Happy New Year!
From the Band Room at Timberstone JH!
From the directors...
In the band room, we are going to be pluggin' along with great students and great music!
This newsletter will review a few concepts for you to consider, important dates, and some celebratory news!
2017 Performance at the Toledo Zoo's Lights Before Christmas
8th Grade Placement Auditions
In addition, all band members will be expected to turn in a signed commitment form. The commitment form is a signed confirmation that your musician will or will not be participating in band next year, at Southview High School. The commitment packet will contain information about band in high school, specifically at Southview.
Whether continuing on next year (and we hope all of you do) or not, everybody is required to turn in a commitment form and completing a placement audition.
FAQ's
Do I have to do marching band at Southview? Yes. The High School band course in Sylvania Schools includes concert and marching season. BUT, most of our kids think that marching season is the most fun.
I'm not doing band at SV, why do I have to do this? Everybody turns in a commitment form and audition so we can adequately assess student performance and have a good idea of who will be doing band next year.
What does the time commitment look like? If you'd like to get a good idea of what the band schedule looks like, feel free to visit www.southviewband.com and check out the calendar page. Scroll through the past 12 months and you'll see a good example of what goes on. You can also view the Southview Band Handbook on the web.
Is there Honors Credit for band? Yes! Students wishing to take band for honors credit are enrolled in Symphonic Band and then agree to complete some additional, independent work. This includes a requirement for private study. The goal of the honors credit option is to further increase musical independence.
More information to come!
Band Parent's Corner
Instrument Care and Maintenance
- Basic Care and Handling~ Proper care and handling is just as important whether your musician's instrument is a rental or a hand-me-down. What's crucial is that you know the care requirements of your instrument. You can find this information just about anywhere~ instrument manufacturer website, a simple google search, the front cover of the Book 1 from 6th grade, or asking a director.
- Do's and Don'ts ~ While each instrument has its own specific care requirements, there are some do's and don'ts that apply to all instruments. Make sure you're encouraging these with your musician... *ALWAYS KEEP THE INSTRUMENT IN ITS CASE WHEN NOT IN USE. IF YOU MUST LAY IT DOWN MOMENTARILY, PUT THE CASE ON A FLAT SURFACE AND LAY THE INSTRUMENT IN THE CASE. *DON'T EAT OR CHEW GUM WHILE PLAYING OR JUST BEFORE PLAYING (YOU CAN GET SUGAR, GREASE, OR FOOD PARTICLES ON OR IN THE INSTRUMENT). *KEEP THE INSTRUMENT CLEAN INSIDE AND OUT, AND WIPE DOWN THE KEYS REGULARLY *DON'T CRAM ANYTHING INTO THE INSTRUMENT CASE THAT DOESN'T BELONG THERE. THIS INCLUDES BOOKS/FOLDERS. *ALWAYS CARE THE CASE BY ITS HANDLE. *CHECK THE CASE REGULARLY FOR CRACKS OR ANYTHING KNOCKING LOOSE. *DON'T LEAVE THE INSTRUMENT IN THE CAR WHEN IT IS VERY HOT OR BELOW 40 DEGREES OUTSIDE. *DON'T SWING THE CASE AROUND, AND BE CAREFUL NOT TO LEAVE IT WHERE IT CAN GET KICKED, KNOCKED, RUN OVER, OR OTHERWISE ABUSED.
- Regular professional checkups and repairs~ Maintaining a properly functioning instrument for your musician is very important. It's the unfortunate truth that many students are tempted to quit band because they get frustrated when they are not able to produce the proper sound from their instruments. They assume they are the cause of the problem, when in reality it may be that their instrument is out of adjustment. This type of fix is often a simple matter that can be remedied by a director or while you wait at the repair store. For this reason, all musical instruments, whether rented or owned, should be checked twice a year by a qualified repair technician. It's important to remember, don't try any repairs at home. These instruments are very intricate and shouldn't be altered by just anybody. NOTE: Mrs. Wilson & Mrs. Knowles are both very skilled at many repairs. It's important that you have your musician show us what is going on with their instrument and we can provide specific information on what needs to be fixed OR we can just fix it ourselves. While we are not certified repair technicians, we have a lot of experience in simple instrument repair. We will not try to fix anything that is beyond our level of comfort.
