In this issue:

• 5th grade: helpful pointers for parents
• Interview with the new Fellows principal
• Updates from the middle school bands
• AHS marching band recap

5th Grade Band News

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 child.

Helpful Pointers to Parents of Fifth Grade Band Students

Your child's success on his/her chosen instrument is of great importance to him/her, to you the parent, and to us the instructors. At each lesson, your child is told what material to practice and how to practice it. However, we realize that many outside factors cause home practice to become a struggle at times. To make practice as productive 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 child 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 would recommend setting a goal of 100-120 minutes of practice each week (15-20 minutes of daily practice). Arrange the practice schedule free from interruptions by television, outdoor play, and brothers and sisters.
• Try using SmartMusic as a practice tool. Students can practice their lesson assignment in SmartMusic at a tempo that is comfortable and SmartMusic can aid them in assessing their progress. Students can record themselves and email the recording to us so they can cross off the song and keep going in the book. SmartMusic allows students to play along with a professional recording when they practice their full band music. You can get more information at www.smartmusic.com or 1-(800)-843-2066.
• 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 5-minute recital for you!
• Help your child to remember his/her instrument and music on lesson days, and emphasize punctuality and faithful attendance at lessons, rehearsals, and concerts. If there is a late start, because of inclement weather, we will NOT have rehearsal before school, but 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.
• 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. Through our combined efforts, we feel that your son/daughter has an excellent chance to succeed on his/her instrument and enjoy many rewarding musical and social experiences.

Administrator Profile: Mr. Brandon Schrauth

Mr. Brandon Schrauth is the new principal at Fellows Elementary School. He is missed by his staff and the students at Northwood Preschool, where he was principal for two years. Brandon has a significant amount of musical knowledge and experience and many positive memories. His wife, Holly, teaches 1st grade in Waukee. They have two children, Sophi and Elliot.

What have been your life experiences with music?

In kindergarten, music was the highlight of my day and is what motivated me to go to school. In second grade, music was the only time of the week I really looked forward to. It was in second grade that I began taking piano lessons, which I continued through high school. In middle school, I joined the band and began to play trumpet. I continued on trumpet through high school and into college for a while. In high school, I also enjoyed singing in the choir. In addition to piano lessons, I took private lessons for voice and trumpet. I attended a summer music camp at Simpson College for several years as well.

My son, Elliot seems to be following in my footsteps with his love of music. He is into playing drums, ukulele, and piano.

In what ways do you still enjoy music now?

I don’t participate as a musician very often anymore. Personally, and as a family, we enjoy attending musical performances and have season passes to the Minneapolis Children’s Theatre Company.

In your mind, what makes band and fine arts viable parts of the school curriculum?

Music addresses the whole child and much is learned as students gain the skills needed to perform and experience different types of music. There is something about music that is fundamental to being human. It is synonymous with feeling. There is a technical part to creating music, but if we can tap into the emotional part early, students will be drawn to make music.

What do you like to do in your free time?

My free moments are spent with family. We try to engage in some sort of experience, like cooking as a family, watching movies, playing games or just hanging out in the back yard. We like to get out of the house and sometimes go to the Minneapolis Children’s Theatre Company or an ISU football game. With an hour commute each way, I listen to podcasts to pass the time. One of my favorites is National Public Radio’s, This American Life.

With a few small steps, you can be successful in band, no matter how long you’ve been playing! How do you rate on the following?

Be there! Do you know your rehearsal and lesson schedules and attend consistently?

Schedule your practice. On what days do you practice each week? Think ahead to when other activities will make practice difficult and schedule around them.

Practice your assignment with focus. Your teacher assigns you what you need to improve every week. Focusing on getting that done will help you succeed in as little time as possible!

Take care of your instrument. A poorly-cared-for instrument makes music unnecessarily hard. Make sure those slides, keys, valves, and reeds are in great shape and ready to go.

Have fun! Playing in a great band is one of the best things you can ever experience. Make the most of it and enjoy it!

7th and 8th grade students honored by SCIBA

On Tuesday, November 7th, twelve 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 Michelle Osanya (clarinet) and Alina Markutsya (flute).

Eighth grade students are selected based on live auditions. Students auditioned in Waukee on Tuesday, October 3rd. Those selected from AMS include Sophia Cordoba, Tanya Fan (flute); Gerald Han (clarinet); Daniel Yakobson (bari sax); Avery Suza (trumpet); Alex Buttermore, Carter Peterson, Mario Napolitano (trombone); Mariam Mkhitaryan (euphonium) and Kailyn Thompson (horn).

