Tippit Band January Update

Congratulations to students: Cory Truong, Will MacInnis, Brooke Houston, Tyler Miles, Sarah Mouritzen, Wiley Sray, and Michael Valverde for performing with the TMEA Region Band. We are proud to say that Tippit MS had the most qualifying students from all Georgetown ISD schools! Thanks for working hard to represent our Tippit Band Family out in the Austin music community.

Dear Beginner Band Family,

Happy new year! It's hard to believe that so much of this school year has already flown by. It's truly inspriring and rewarding to watch our beginner students grow into musicians. The fun is only just beginning! Please read the information below and reach out with any questions. Thank you!

Class Expectations

Students will continue to complete Practice Record and Objective Sheet assignments. On top of that, students will be participating in two class projects throughout January and February: Titan Technique Throwdown & Duets! For these projects, students will be graded on participation, but they might be extra motivated by the prize at the end of "TTT" and the performance at the end of duet projects.

Home Expectations

If your student tells you they have nothing to practice, that is not true! :) Every kiddo will need to practice at least 20 minutes daily to keep up with the faster pace of our spring semester classwork. If at-home practice becomes a struggle, please let us know. We have many ways of building/supporting good practice habits, this should NOT be pulling teeth!

Recommendations

If your student is not currently registered for private lessons, we strongly recommend that you sign up! Students enrolled in private lessons are consistently more confident and prepared in class. The one-on-one attention helps kids to set goals and stay on track. Please email Mrs. Blackstone with questions or SIGN UP HERE.

Band Hall Hours

If your student wishes to practice before or after school, they are welcome! Unless otherwise stated, the band hall will be open for the following hours:

Monday- Thursday 7:30am-5:30pm

Friday 7:30am-4:30pm

Mrs. Blackstone

TMS Band

Happy New Year Symphonic Band families!

I hope everyone has had a restful break. Once again, I am so impressed with the way our students performed on the Winter Concert. They represented our program and Band Family very well, and I was proud to stand with them on the stage!

That brings us to our next portion of the school year. We will have 2 main performances to work towards simultaneously. First, is the Solo contest on Saturday, February 22nd here at TMS. Students have all been given a solo that they will perform independently for a judge. This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to show off their talents and receive individual feedback. Secondly, we will be preparing our 3 UIL Concert and Sightreading pieces. The students will perform these 3 pieces on 3 separate concerts as part of the UIL process.

We will be working on all of this music in sectionals beginning the week of January 13-17. I am currently re-working the schedule and will announce it later this week. If you have any scheduling needs please let me know. Making a schedule work for all 50 students is a challenge, but I will be doing my best.

As always, if you have any questions, please do not be afraid to reach out and ask.

- Mr. Rice

Dear Honors Band Family,

Happy new year! So excited for all the good to come this semester. Crazy to think I only have a few months left with these eighth graders (sad!). I greatly appreciate the level of communication I received from parents and students last semester, it helped this program run like a well-oiled machine. Going forward, let's keep it up! If you need anything from me, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Sectionals - required!
Flute/Oboe: Wednesdays 7:30-8:30am
Clarinet/Bass Clarinet: Fridays 7:30-8:30am
Saxophone: Tuesdays 4:30-5:30pm
Trumpet: Wednesdays 4:30-5:30pm
Horns: Tuesdays 7:30-8:30am
Trombone/Euphonium/Tuba/Bassoon/TenorSaxophone: Thursdays 7:30-8:30am
Percussion: Tuesdays 4:30-5:30pm

Upcoming Rehearsals - required!
Friday afternoon rehearsals 4:30-6pm on the following dates:
1/17, 1/24, 2/7, 2/21, 3/7, 3/14, 3/28

Upcoming Events

1/31 GattiTown Social Event

2/22 Solo and Ensemble Contest

2/26 Percussion Concert

A Quick Note

Objective sheets are BACK. I know several students struggled to complete their assignments earlier this year (mostly time management issues, not ability issues). Please check in regularly with your kiddo as a reminder that they need to work on that list of items, waiting until the last second is not wise. Also, please be aware that we usually check these in sectionals (absences/tardies can make it hard to catch up). The first deadline is FRIDAY JANUARY 17th, I'm hopeful that we can have a much more successful experience this time.

Thank you for your continued support. I feel truly blessed and spoiled to work with kids & parents like you. You're the best!

Mrs. Blackstone

TMS Band