Please read the Newsletter in its entirety as I often make changes to information.

For the MIS Band Students, please be aware that much of the information contained in the Newsletters applies to MJH Music events. However, oftentimes I will include important information for MIS Music groups as well.

Sectionals have started! Please talk to your child to make sure they understand when they have Sectionals. Students should notify their classroom teachers in advance of the Sectional time. If your student thinks they have missed a Sectional, there are posters in the band rooms that indicate if they need to complete a make up. They should schedule one with Mrs. Bussean if they need to.

Attendance at morning band is crucial to the success of our band program. Please make sure your child is on time to band (that means having their instrument out ready to play at the start of class). We are having an issue with tardiness. Please check the syllabus for our tardy policy. Also, students who skip morning band but then go to school, are in essence, skipping class.

Students in Symphonic Band, Concert Band and Cadet Band have started keeping track of their practice logs in Charms. Students in Symphonic and Concert band are responsible for practicing 100 minutes per week. And Cadet Band students are responsible for 75 minutes per week. Students should view practice time like daily homework. If you spend 15-20 minutes per day practicing, the ensemble as a whole will sound amazing, and your student will improve at a faster rate.

Beginning Band students are not responsible for practice logs at this time.

POPCORN money was due today. However, we will still accept it on Monday. We cannot accept orders past money. Please let your director know if you have any questions.

We are once again offering Spirit Wear! Please see below for more information.

Our next Music Booster meeting is Tuesday, October 15 in the Learning Center at MJHS. Please come out and see what the Music Boosters are all about!

The Marching Meteors Field Show Band will have their performance on Saturday, October 12 at Lincoln-Way West High School. Come out and support our kids! And then stay to watch the LWMB perform later than evening.

Below is a copy of the itinerary for our performance on Saturday, October 12. The event will take place at Lincoln-Way WEST High School.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Bussean or Ms. Beekman.

We are very excited to once again be offering Mokena Meteor Music Spirit Wear! There are new options this year!

***Great Gift Idea!!***

Please see the flyer above for information on ordering. Orders can only be placed online via the link below.

All orders MUST be placed by October 31. The company does not accept late orders so please get your order in on time. Delivery will happen on or about November 12.

If you are ordering Spirit Wear as a gift, please email me and let me know and I will put it aside for pick up.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Bussean at busseank@mokena159.org.

Any 6-8th grader who is currently enrolled in the band program at MJHS (all instruments welcome!) is invited to join the MJHS Jazz Band. We will be starting on Monday, October 21st from 3-4pm (Rehearsals every Monday). Students will perform at all band concerts (excluding the October concert) and at the LWC Jazz Festival on February 8th. Please sign up via the Google Form by October 7th.

https://forms.gle/BpCFGaHzFVC5RLwA6

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Beekman at beekmant@mokena159.org

Little Mermaid Jr. Auditions will take place on October 7 and 8 with Call backs on October 10. Students in 6-8 Grade may audition. Sign up sheets for audition times are in the Band Hallway.

All students auditioning must prepare a song from the Musical, read an excerpt from the show AND do a short dance audition. Audition sign ups will be for a 5 minute slot. After four slots, those four students will do the dance portion of the audition together. Students who are not prepared to sing, act and dance, WILL NOT be cast in this year's show. Please come prepared!

If you have any questions, please see Mrs. Bussean.

The password to access the audition materials is Music159.

This year's musical will take place on Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28. Please note that this is the BEGINNING of Spring Break. Please do not audition if you are unable to be at the performances.

TonalEnergy Tuner is an all-inclusive, easy to use application designed for individual practice and/or large ensemble rehearsals that aides musicians to improve sound quality and intonation.

Tuning, volume, articulation, release, duration, and steadiness are the key elements of developing a beautiful tone quality. TonalEnergy Tuner is the first multi-purpose application that allows users of all ages to understand and improve every aspect of their sound.

This app is especially useful to young brass players who struggle to find the correct partial. Oftentimes they think they are playing the correct pitch, when in fact, they are not. This can be very frustrating. This app can help students learn where the correct partial is and to hear when they are not matching the correct pitch.

