Band Notes - Week of April 3

General information that applies to all students and parents can be found towards the top of every newsletter, while information specific to your child's ensemble can be found in that particular section by scrolling down. Feel free to contact a director if you have any questions, and our contact information is at the bottom of this newsletter.

Jazz Band competed at the Temple Jazz Festival on Thursday, and for the first time since BMS re-opened in 2020, all judges gave our performance first division superior ratings! Also, the following students were awarded Outstanding Soloist certificates: Matt Moore, trombone; Jakoby Perez, tenor saxophone; and Reed Vance, trumpet. Click here to hear the professional audio recording, and click here to see the videos from our superior performance!

For 8th graders joining High School Band, the audition for Fall 2023 will take place in the Belton HS Band Hall after school on Friday, May 5 starting at 4:45pm. There will be three parts to the audition: Technical Excerpt, Lyrical Excerpt, and Full Range Chromatic Scale. Click on this link to access the music and instructions: https://tinyurl.com/2023m100audition

On Saturday, three of our outstanding jazz band members participated in a day-long clinic of rehearsals to put together a performance of the TMEA All-Region Jazz Band. With only 5 short hours of rehearsal, these students put on a great performance as part of the Temple Jazz Festival. Congratulations again to Jesus Espinosa, trumpet; Claire Brown, trombone; and Gia Rastelli, drums for their hard work this weekend. Click here to see their performance on our YouTube channel, and here is the link for the photo album from both events at the Temple Jazz Festival this past week.

The Belton HS M100 is excited to begin their preparations for next year's marching season! They are asking all 8th graders to complete this very brief survey so they can plan ahead. Please click here to complete the survey ASAP. Here are some upcoming dates for future M100 members:

• Tuesday, May 2 and Wednesday, May 3 - M100 Fundamentals Camp at 5:00-7:00pm at the Belton HS Band Hall
• Tuesday, May 2 - Future M100 Parent Meeting at 7:00-7:30pm at the Belton HS Band Hall
• Friday, May 5 - Incoming 9th Grade Band Placement Auditions at 5:00-7:00pm at the Belton HS Band Hall

It's time to start accepting designs for this year's 8th Grade Band Shirt! Any 8th grader can submit a design to Mr. Pulley for this year's shirt, preferably in color. It can be hand-drawn or computer-generated, and all designs will be voted on by the 8th grade band students to pick the winner - who will earn a free shirt!

Designs must be school-appropriate (obviously) and will have 8th grade nicknames on the back chosen by the directors. Previous 8th grade shirts are displayed front-and-back in the Band Hall behind the keyboard if you want to get an idea. This tradition has been in place at BMS since our re-opening in 2020. The deadline for design submissions to Mr. Pulley is THIS Thursday, April 6 at 4pm. Start working on yours today!

Last week, students were given their personalized eligibility information and payments due for the fine arts spring trip to Typhoon Texas in Austin on Saturday, May 13. The blank version of this form can be found by clicking here. Program trips are an earned privilege, and a student may be disqualified from attending based on grades, attendance, or discipline. All forms, fees, fines, and payments are due no later than Friday, April 14 at 4pm - this is a hard deadline with no late submissions accepted.

Even if a student does not owe any money for the trip, they must complete and turn in this form so we can order enough tickets and make all of the necessary preparations. All adults who attend the trip must be an approved volunteer with Belton ISD since the park will be closed to the public. Instructions for submitting the district volunteer check can be found here.

More detailed information will be given to students after the deadline, including the trip itinerary and the medical release/permission form, which must be turned in before students can select their bus partner. The dress code for this trip can be found by clicking here and has been adopted by all of the district's fine arts directors. Please email Mr. Pulley if you have any questions about the spring trip.

Our placement auditions for next school year will be held during each student's band class from April 24 to May 5. All current 6th & 7th grade band students are required to participate for a major grade. This audition serves as the individual assessment of each student's musical skills mastered from this school year. Think of this as the individual STAAR test for Band. Click here to read detailed information about the auditions.

Audition results are final and will be posted on Friday, May 12 at 8:00am. These results will be sent to the school counselors for next year's scheduling. Those students choosing to not remain in Band next year will not have their results posted.

You are invited to this adult-only event that serves as the primary fundraiser for the Belton HS Marching 100. It will be held on Saturday, April 22 at the Cultural Activities Center in Temple. Registration will begin at 6:00pm, with dinner served at 6:30pm, and the First Draw at 7:00pm.

Please contact Ashley Boland at m100fundraiser@gmail.com or 214-517-7187 if you wish to purchase a ticket. Click here to see information about this on our website, or click here for the event details on Facebook.

Please click here to see all of the Band Events for the remainder of the school year in order to plan your family's activities. Remember, performances are a required part of our curriculum, so please contact a director ASAP for any conflicts.

If you haven't already, make sure you sign up for our Remind texts for the Beginner's Ensemble here. Students may do this as well with parent permission. This is important piece of communication to receive reminders throughout the year.

If you haven't already, make sure you sign up for our Remind texts for Symphonic Band here. Students may do this as well with parent permission. This is important piece of communication to receive reminders throughout the year.

If you haven't already, make sure you sign up for our Remind texts for Wind Ensemble here. Students may do this as well with parent permission. This is important piece of communication to receive reminders throughout the year.

If you haven't already, make sure you sign up for our Remind texts for Jazz Band here. Students may do this as well with parent permission. This is important piece of communication to receive reminders throughout the year.

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Email: beltonmsband@gmail.com
Website: beltonmsband.org
Location: 1704 Sparta Road, Belton, TX, USA
Phone: 254-215-2828
Facebook: facebook.com/beltonmsband