NYCSD Elementary Band Notes
April '19
Concert Season
Happy Spring!
Very quickly approaching is the Band/Orchestra Spring Concert, held on May 7th at 7:00 PM in the High School Auditorium! During this concert, the four schools come together to create larger ensembles. The Beginner and Advanced Strings (Orchestra) will play first, followed by the Level 1 Band, and then the Level 2 Band. While the concert begins at 7:00 PM, I would like the Level 1 and 2 Bands to arrive at 6:10 PM so that we can warm up together. As of right now, Level 1 Band will meet in the Band Room, and Level 2 Band will meet in the Chorus Room beside the Band Room. I will send out an email if this changes!
During the day on May 6th (Level 2) and May 7th (Level 1), the students also have a Dress Rehearsal for the concert. They will ride a bus to the High School to rehearse with the students from the other elementary schools in the district. Please make sure to write this date on your calendars as a date that your child will need to bring their instrument to school!
Over the next cycle, I will be sending home a letter about the concert as well as a permission slip for our Dress Rehearsal. It is preferable that they return the permission slip one cycle after I hand it out so that I can let the other staff know who will be out of the building during that time. If a student does not participate in the Dress Rehearsal, they will be unable to perform in the concert. If you are in need of a new permission slip, you can email me at jyohn@northernpolarbears.com, or you can grab one off of my website here.
For this concert, the permission slips MUST come back to me on time. I am required to turn these permission slips into the nurse so that she may determine if a nurse needs to come with us, and the nurse needs them two weeks in advance - I cannot do that unless the permission slips are turned in on time. For this reason, I will NOT accept permission slips the day of the Dress Rehearsal. They must be turned in on time!
Important Dates
All Schools
- May 6 - Spring Concert Dress Rehearsal (Lvl 2)
- May 7 - Spring Concert Dress Rehearsal (Lvl 1)
- May 7 - Spring Concert, 7:00PM @NHS (All)
*Concerts are mandatory. Please let me know ASAP if your student will not be attending a concert or rehearsal!
DES
- Day 4 Lessons: 4/2, 4/10, 4/18, 4/30, 5/8, 5/16, 5/24
- Day 6 Lessons: 4/4, 4/12, 4/24, 5/2, 5/10, 5/20, 5/29
- Full Band Rehearsals (Lvl 1 & 2): 4/2, 4/10, 4/18, 4/30, 5/8, 5/16, 5/24
- April 24/April 30 - (Optional) April Composer of the Month due
- May 24/May 29 - (Optional) May Composer of the Month due
- Thursday, April 18th - Permission Slip Due
NES
- Day 1 Lessons: 4/5, 4/15, 4/25, 5/3, 5/13, 5/21, 5/30
- Day 5 Lessons: 4/3, 4/11, 4/23, 5/1, 5/9, 5/17, 5/28
- Full Band Rehearsals (Lvl 1 & Lvl 2): 4/3, 4/11, 4/23, 5/1, 5/9, 5/17, 5/28
- April 25/April 23 - (Optional) April Composer of the Month due
- May 28/May 30 - (Optional) May Composer of the Month due
- Thursday, April 11th - Permission Slip Due
SME
- Day 1 Lessons: 4/5, 4/15, 4/25, 5/3, 5/13, 5/21, 5/30
- Day 3 Lessons: 4/1, 4/9, 4/17, 4/29, 5/15, 5/23
- Full Band Rehearsals (Lvl 1 & Lvl 2): 4/1, 4/9, 4/17, 4/29, 5/15, 5/23
- May 7 - No lessons or Lvl 2 Full Band due to Dress Rehearsal @HS (Lvl 1)
- April 25/April 29 - (Optional) April Composer of the Month due
- May 23/May 30 - (Optional) May Composer of the Month due
- Wednesday, April 17th - Permission Slip Due
WES
- Day 2 Lessons: 4/8, 4/16, 4/26, 5/14, 5/22, 5/31
- Full Band Rehearsals: 4/8, 4/16, 4/26, 5/14, 5/22, 5/31
- May 6 - No lessons or Lvl 1 Full Band due to Dress Rehearsal @HS (Lvl 2)
- April 26 - (Optional) April Composer of the Month due
- May 31 - (Optional) May Composer of the Month due
- Tuesday, April 16th - Permission Slip Due
Third Marking Period Report Cards
Next week, students will receive their report cards. In the band section of their report cards, the students get a grade for Tone, Music Reading, Technique, and Preparation. A LOT goes into our preparation grade: If the students remember to come to full band, if they remember to come to lessons, if they remember to bring their instrument to band and lessons, if they have a positive and respectful attitude, and most importantly if they PRACTICE! This marking period also included the Concert in this grade.
After report cards go out, I will be sending a letter home with students that is specific to each student. Within this letter, I explain how your child earned the grade that they got for preparation. I specifically note how many lessons/rehearsals they came to, how much they practiced (average), etc.
If your student does not give this letter to you, please ask for it. All students (other than those who were absent) should have their letter by 5/11/19. If your student was absent or if they missed their band/lesson when I handed out the letter, it will have been delivered to their homeroom teacher. Please read the letter, sign the last page, and have your child bring the last page to me next time they have full band or a lesson!
Summer Lessons on the Horizon...
This summer we will again be offering Summer Lessons to those who are interested. These lessons are once per week at a set time, and are taught by myself, Mr. McCartney (MS Band Director) and Mr. Sheffer (HS Band Director). Since there are no grades, these lessons are fairly laid back, and our main goal is to encourage some practicing over the summer, even though there isn't any school! There is a small cost, however this cost is MUCH cheaper than most Private Lesson studios in the area. Be on the look out for information about this coming to you next month!
Vocabulary Quizlet
At the beginning of the year, a vocabulary pre-test was given to the Level 1 Band students to see what they knew already versus what they'd be learning in band. In January, we took the test again to track how much progress we had made so far. We will also be taking it at the end of the year in May, which is when it will REALLY count.
Vocabulary is important for several reasons: first, this vocabulary will be used throughout their entire band career, through High School and beyond if they choose to continue playing; second, most of our vocabulary is universal - if we were to video chat with musicians from around the world, we'd be able to communicate about music using our vocabulary! The third, and most important reason, is so that we can communicate clearly with each other in rehearsals and lessons.
The students do have all of our vocabulary in their folders, and they should regularly look at the list to keep it fresh in their memory. In order to help the students with studying, I've also created a Quizlet! You can access that here: https://quizlet.com/jyohnband/folders/level-1-vocabulary There is also a link on my website.
With the Quizlet, the students can study in a variety of ways: flashcards, multiple choice, matching, writing, even a Space-themed game! As far as I know, you do not need an account to study. I've sorted the words into three categories - Music Staff, Notes and Rests, and Other.
If you have any questions or encounter any bugs or difficulties, please let me know! This is my first time experimenting with Quizlet. Level 2 is welcome to use it as well! :)