NYCSD Elementary Band Notes
November '22
Welcome, everyone, to our first official NYCSD Elementary Band Notes of the 2022-2023 school year! I know this is a long read, but I hope to use our monthly Newsletters to keep everyone as informed as possible without overloading families with emails. If you have any questions about what is listed in this Newsletter, please feel free to reach out!
One quick note: I have many links to my website in this newsletter, however in early December teacher websites will be going away. I will be making efforts to transfer everything on my website over to our Band SeeSaw very soon. It will be a ton of uploading on my end, which will likely result in a ton of notifications on your end. I hope to make this transfer in one mass upload, and I will make sure to give an email heads up before I do so that the notifications are not a surprise! :)
Important Dates
If you would like to see dates beyond those listed, you can find individual links to each school's calendar below!
ALL SCHOOLS: Please put our concert dates into your calendar ASAP! Participation in concerts is mandatory! If your child is unavailable on one of these dates, please tell Mrs. Yohn as soon as possible.
- Dec. 20, during school - Winter Concert Dress Rehearsal (2nd-Year Band students only)
- Dec. 20, 7:00pm - Winter Concert @NHS (2nd-Year Band students only)
- March 29, 30, or 31 (Date TBD), during school - All-District Band Concert Dress Rehearsal (all Band students)
- March 31, 7:00pm - All-District Band Concert @NHS (all Band students)
- April 19 or 20 (Date TBD), during school - Spring Concert Dress Rehearsal (all Band students)
- April 20, 7:00pm - Spring Concert @NHS (all Band students)
- Full Band Rehearsals: 11/30, 12/8, 12/16, 01/03, 01/11, 01/20, 01/31
- Day 1 lessons: 11/30, 12/08, 12/16, 01/03, 01/11, 01/20, 01/31
- Day 6 lessons: 11/29, 12/07, 12/15, 01/02, 01/10, 01/19, 01/30
- 2nd-Year Band only: 12/08 PERMISSION SLIP DUE!!!
- 2nd-Year Band only: 12/20 In-School Dress Rehearsal & 7:00pm Concert
- Full Band Rehearsals: 11/21, 12/05, 12/13, 12/21, 01/06, 01/17, 01/26
- Day 4 lessons: 11/21, 12/05, 12/13, 12/21, 01/06, 01/17, 01/26
- Day 5 lessons: 11/22, 12/06, 12/14, 12/22, 01/09, 01/18, 01/27
- 2nd-Year Band only: 12/05 PERMISSION SLIP DUE!!!
- 2nd-Year Band only: 12/20 In-School Dress Rehearsal & 7:00pm Concert
- Full Band Rehearsals: 12/01, 12/09, 12/19, 01/04, 01/12, 01/24
- Day 2 lessons: 12/01, 12/09, 12/19, 01/04, 01/12, 01/24
- Day 3 lessons: 12/02, 12/12, 12/20, 01/05, 01/13, 01/25
- 2nd-Year Band only: 12/09 PERMISSION SLIP DUE!!!
- 2nd-Year Band only: 12/20 In-School Dress Rehearsal & 7:00pm Concert
- Lessons & Rehearsals: 11/22, 12/06, 12/14, 01/09, 01/18, 01/27
- 2nd-Year Band only: 12/06 PERMISSION SLIP DUE!!!
- 2nd-Year Band only: 12/20 In-School Dress Rehearsal & 7:00pm Concert
- No lessons 12/22
Winter Concert Info
Winter Band/Orchestra/Chorus Concert
2nd-Year Band student call (arrival) time: 6:20 pm @ NHS Band Room
In-School Dress Rehearsal 12/20/22 9:30am-11:30am @ NHS (transportation provided).
Tuesday, Dec 20, 2022, 07:00 PM
Northern High School, South Baltimore Street, Dillsburg, PA, USA
Our Winter Concert is fast approaching! The Winter Concert features 2nd-Year Band students, as well as students in Level 2 Orchestra and Chorus. This cycle, 2nd-Year Band students are receiving a packet that includes a letter about our upcoming Winter Concert as well as a permission slip for our Dress Rehearsal. The letter includes information about location, time, what to wear, etc.
