Welcome Back!
Advanced Band Information
Starting school
We are excited to start a new adventure with everyone!
First off, hopefully this newsletter is making it to everyone that needs to see it. We still do not have our updated rosters so we are working off of a list the counselors gave us on July 27th. If there were changes in your schedule it might not be reflected in this list. As we continue to receive updates we will update our mailing list. Thank you for your patience.
As you can imagine, this year will be unlike any other- so please review this page carefully for updates. This year we are going to have a lot of fun and look forward to band being a great place for your student to take a breather, get to socialize and reconnect, and grow as musicians!
If you have any questions or concerns after looking through this newsletter please let us know and we can't wait to start making music together again (both online and in person) soon.
Thank you,
Mr. Wood, Mrs. Humphreys, Mr. Seymour, and Mr. Martinez
Summer of Love!
Band Fees ($0!)
When we have an event or function we will send out the information along with ways to pay online or through Venmo directly to our Band Boosters.
Band Placements
First off- our 'levels' of band is out for this semester. The schedules will still list band A, B, and C- but those course names don't actually represent our levels anymore. This year we are looking to focus on fundamentals in the fall with hopes of having our auditioned groups returning in the spring- if things start getting more back to normal.
- Band A (6th period): Symphonic Band- this is now where all 8th grade WOODWIND and BRASS players are, no matter what group you were in or where you placed last year.
- Band B (4th period): Woodwind Band- this is now where all 7th grade WOODWIND players are placed.
- Band C (5th period): Brass Band- this is now where all 7th grade BRASS players are placed.
- Percussionists: We will still have Mr. Seymour and Mr. Martinez working directly with our percussion as we have in the past. To avoid a 7th grade GT conflict we have 7th grade percussionists in Band A (6th period). All 8th grade percussionists will be in Band B (4th period).
NOTE: There may be a few students(in both 7th and 8th grade) placed in other groups due to scheduling conflicts. If your child is placed in a different group than listed above know that this was to help avoid another issue in their schedule that could not be avoided. No matter where you end up we will have both Mr. Wood and Mrs. Humphreys teaching the groups so your child will be able to get the proper individualized instruction as the other groups. We hope this will take some pressure off some of our students and allow us to provide smaller classes with more specialized instruction.
Instrument Usage ($0 for now!)
Traditionally we have a $100 usage fee to use a school owned instrument ($50 if your family is on free and reduced lunch). We are not going to worry about collecting this fee right now, but be looking for more information regarding our equipment soon. Also note that if your family has been hit financially through this difficult time please let us know as we can reduce the fee or even waive the fee entirely.
Materials
Binder: We are asking that our students all have a one inch binder to keep their supplies together. Usually we provide this as part of our band fees, but since we are not collecting any money it would great if students either used last year's binder or got a new one if theirs was falling apart.
Instrument Supplies: If your child is out of oil, grease, or other items needed for their instrument please let us know or order from amazon or other local music stores. Continued maintenance of their instrument is the best way to keep it in working order!
Percussionists: Mr. Seymour will send you a specific email that has promo codes to access discounts on your instrument supplies.
Safety Procedures (as of 8/5/2020)
- Students are to wear masks any time we are not playing our instruments.
- Students will have a clean/sanitized chair that will be socially distanced in the band hall. One major advantage of our new band placements is it allows us to have around 30 students in each group as opposed to almost 50. We can easily accommodate social distancing guidelines in our band hall this way.
- Only four students will be allowed in the storage room at a time and we will continue to utilize the 'one way' system of entering and exiting the room. Students waiting to enter will stand on the socially distanced dots on the floor.
- We will not have locks on our cages. This will help students be able to get their instruments and supplies quicker and minimize time in the case storage room.
- During class students will use their own folding music stand each day.
- The directors podium will remain at least six feet away from the first row of students at all times and directors will wear a mask anytime we are off the podium.
- We will continue to update and communicate changes in our safety protocols as we receive new information from the district.
If you are not familiar with how wind instruments work and how safe they are to play during a pandemic we would encourage you to watch the video below. Even though we are moving a lot of air- the science behind producing sound takes most of the 'movement' out of it- which is why social distancing is our best tool like every other classroom!
Director Contact Information
- Beginning Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, & Tuba
- Symphonic Band (Band A on 8th grade schedules)
- Brass Band (Band C on 7th grade schedules)
- Assist with Woodwind Band
- Any general questions about band, the BPA, or financial aid
Mrs. Samantha Humphreys- Assistant Director: hoffmans@friscoisd.org
Note this email address will be changing soon as 'Ms. Hoffman' was married this summer!
- Beginning Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet, & Saxophone
- Woodwind Band (Band B on 7th grade schedules)
- Assist with Brass Band and Symphonic Band
- Any questions about private lessons or weekly newsletter items
Mr. Stephen Seymour- Percussion Director: seymours@friscoisd.org
- Beginning Percussion
- 7th Percussion Ensemble (Band A on 7th grade schedules)
- 8th Percussion Ensemble (Band B on 8th grade schedules)
- Note that Mr. Martinez, our Assistant Percussion Director, will also help with many percussion duties. They will work out the schedule as the year progresses. Until this is set please contact Mr. Seymour with any percussion related questions.