Spring 2023 Newsletter
It's been a BUSY March! Lots of things to be aware of as we head into the end of the year. Please read carefully. 8th graders- please see the EHS tab for important end of semester marching band dates.
Upcoming Events- Mark your calendars
March 21- Wind Ensemble "End of Spring Break" rehearsal- 5:30-7:30, dinner provided
March 24- Wind Ensemble UIL Clinic/ Masterclasses- 5-7:45, dinner provided
March 31- Wind Ensemble UIL, BNHS -- Stage performance 3:45, Sighread 4:15
April 15- Jazz Band Contest in Denton
April 21- Wind Ensemble performance at the Meyerson-- 6:15 am call time, 8:00 warm up, 8:30 am performance
April 29-- NISD Solo Contest at BNHS (times individually TBA)
May 9- Spring Concert at EHS for all 7/8 grade bands -- Concert will begin at 7:00 with Concert Band. WEAR NICE DRESS CLOTHES! No ripped jeans, athletic wear or shorts. Please wear nice, professional looking shirts- no graphic t-shirts.
Concert Band- warm up on stage at 6:30.
Symphonic Band- warm up in Band Hall at 6:30.
Wind Ensemble- warm up in Orchestra room at 6:30.
FOR BEGINNERS:
April 27- Full Band Rehearsal 7:15 am
May 2- Full Band Rehearsal 7:15 am
May 4 - Spring Concert at the AMS gym, WEAR BAND SHIRT AND NICE PANTS OR JEANS.
May 5- Full Band Competition at TCC, followed by fun day at Main Event. Students must be academically eligible to participate. WEAR BAND SHIRTS/ JEANS(We will need several volunteers to go with us!) Exact performance time TBD.
May 10- Solo contest after school at AMS
FOR SPRING CONCERT:
Thursday, May 4th
What: End of Year Beginning Band Concert
Where: Adams MS Gym
When: Thursday, May 4th at 6:30 PM (Students arrive at 6pm for warm up)
What to wear: Band t-shirt and jeans/or nice pants
7/8 Grade Band News
Congratulations Symphonic Band and Concert Band for wonderful UIL performances. Both bands earned the highest ratings given, the Sweepstakes Award! The kids enjoyed our tradition of celebratory lunch or dinner at Chili's afterward.
Good luck to Wind Ensemble as they perform at UIL on March 31 and the Meyerson on April 21!
Many of our students are also preparing solos right now. In most cases they will be accompanied by a live pianist, although some will be using an MP3 recording of their piano accompaniment. We will be scheduling rehearsals with the accompanists in the next couple weeks.
UNIFORMS
Uniforms will need to be DRY CLEANED before being turned in. Please return uniforms in cleaning bag with STUDENT NAME written clearly on the receipt. Please write student names on receipt, so we can quickly mark them off the list. (As a reminder, washing the boys' pants in a machine will ruin them, and result in a replacement fee.)
For Spring Concerts we will wear nice dress clothes, not black.
Jazz Band has been busy with lots of performances!
From the Mardi Gras luncheon, NISD Expo, the Lion Showcases, to the Trumpets 4 Kids event, jazz band has been entertaining audiences with joy!
Band placements for next year
Students who have signed up for band again for next year will be placed in a band class. This is a place holder only. Once students complete auditions for their band placement, counselors will be a sent a list of those placements. Students will be preparing a 4 minute scale challenge for their end of year audition as well as end of year test. ALL students will be playing this test regardless of band status for next year.
BEGINNING BAND NEWS
Students have received solos to begin working on, as well as THREE new band pieces! We are also still working on Band Olympics, so there is NO shortage of something to practice! Students should be practicing 25-30 minutes/ night at this point to continue developing on their instrument at a high level.
We are working on building a performance schedule for student solo contest on May 10. We will communicate that schedule as soon as we have it completed. Students will be expected to wear nice clothes OR jeans and their band shirt for this contest.
Beginning percussionists will be competing at BNHS on April 29 for their solo contest. Stay tuned to news from Mr. Vogt for details.
SPRING FESTIVAL AND CONCERT!!!
We have started working on three full band pieces for our Spring Festival and Concert. Please see rehearsal dates posted above and below. Students who do not attend the rehearsals may not attend the festival. We are also keeping a close eye on classroom participation and behavior. Students who do not act appropriately in class or participate in class will forfeit the festival trip to TCC and Main Event.
April 27- Full Band Rehearsal 7:15
May 2- Full Band Rehearsal 7:15
May 4 - Spring Concert at the AMS gym
May 5- Full Band Competition at TCC with fun day at Main Event! Students must be academically eligible to participate.
(We will need several volunteers to go with us!)
May 10- Solo Contest after school at AMS
What will band be like in 7th grade? If this is something you are wondering about, please click on this link that was posted/ emailed in February, or browse back through our newsletters to see all the fun and wonderful things in store for them. 7/8 grade band is definitely where it's at, and we can't wait to see all the things that our kiddos continue to accomplish!