CGS Winter Concert

Conway Grammar School will host its annual Winter Concert on Thursday, January 14th at 10am. Family, friends, and community members are welcome to attend!

Bravo to DES, SES, and WES BANDS!

Thank you to family and friends who came out to support our young bands at the first concerts of the year.
Congratulations to all of the students who accomplished a well-played concert under the pressure of the spotlight.

Concerts are coming soon!

Sunderland Elementary: Tuesday, December 15 - 2pm
Whately Elementary: Wednesday, December 16 - 2pm
Deerfield Elementary: Thursday, December 17 - 2pm
Conway: mid January

Please encourage your child to practice the concert material:
Advanced Band =
You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch (WES, SES, and DES)
Boogie Blues (CGS)
Tribal Voices (all schools)
Shalom Chaverim (all schools)
Ode to Joy- page 27 in Sound Innovations (all schools)

Beginner Band =
Au Claire De La Lune
Jingle Bells
Lightly Row
Good King Wenceslas
Sweetly Sings the Donkey
Dreydl, Dreydl
Ode to Joy

Latest Practice Assignment: week of November 16th
Beginner Band: Prepare the following pieces for the concert: #24,25,27,28,29
                          Look ahead to the rest of page 10, if all other songs are learned.

Advanced Band: Concert Bb and Eb Scales
                           "Shalom Chaverim"
                           "Tribal Voices"
                           Deerfield, Whately, Sunderland: "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch"

Practicing Assignment for Week of November 2:
Beginners: rhythm sheet measures 1-24
                  Book: #24 and #27 - finger and name notes aloud; then play.
                             students are encouraged to practice other songs up through page 10.
Advanced Band: Loch Lomond
                            Shalom Chaverim
                            Concert Bb and Eb Scales
                            Tribal Voices - all

Practice assignment for the week of October 26:
Beginners: pages 8 and 9 in the book.
Advanced: Tribal Voices (and listen to it at JWPepper.com)
                  Concert Bb and Concert Eb Scale

Welcome to the FRSU38 Elementary Band Blog!
Please check out the first two posts, and feel free to email me with questions. Thanks! 
~ Mrs. Carr
megan.carr@frsu38.org

Come hear Mrs. Carr play Bass Clarinet in The Valley Winds season opener! The concert is this Sunday, October 25th at 7pm at McCulloch Auditorium at Mount Holyoke in South Hadley. Admission is free.

 Fall 2015

Hello FRSU 38 Elementary Band families!

I wanted to just check in with all of you and tell you about our progress in the first month of band, my expectations for home practicing, and important dates for the year. I am loving my first year here at Union 38 already (as I knew I would.) Thank you for all of the warm welcomes. The kids are awesome to work with: well-mannered and full of positive, unique personalities!

PRACTICING

All beginner students should have placed an order through Gerry’s Music shop for the method book, “Band Innovations.” When Gerry’s has the book, they will drop it off at your child’s school on one of the Tuesdays that they visit.

Returning band students have pieces of music to practice (and a new folder) as well as a new scale each month to learn. Some students, depending on their instrument, have been assigned specific pages out of their book from last year.

It is expected that students try to practice regularly 20-30 minutes a day. On a busier day, I must emphasize that 10 minutes is better than zero. You should hear your child working on small sections and playing at a slow tempo, before playing full songs at a faster tempo. The students who have been practicing regularly seem to come to me with more confidence and leave the lesson feeling good about their efforts. Students who do not practice are struggling to keep up with the group. I will not take the group at a slower pace for students who are not practicing at home.

For the fall, (up until our December concert) your child should be practicing the following:

Beginners:

~pages 2-10 in the “Sound Innovations” book 1.
~ Rhythm Studies (pink sheet)

Advanced Band:

~Scale of the month (so far, Concert Bb and Concert Eb scales)
~ Rhythm Studies (pink sheet)
~ Sight Reading Packet

~“Tribal Voices” – a recording can be found on:

http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&type=audio&productID=2472284

~“Gentle River” – a recording can be found on:

http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&type=audio&productID=10031929

~“When Rhinos Do the Rhumba in the Rain” – a recording can be found on:

http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&type=audio&productID=2472520

~Clarinets: page 33-34 in Sound Innovation,” book 1

~“Joy to the World” page 26 in Sound Innovations, book 1

~ Percussion: special handouts as distributed throughout the fall

Rehearsal and Lesson Schedule

In some schools, students have to miss out on recess to come work with me. It is only one day a week that they are missing. When a student signs up for band, it is imperative that they come to both their lesson and their rehearsal every week, regardless of whether they have their instrument or music.  Students who continually miss their lesson or rehearsal may need to decide what his/her priorities are. I stress that it is the student’s responsibility to remember their schedule or come ask me before the school day begins.

Instrument Suggestions

Many of my reed players (clarinet and saxophone) have broken at least one or two reeds already. They will need at least four working reeds in their case at all times. I suggest ordering a box of 10 Rico brand reeds- strength of 2 or 2.5. That *should cover your child for at least four or five months.  Saxophone and Clarinet mouthpieces can be sterilized after an illness by soaking it in 1 part vinegar to 2 parts warm water for 5 minutes. Swabs can be routinely hand-washed and dried.

Flute players should obtain a cotton or silk handkerchief OR about a ¼ yard of cheesecloth to clean their flute with. I will show all students how to clean their instrument the proper way.

Any second or third year trumpet or trombone student may want to consider sending their instrument in to Gerry’s Music Shop to be properly snaked out and sanitized. I have learned that some students never learned how to empty their spit valves and I am guessing that there is quite a build-up of germs in the tubing.

Also, I suggest that all students find a fun way to easily distinguish their instrument case from others. Some students tie a ribbon around the handle, while others attach a small key chain stuffed animal. This makes for easy retrieval at the end of the day or at the beginning of rehearsal. You don’t want to be stuck with someone else’s instrument at home!

Listening – a positive influence

Another important note…Listening to all types of music, including classical and jazz genres are important to your child’s musical development. The Sound Innovations books have a CD/DVD with recordings and videos. I have also included links for the advanced band concert pieces.

Please turn on the radio to NEPR (88.5) for ‘jazz a la mode’ in the evenings or find a Spotify or Pandora station geared to these genres.

Better yet, attending a local live concert is vital for your child’s full understanding of his/her instrument.  The professional wind band that I play with, “Valley Winds” has a concert on Sunday, October 25^th at 7pm at McCulloch Auditorium, Mount Holyoke College. I’d love to see students come hear us play. Admission is free. Springfield Symphony Orchestra also has concerts on Saturday evenings. If you are interested, I can request free tickets for you and your child to go. UMass Department of Music and Dance and UMass Fine Arts Center also has a robust concert season that is worth checking out.

Important Dates

Sunderland Band: Tuesday, December 15^th – Winter Concert at 2pm

Whately Band: Wednesday, December 16^th – Winter Concert at 2pm

Deerfield Band: Thursday, December 17^th – Winter Concert at approx. 1:45 pm

Conway Band: January 2016 TBA – Winter Concert - late morning

All Four elementary school bands: Wednesday, May 4^th –Dress Rehearsal for the all-schools concert at Frontier Regional. 3:30-5:00pm

All Four elementary school bands: Thursday, May 5^th – All-Schools Concert – 7pm performance; 6pm call

Deerfield Band: Thursday, June 2 – Fine Arts Festival Concert – during the school day. Time TBA

Sunderland, Whately, and Conway Spring In-School Concerts: TBA