The due dates for the permission slips are listed in "Important Dates" above. It is EXTREMELY important that this permission slip is returned on the due date so that I can forward them to the school nurses!!! Once you fill your child's permission slip out, please tell your child to put it directly into their Band folder and keep it there! That way I can grab it out of their Band folder during their lesson/rehearsal. If you need an extra copy of either item, I have attached them below, and will send them home via email as well. They are also temporarily available on my website: Letter and Permission Slip.
1st-Year Band students are not performing in our Winter Concert, and they are not required to attend. We do, however, encourage them to attend as audience members so that they can see how a concert works before their first concert in March!
Future Concert Dates:
- March 31, 7:00pm - All-District Band Concert @NHS (all Band students)
- April 20, 7:00pm - Spring Concert @NHS (all Band students)
Syllabus
The syllabus contains information about materials, lessons, Full Band Rehearsals, practicing, and concerts. If you'd like to preview it before it comes home, you can currently find it on my website, and I've also attached it below. I will also upload it to SeeSaw.
Practice Log, Practice Calendar, & Composer of the Month
Families and students should already be aware of the following two items, but I wanted to put a reminder here just in case:
- Each cycle, I give the students one Practice Log that students are required to fill out before their next lesson. It can typically be found in one of the pockets of their Band folder. The Practice Log is important because it allows me to see at a glance what I can help them with in their lesson and what they enjoy about playing their instrument. I also write on the Log what I would like students to practice, so they should already be looking at it when they practice. Just a sentence for each question on the Log is all I need! If your child needs an extra one, I've attached it below. It's also available on my website, and I will upload it to SeeSaw.
- Students receive a new Band Calendar each month. It is typically located in the prongs of their Band folder (towards the back). Students are required to keep track of how many minutes they practice on their Calendar (even if it's zero!) and then get it signed at the end of the week by an adult at home. This Calendar is very important, as it helps me assess how I can best instruct your child based on how much they've practiced. It also has our lesson and rehearsal dates on it! If your child needs an extra one, they are available on my website (find the dropdown for your school, then the specific cycle day your child has lessons). I'll also start uploading these to SeeSaw as well.
This third item is one that might be new to some students and families:
- On the back of each Band calendar is a Composer of the Month (COTM). A composer is a person who writes music. The COTM is an optional worksheet that students can complete each month in order to earn small prizes. It does require some research from the students, but I try to make the questions pretty easy. Students MUST turn in the COTM during (or before) the last lesson of that month in order for it to count towards a prize (i.e., they cannot turn in October's COTM in December). Again, this is on the back of the Band Calendar, so if you need an extra, you can find it at all the spots you can find the Band Calendar! And, good news for those who have already completed their first two COTMs: the prizes have FINALLY arrived!!!!!!!! :)
Practice Expectations
Now that we are in the full swing of things, I wanted to give a reminder about our practicing expectations! Our practice goal is 80-100 minutes per week, broken into however many days suitable for your child's schedule and attention span. Of course, this is just a goal, and I understand that we won't always make it to our goal! However, practicing is SO important, as I only see the kids for about 20-25 minutes a week maximum for lessons. Students NEED that extra practice time outside of school to develop the muscle memory required to play an instrument. If they want to continue to enjoy and excel at Band, they must put in at least some time at home as well.
More than likely, your child will need reminders to practice, just like they need reminders to stay on top of chores, homework, commitments, etc. If your child needs reminders to practice, it most likely does NOT reflect lack of interest! For most kids, this is the first time that they are expected to do something so regularly, and they just need help building the habit of practicing while they are still so young.
I recommend sitting down with your child and working together on creating a practice schedule that you both agree on. Kids LOVE having agency in creating their own practice schedule, and are more likely to stick with it if they help to create it. I have a document on my website that you can use to create a schedule. I've also attached it below, and will upload it to SeeSaw. Copies are also available in person for students to take home as needed!
Additionally, I included a link directly below to an article about developing a practice routine that will offer some additional tips. Again, it is normal to have to help your child remember to practice. If you receive pushback from your child, try some of the tips in the article. If that doesn't help, please reach out to me! I am typically able to problem solve with the student and figure out what's going on.
Finally, please make sure that you have the correct book! 2nd-Year Band students are still using our Sound Innovations book that they started with last year. 1st-Year Band students should be using our Essential Elements book (Trumpet book pictured). About 95% of the 1st-Year Band students have already started reading music from this book within the last few cycles, so if you have not ordered it yet, please do so ASAP! Information about the book was sent home via email back when students first joined Band, however if you need the information again I am more than happy to provide it - just let me know!