Volume 40, No. 1

Welcome to the 40th year of Ames Bands Newsletters!

In this issue:

5th grade: tips for success
Middle school honors and updates
AHS marching season recap, jazz band events

Ames 5th Grade Bands

Band Demonstrations, Outdoor Tryouts, and Choosing Instruments!

Mrs. Todey and Mrs. Hauber traveled to all five elementary schools during the first few weeks of school to conduct instrument demonstrations for all Ames 5th grade students. After the demonstrations, students filled out a Google form to choose their two favorite instruments. Over the course of the next week, students met Mrs. Hauber and Mrs. Todey outside to try their two favorite instruments.

It was great to see the excitement as students supported each other when trying the instruments. Students were able to see which instrument they could get the best sound on before choosing which instrument they wanted to play. This method has shown to be highly effective in helping students to get a good sound from their instrument right away in lessons, leading to early success and a positive start to learning an instrument. Small group band lessons and large group rehearsals started in late September. We look forward to a wonderful year of making music!

Spring Elementary Band and Orchestra Concert Dates are set!

Fellows and Meeker Band and Orchestra Concert

Monday, April 13th, 7:00 pm at Ames Middle School Auditorium

Edwards, Mitchell, and Sawyer Band and Orchestra Concert

Tuesday, April 14th, 7:00 pm at Ames Middle School Auditorium

Tips to Help Your 5th Grade Band Student Succeed

The success of the band is directly related to the individual progress that is made by each student in the group. We would like to thank the students, parents, classroom teachers, and the administration for their continuous support of the instrumental music program. We would like to offer some helpful suggestions for you to continue to provide support to your student.

Your student's success on their chosen instrument is of great importance to them, to you the parent/guardian, and to us the instructors. At each lesson, your student writes what material to practice on their assignment journal (found in the band binder). We realize that many outside factors cause home practice to become a struggle at times. To make practice as productive and positive as possible, we would like to give you some helpful suggestions based on our experiences, first as students and then as teachers. We hope that the following suggestions will help you to help your student at home.

Provide your child with as good an instrument as possible. Help find a safe place to keep the instrument in your home.
Provide your child with a music stand. It will promote good posture and proper breath control.
Set aside a consistent, regular time and place in your home for practice. We recommend setting a goal of 15-20 minutes of practice daily (100-120 minutes of practice each week). Arrange the practice schedule free from interruptions by television, outdoor play, and family members.
Try using the online lesson book to help your student practice more effectively. Information regarding this online resource can be found inside the back cover of your student’s Tradition of Excellence lesson book.
Show an interest in your child's practice and study. Be generous in your praise and encouragement. Occasionally reward them for consistent practice. Encourage them to perform a five-minute recital for you! (Every time you listen, they will be better than the last time!)
Help your student to remember their instrument and music on lesson days. Emphasize punctuality and faithful attendance at lessons, rehearsals, and concerts. If there is a late start due to inclement weather, we WILL have lessons during the day, so students will need their instrument and music.
Expose your child to a broad variety of music and concerts. There are many classical, jazz, dance, and musical programs at C.Y. Stephens Auditorium. Our Ames5thband.org website has some great performances to check out too! Explore the list of professional musicians listed in the front of your student’s band binder.
Attend music concerts at Ames Middle School, Ames High School, and Iowa State University. The public school and college musicians at our schools in Ames can be great role models. ISU students perform several recitals and concerts at the Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall throughout the year. Ames Town & Gown concerts are free to all students K-12 (and free to university students with ID) - check out the concert schedule at www.amestownandgown.org.

Through our combined efforts, we feel that your student has an excellent chance to succeed on their instrument and enjoy many rewarding musical and social experiences!

Tascha Hauber
tascha.hauber@ames.k12.ia.us

Cheryl Todey
cheryl.todey@ames.k12.ia.us

Ames5thBand.org

November Band Checklist

With everyone in the routines of the school year, November is a great time to take stock of a few band-related items.

Does your student’s instrument have a name tag? A basic luggage tag works great. Also, music stores will often hand out free name tags.
Do you know your student’s instrument serial number? Should the need arise, this is the best way to positively identify your property.

Does your clarinet or sax player have enough reeds? Do they need an upgrade in quality or strength?
Does your student need a mouthpiece upgrade? If your student is 7th grade or above and still playing on a beginner mouthpiece, it’s probably time to upgrade, especially for clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, and trombone. Check out the AMS mouthpiece upgrade page.
Looking to go deeper? There’s nothing like taking private lessons to move to the next musical level. Your student’s instructor can recommend an excellent private teacher for your student.
Is your child's progress being limited by the quality of instrument they are currently using? Could an instrument upgrade spark a renewed interest in music? After 4-5 years in band, an instrument upgrade is definitely something to consider. Benefits include improved tone quality, additional keys and range of notes, and ease of playing.

