Patrick Marsh Middle School Band
Oct 4-8, 2022
Fall Band Concert THIS Tuesday, Oct 5!
After nearly two years we are excited to present an indoor band concert! Your children have been working hard and we are excited to celebrate their growth.
Two NEW items regarding the concert and then some reminders:
2) In order to help with transportation, Mrs. Haraldson and I will transport the following instruments from Patrick Marsh to the High School and back on the night of the concert. Students playing these instruments will just need to remember to bring their music.
- French Horn
- Euphonium
- Tenor Sax
- Bari Sax
- Tuba
Concert Reminders are below in the "Previous Information" Section.
7th Band Caregivers Please Return This Form Tomorrow
Recently I was surprised and humbled to learn that I was selected for a national teaching award through the NEA Foundation called the California Casualty Award for Teaching Excellence. I am one of forty-five educators nationwide to receive this award and will soon find out if I have advanced to the top five!
This coming Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the NEA Foundation will have a media specialist at Patrick Marsh to film some interviews and footage of our band classes. The goal is to create a three-minute video like this that will be played at an education event in Washington DC in February.
The NEA Foundation would like permission to interview some of your children and to record a bit of our class instruction for this video. To do so, they will need this attached photo release form to be signed and returned.
If this is acceptable to you, please complete the form and return it to me by Monday morning. Feel free to email it to me or to send it with your child on Monday.
Sorry to add one more thing to your already full plate! All of this certainly is not possible without the support of our community, district, staff and of course, you and your wonderful children!
7th Grade Jazz Starts Soon!
7th Grade Jazz Ensemble meets every Tuesday & Thursday from 7:00- 7:30 AM and is directed by Mrs. Haraldson. Any instrument can be in jazz. I will need students to play piano, bass, drum set and guitar. This first rehearsal is Thursday, October 14, 2021.
These rehearsals will begin right at 7:00 AM sharp. Parents/Guardians will need to drop off their child in the morning. Door# 7 (turn around door) will open at 6:50 AM and closed at 7:10 AM on Jazz mornings.
Sectionals - Wednesday Mornings - once a month.
I will also schedule sectionals once a month. The groups of students will be as such: percussion, saxophone, trumpet and trombone. The specific dates will be on the schedule.
Jazz will have three main performances –
- Middle School Jazz Fest - Friday, February 18.
- Swing Into Spring Jazz Concert - Friday, April 8
- 5th grade visit performance- May during the school day.
Opportunities to perform elsewhere may come up and will be communicated in advance.
If a student is unable to attend a rehearsal, a phone message or email as a reminder is helpful. If a student misses more than two rehearsals/sectionals or comes late to rehearsals without an excuse, the student may be asked to not participate in the jazz program. Although Jazz is an optional offering, students in jazz must make a commitment to attend all rehearsals and performances. Students need to also commit to practicing this music outside of jazz rehearsals.
Yours In Swing….
Mrs. Haraldson (834-7627)
This Week In Band
Tuesday, Oct 5 (B Day) -7th Full Band (orch & choir come to band), Concert HS 7 pm
Wednesday, Oct 6 (A Day)
Thursday, Oct 7 (B Day) - Conferences 4-8 pm
Friday, Oct. 8 (No School) - Conferences 7:30-11:30 am, SPMS Honors Band Application Due Today
Previous Information
Fall Teacher/Caregiver Conferences
Sun Prairie Middle School Honors Band Opportunity
For the past 15 years, Sun Prairie has hosted a middle school honors band. An "honors band" is an event that brings together eager and accomplished students from a larger geographical area for a limited amount of time with the goal of learning music with a guest music educator usually culminating in a performance. The challenge, as you would suspect, is the limited amount of time available to rehearse and refine the music. Honor bands are fantastic opportunities to meet new students, learn new music, and to work with an outstanding educator.
This all sounds great doesn't it? Yet, keep in mind that students need to be ready for this type of experience. It takes maturity and stamina to remain focused and productive for an entire day of music-making. The student must also display a certain level of skill and maturity on their instrument to be accepted. Some honor bands require a live or recorded audition while others rely on a "paper application",
There are many honor band opportunities in our area. The first is our very own Sun Prairie Middle School Honors Band. All band students in grades 6, 7, and 8 are eligible to apply for the group. Selection to this group is based on a paper application along with the music teacher's recommendation.
Mrs. Haraldson and I would encourage all interested students to consider applying if they feel ready and excited by this opportunity. The event will be held on Saturday, November 13 at Prairie View. Interested students need to read through the linked information and fill out the application. Applications need to be returned to Mr. Gleason by October 8th!
Hard copies of the application are available...just ask Mr. Gleason!
General Timeline:
October 8, 2021 – Applications due to school band directors & recommendations uploaded
October 15, 2021 – Performers are selected - students, caregivers, and directors emailed
November 13, 2021 – Honor Band Festival Day at PVMS
Fall Concert Information
Sun Prairie East High School Performing Arts Center (PAC). We will present one concert featuring the 6th and 7th grade bands from 7:00-7:45 pm on Tuesday, Oct 5.
When Should My Child Arrive?
All band students should have their instrument ready in their meeting location by 6:40 pm. Please plan to arrive a bit early especially if you are not familiar with the high school.
Where Should We Park and Enter?
Please park and use the main entrance (Door 1).
Where Will My Child Go?
The 6th graders will have the following specific meeting rooms:
Flutes - Women's Dressing Room (2110)
Clarinets - Orchestra Room (2140)
Trumpets - Choir Room (2135)
Trombones - Men's Dressing Room (2160)
Euphoniums & Tubas - Stage (2105)
Percussion - Stage (2105)
All 7th Graders - Put cases and personal items in the Band Room (2155) then report to the stage. We will warm-up on stage and then remain on stage during the 6th grade portion of the concert.
What Should My Child Wear? Dress nice. No shorts or ripped jeans please.
What Should My Child Bring? All students will need to bring their band instrument with the bell cover. Flute players will need their flute masks. Percussionists will need their stick bag with sticks and mallets. All students will need their band music.
We would strongly encourage all tuba, euphonium, tenor sax, bari sax, and horn players to use their school instruments since these already have the bell covers on them. If transporting this instrument to and from the concert is difficult, please let us know and we will make arrangements to transport it.
Concert Etiquette and the PAC: Students and caregivers should remain for the entire concert. The audience should be quiet during the performance. Only water is allowed in the PAC.
Student Attendance: Concerts are an extension of the band classroom and the learning that takes place every day and are therefore graded events. Music was created to be shared and not performed in isolation (or in the band room only). For this reason, we need to perform for an audience in order to share the wealth of learning that has taken place. This sharing helps the students to bring closure to the learning process and also propels them towards the next step in the journey. Student participation in concerts is vital to the success of all the students involved. Please make every effort to have your child be a part of these experiences. Sporting events/practices and other extracurricular activities are not acceptable reasons to miss a performance. If you have a reason to miss any performance, please contact your teacher as soon as possible prior to the concert date.
Do You Have This Book?
The book is called:
Student Instrumental Course Book 1 [add the name of your child's instrument]**
**Trumpets please get the "Cornet" book.
How Can I Find More Information?
Patrick Marsh Middle School Bands
Email: cpgleas@sunprairieschools.org
Website: http://www.spbb.org/patrick-marsh-bands.html
Location: 1351 Columbus Street, Sun Prairie, WI, United States
Phone: (608) 834-7625