Additionally, Gerald Han, Mario Napolitano, Avery Suza, and Kailyn Thompson earned selection to the Iowa Bandmasters Association All-Iowa 8th Grade Honor Band. That group will meet and perform in May.

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

ORPHEUS HONOR BAND

AMS seventh and eighth grade students have a second honor band opportunity. On Tuesday, January 16, Simpson College (Indianola) will host the Orpheus Middle School Honor Band. If selected, interested students will be notified and receive music in December. The band will rehearse during the day with a guest conductor, then present a concert at the Pote Theatre that evening.

AMS Band Calendar

Be sure to add these dates to your calendar!

AHS Band makes preparations for Orlando trip

On Tuesday, March 13, 2018 over 250 members of the AHS marching band will march down Main Street in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. The band was selected through an audition process that was completed in the spring of 2017. In addition to the performance, the band will participate in a clinic with Disney’s musicians where they will learn about the skills needed to be a performing musician as well as have the opportunity to record the soundtrack to a Disney animated film. The trip also includes a visit to Cocoa Beach and Universal Studios.

AHS marching band debuts new uniforms

This fall, the Ames High Band marched proudly marched in brand new uniforms! The uniforms were a result of a campaign launched in 2016 by the Ames Education Foundation to raise $175,000. In addition to the age and wear of the old uniforms, the band no longer had enough uniforms to outfit its 300-plus members.

ISUCF’V’MB appears at AHS Football Game

The AHS Band shared the field with the Iowa State University Cyclone Football ‘Varsity’ Marching Band on Friday September 8. Prior to the game, both bands played the National Anthem and also joined together at halftime to perform the Bruno Mars hit, “That’s What I Like.” In addition, they played the fight songs of both schools, ISU fights and Ames High Loyalty. Click here to watch a video of the performance!

Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance a hit with AHS Marching Band

During the homecoming halftime celebration on September 22, Ames High drum majors Julia White and Christian Frankl dressed like Michael Jackson for a show in tribute to the “King of Pop.” They began with “Billie Jean,” but the hit of the show was when the band put their instruments down and all 300 of them danced to “Thriller.”

The video clip on the school’s Facebook page has over 30,000 views. You can see the clip on this Facebook page.

You can watch the entire show below!

Students earn All-State honors

Being selected as an All-State Musician is an honor. This festival gives students from every school district in the state the opportunity to perform with other outstanding student musicians under the direction of world-renowned conductors. Students prepare scales, selected etudes and a solo, and audition at one of six selected sites throughout the state.

Ames Senior High band students auditioned at Indianola on Saturday, October 21, for positions in the 285-member band, 210-member orchestra and 600-voice chorus. Students selected for these groups rehearse in Ames on Friday and Saturday, November 17 and 18 with a festival concert at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday evening at 7:30 PM.

Students who prepared for the auditions are listed below. Those selected for the festival are indicated with an “A” after their name. Those selected as alternates are indicated with an “ALT” after their name.

Flute

Emily Helmer

Amber Mohmand

Eileen Murray

Tianxin Xu ALT

Clarinet

Carl Balvanz

Lauren Cassaidy A

Moriah Conner

Andres Cordoba

David Kim A

Grace Lee A

Benjamin Moats A

Lillian Montabon A

Alyssa Romp A

Sarah Song

Alto Saxophone

Oliver Chen

Liv Lauber

Julia White A

Tenor Saxophone

Sam Packard Alt

Trumpet

Arthur Lubberstedt

Nathan Paskach A

Jasper Shogren-Knaak

Emma Todey

Horn

Anna Cullinan A

David Tarté A

Trombone

Channing Che A

Ryan Lin

Adam Eichhorn A

Tuba

Nitzan Friedberg

Peter Jaynes A

Percussion

Dominik McDonald A

AHS Band Officers

Band members on Homecoming court

AHS Band Calendar

For the full calendar, click here.

Ames Band Staff

Andrew Buttermore, Ames High School

Chris Ewan, Ames High School

Ron Ferneau, Ames Middle School, 8th grade

Deb Fritcher, Ames Middle School, 7th grade

Tascha Hauber, Ames Elementary

Paul Tallman, Ames Elementary

Peter Thompson, 6th grade and Ames High School