In addition to its tuner capabilities, it has a built in metronome to keep students rehearsing with a steady beat!

We highly recommend that all students in our band program invest in this application if they have access to a device. It is well worth the $3.99 it costs. This is much more inexpensive than a separate metronome and tuner device.

Please come out and support the Mokena Music Boosters on Monday, October 21 AND October 23 at Buffalo Wild Wings in Frankfort! That's two days to raise money for the music programs at Mokena! 15% of the proceeds will go to the Music Boosters General Fund to support our music programs.

Please note that this does not include alcohol and gift card purchases.

Below is an itinerary for the Fall Concerts. Please note concert attire. There are some changes for Beginning Band students this year. Cadet, Choir, Concert and Symphonic Band uniforms are the same as in the past.

If you have any questions, please contact your director.

You may hear the term IFA account and wonder "what is that?" An IFA account is an Individual Fund Account. Every student registered in Charms automatically has an account. Funds raised through IFA Fundraisers will be credited to your child's account and can be used to purchase any music related items such as booster fees, reeds, valve oil, and even music department trips, just to name a few! The current 6th and 7th Grade Band students are eligible to go on the 2021 Trip to Disney World! If your child is in 4th and 5th Grade, they will be eligible for the Disney trip in 2023. Start saving now!

IFA Fundraisers usually occur once per quarter and are not mandatory. We are currently running the Popcorn Fundraiser. 50% of the proceeds will go into your child's IFA account.

It is not required that Mokena music students take private lessons. It is true, however, that the vast majority of students who do not take private lessons tend to have improper playing habits, and never reach their full potential as musicians. SECTIONALS ARE NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR PRIVATE LESSONS. There are still many benefits of private instruction over full band rehearsal and small group sectionals. If you are interested in getting your child private lessons on their instrument, please visit the following link: https://www.mokenameteormusic159.org/uploads/2/3/4/4/23449316/private_lessons.pdf

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Bussean or Ms. Beekman

The AmazonSmile fundraiser is available year round - not just at Christmas time. This is a great way to support our music programs without any cost to you! Any time you are shopping via Amazon, please consider using Amazon Smile for your purchases. Go to www.amazonsmile.com. You can select the Mokena Music Boosters to receive a donation on your behalf just by making your regular Amazon purchase through them. It doesn't cost you anything and helps the Music Boosters fund our programs. This is available year round. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Bussean.

Below is a short video walking you through how to sign into your child's Charms account for the first time.

Come out on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 at 7:00 PM to the monthly Music Booster Meeting. The meeting will take place at Mokena Junior High School. Music Booster meetings are open meetings that anyone can attend. Come see what our Boosters are all about and how you can help support your child's music education. I look forward to seeing you there!

The Mokena Meteor Music Department has a Facebook page! It is a closed group, so please request to join! We post photos and information about what is happening in the Music Department. There is a link at the bottom of this Newsletter.

OCTOBER

10/7 - Jazz Band Registration due online

10/7 - Little Mermaid Auditions

10/8 - Little Mermaid Auditions

10/10 - Little Mermaid Call Backs

10/12 - Marching Meteor Field Show Band Performance

10/14 - Columbus Day - NO SCHOOL

10/15 - Music Booster Meeting 7:00 pm

10/17 - No Symphonic or Cadet Band Morning Rehearsals due to Mrs. Bussean's

attendance at a theater conference

10/18 - No Symphonic or Cadet Band Morning Rehearsals due to Mrs. Bussean's

attendance at a theater conference

10/22 - Fall Concerts

10/23 - NO MORNING REHEARSALS (No morning rehearsals the day after Concerts)

10/31 - HALLOWEEN - NO MORNING REHEARSALS (Have fun in your costumes!)

11/1 - NO CADET BAND REHEARSAL (Mrs. Bussean will be out of the District) SYMPHONIC BAND WILL STILL REHEARSE

Email: busseank@mokena159.org
Website: www.mokenameteormusic159.org
Location: 19815 Kirkstone Way, Mokena, IL, USA
Phone: (708) 342-4870
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1407106346017516&ref=br_rs