NYCSD Elementary Band Notes
October '18
Welcome, Level 1!
Level 2 families - some of this information you will have already seen in our September Newsletter, but I want to make sure that the information is getting out to our families who weren't signed up yet when it went out.
Important Dates
All Schools
- Dec. 18 - Winter Concert Dress Rehearsal (Level 2 only)
- Dec. 18 - Winter Concert, 7:00PM @NHS (Lvl 2 only)
- March 28 - All-District Band Concert Dress Rehearsal (All)
- March 28 - All-District Band Concert, 7:00PM @NHS (All)
- May 6 - Spring Concert Dress Rehearsal (Lvl 2)
- May 7 - Spring Concert Dress Rehearsal (Lvl 1)
- May 7 - Spring Concert, 7:00PM @NHS (All)
*Concerts are mandatory. Please let me know ASAP if your student will not be attending a concert or rehearsal!
DES
- Day 4 Lessons: 10/4, 10/15, 10/24, 11/1
- Day 6 Lessons: 10/9, 10/17, 10/26, 11/5
- Full Band Rehearsals (Lvl 1 & 2): 10/4, 10/15, 10/24, 11/1
- Oct. 4 - Lvl 1 & Lvl 2 Syllabus parent signatures due
- Oct. 15/Oct. 17 - Practice Schedule worksheet due
- Oct. 24/Oct. 26 - (Optional) Composer of the Month due
NES
- Day 1 Lessons: 10/1, 10/10, 10/18, 10/29, 11/6
- Day 5 Lessons: 10/5, 10/16, 10/25, 11/2
- Full Band Rehearsals (Lvl 1 & Lvl 2): 10/5, 10/16, 10/25, 11/2
- Oct. 5 - Lvl 1 & Lvl 2 Syllabus parent signatures due
- Oct. 10/Oct. 16 - Practice Schedule worksheet due
- Oct. 25/Oct. 29 - (Optional) Composer of the Month due
SME
- Day 1 Lessons: 10/1, 10/10, 10/18, 10/29, 11/6
- Day 3 Lessons: 10/3, 10/12, 10/23, 10/31, 11/8
- Full Band Rehearsals (Lvl 1 & Lvl 2): 10/3, 10/12, 10/23, 10/31, 11/8
- Oct. 3 - Lvl 1 & Lvl 2 Syllabus parent signatures due
- Oct. 10/Oct. 12 - Practice Schedule worksheet due
- Oct. 29/Oct. 31 - (Optional) Composer of the Month due
WES
- Day 2 Lessons: 10/2, 10/11, 10/22, 10/30, 11/7
- Full Band Rehearsals: 10/2, 10/11, 10/22, 10/30, 11/7
- Oct. 2 - Lvl 1 & Lvl 2 Syllabus parent signatures due
- Oct. 11 - Practice Schedule worksheet due
- Oct. 30 - (Optional) Composer of the Month due
Concerts
This year, we have three concerts! Please remember that all students must perform in the concerts, and if for any reason your child will be unable to attend, please contact me ASAP!
Our first concert is our Winter Band/Orchestra/Chorus Concert! It is on December 18th, 2018 at 7:00PM in the NHS Auditorium. Only Level 2 Band students will be performing; it is not requiref for Level 1 Band students to attend this concert, but they are encouraged to attend as audience members to see how concerts work!
Our second concert is an All-Distrct Band Concert. That means all band students, from Level 1 all the way up to the most prestigious High School ensemble, will be performing, finishing with a finale that includes ALL district band students! This concert is on March 28th, 2019 at 7:00PM in the NHS Auditorium.
Our final concert of the year is our Spring Band/Orchestra Concert. This concert includes both Level 1 and Level 2 Band students. It will be held on May 7th, 2019 at 7:00PM in the NHS Auditorium.
Syllabus, Practice Schedule & Composer of the Month
The syllabus is a packet that was sent home to all band students during their first rehearsal. This packet contains information that is vital for families to have, such as grading procedures and concert dates. This packet should have been found in your child's band folder. The last page includes a parent signature page that was to be signed and returned by our most recent full band rehearsals. While I did receive many signature pages, I did not receive them all. Please double check with your child whether they have turned in their signature page. If they haven't, they can bring it to me on any day that I am at their school (see lesson dates in the important dates section above). If you need a new syllabus, please see the link below that leads to my website!
The Practice Schedule worksheet is a paper that is to be completed by the students with their families. It is simply a worksheet designed to help them prepare for the brand new task of practicing an instrument on a regular basis. It should be found in your child's band folder. Please help them decide what days will be the best days for them to practice at home and achieve the goal of 80-100 minutes of practicing per week!
Finally, the Composer of the Month is a monthly worksheet that the students receive with their practice calendars. This worksheet features a different composer (a person who writes music) each month that they are to research and answer questions about. If they answer the questions to the best of their ability by the due date, they will receive a musical paw print card. When they receive two cards, they get to pick a prize from my prize box! This worksheet is optional, and is a fun way to gain a little more knowledge about some very important people in the world of music!
You can find all of these items (and more!) on my website - see the link below!
Practice Calendar
The practice calendar will not be graded right away, as I want to give the students some time to get used to filling it out before I start grading it. The first week that will be graded will be the week of Oct. 21st-27th.
Instrument Care
There are some items in the guide - such as a mouthpiece brush or a polishing cloth - that might not have come with your instrument. It is not required that you purchase these items immediately. These extra cleaning items make GREAT birthday gifts and stocking stuffers. If you are unsure of where to find these items, you can email me and I can send you some locations.
Ways to Get in Contact
Please make sure to send all emails to jyohn@northernpolarbears.com. Email is my preferred means of contact!
New this year is my GoogleVoice phone number! Being at four schools makes it very difficult to get in contact with me via the school phones. I decided to create a GoogleVoice phone number so that families who do not have immediate internet access can contact me via phone. This number forwards calls to my phone so that you can reach me regardless of what building I'm in that day! My GoogleVoice phone number is 717-638-8099.
I will be using Remind again this year. To find out how to access your child's Remind class, please see the link to my website below!