Dealing with Competition
Our band room is certainly not immune to competitive forces, nor should it be. However, it is our hope to emphasize a healthier form of competition with students: always striving to be better than we were yesterday. We can't always control how we rate, but we can control how hard we work.
In music we strive not to be better than other people, but to be better people.
Each musician has room to grow, improve, and become more confident. If we can finish each rehearsal, practice session, or performance able to say with honesty we gave our very best, then that is the type of competition we want to foster in our students.
By focusing on continual improvement, it is our hope that our band room becomes a place where we inspire one another to strive for excellence each and every day. By promoting excellence as a lifestyle, we not only learn to improve as musicians, but as people. That's the POWER of music.
We hope you'll join us in celebrating our student's successes each day while inspiring them to reach farther than they thought possible.
Burnout....
As you know, the best things in life require hard work and persistence. As long as we keep the enthusiasm and support coming, they will be able to overcome any frustration.
Please remember, band is a year-long course and that the entire ensemble depends on each individual member.
If your musician is feeling a little bit of burnout or backing away on the enthusiasm, please drop us an email so we work together. We believe that everybody who chooses music performance does for a reason and we want to help reignite the flame of fun.
Additional performance opportunity at BGSU!!!
Important Dates
5th Grade Recruitment Performance
This performance is occuring during school and parents are not expected to be there.
BUT, it's important that the 7/8th grade band members are sporting their best Timberstone Spirit Wear! We'd love for our athletes to wear the jersey's/shirts, our cheerleaders to wear their cheer outfit, and so on. We will be doing a "Most School Spirit" Competition. The winner gets some of their favorite candy!
Parents, please help the kids remember to dress in their best Spirit Wear!
Friday, Jan 19, 2018, 09:00 AM
Timberstone Junior High School, West Sylvania Avenue, Sylvania, OH, United States
SV Band Booster Meeting
The Southview Band Booster Association is looking for people who like to be involved, work with students, and enjoy the band program that their musician is a part of. Come to a meeting, see what we are about.
NOTE: we have a few executive spots that are open because of students graduating~ Finance & Events. If you'd like more information, please email Mrs. Knowles
Monday, Jan 22, 2018, 07:00 PM
Southview High School Band Room
2018 OMEA Honors Festival
The concert is free and open to the public.
Sunday, Feb 18, 2018, 02:30 PM
Stranahan Theater & Great Hall, Heatherdowns Boulevard, Toledo, OH, United States
Scrapbook Day!!!
DOWNLOAD THE REGISTRATION FORM
Registration fee of $30.00 includes:
Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, Goody Bag & Raffle Ticket
Two table sizes, Raffle Drawings, Layout Contest
Additional Raffle Tickets available to purchase
Scrapbooking/crafting garage sale
Scrapbook Tools & Quick Cuts System for your use
Scrapbook Consultants, Jill Oblizajek & Lynn Dona on hand to help you
Full line of scrapbooking supplies available for purchase on site
For those of you who need to spread out, you can reserve an entire 8’ table for an additional $5.00. As space is limited, Registration Deadline is two weeks prior to our event for planning purposes. Please contact Diane Ley for space availability after the deadline.
Saturday, Feb 24, 2018, 09:00 AM
Southview High School, West Sylvania Avenue, Sylvania, OH, United States
Spring Recital~Required Performance
Thursday, Mar 22, 2018, 06:00 PM
Southview High School, West Sylvania Avenue, Sylvania, OH, United States
OMEA Solo & Ensemble Contest
Saturday, Apr 14, 2018, 08:00 AM
Timberstone Junior High School, West Sylvania Avenue, Sylvania, OH, United States
8th Grade Trip to Cedar Point!!!!
NOTE: This is not a required performance, BUT we are competing as a band and need as much of the band as possible. (Preferably everybody!)