6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Bands will all be giving performances on the same night. Due to limited space in the gym, we will be split into two separate concerts:
- 6th & 7th Grade Concert will begin at 6:00 pm. See additional details below.
- 8th Grade Band & Jazz Band will begin at 8:00 pm. See additional details below.
6th & 7th GRADE CONCERT DETAILS - 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
- What time do students arrive? Students will need to arrive BY 5:30 for seating/warmup/and tuning.
- What time does the concert begin? 6:00 pm. Parents, family members and friends are welcome! The 6th grade band will play first, followed by the 7th Grade Band.
- What do students wear?
- 6th Grade Band - Black Band t-shirt (arriving this week), jeans/khaki pants, and athletic/casual shoes.
- 7th Grade Band - Maroon band polo (arriving this week), black dress/black khaki style pants, black shoes. NO athletic pants/sweats, leggings, or shorts allowed.
- The concert will be over by 7:00 pm. We will need for students and parents to leave to make way for those students and parents coming in for the 8th grade concert.
8th GRADE BAND AND JAZZ BAND - 8:00 - 9:00 pm.
- What time do students arrive? Arrrive BY 7:30 pm for seating/warmup/ and tuning. Do not arrive any earlier than 7:00 pm. (Unless you had a sibling in the previous concert.)
- What time does the concert begin? 7:00 pm. Parents, family members and friends are all welcome! Jazz Band will perform first, followed by the 8th Grade Band.
- What do students wear? Maroon band polo, black uniform pants, black full length socks, black "Dinkles".
All students will receive a 100 point "Performance" grade. This is a required performance.
The Cherokee Pep Band will be performing again this Thursday night (December 12). Our 7th Grade Girls BB are playing Nixa. Here is the schedule:
- 4:30 pm - Pizza provided in the Band Room (Marco's Pizza). Students will need to provide their own drink.
- 5:00 pm - Set up in the Gym.
- 5:15 pm - Begin playing
- 7:30 pm - Plan on parent pick-up at 7:30. Like last week, we might run a little bit later than that.
REMEMBER - You have SCALE WARRIOR Scales due by December 20th. I have decided to pull back and only require the first three levels by the end of the semester. This is a total of 90 points (10 pts per passed off scale). You can complete them before school or during Tribe Time. This is your only Test/Assessment grade of the quarter. Your other grades are performance grades. So this will way heavily on your overall band grade this quarter.
There is the old saying that "Practice makes perfect" - but there is the better saying that states - "Perfect Practice Makes Perfect." Practicing is a critical part of improvement for musicians - beginner, intermediate, and advanced players. If students ever claim, "I have nothing to practice" - this is incorrect. 6th Grade Band members have the lines in the book we work on each day, plus their "Karate" lines that we use to assess their progress throughout the year. 7th Grade Students have book exercises, Karate/Ninja assessment lines, as well as music preparation for our concerts. 8th Grade students have LOTS of music to work on, plus their "Scale Warrior" lines to pass off. There is ALWAYS something to be working on. Plus, it is great for students to work on things they would like to play - "Star Wars", "Harry Potter" or any other favorite tune that they can easily learn by ear or pick up from an internet search or YouTube video. Practice takes discipline and work, but it also should be fun as well.
Here are some good habits for practicing a band instrument:
- Practice regularly: Practicing consistently helps you develop muscle memory and feel more confident. Try to practice at the same time every day.
- How many minutes? As a rule of thumb, we like to say about 100 minutes per week (broken up into small chunks throughout the week.) Some will practice much more than this, and even if it is less - a little practice can go a long way in helping improvement.
- Set goals: Having specific goals helps you stay focused and make progress.
- Warm up: Before you start playing, warm up your body and mind with breathing exercises, long tones, or sight-reading.
- Practice mindfully: Focus on each note, rhythm, and expression.
- Record yourself: Recording your practice sessions can help you identify areas for improvement and track your progress.
- Increase gradually: To avoid injury, increase your practice time in stages, no more than 10-20% per week.
- Take breaks: Regular breaks prevent physical stress and strain.
- Practice with variation: Experiment with different tempos, dynamics, and articulations.
- Play with others: Playing with others in a band, orchestra, or ensemble can improve your musicality and have fun.
- Review your repertoire: Apply new learnings to old songs, try different tempos, dynamics, or accenting.
- 6th GRADE BAND - RJ5DAHCB
- 7th GRADE BAND - YPKYBVBU
- 8th GRADE BAND - PAUGJ6FD
- CHEROKEE JAZZ BAND - 8LGJ7WPK
- Thursday, December 12 - Pep Band - Cherokee 7th Grade Girls vs. Nixa ,5:30 pm.
- Tuesday, December 17 - Cherokee Band Winter Concerts
- 6:00 pm - 6th Grade Band and then 7th Grade Band performs. Cherokee Gym
- 8:00 pm - 8th Grade Band and 8th Grade Jazz Band performs. Cherokee Gym
- Thursday, December 19 - Cherokee Winter Assembly - 8th Grade Band, Jazz Band, Choir, and Orchestra perform. 1:00 pm. Cherokee Gym.