Welcome to February!

As we flip the calendar to February, it is a good time to remind everyone of the upcoming performances on our calendar.

• On Thursday, February 27, we will be performing in the high school auditorium.  The directors are inviting two area band directors to hear the students and give them feedback on their performance. The concert begins at 7:00 and should last about one hour.  There is no admission fee for the performance. This concert is part of the curriculum for the third grading period and all students are required to attend.
•  On Friday, March 7, we will host the Ohio Music Education Association Large Group Adjudicated Event.  This event brings students from area high schools to our facility to perform in front of a panel of four judges and earn a rating.  While this event is not required, students are encouraged to attend to hear performances of area bands.  Additionally, there will be a need for student volunteers, so any one in search of volunteer hours for health class are encouraged to attend.  There is no admission fee for this performance.
• On Wednesday, March 19, we will present our first ever Percussion Ensemble Concert at 7:00 p.m. in the high school auditorium.  All percussionists are required to attend this performance.  All other students are encouraged to attend and support the endeavors of their fellow musicians.
• Monday, April 7 is the date of the All-City Band concert.  The concert takes place in the gymnasium and begins at 7:00.  There is a small admission fee for this performance.
• Our Spring Concert and Awards Program is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13 in the high school auditorium.  This concert starts at 6:30 and includes all members of the high school instrumental music program.  
• Our final performance of the year will take place on either Thursday, May 15 or Friday May 16 at kent State University. The students will perform three selections in front of a panel of three judges and earn a rating for their work.  

As you can see, we are entering the time of year when we have approximately one performance every month.  Please be sure these dates make it on the family calendar so we can keep conflicts to a minimum.  I will continue to update you regularly through the blog.  Additionally, because of all the snow days and school interruptions, I have started a twitter feed.  You can follow me at @MrsCulver_music.

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful, relaxing holiday break!  I greatly enjoyed some down time with my family and friends.  My hope is for the new year to bring us all many opportunities to grow as individuals and create beautiful music together!

The next two weeks will be a very hectic time for the music department.  Detailed information regarding solo and ensemble contest on Saturday, January 18 will be sent home as soon as it is available.  (Of course it will also be posted here for your viewing pleasure.)  I expect to receive the specific performance times early this week.

This week (January 6 - 10) students will follow a regular schedule for the week.  For fourth period, I would like to see the brass choir during 4A on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  This will allow the woodwind choir to rehearse during 4B and percussion will have time to work on their individual parts for percussion ensemble.

Next week (January 13 - 16) will be our semester exams and students will be on a modified schedule.  I am planning to have rehearsals for the ensembles during exam week and will share that schedule with students next week.  It is critical students are aware of the rehearsal schedule and attend at the appropriate time.  Solo & Ensemble contest is an important part of what we do, allowing students an opportunity to perform in a smaller group and perform more independently.

Finally, all students will take the Freshmen Band Semester Exam.  Detailed information and review materials will be distributed on Monday, January 6, 2014.  These materials will also be posted here, so look for details early next week about these items.  This exam will be both a written and playing assessment of students abilities and will account for ten percent of the students' final grade in band for the year.

Lots of information to throw at you here - we are off and running in this new year!

Mrs. Culver :-)

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