This band handbook is designed to communicate the procedures and expectations that are used in the Lowell Middle School Band Program. Parents and students: please read through everything carefully and familiarize yourself with the contents. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ms. Bredwell! Email works best - kbredwell@lowellschools.com You can also call the band room phone number, 616-987-2831, but during the school day this goes directly to voicemail, so call the office at 616-987-2800 if you need to get through right away. Thanks!
Performance equals 65% of each marking period grade. This includes all playing and written tests and assignments, as well as all concert and marching performances. Students will be given about a week’s notice for all tests. All performances are scheduled and are on the calendar on this website. Please put these dates in your family calendars and plan ahead for each performance. Please make sure you understand our Performance Attendance Policy, noted at the bottom of this page. Concerts and parades are collaborative group projects, and every student’s presence at all performances is vital to their grade and the group’s success.
Home practice equals 25% of each student’s overall grade. Regular practice is expected of all band students. The weekly requirements for each grade level is as follows:
6th grade: 60+ minutes = A
7th grade: 75+ minutes = A; 60-74 = C
8th grade: 90+ minutes = A; 75-89 = B; 60-74 = C
Late turn in: Grade reduced two letters. Under 60 minutes = Incomplete/E (59%)
AGAIN THIS YEAR: we will be doing all practice sheets electronically through Google Classroom. A Google Form will be posted each week for the students in Google Classroom. Students will fill this out, then parents will enter a password that will be emailed from Ms. Bredwell to parents only on Friday afternoons. Practice records will be due each week on Mondays by 7:30 AM. Late practice records will ALWAYS be accepted for a reduced grade (up to the end of each trimester).
Students must practice at home (playing time at school does not count towards the practice record) for 10-20 minutes daily, Monday through Thursday, and at least once over the weekend (Friday-Sunday) to achieve their total minutes. Practicing this way, in several shorter sessions, is much better for music learning than only one or two longer sessions. Missed practice days will result in a reduced grade. However, if there is a good reason that a student was unable to practice, they can include a short note in the comments section of the practice form, briefly explaining the situation, and they can be excused as long as it is accompanied by the Band Parent Password. Students need a folding music stand and a quiet place at home with minimal distractions for successful practicing.
For the final 10% of each marking period grade, students are graded on their daily contribution to the band rehearsal. This includes being prepared for class and participating appropriately. Students will earn daily points for bringing their materials and following class expectations. Failing to do so will result in a lowered ensemble collaboration grade and/or disciplinary action.
Expectations
No talking/side conversations while the teacher is working.
Be prepared by having all equipment and knowing your part.
Respect instruments and classroom equipment.
No gum, food or beverages (responsible use of water bottles are encouraged).
Students are not allowed in Ms. Bredwell’s office if she is not also in her office.
Devices off and away unless permission is given.
Disciplinary Plan
Student earns a warning/loss of house point(s).
Student earns a behavior referral (this includes parent contact and possible lunch detention time).
If a pattern of poor behavior continues, further steps on the school behavior plan will be followed.
To add some fun to the band program, the students will be sorted into band “houses”. This is patterned after the Houses in the Harry Potter books. Our houses will be named after composers: Sousa (red), Chambers (yellow), Balmages (blue), and Standridge (green). These may not be familiar names yet, but we will learn about each composer during the school year. House points will be awarded for positive behaviors such as correct answers given in class, most practice sheets turned in, leadership shown, and other things Ms. Bredwell will creatively come up with. House points can be lost for behavior infractions or other negative actions observed. The house with the most points will receive rewards at various times throughout the year, and at the end of the year, we will award a “House Cup” trophy to the house with the most points.
All Students: Everyone will purchase a red LMS Band T-shirt which will be used as a uniform for informal occasions (in school-assemblies, etc.).
6th Grade: For formal concerts, students need a white top and black bottoms, with black socks and shoes. All items must follow school dress code.
7th and 8th Grade:
*Concert uniform: Students need a white, button-down, long-sleeved shirt with a collar and black pants, black shoes and black socks. They will be issued a black bow-tie and a red cummerbund to wear with these items.
*Marching uniform: Students need black pants, comfortable gym shoes, and their red band T-shirt, with additional layers as needed (plan for the weather!). They will be issued a red LMS band jacket to wear while marching. If the weather is warm, we may opt to have students wear their red band T-shirts instead – this will be announced in class.
At a certain point each year, students in each grade will play a “chair test”. The chair test is graded like all other playing tests, and it is also used to rank the players in each section in order of achievement. The goal is to correctly assign parts in our music to students who can handle them and achieve success. Chair rank also gives students a realistic view of their achievement so far and can inspire them to continue to improve. Chair placement should be approached with an attitude of friendly competition.
Challenge opportunities for students to improve their chair may be offered from time to time at the discretion of the director. Challenges will be closed a few weeks before each performance.
In each band class, officers will be elected by the students. Elections usually take place at the start of the year and in January.
President: dismisses the students at the end of class; assists the director in recording practice grades; makes sure the band room is neat at the end of each class
Vice President/ Equipment Manager: assists the president in all duties; helps the director pass out and collect uniform parts; helps with loaner instruments and other equipment as needed
Secretary/Librarian: answers classroom phone; helps with organizing sheet music and with handing out and collecting music as needed; assists students who have lost sheet music; assists with keeping track of House Points.