Ames Middle School Bands

7th grade SCIBA honorees (L-R): Janelle Allman, Joceyln West, Samual Yao, George Logan

8th grade SCIBA honorees (L-R): Aarna Chary, Samuel Yao, Leo Miguez, Jenna Lin, Judah Bolles, Jocelyn West, Zoe Riley, Kevin Xiao, Emma Mudryk, and George Logan.

On Tuesday, November 4th, thrirteen Ames Middle School band students will participate in the South Central Iowa Bandmasters (SCIBA) Middle School Honor Band Festival at Ankeny Centennial High School. This annual event involves students from more than seventy school districts. Students will rehearse with guest conductors during the day, then perform an evening concert.

Seventh graders are recommended by individual instructors and then selected by a SCIBA committee. To balance instrumentation within each band, a limited number of students from each school are chosen. Representing AMS are Blaire Baumgartner (clarinet), Kalliope Lane (baritone), and Ethan Loesch (percussion).

Eighth grade students are selected based on live auditions. Ten AMS students auditioned in Waukee on Tuesday, October 7th. All ten were successful in earning selection to the district honor bands! They are: Aarna Chary (flute), Zoe Riley (flute), Emma Mudryk (oboe), Jenna Lin (clarinet), Jocelyn West (clarinet), Kevin Xiao (clarinet), Leo Miguez (trumpet), Judah Bolles (horn), George Logan (trombone), and Samuel Yao (percussion).

Additionally, Jenna Lin, Jocelyn West, Kevin Xiao, Leo Miguez Judah Bolles, George Logan and Samuel Yao were among the top placements on their instruments, earning them selection to the All-Iowa 8th Grade Honor Band, which will perform in May.

Congratulations to all AMS students selected for the SCIBA Honor Band Festival!

6th Grade Bands

7th Grade Bands

8th Grade Band

8th Grade Pep Band

AMS Jazz Bands back in action

The 7th and 8th grade jazz bands are both up and running. Students in jazz band have the opportunity to play swing, Latin, rock and other styles of jazz music. One unique feature of jazz music is the chance to improvise or create a melody based upon a scale or chord progression. We try to help students build a solo vocabulary by introducing rhythms and notes that fit within the jazz style. Sometimes this looks like a call and response where the director plays a measure and the band repeats it back. Over time, our hope is that students will incorporate the ideas we practice for improvisation into their solos.

Another skill we are working on is interpreting rhythm section parts, based on the style of the song. For example, in some drum or piano parts, the notation is clear and makes sense. Other times, the rhythms, chords or drum fills need to be changed to better fit the jazz arrangement.

Our first performance is a clinic at Ames Middle School in January. We will share more details about the clinic soon. We will bring in a clinician to listen to the bands and work with them to improve their tunes. In addition, students will split into sectionals and work with teachers that specialize on their particular instrument. This is a great opportunity for students to learn from other talented musicians.

Thank you for your support

For the fourth year, Blaze Pizza hosted AMS Band Fundraiser nights. Thank you to all who came out to support the band by enjoying some tasty food! AMS Bands will conduct a second fundraiser in February as ButterBraids make their return. These initiatives support the band by enabling opportunities beyond our regular rehearsals and concerts.

Also, thank you to our AMS Parent-Teacher Organization for funding our bass drum project. We were able to refinish a vintage bass drum and outfit it with custom printed AMS logos. It will be a great way to highlight our pep band and increase school pride when the band performs for athletic events!

8th graders travel to jazz workshop

AMS participated for the second time in the Middle School Jazz Combo Workshop. The event is sponsored by Jazz Educators of Iowa and hosted at Waukee Middle School. Four Ames eighth grade musicians were selected to participate: Judah Bolles (trumpet), George Logan (trombone), Kevin Xiao (piano) and Samuel Yao (drums). The students met for one hour of group instruction on their instrument, then were grouped in combos for the rest of the afternoon. The event culminated with an informal concert featuring each of the combos.

Upcoming AMS Band Performances

Thursday, November 13, 7pm - 7th and 8th grade Concert Bands

Thursday, December 11, 7pm - 6th grade Band, Orchestra, and Choir

For more info, including the complete AMS Band performance calendar, visit AMSbands.org

Ames High School Bands

AHS Marching Band Has Another Successful Season

The Ames High School Marching Band had an awesome fall and performed at all five home football games. The 10th-12th grade band was joined by the 9th grade band students for the Homecoming game as well as the final home game of the season. The combined 9th-12th band also marched in the Homecoming parade and ended the season with the Marching Band Spectacular in the Harrison Barnes Gymnasium on October 27.

