 6:15 p.m.  Plan to arrive and begin changing by 5:45 p.m.

·         Thursday, May 16, 2013 – Ohio Music Education Association Large Group Contest at Kent State University

o   Students need to plan to arrive at CFHS at 7:00 a.m.

o   Students will need to change into their band uniform and be ready to depart CFHS at 7:30 a.m.

o   Our itinerary for the day is as follows:

§  DEPART CFHS - 7:30 a.m.

§  ARRIVE at KSU – 8:15 a.m.

§  WARM UP for performance – 8:45 a.m.

§  PERFORM – 9:10 a.m.

§  RETURN TO HOMEROOM – 9:45 a.m.

§  DEPART KSU for CFHS – 10:05 a.m.

§  RETURN to CFHS – 10:45 a.m.

§  Pizza party for Freshmen Band – 11:00 a.m.

§  Students return to class 5^th period

It sure has been awhile . . . . .

I apologize for the lack of information coming from this blog.  I was excited to use this format for communicating with parents this year and seemed to be on a role with posting material on a regular basis.  Once we got to February, I seemed to have lost my ability to manage this in a timely and meaningful way.  I am working hard to get back on track as we enter a busy and eventful final quarter of the school year.

A couple of important points to recap since my last post in February:

• Solo and Ensemble Contest was an overwhelming success for the freshmen!  Of the six ensembles from the freshmen band, five earned a superior rating and one earned an excellent rating.  The students were well behaved at the event and I was extremely pleased with their participation in this important event.  A huge thank you to everyone for all of their efforts!
• I was quite pleased with the students' performance at the concert on March 7.  The pieces that we performed were quite challenging and I was proud of our growth.
• On Friday, March 15, the band hosted the Ohio Music Education Association Large Group Adjudicated Event for District 6 here at Cuyahoga Falls High School.  Many freshmen volunteered to help with this event and I am extremely grateful for their efforts.  Many, many thanks to the percussionists that performed and all of the students that volunteered!

Looking ahead to the next couple of weeks, here are a few things to consider:

• The All-City Band Concert will be on Monday, April 8 in the high school gymnasium.  Students need to be dressed in their concert attire, seated and ready to rehearse in the gym at 6:30.  Plan to arrive at the high school no later than 6:00 to dress and prepare for this event.
• We are currently selling raffle tickets for the annual All-City Band Concert iPad raffle.  Students need to turn in the ticket stubs and money to Closet 10 in the band room as soon as possible.  Tickets will be sold at the concert on Monday and the winner will be chosen during the performance. If you need more tickets or have any questions about this, please don't hesitate to contact me.

I will try to update the blog after the All-City Band Concert and include details about the final performances for the school year.  This is a very busy time and I hope to keep everyone up to date as best as possible.

As always, thank you for reading! :-)

Solo & Ensemble Details

Happy Monday!

I have uploaded here detailed information for Solo & Ensemble contest on Saturday, February 16 at Crestwood High School.  This information was sent home with all students today as well.

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.  I am very much looking forward to this exciting event!

Solo & Ensemble Contest

The next major event for the Freshmen Band students is Solo and Ensemble Contest.  This event will take place on Saturday, February 16, 2013 at Crestwood High School in Mantua.  I thought I would take a moment to answer some frequently asked questions about this important event.

1.  What is Solo and Ensemble?
Solo and Ensemble Contest is an event sponsored by the Ohio Music Education Association.  Students have the opportunity to perform a solo or as part of an ensemble in front of an adjudicator.  (All adjudicators are music teachers with at least five years of teaching experience.)  Students will earn a rating based on their performance.  (I=Superior, II=Excellent, III=Good, IV=Fair, V=Poor)

2.  What time is Solo & Ensemble Contest?
Contest begins at 8:00 a.m. and concludes at 5:00 p.m.  We will receive a schedule of specific performance times approximately one week prior to contest.  (I will distribute it to students as soon as I get it and post a copy here as well.)  Students are only required to be at the event for their performance time.  They are not required to stay for the entire day.

3.  Where do students perform at Solo & Ensemble Contest?
Solo & Ensemble Contest is held at Crestwood High School in Mantua.  Our school will be assigned a 'homeroom' where we can keep jackets and cases.  We will perform in classrooms throughout the school.

4.  How do students get to and from Solo & Ensemble Contest?
Their will be a school bus to provide transportation for students.  Or, students have the option of riding with their parents.  More details about this when we know the specific performance times.

Other quesitons or concerns?  Please don't hesitate to call or email!

What I Learned From the Band Exam . . . . .

I spent a healthy amount of time last week reading student responses to two essay questions on the midterm exam.  Of the two questions, the second gave me much insight.  In the essay prompt, students were asked to name and discuss two areas in their playing they would like to improve in the second half of the school year.

Can you guess what over half the students discussed in their essay?

Overwhelmingly, students wrote about improving their work ethic and their ability to practice and get better on their own.

I know, right?  Who could have guessed?

So, in an effort to assist students in their goals, we are going to be using practice charts during the third grading period.  It is my belief that there are quite a few students who spend some amount of time practicing their instrument outside of our band rehearsals.  However, is that time being used effectively?  Are students using this time productively?

If you follow this link and click on the Practice Information folder, you will see information the students received this past week in class.  Our practice goal is for each student to create four, thirty minute practice sessions over a two week period of time.  My hope is that this allows students flexibility in managing their time.  (For example, they could practice only on the weekends.  Or, they can come down to band during I/E two times a week.  Or maybe a combination of both.  Whatever works best.)

Practice charts will be due every two weeks.  Students will earn ten points for each practice session chart completed, the goal being to earn full credit (40 points) every two weeks.   If a student is only able to complete three sessions, that is okay.  Still turn the practice charts in for partial credit.  No practice session will be counted for credit without a parent signature.

The practice charts will be included in the formative (or 10%) part of the grade.  Not completing them will not significantly impact a student's grade, however it is unlikely that a student will be able to earn an 'A' without completing them.

In addition to the practice chart itself, I also gave the students suggestions on how to structure their practice time and how to practice, especially on a difficult passage of music.  I am hopeful these tools will not only help the students grow and mature in their musicianship, but also their independence as young students.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. :-)

Happy New Year and all that jazz . . .

Welcome back! 

I hope that everyone enjoyed a restful and relaxing holiday break.  After the hectic December concert season, I always welcome the much needed time away.  I was glad to see everyone this past week!

This coming week marks the midterm exam time.  For band, these means participating in a two part assessment.  Tomorrow, Monday January 14, all students will take the written part of the exam.  This is made up of fifty multiple choice questions and two essay questions.  The test will be taken in the auditorium during our regular class time.  During our exam time on Wednesday, students will take the performance portion of the exam.  All students are required to perform six scales in small groups (between two and four students per group).  

Students received a study guide in class this week outlining the details of the exam as well as the tools that will be used to evaluate them.  Hopefully, you have heard some practicing and seen some studying this week!

After exam week, we will direct our attention to preparing for solo and ensemble contest (February 16) and our next concert in March.  Look for more details on this in my next post.

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

Here is hoping the freshmen have a great exam week! :-)