Mokena Meteor Music
April 3, 2020 - April 9, 2020
Important Information from the Music Department!
All Mokena Schools will continue to be closed through April 10, 2020.
Starting on Monday, April 6, we will switch to Remote Learning with a Human Touch. All band students should be checking their Google Classroom daily for band assignments. All band students should have already signed up for SmartMusic as well. Starting on April 6, Ms. Beekman and Mrs. Bussean will be posting daily prompts to students. Students will respond to these prompts in Google Classroom. We will also be assigning work to students to be completed by Friday at 11:59 pm weekly until we are back in school. Students in Cadet, Concet and Symphonic Bands are expected to continue to log their practice time in Charms just as they have been for the rest of the school year.
Every Monday and Wednesday, Ms. Beekman and Mrs. Bussean will have "office hours" in the Google Hangouts. Any student needing extra help, or having questions, should plan to attend the hangout. We would love to see their faces! We will be sending an email with more information soon which will include our weekly expectations.
While we know this is a difficult time for our band students, we hope that they will continue to practice daily and stay on top of their skills. We are here to help! If you student is feeling discouraged, please reach out to us. We will get through this together and return to making beautiful music together. Stay strong!
SmartMusic!
We will be using SmartMusic to do assessments for Band. This information has been emailed out to families previously. Here is the information to sign up if your child has not done so yet:
Here's the information to get a SmartMusic account
Go to:
https://admin.smartmusic.com/join?_ga=2.247431684.1248344417.1584561583-363123923.1584561583
Class Code: FK3DN-GRQCU
Remember, the first band to have 100% participation, will get to see a TikTok dance by their band director!
Private Music Lessons - Highly Encouraged
It is not required that Mokena music students take private lessons. It is true, however, that the vast majority of students who do not take private lessons tend to have improper playing habits, and never reach their full potential as musicians.
SECTIONALS ARE NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR PRIVATE LESSONS. There are still many benefits of private instruction over full band rehearsal and small group sectionals. If you are interested in getting your child private lessons on their instrument, please visit the following link:
https://www.mokenameteormusic159.org/uploads/2/3/4/4/23449316/private_lessons.pdf
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Bussean or Ms. Beekman
MANY PRIVATE INSTRUCTORS ARE OFFERING VIRTUAL LESSONS RIGHT NOW!
Little Mermaid Jr. Status
At this point, I do not have a lot of information to share regarding the future of our production of The Little Mermaid Jr. It is my hope that if we return to school, that we would be able to perform the musical in some form. I am not sure what that would look like, but as of now, we remain hopeful. If anything changes or if I have more information, please be assured that I will let you know.
Help Support the Music Boosters by Shopping Online!
Did you know that you can support the Mokena Music Boosters with every Amazon purchase you make at no cost to you? Any time you are shopping via Amazon, please consider using Amazon Smile for your purchases. Go to
www.amazonsmile.com. You can select the Mokena Music Boosters to receive a donation on your behalf just by making your regular Amazon purchase through them. It doesn't cost you anything and helps the Music Boosters fund our programs.
The AmazonSmile fundraiser is available year round - not just at Christmas time. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Bussean.
TONAL ENERGY APP - MUST HAVE FOR ALL INSTRUMENTALISTS!
TonalEnergy Tuner is an all-inclusive, easy to use application designed for individual practice and/or large ensemble rehearsals that aides musicians to improve sound quality and intonation.
Tuning, volume, articulation, release, duration, and steadiness are the key elements of developing a beautiful tone quality. TonalEnergy Tuner is the first multi-purpose application that allows users of all ages to understand and improve every aspect of their sound.
This app is especially useful to young brass players who struggle to find the correct partial. Oftentimes they think they are playing the correct pitch, when in fact, they are not. This can be very frustrating. This app can help students learn where the correct partial is and to hear when they are not matching the correct pitch.
In addition to its tuner capabilities, it has a built in metronome to keep students rehearsing with a steady beat!
We highly recommend that all students in our band program invest in this application if they have access to a device. It is well worth the $3.99 it costs. This is much more inexpensive than a separate metronome and tuner device.
What is an IFA Account? (Formerly known as IBA)
You may hear the term IFA account and wonder "what is that?" An IFA account is an Individual Fund Account. Every student registered in Charms automatically has an account. Funds raised through IFA Fundraisers will be credited to your child's account and can be used to purchase any music related items such as booster fees, reeds, valve oil, and even music department trips, just to name a few! The current 6th and 7th Grade Band students are eligible to go on the 2021 Trip to Disney World! If your child is in 4th and 5th Grade, they will be eligible for the Disney trip in 2023. Start saving now!
IFA Fundraisers usually occur once per quarter and are not mandatory. We are currently running the Popcorn Fundraiser. 50% of the proceeds will go into your child's IFA account.
Music Booster Meeting - APRIL MEETING TO BE DETERMINED
Once we return to school, we will notify you of our next Music Booster Meeting.
Did you know we have a Facebook page?
The Mokena Meteor Music Department has a Facebook page! It is a closed group, so please request to join! We post photos and information about what is happening in the Music Department. There is a link at the bottom of this Newsletter.
APRIL 2020
APRIL
Nothing at this time
Mokena Meteor Music Department