The Ames High Marching Band entertained the crowds with music from the movie Shrek; the Grammy-winning band Earth, Wind, and Fire; and the famous British singer, songwriter, and pianist, Elton John. The concert also featured drumline cadences and chants, as well as Ames High Loyalty.

Thank you to all who donated water for the band this year as the band went through a lot during performances. A special thanks to the Band Boosters and parent volunteers who assisted on Friday nights with uniforms and logistics. You are much appreciated!

Thank you to Leslie Pease and Jeremy Allman for taking so many wonderful photos and videos of the band throughout the marching band season to capture these moments for our students and families.

Ames High School Band Welcomes ISU Student Teacher

This fall the Ames High School Band welcomed Mr. Max Dietrich, a senior music education major from Iowa State University. Mr. Dietrich assisted with 9th grade rehearsals, 10th-12th grade rehearsals, band lessons, and helped with organizational tasks. Mr. Dietrich will finish his student teaching at Ogden Elementary. After completion of student teaching, Mr. Dietrich will start his first job teaching music at Webster City Elementary. Good luck Mr. Dietrich!

Mr. Dietrich shares, “After my time here at Ames High, I will not forget the amazing culture and traditions surrounding the band program. It's made possible by amazing community support, support within the district as well as some spectacular educators. As a student teacher, it was a wonderful experience getting to meet all the students within the band and getting to know more about them as well as their love of band. The experience, wealth of knowledge, and connections I was able to gain at Ames High is truly remarkable.”

AHS Jazz Bands Off and Running!

Ames High Jazz Bands are off and running for the school year. Jazz 1 began rehearsal in early September, while Jazz 2 began in late October. Both ensembles look forward to upcoming performances throughout the school year including competitions and home concerts. Jazz 1 will also perform at Noce in Des Moines in mid-January.

University of Northern Iowa Jazz Educator to Clinic the AHS Jazz Bands

On November 15, Christopher Merz, Director of Jazz Studies and Director of UNI Jazz One at the University of Northern Iowa, will provide clinics for both Jazz 1 and Jazz 2. Merz will provide each jazz band with a ninety minute clinic that will help both the students and directors improve on jazz concepts and help them prepare for upcoming performances.

Jazz Performance Dates (dates with asterisk are for both Jazz 1 & Jazz 2)

*Nov. 15 - Jazz Clinic w/ Chris Merz - AHS - 9:00 a.m. - Noon
*Dec. 1 - Jazz Band Concert - Performing Arts Center - 6:00 p.m.
*Dec 13 - SCIBA Jazz Festival - Waukee High School - All Day
Jan. 13 - Jazz 1 Performance at Noce - Des Moines - Night
Jan. 16 - Triton Jazz Festival - Ft. Dodge – Daytime
*Feb. 12 - Jazz Encounters Concert - Performing Arts Center - 7:30 p.m.
*Feb. 14 - Southeast Polk Jazz Festival - SEP High School - All Day

AHS Musicians Earn Selection to Iowa All-State Ensembles

On October 25, twenty-four AHS band students traveled to Indianola High School for All-State auditions. Students selected will participate in the annual All-State Music Festival (which is part of the Iowa Music Educators Association conference) held in Ames on the Iowa State University campus November 20-22. All students worked hard and spent many hours preparing for the auditions. The following students were accepted into the 2025 Iowa All-State Band and Orchestra. Congratulations!

Carissa Andorf - Clarinet 1

Evan Buller - Trumpet 1

Bowen Flemming - Alto Saxophone (Alternate)

Sophia Kyveryga - Bassoon (Orchestra)

Claire Lu - Alto Saxophone 2

Helen Mao - Percussion (Orchestra)

Danylo Palasyuk - Alto Saxophone 2

Nathan Poag - Alto Saxophone 1

Sunney Que - Clarinet 2

Matthias Roettger - Clarinet 2

Noah Shin - Clarinet 3

Anika Shrotriya - Oboe (Orchestra)

Elias Thompson - Trombone (Orchestra)

Zane Wickencamp - Trombone 2

Mingzhe Wu - Clarinet 1

Sarah Yao - Percussion (Alternate)

For more on the Ames High Bands, including the full performance calendar, visit AmesBands.org.

Ames Band Staff

Andrew Buttermore, Ames High School

Levi Dressler, Ames High School

Tascha Hauber, Ames Elementary

Paul Tallman, Ames Middle School, 7th grade

Peter Thompson, Ames Middle School, 8th grade

Conner Tipping, Ames Middle School and Ames High School

Cheryl Todey, Ames Elementary

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