Hello everyone!

We are into week 4 with our students making music. As our seventh graders are starting to settle into the routine in class. It is important to check your grades to make sure your student is turning in assignments and worksheets. All worksheets/assignments are posted in parent/student connect in PDF format. If missing, print out the assignment, complete it and turn it in. Most assignments are completed in class and turned in. If a student didn't turn it in that day, it is due the following day. Make sure that students are making a routine to take instruments home to practice. Parents and guardians, we need your help to make it a priority at home.

Weekly E-Mails:

I send out weekly emails through Mi-Star to student emails and parent email addresses that are listed on student registration. These email links will also be in Google Classroom.

Facebook Group:

We have a Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/frostmsmusic/

Please join!

Follow on Twitter:

Frost MS Music: https://x.com/frostmsmusic

Mr. Rais Music: https://x.com/mraisbass

Know any students who should join our band or orchestra?

If you have any friends that want to join our band or orchestra, there is still time this week to join. Students can still join the Frost Band and Orchestra classes and still take electives. Tell your friends to join! See your counselor or Mr. Rais for more info!

Chicago Tour 2025!!!

We are planning our Chicago Tour, which will be scheduled for Friday, May 9. This is open to our band, orchestra and guitar students. We are also looking for parent chaperones as well. We are getting the final costs worked out and we will have this information sent out soon!

- All students should have a music locker assigned to them. Students remember your locker number.

- All students should have a pencil for class. Keep one in your case.

Parents, please sit down with your student to help come up with a plan to practice at home. Students are to bring instruments home to practice. They can stop in the music room after school to pick their instruments up.

Home Practice is a must!

Consistent practice is essential for any musician aiming to improve their skills and achieve their full potential. Taking your instruments home to practice not only reinforces the techniques learned during lessons or rehearsals but also allows for personal exploration and creativity. By setting aside dedicated time each day to practice, you can work on challenging sections, experiment with new pieces, and develop a deeper connection with your instrument. Remember, the more you practice, the more confident and proficient you will become, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling and rewarding musical journey.

1st/6th Hour:

- Developing embouchure (mouthpiece) sounds.

- Instrument playing position

- Rhythms: Able to clap and count whole, half, quarter, eighth notes

- Percussion: Able to play buzz rolls, paradiddle, 8 on a hand (see percussion page on fmsmusic.org for more info): Practice mallets at home. Instruments working on in class: Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Marimba, Xylophone, Bells, Triangle, Suspended Cymbal

- Students are working on playing their first 5 notes. (Handout) See Google Classroom.

- Practice warm up sheet: First Fundamentals 5 notes reading (Practice with recording) This should be practiced daily at home. Play along recording is on Google Classroom

- Method book: Practice studies: #1-27

2nd Hour:

- Foundations Warm-Up Set #2 / Set #3 coming out Friday

- Danger Notes Scale Sheet: Concert A-flat scale, B-flat scale

- Rhythms: Able to clap/count; whole, dotted half, half, quarter, dotted quarter, eighths, sixteenth rhythms, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, cut time

- Independent tuning

- Percussion: Able to play A-flat scale, B-flat on mallets

- Repertoire:

*Star Spangled Banner

*The Victors

*Life is a Highway

- Method Book: #51-54: Focus: Articulations / Chromatic movement

3rd Hour:

- Tuning

- Tone: Full bow use, playing with a large sound

- Rhythm: Clap/Count Whole, Dotted Half, Half, Quarter, Eighth, Sixteenths notes

- Scale: D Major (2 octave) - Use scale sheet

- Intonation Sheet: #1-4 A and B line

- Method Book 2: #14-19

- Repertoire: Violins learning both parts 1 and 2

*Gothic Quest (new)

*Sword Dance

4th Hour:

- Instrument holding position / Rosin Bow

- Use videos to review bow hold placement

- Rhythms: Able to clap and count whole, half, quarter, eighth notes

- Pizzicato (plucking) finger placement, plucking practice

- Moving the bow long tones on each string

- Playing first 5 notes: D, E, F#, G, A

- Method Book: #1-23

5th Hour:

- Independent tuning

- Chords: Emaj and Amin

- Warm Up: Four finger exercise warm up pattern: 1 2 3 4 | 4 3 2 1 | 1 3 | 3 1

- Sound Innovations Book: Exercises: #1-13

- Rhythms: Able to clap and count whole, half, quarter, eighth notes

- Note reading: Notes on the E and A string

- Pieces: Be able to play #1-13 independently

We have shown our students how to use the method book online materials to practice with. Here are the links to each classes online material. It's free!

Concert Band / Symphonic Band: Habits of a successful beginner band musician book

www.habitsuniversal.com https://giamusic.com/habits-beginner-media: Videos for every instrument, all exercises to play along with, and clinics for each instrument.

