Band Room Updates

Middle school band is off and running with music on order for our October concert and November assessment. So far, students have been working on new sets of warm-ups, America the Beautiful, and Stars and Stripes Forever, both for our Veteran's Day assembly. We have a lot on our plate this semester with a lot of music: new warm-ups, scale review and refinement; Honor Band etude, All-State etude; Land of 1000 Dances and Hey Song for SDOHS Feeder Nite (8th grade only); Ghost Lights, Beyond the Darkness, and Guardian's of Liberty march for our concert/assessment... there is a lot! We also will have a fun ensemble holiday gathering/performance at Elevate Coffee in December.

Students need to be bringing their instruments and/or music home more than once a week. The expectation is they are practicing 20-30 minutes 5-6 times per week. Students will have regular assessments, either playing or written, which will require attention as part of their homework/studies. Please encourage them to bring their materials home during the week for reinforcement of skills learned in class.

I want to thank the Middle School students for an amazing first few weeks. I'm sure they were scared to have a new director, and I was also feeling nervous to have all new students on my end! They are so kind, funny, and talented. I have really enjoyed these first few weeks and am really excited to continue getting to know each other and making amazing music together! THANK YOU, 7th and 8th graders!

Our first week of 6th grade band was a success. The rotation of classes can be found in the hallway outside the band room, on our band website, and each student received a rotation schedule AND calendar view schedule. That calendar view can be seen HERE.

The 6th grade students just took my breath away with how well they played this first week, remembering so much from last year! This week, they will have their first assignment on Canvas. This is a choice of what to perform, but must be completed by Friday night. They can record from home. Always check that the sound picks up the performance correctly! We are also still collecting forms (t-shirt and registration).

Students should be bringing their instruments to school and home each lesson day (3x per week). On full band day 6, percussion only needs their music, sticks/mallets. They will be using school owned equipment on those days. Regular practice is important. Students should be practicing 15 minutes about 5-6 times per week! With only 2-3 rehearsals per week, home reinforcement is extremely important. Students will soon have new music in their books, sheet music for our November concert, and a DVUSD Honor Band Etude (which they received Friday).

5th grade is off and running! We learned how to put our instruments together this last week. This coming week, we will focus on sound production and proper posture/holding position for each instrument. Students have a beginning packet that sometimes has them show you what they have been learning. Please sign off that they have shown you! This week, they were to show you proper posture!

We are still working on getting instruments for all students. Please feel free to rent from either Milano Music or Music and Arts, whichever you feel most comfortable with. If there is any issue with rental, do not hesitate to reach out to ask questions. We do have minimal instruments available from Stetson Hills for rental. These are free monthly, but should any repairs be needed, that would be at your expense.

A few 5th graders were asking me about concerts. I tried notating on all lists (calendar on website, quick guide folded sheet, handbook online) what grade levels were each performance. 5th grade has TWO performances this year: November and May. That's it! 6th grade adds DVUSD Honor Band and AZ All State Band for accepted students only. 7th grade adds performance assessments (during the day), spring concert band feeder night at OC, and a winter small ensemble project. 8th grade adds fall marching band feeder night. As you can see, we add just a teeny bit each year, as they become more experienced! Right now, just two evenings is it!

Lastly, schedules! Each 5th grader has ONE special area pull out this quarter and ONE RTI pull out. No student misses any core instruction. In fact, their RTI pull is partially in afternoon recess, so there is even less class time interrupted. Students have been given a half sheet with their schedule, a calendar view, it is posted on the website and in the hallway outside the band room. When looking at the calendar view, specials pull out is on top and RTI on the bottom of each day. Students should be bringing instruments to and from school each day they have class.

Check out this list of best brands for your child's instrument: HERE. There are a lot of economically priced instruments out there, but beware. Many of these less expensive instruments found on Amazon, Walmart, Costco, etc. are made with composite metals. These metals are much softer and more malleable. For instruments, this means ill-fitting parts, easier breaks/dents, valve issues in brass, bent keys in woodwinds, and these metals often to not allow good characteristic tone for the students. While students really do try hard not to hurt their instruments... it happens! Drops, bangs, dents, hits... they unfortunately are part of the learning process. Getting instruments from the recommended brand lists is your best bet. I've had many students purchase less expensive options from online sources and the instrument was unplayable and unrepairable within a school year. Always check out Swip Swap and Facebook Marketplace for reputable brands being sold locally. There are many retailers, like Milano Music, that do sell used instruments that are fantastic brands and that less expensive price. There is nothing wrong with a used instrument! Check out that article above for questions about what brands are the most bang for your buck if you're looking to purchase.