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January-February Band Information
January 28th, 2024
DVUSD Honor Band - February 12
- Monday, February 12, 2024
- Students travel to BCHS via school bus - parents must pick up after night time concert
- Mr. Bowman will be taking attendance and helping students depart for the event. I will already be at BCHS awaiting their arrival, as I am the district coordinator/facilitator.
- Students need only bring their honor band stuff to school that day. Leave all extra things at home
- Bring: instrument, pencil, required music (handed out in December), water bottle, snack, sack lunch.
- Wear: DVUSD Honor Band tee, NICE black pants, NICE black shoes (black accessories like socks, belts, etc). Leggings are not permitted. Black jeans are fine, but please no excessive rips/tears.
- Students may choose to wear comfy shoes if they desire and bring their dress shoes. Solid black sneakers/toms are fine. White walled shoes are not acceptable.
- Students will leave Sunset Ridge around 9am. Any high school math 8th graders will meet me in the BCHS band room immediately after their math class. Again, they will not return for the day.
- They will rehearse with clinicians throughout the day, Mr. Jack Bannon from Mesa public schools for 6th grade; Mr. Josh Burrola our BCHS band director for middle school. In one day, with students from other regional DVUSD schools, they will put the finishing touches on the music and perform it for parents at 6:30pm that evening. THIS IS A ONE DAY EVENT with BCHS Auditorium doors opening at 6pm. 6th grade performs first; middle school performs second.
- Students are expected to have prepared the music prior to the event.
- We have done some work during class.
- Practice tracks have been added to their Canvas band course.
- Students will be dismissed after the conclusion of the entire concert. 6th grade students will not be permitted to leave prior to the conclusion of middle school. We live stream the concert for them. This is for the safety of the students as well as the integrity of the performance that there is minimal disruption to the concert with people leaving in the middle. I apologize in advance for any issues this may cause.
- The concert will be over by around 7:15pm (each group only has 3 songs)
- I can transport large equipment (tuba, bari sax, percussion) on Friday, but am asking if it is possible for each student to take their large instrument home after honor band and bring it back the next day for classes. If not, please let me know and we can work something out.
Congratulations to our DVUSD Honor Band representatives! I'm so proud of you!
Arizona All-State Band
Congratulations to 3 Sunset Ridge students who were listed as student musicians for Arizona All-State Band. 6th grade was a nomination/selection process, but 7th and 8th grade was auditioned.
6th grader Gideon J
8th grader Kaitlynn H
8th grader Jordan H (1st alternate - if one person cannot go, he's in!)
These students will travel to Mesa in March to participate in the all day Saturday event with evening concert for their parents. Congratulations!!!
Canvas and Assignments
Just a quick reminder for grades 6-8 band. We utilize Canvas quite a bit. Students have a quarter 3 module with a weekly syllabus telling them what the focus is that week as well as anything to be tested. Assignments are published in Canvas several weeks in advance, only "written" quizzes are not all published at the moment.
Understanding of deadlines - band is an activity where many assignments lend hand to music coming and/or skills needed for the next stage (notes, range, rhythm, etc). It is extremely important that students are turning in the work and reading the teacher provided feedback to improve. Scale items do not need to be done within the class period and, with such large class sizes in grades 6-8, do take up 3/4-full class period. Each scale test is about 20-45 seconds, depending on how fast the student goes in tempo. Each scale has been studied in class for 2-3 weeks prior to assessment with teacher provided feedback along the way (note ID, fingerings, sound production). There is a two week grace given in the event of family travel or illness during the actual due date. We are working on ensuring getting all assignments in prior to that 2-week grace. Students who do turn in their assignments are able to submit for a higher score later in the quarter, as they are showing their work and understanding as well as are given feedback on how to improve.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher conferences are district scheduled February 8-9 this year. Sunset Ridge has moved the late evening to Wednesday, February 7. This is the day parents may come in up to 6pm to meet with teachers. I apologize in advance that I will not be on campus at all this day. I am a DVUSD band co-team lead and DVUSD Honor Band coordinator/facilitator. Our southwestern schools have their Silver Region Honor Band on that day. I will be available on Thursday, February 8 from 10am-11:15am and 1-3:45pm as well as Friday, February 9 from 12-2pm. Conferences are available by request only and asked to be reserved for students scoring a B or lower in the course. I am always happy to communicate via email, if that works as well.
SRMS/BCHS Band Feeder Night Concert
Middle School Band Feeder Night
Thursday, Feb 29, 2024, 06:00 PM
Boulder Creek High School, North Gavilan Peak Parkway, Anthem, AZ, USA
Our annual SRMS and BCHS feeder night is scheduled for Thursday, February 29 at Boulder Creek HS. Students will need to meet me at BCHS that evening at 5:30pm. There are 4 bands performing that evening, so be aware, it will be longer than our SSR only concerts. The goal of this evening is to build community camaraderie, display highlights from each middle school group (we share the evening with 2 other regional K8s), and show what the high school level is like, as a high school group will also perform. I look forward to this event every year and am so excited to share it with you this year as well!