Treasurer: sells reeds, valve oil, and other supplies each day; keeps track of IOUs; assists the director any time money is collected throughout the year
Officers assist each other and the director in other ways as needed.
For communication home to band families, we are 100% electronic. Emails are sent through the Infinite Campus system for all important information about performances, etc., so please make sure the LMS office has your most current email address on file. Information that is sent home to parents is also usually posted on the LMS Band website and in Google Classroom for the students, so if your student is unsure about something, have them check GC!
Another great source of information of course is this website! Here you will find our band calendar, news and info about upcoming performances, concert videos, and much, much more. We are also on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter – look for #lowellmsbands !
If you can’t receive electronic communications, please have your student ask and I will print info for them as needed.
From time to time, minor repair issues develop with every instrument. If a student is having a problem with a broken instrument, they should bring it to Ms. Bredwell first thing in the morning. Frequently, she can fix minor problems before the student comes to class. The goal is to save you time and money over a repair at the music store. This also means your student will not miss playing time in class or practice time at home.
In the case of a more serious repair problem, the instrument may need to be sent in to the music store for repair in their shop. Each week, service reps from Meyer Music and other stores stop and call on us at school. If you rent your instrument from them, repairs are covered as part of your rental contract. If you own your student’s instrument, you can send it in for a free estimate before work is done. Meyer has reasonable prices and does quality work. If your student plays a school-owned instrument, most repairs will be covered by the yearly use fee. Repair is available at other local stores as well – talk to Ms. Bredwell for details.
Basic supplies such as reeds, valve oil, and cork grease are available for purchase at school. The school receives a discount on these items and we pass the savings along to you! If you need additional supplies that we do not have on hand at school, you can call Meyer Music (975-1122) or other local music stores to place an order and they can deliver it the next time their service person stops by the school. You can pay over the phone with a credit card or send money in to school with your student. The following brands are preferred because the price is reasonable and the quality is good, so wherever you choose to shop, please stick to the following brands for reeds:
~ Clarinet: Mitchell Lurie, Vandoren
~ Saxophone: Hemke, Rico RESERVE, Vandoren
~ Oboe: Lesher
~ Bassoon: Designer or Jones
As the parent of a Lowell band student, you are an automatic member of the Music Boosters! The boosters are a parent group whose purpose is to raise money to support all middle school and high school band, orchestra, and choir students in Lowell. The boosters pay for things like medals earned by students at festivals, scholarships to music camps, and extra items that the directors are unable to purchase through their regular school budgets.
The boosters meet monthly. Meetings are announced through e-blast messages and through the “Lowell Music Booster” Facebook group page (linked under the "Useful Links" tab). You are welcome to attend all meetings.
If you are unable to attend meetings, there are many other ways you can help out. This can be on a one-time basis or on a more regular schedule. In the Parent/Student Signature Form linked at the end of this document, there are several things you can check off to help with. This information will be forwarded to the boosters and you will be contacted when volunteers are needed. We ask that each band family try to help out at least one time per year. Thanks!
We ask that all students commit to staying in band for the full year. If your student becomes frustrated and tells you they want to quit, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
Very often, students simply need some extra help to get over a hurdle in learning to play their instrument.
Quitting when things become a little bit challenging is not the answer and it is not a good life lesson.
Dropping out of band closes the door on what could be a lifetime of musical learning and enjoyment.
Most adults say they wish their parents had made them continue in music instead of allowing them to quit when they were young.
Once a student quits, it can be very difficult to join back in later if they change their mind, due to missed instruction.
PLEASE do not ask us to allow your student to quit mid-year! Instead, encourage them to honor the year-long commitment. Working together, we can get students extra help when needed so they can successfully honor their commitment. Bottom line: we want kids to stay in band and enjoy it!
Unless it is specifically noted otherwise, all band performances are a required part of each student’s grade for the class. If a student must miss a performance for a very good reason (family wedding, funeral, severe illness with doctors note, vacation which cannot be rescheduled, etc.) a parent MUST send an email or note with the reason, at least two weeks in advance in any non-emergency situation, (or absolutely as soon as possible in an emergency).
If a student is excused, they may make up the grade by doing an alternate assignment that Ms. Bredwell will discuss with the student.
An unexcused absence or failure to do the make-up work for an excused absence will result in a zero for that performance.
The final decision on whether or not a student will be excused is up to the director, in coordination with administration when warranted.
While we work very hard to avoid conflict with other activities, occasionally a conflict comes up between a band performance and an extracurricular event, such as a club meeting, sports practice, or game. Since band is a curricular music class and all performances are graded, in those rare instances where a conflict cannot be resolved through early communication, students are required to attend their curricular band performance rather than the extracurricular event. Choosing to attend an extracurricular event instead of a required performance will result in an unexcused absence/zero for that grade. If you foresee a conflict between a band performance and another event, please contact Ms. Bredwell as soon as possible. Most of the time we are able to work things out and resolve the conflict in such a way that students can do part or all of both activities!
Filling out and submitting this form certifies that we, the named student and parent, HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE BAND HANDBOOK.
Filling out and submitting the form also certifies that we HAVE REVIEWED THE BAND CALENDAR AND PUT ALL BAND DATES IN ON OUR FAMILY CALENDAR AND/OR IN OUR PHONES, AND WE UNDERSTAND THE PERFORMANCE ATTENDANCE POLICY. We will contact Mrs. Bredwell if there are any questions.