Yes- it's concert time!!
Our Parade of Bands concert is Monday, March 7th at Storm Lake High School. All of our school bands from grade 5-12 will perform.
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the High School Gym. Students will be reporting at 7:00 to the High School. Concert dress is black and white.
Come hear the Fifth Grade Band perform "Popcorn Prelude" (something happens during that piece!), the Sixth Grade Band perform "Prehistoric Suite" (my absolute FAVORITE piece to teach 6th graders), and of course, our massed band piece at the end of the concert. The 7-8 band and the High School band promise to be outstanding, also! Dr. Paul Tedesco will be our Master of Ceremonies, and our student teachers will be conducting some pieces, too.
It will be a great evening of music-making, and it is so fun to watch the growth of our band students through the years.
Hmm...next year will be the 50th anniversary of the Parade of Bands at Storm Lake. Can you believe that???
Hope to see you Monday evening!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
97%?
Congratulations, Storm Lake 7-12 band students on a fine performance last Saturday at BVU Honor Band.
I especially liked one of the pieces that the HS Honor Band performed. It was a march titled"
A+ March and Excellent Prelude". It is quite an eye-opener and well worth a look by you and your student on you tube!
The concept of the march is based on a state law in Massachusetts that said that all 97% work in schools would be deemed an A+. A band piece was written which uses mathematical calculations to decide what a 97% performance of the piece would be. Students are assigned a specific amount of errors to create the 97% performance. The piece is performed with the statement of the march. It sounds just like a typical graduation march. Then...the march is re-stated with the 97% target for accuracy. Needless to say---it doesn't work! Go to the following link, or search for "A+ March" on you tube.
We are always expecting quality and excellence from our music students. High standards lead to greater achievement in all areas of life. A rigorous curriculum develops life skills that influence standard of living, productivity, income level, and of course, life wisdom. How better to do that than to be involved in music and be held to a high performance standard?
Think about your student- are they a 97% student- or always working to be at 100%? Preparation on lesson assignments at home lead to that 100% mark, as skills are mastered, and performed accurately in the lesson setting. When we all contribute the best that we can to the group, we get to our 100% much faster.
Have high expectations for quality preparation at home, and the quality performances will happen!
I especially liked one of the pieces that the HS Honor Band performed. It was a march titled"
A+ March and Excellent Prelude". It is quite an eye-opener and well worth a look by you and your student on you tube!
The concept of the march is based on a state law in Massachusetts that said that all 97% work in schools would be deemed an A+. A band piece was written which uses mathematical calculations to decide what a 97% performance of the piece would be. Students are assigned a specific amount of errors to create the 97% performance. The piece is performed with the statement of the march. It sounds just like a typical graduation march. Then...the march is re-stated with the 97% target for accuracy. Needless to say---it doesn't work! Go to the following link, or search for "A+ March" on you tube.
We are always expecting quality and excellence from our music students. High standards lead to greater achievement in all areas of life. A rigorous curriculum develops life skills that influence standard of living, productivity, income level, and of course, life wisdom. How better to do that than to be involved in music and be held to a high performance standard?
Think about your student- are they a 97% student- or always working to be at 100%? Preparation on lesson assignments at home lead to that 100% mark, as skills are mastered, and performed accurately in the lesson setting. When we all contribute the best that we can to the group, we get to our 100% much faster.
Have high expectations for quality preparation at home, and the quality performances will happen!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Busy time at Storm Lake Middle School! Our jazz band went to NWIBA district competition on Wednesday. We got second place!!! Our high school band also took second, and will be going on to the Iowa Jazz Championships. Woot woot!!!
Our fifth grade band will begin full band rehearsals on two days of the week. I look forward to Monday and Wednesday mornings with my beginners! We have used our sectional time well, and we appreciate all the help our mentors gave us. We are almost ready for our March 7th concert-we hope to see many of you there.
Enjoy some of our jazz band pics!
Our fifth grade band will begin full band rehearsals on two days of the week. I look forward to Monday and Wednesday mornings with my beginners! We have used our sectional time well, and we appreciate all the help our mentors gave us. We are almost ready for our March 7th concert-we hope to see many of you there.
Enjoy some of our jazz band pics!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Another week
Another week has flown by. The snow day we had made things interesting as we tried to continue with our lessons and rehearsals. Just a note so that we are all on the same page....
If we have a snow day on a 5th grade band day, we miss our band rehearsal.
If we have a snow day on a 6th or 7/8 band day, that band rehearsal moves to the next school day. Since we are on an even/odd day rotation, the day # we miss continues on the next school day. So, our rehearsals move with that.
It is a challenge to get lessons in when we miss a day of school, but we always try to see the students we miss. Just remember to bring instruments to school- even if you think you don't have a lesson. We might surprise you...because we like to hear you make progress!
We will be starting cookie dough sales for our 6th-8th grade students. There will hopefully be a music trip when our 6th graders are freshman. We will have many fund raisers between now and the trip so that the students can easily cover the cost of the trip. Watch for envelopes with cookie dough information, and encourage your friends to help our music department out! The cookies are excellent---I would like one right now!
Have a good weekend! Use the time to practice!
If we have a snow day on a 5th grade band day, we miss our band rehearsal.
If we have a snow day on a 6th or 7/8 band day, that band rehearsal moves to the next school day. Since we are on an even/odd day rotation, the day # we miss continues on the next school day. So, our rehearsals move with that.
It is a challenge to get lessons in when we miss a day of school, but we always try to see the students we miss. Just remember to bring instruments to school- even if you think you don't have a lesson. We might surprise you...because we like to hear you make progress!
We will be starting cookie dough sales for our 6th-8th grade students. There will hopefully be a music trip when our 6th graders are freshman. We will have many fund raisers between now and the trip so that the students can easily cover the cost of the trip. Watch for envelopes with cookie dough information, and encourage your friends to help our music department out! The cookies are excellent---I would like one right now!
Have a good weekend! Use the time to practice!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Karl King Honor Band
Spent Saturday in Fort Dodge at the Karl King Honor Band. I had a great day with my students! We had wonderful conversation on the drive down. (I loved the jokes and riddles!) The students auditioned well...we had all first chairs and a third chair out of twenty flutes. That is impressive, Storm Lake Middle School! I could see how much my students enjoyed music making----and the pursuit of excellence. What a fun day!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Happy New Year!
Welcome back to the second semester of our school year! We have had a rough start getting everyone in for lessons because of our snow days. but I have heard some wonderful playing from the students that have been able to come! I am really excited about all of the students that are working hard on scales....those 5th grade chromatic scales are stupendous! What an accomplishment!
Next weekend, we have Storm Lake Middle School students who will be participating in the Karl King Honor Band in Fort Dodge. These students were nominated by their teachers and were selected by a committee of judges. We are looking forward to a wonderful day of music making with our guest directors, and we hope to make some new friends.
5th graders...are you getting to band on time on Wednesday mornings? Remember to come to band, even if the school bus is late! I miss some of you so much! You are all important and need to be in our full group rehearsal!
Log some practice time this week- how much progress can we see from all of you?
Next weekend, we have Storm Lake Middle School students who will be participating in the Karl King Honor Band in Fort Dodge. These students were nominated by their teachers and were selected by a committee of judges. We are looking forward to a wonderful day of music making with our guest directors, and we hope to make some new friends.
5th graders...are you getting to band on time on Wednesday mornings? Remember to come to band, even if the school bus is late! I miss some of you so much! You are all important and need to be in our full group rehearsal!
Log some practice time this week- how much progress can we see from all of you?
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