Patrick Marsh Middle School Band

A Note About Band Lessons

We LOVE seeing your children in class and for band lessons! We have made it a priority to maintain one-on-one lesson time with your children as we feel this is the best way to connect with them, assess them, and to support their individual needs. THANK YOU for encouraging your kids to be on time and prepared for lessons. We are pleased with the consistency of lesson attendance and hope that the weekly lesson summary sent to you and your child is helpful.

To date, 3,752 lesson summary forms have been sent out to PMMS Band Families! This is a good way to check in on progress and to find out what should be worked on during the week.

Conferences This Week

If you would like to conference with one of the band instructors, please just reach out to us to set up a time. Conferences will be conducted virtually on Thursday, March 11 from 4-8 pm and on Friday, March 12 from 7:30-11:30 am.

Jessica Gary - jgary@sunprairieschools.org

Chris Gleason - cpgleas@sunprairieschools.org

Sharon Haraldson - smharal@sunprairieschools.org

Becky Rush - rkrush@sunprairieschools.org

IMPORTANT NOTE - Students who have Friday lessons WILL STILL HAVE LESSONS! Mrs. Gary's lessons will take place at the normal times and Mrs. Haraldson and Mr. Gleason will contact students to reschedule.

Meet Ms. Klinkner

Angela Klinkner is a Music Education Major at UW-Eau Claire. She is in the final stages of her degree prior to student teaching next fall. We are THRILLED to have Ms. Klinkner join our PMMS Band Family online a few hours each day for the next few weeks for her practicum placement.

Ms. Klinkner will observe 7th grade band classes, teach lessons, and assist with projects and lesson plans. I've known Ms. Klinkner through her work with the UWEC Band Department and can say that we are fortunate to have her with us! Here are some questions I asked her recently:

Where is your hometown?

- I grew up living and working on a small dairy farm in Cashton, WI which is about thirty miles east of LaCrosse.

What is your major instrument?

- Clarinet

What led you to attend UWEC?

- I was initially planning to attend a different college all throughout high school until I visited UWEC and met the faculty and students. The campus is absolutely beautiful, and I knew I wanted to be part of the community.

What ensembles/activities are you involved in at UWEC?

- I play as principal clarinetist in the UWEC Wind Symphony, have been a section leader in the Blugold Marching Band, and perform with several small ensembles and chamber groups. I serve as the administrative assistant for our band department and take part in several on-campus organizations including the National Band Association and the Collegiate National Association for Music Education. I also lead a music educator book club with several of my classmates!

What are your plans after graduation?

- After graduating, I plan to start my career as a middle or high school band director. I hope to explore various experiences and will likely end up living and working outside of Wisconsin for a portion of my career.

What is your favorite hobby or pastime?

- Outside of school, work, and making music with friends, you’ll likely find me outside at a park reading in a hammock or playing with my six nieces and nephews!

Anything else to share?

- I am so excited to meet the wonderful students at Patrick Marsh!

Band Yard Sign Maintenance

With the thawing that is taking place, take a moment to push your band yard sign down into the ground a bit further to maintain its strength and rigidity. Some families have even washed their signs with soap and water (....you think I'm joking). Feel free to do whatever sign maintenance you wish, however, I would not suggest car wax or bubble baths!

Keep sending those great pictures of your kids with the sign. We love to see them and share them! Has anyone illuminated their sign yet?? 😜

Spring Virtual Band Concert - Monday, April 26

We are excited to announce that we will host a Patrick Marsh Spring Virtual Band Concert on Monday, April 26th. The concert will take place on Zoom at times to be determined in the near future. Our hope is to host both 6th and 7th grades at the same time so that our PMMS Band Family can see the amazing work your kids are doing! The concert will begin at 7 pm and will last less than an hour.

Save the date and watch for more information to come!

Beyond The Notes Solo Festival Opportunity

What?

This festival has been designed to provide an opportunity for 6th and 7th grade band students at Patrick Marsh and Prairie View Middle Schools to record a solo and receive expert feedback from a guest music educator.

Who?

Band students in 6th and 7th grades are eligible to participate.

When?

April 16 - Solo Festival Registration Closes

April 23 - Solo recordings are due in Flipgrid

April 30 - Clinician feedback provided by this date

Cost?

$5.00 to participate in this optional event. You will receive an invoice once you have completed the form below. Payment can be made online via credit card (preferred) or by check mailed to the address on the invoice. Cash not accepted. You will need to upload a PDF of your child's solo in order to complete the registration form.

Flipgrid Link To Record:

https://flipgrid.com/3d372996

Missed A Band Lesson? New Make Up Procedure

Due to the changes in our hybrid schedule we will no longer have very many opportunities to do make up lessons. If your child misses a band lesson starting this week, please have them do a make up lesson by recording their lesson assignment on the Flipgrid Link below and then emailing the lesson teacher to let them know.

Clearly, this is not as good as having a lesson with someone in person, however given our situation, it does provide the opportunity for us to still here your child and to provide some feedback.

In general, your kids are doing a GREAT job of remembering their lesson times. We are VERY proud of the work they have done and continue to do. We will review this option with your children but wanted you to know as well.

The TWO steps to make a up a lesson are:

1) Record the lesson assignment on the Flipgrid Link below.

2) Alert the lesson teacher that the recording has been made.

Thank you!,

PMMS Band Staff

Wind Symphony Audition Information

For those that are interested in auditioning for Wind Symphony next year, please watch this informational video from Mr. Melrose and Mrs. Diallo. Wind Symphony Auditions will take place on Wed. March 17. Sign up for an audition at this link. Instructions for signing up for an audition time along with the audition requirements are outlined in the video. If you have any questions, please ask Mr. Gleason.

Need Supplies?

Visit Ward Brodt's website to order any band supplies you need. Order what you need and then at check out you can choose home delivery or school delivery under the shipping section. If you choose school delivery, your supplies will be delivered to Cardinal Heights and we will make sure you get them. If you are unsure what kind of reeds/valve oil/slide grease to purchase, we have attached a list of recommended supplies here.