Berrien Springs Band News
Week of 10/16
Marching Band earns Division 1 @ MSBOA and Best Music/2nd place in Class C @ Lakeshore
High School News
The Band also performed at the Lakeshore High School Marching Invitational on Saturday, October 15th. They earned Best Music and 2nd place in Class C competition!
We have two more performances of REDEMPTION this season for you to see.
This week we have our Senior Night home football game vs. Pine River HS. Schedule for that game is likely to be*:
5:30 - Call/Dress
5:50 - Cafeteria
6:30 - March out
6:40 - Performance
7:00 - Game Starts
*There may be an alteration to this schedule due to Senior Night details and the JV game that immediately proceeds the Varsity game. I will get more information on Monday morning and update you accordingly.
We have our final marching competition at the East Kentwood Marching Invitational this Saturday, October 22nd. At this competition, we go up early in the day and watch 8-10 bands, warm-up/perform, and watch the final set of A/AA bands. It is a long day, so watch the weather for Kentwood and bring enough money for lunch/dinner at the EK concession stand.
11:45 - Call time @ BSHS
11:50 - Load trailer w/instruments & uniforms
12:10 - Load bus
12:15 - Leave BSHS
2:15 - Arrive EKHS
Watch performances until 5:30
5:30-6:10 - Put on Uniform/get out instruments
6:15 - warm up
7:00 - Perform
7:15 - Return to trailer/change/put away instruments
Watch performances until 9:45
9:45 - Awards
10:00 - Return to bus
12:30 - Arrive @ BSHS
Schedule for week:
Monday - Rehearsal/tape analysis during class
Tuesday - Senior Hat making 2:45-5:30, ALL STAR TAPES DUE, Evening rehearsal 6:30-8:30
Wednesday - Class rehearsal
Thursday - none
Friday - Class rehearsal + Football Game
Saturday - East Kentwood competition - ALL DAY
MSBOA @ Niles
Accepting Trophies @ Lakeshore
Quintet @ Lakeshore
Middle School News
· Students need to be in the Middle School band room at 6:30pm.
· The concert begins at 7pm in the Middle School gym.
UNIFORM: Students can wear a costume or all black clothes (including black shoes!) No blood/gore or weapons allowed. Masks must be removed for performance purposes.
Students are required to attend and participate in this concert and must stay for the entire concert. Part of being in band is listening to, supporting, and evaluating other groups.
Practice Tips
1) Supplies: The following items are crucial to effective practice sessions:
- A music stand facilitates proper viewing and encourages appropriate playing posture.
- A sturdy chair with a flat seat helps develop correct posture (the back of the chair is insignificant, as a student should not be resting their back on the chair while playing). Better yet, students should practice standing up!
- A pencil allows students to mark their music as necessary to help them correct mistakes.
- A metronome provides a steady beat for students to follow while practicing and is critical for appropriate development of pulse (You can download one on your phone!)
- A tuner is the only way that students may practice long tones and self-assess their intonation, or pitch accuracy (You can download one on your phone!)
- A CD player allows students to play along with the CD's included in their books. This is not only helpful in allowing them to hear an ideal sound for their instrument, but it also gives them the opportunity to play along with a steady accompaniment, making their practice environment more engaging.
- A practice record or some sort of dedicated notebook (even a planner) in which musicians write down goals helps track their progress and stay dedicated to both their practice schedule and goal-setting.
Volunteers and Helpers needed!
If you would like to help in any capacity - please reach out to Ms. Wendy Cascone by texting 269-588-2510. She will let you know what we need and how we need it! We will also have a Band Booster Facebook page updated and running in the next few weeks - we will post requests there too!
Thank you for your continued support of the Berrien Springs Band Program!
Low Brass and Horn LESSONS!
Adam earned his degree from Central Michigan University in music education. He is a tuba player originally, but has specialized in all low brass (and Horn) for the past 8 years. He has taught in Odessa, Texas (home of Friday Night Lights); Pasadena, Texas; Hiroshima, Japan; and South Bend, Indiana. He is currently teaching at Grissom Middle School in the PHM district in Mishawaka, Indiana.
If you want to take lessons, or want your student to take lessons, please email me ASAP at krosselit@homeoftheshamrocks.org. I highly recommend his skills as a music educator and private lesson teacher.
Contact Us!
Email: krosselit@homeoftheshamrocks.org
Website: berrienspringsbands.com
Location: 1 Sylvester Ave, MI, United States
Phone: 269-471-1748
Facebook: facebook.com/BerrienBand
Twitter: @BerrienBand