Concert Orchestra: String Basics book 1

https://kjos.com/ips : For iOs, Android, PC, Chromebook

Chamber Orchestra: String Basics book 2

https://kjos.com/ips : For iOs, Android, PC, Chromebook

Guitar Fundamentals: Sound Innovations for guitar book 1

DVD in the method book for use

https://www.alfred.com/sound-innovations/si-guitar-book-1-resources/

Videos and recordings available

Dates:

Tuesday, October 1: @ Stevenson HS: Back parking lot / Football field

Times:

Arrival: 6:30p (meet in back parking lot) (put cases along the track, make sure name is labeled)

Performance: 7:00p (on the field)

Wear: Dress for the weather; Frost Music wear or Frost Wear

Parking Diagram: CLICK HERE

Field Diagram: CLICK HERE

MS Students need to sit with their parents in the stands after they play with the mass band.

CHS/FMS Marching Band Event:

Document from Mr. Van Ham: CLICK HERE (ALL THE DETAILS)

Wednesday, October 16: @ Churchill HS: Practice and Parent Meeting

Parent Meeting in CHS Music Room: 6:30p

Students meet outside of the field house / football field (enter from front of CHS): 6:30p

Cases: Put on the track

Wear: Dress as you are, dress for the weather.

Friday, October 18: @ Churchill HS: Game Day (Pre-Game) / Tailgate party (Optional)

Students meet in the back parking lot; put cases in the music room

Tailgate party: Frost Band / CHS Band ($5.00 per person) 5:00-6:00p

Students in block at 6:30p

Wear: Dress for the weather, wear music wear / school wear if available

Flip books / Lyres needed! Purchase yours now!!!

Students are going to need a flipbook and lyre for their instrument. We have a Marshall Music online store to purchase recommended lyres. Brass players should use bell clamp on lyres.

Marshall Music Frost Online Store: CLICK HERE

We have our Frost Music Wear store now open! The store is open until September 25 then the store will close, and a few weeks later, your music wear will be delivered to the school.

It isn't mandatory to purchase, but it is awesome to share your pride and represent the Frost MS Music Program!

We have t-shirts, hoodies, track jackets, shorts, PJ pants, beanie hat, and more!

The music room needs to be taken care of just like a home. Everything has a place in the room. We have gone through setting up all of the stands to place the tune caddy and tuners. Students have been pulling them off the stand, they fall, and they don't pick them up. This causes them to break or lose parts. These items are not cheap, and we cannot keep replacing them.

There are students in the guitar class leaving their instruments out in the classroom when they should be put back in their music locker.

Just a friendly reminder that cell phones need to be put in the phone caddy in the back of the room (on the door of 208B. They are not to be out in class.

We are just waiting for the final details from our travel company so we can release it to all of you! I am really excited about our Chicago tour as our students will get to perform at VanderCook College of Music, enjoy the tastes of Chicago food, and explore this amazing city!

I will be hosting an online Google meet for our Chicago tour. Date TBA

Please make sure students and parents sign up for the appropriate Google Classroom:

We use Google Classroom to post sheet music, supplemental guides, reminders, important dates, assignments, and more.

Students need to be signed up before the end of the first school week.

1st Hour: Concert Band

https://classroom.google.com/c/NjkwMjUxNzIyODYz?cjc=uj5vyvh

Code: uj5vyvh
2nd Hour: Symphonic Band

https://classroom.google.com/c/NjkwMjUxNzE2NDUw?cjc=nvlixk6

Code: nvlixk6

3rd Hour: Chamber Orchestra

https://classroom.google.com/c/NjkwMjUxODM2MDc2?cjc=xgbtpbl

Code: xgbtpbl

4th Hour: Concert Orchestra

https://classroom.google.com/c/NjkwMjUxNTQyMDU4?cjc=fcsgx42

Code: fcsgx42

5th Hour: Guitar fundamentals

https://classroom.google.com/c/NjkwMjUxNzc3ODY1?cjc=nf4dphp

Code: nf4dphp

6th Hour: Concert Band

https://classroom.google.com/c/NjkwMjUxNzIyODYz?cjc=uj5vyvh

Code: uj5vyvh

Band Items:
https://shop.marshallmusic.com/c-1223-livonia-frost-ms-band.aspx?pagesize=100

Orchestra Items:

https://shop.marshallmusic.com/c-1224-livonia-frost-ms-orch.aspx

Percussion Students:

https://frostmsmusic.weebly.com/percussionists-requirementseducation.html

Band Students:

https://frostmsmusic.weebly.com/band.html

Orchestra Students:

https://frostmsmusic.weebly.com/orchestra.html