Thanks for reading our Monthly Monarch Band Newsletter! The goal of this newsletter is to provide highlights from the previous month, communicate more about what is happening in our classroom, and provide reminders for upcoming performances on the schedule. We appreciate everything you do to support the kids in their journey with the Monarch Band!

Quarter 3 is our solo unit! Students in all three grades will be working on learning a solo on their instrument. Students in 8th grade have the opportunity to work in a small group to learn how to play together with a small group of musicians.

There will be a mix of in-class work and out-of-class work involved in learning the solo. Help encourage them to work on it at home to continue improving every single day - there will be a checklist for them to follow throughout the quarter to keep them on track!

Playing assignments this quarter will be summative - they will be worth more towards their grade due to how important it is to learn something on your own. However, they will be less frequent than previous quarters. The following dates are the due dates for each playing assignment:

Friday, January 24th - 1st Chunk Due

Friday, February 7th - 2nd Chunk Due

Friday, February 21st - 3rd Chunk Due

Friday, March 7th - Optional Makeup Assignment Due

Please encourage your child to get their assignments submitted - this is our way of observing their progress & get them the additional help they may need!

Our solo festivals will be on Saturday, March 8th from 8 AM - 2 PM (for 7th and 8th graders) and Thursday, March 13th from 4 PM - 8 PM (for 6th graders). This is a required performance for all band students!

Jazz band rehearsals have started up! Jazz band is an extra-curricular group that meets on Monday and Thursday mornings at 7:20 AM in the MS band room. This is an opportunity for 7th and 8th grade students to learn the style of jazz. Our performance will be with the high school jazz bands on Friday, March 14th at 7:30 PM.

• Joined DMS in 2020
• Graduated from Denison in 2015 and from Iowa State in 2019
• Hobbies include:
• Spending time with his wife and puppy
• Watching his favorite sports teams play (Iowa State Cyclones, Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Vikings)
• Hanging out on the golf course
• Playing video games & board games

• Joined DMS in 2021
• Graduated from University of South Dakota in 2007
• Hobbies include:
• Spending time with his wife and two sons
• Coaching Little League Baseball during the summer
• Playing the saxophone at different performance gigs
• Watching his favorite sports teams play (Chicago Bears, Iowa Hawkeyes, Chicago Cubs)
  

Email: pbekkerus1@denisoncsd.org OR rmeyer1@denisoncsd.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/denisoncsd.org/dms-band/home
Location: 1201 N 16th St. Denison, IA 51442
Phone: (712) 263-9393