Announcements 4/26/20

1)  Sectionals will work a little bit different this week.  I am only able to do it on Monday and Thursday this week and I wanted to approach them a little differently anyway.  This week is going to be more geared to next year's Marching Band, with us returning to the parade music next week (with the exception of percussion, who will continue working on the parade music this week during sectionals).  We will be watching a series of short videos about Body position and the vocabulary of Body visuals in the Marching Band.  In between each video will be opportunity for questions about anything we just watched.  I still plan on the sectional lasting 30-45 minutes.  This will mainly apply to  current 8th - 11th graders, but seniors are more than welcome to attend.  Monday - Brass at 11 am, Woodwinds at 1 pm.  Thursday - Guard at 11 am and Percussion at 1 pm. 

2)  I am trying to schedule our parade performance around whatever time is finalized to hold the graduation ceremony, whether it is in May, June, or July.  And my plan right now is to start at the Park and march down Middle School Rd.  That's really all of the semi-details I have, but I will update you as much as I can.

3)  I am still trying to finalize exactly how the Band Banquet could work. I hope to have definitive details by the end of this week.  

Announcements 4/19/20

1)  I have moved flags, rifles, and instruments to the Small Band Trailer for those of you who need to get those.  The trailer is parked in front of the band room in the parking lot.  I put enough flags for all current high schoolers and 8th graders to get one to practice with.  I put 4 snare drums and 2 quint drums for the students playing the Parade music.  And I put some mallets for the 8th grade percussionists to practice 4 mallet technique with.  And if you messaged me with a request to get your instrument or mouthpiece, I put those in there too.

2)  Wow!  The Zoom meeting went great on Friday!  The program maxes out at 100 people and when I last looked we had at 93 on there at once!  If you were unable to get on there, it might have been because we had maxed out our meeting.  That's why we are going to be doing it in sections this week.  Also, after talking to the seniors on Friday, they still want to go ahead with the Parade music for a potential Summer South Gibson area performance if the quarantine orders are lifted by then.  So keep working on the Parade music.  

3)  We are still trying to get full refunds from the NY trip from a couple of the businesses in New York.  It is a slower process than usual since everyone in every company we are working with is working from home.  Getting to talk to the managers is a lot more complicated and time-consuming!

4)  Here is how we are going to do Zoom  sectionals this week: Monday - Clarinets at 11 am and Alto Saxes at 1 pm, Tuesday - Baritone/Tuba at 11 am and Trumpets at 1 pm, Wednesday - Guard at 11 am and Trombone/Tenor Saxes at 1 pm, Thursday - Percussion at 11 am and French Horns at 1 pm, Friday - Flutes at 11 am.  Sectionals will last between 30-45 minutes. We will mainly be working Parade music but also use the time to just catch up and see each other.  8th graders in these sections are invited to be a part of the sectionals, even if it's just to observe.  We want to go ahead and start getting to know you guys!

5)  I am working on exactly how I want to do the Band Banquet this year, but here is what I do know - I want to do the Senior Wills and the Slide Show.  I am asking everyone who has good pictures from this year to send no more than 10 of those pictures to Amy Sorsoleil at lildsmom79@gmail.com.  Seniors, send me a pre-recorded video of your Senior Will and I will put it together into one video.  I will create a chat in the Band app for Seniors for you to upload your video.  This seems to work better than email because usually the video files are too big to email.

Announcements 4/12/20

1)  I wish I had more updates for you about the remainder of the school year, but know that I will keep you updated as I learn more about the schedule for the semester.  A lot of it rests of the decisions of the Governor and State Department of Education.

2)  For this week, work on memorizing the following:

Star Wars: The entire song.  Practice moving your feet by marching or marking time while you play.

Tennessee Pride - Beginning to D.

Percussion Cadence - Beginning to D.  Move your feet as you play it.

3)  Guard, for the auditions make sure you are working on fundamentals, marking time, free hands, etc.  I will get more detailed audition material out soon.  But fundamentals are going to be even more important than ever.  

Announcements 4/5/20

1)  I hope everyone is staying safe and paying heed to the safe distance recommendations that are out there.  This virus is not something to mess with.  As we begin another week of online school work, be diligent about your education and use the lessons given by the teachers to learn new things.  In fact, I encourage you to use some of this extra time most of us have to learn a new skill, such as sewing, changing the tire on a car, puppetry, or making youtube videos. 

2)  There are a lot of uncertainties over the next few weeks and months as far as the band schedule and procedures.  I am working on multiple ways of progressing, whether we get started back in May or don't get back until July.  I will communicate any changes in procedure as they happen.  Right now, the thing you need to look for is Tuesday when I post the 2020 Marching season information forms that you will need to fill out by Friday.  Also remember that I will post the 2020 Field Show at 7 pm on Tuesday!

3)  Percussion and Guard, right now I plan on having auditions in May.  Guard, I will have audition requirements sometime before that.  If that changes, I will let you know.  

4)  Leadership applications will also happen in May.  If that changes, I will let you know.

5)  This week, I want you to work on memorizing these selections of the Parade tunes as I still plan on performing these by the end of the school year:

Star Wars: Beginning to 85 (remember to skip from 20 to 77)

Tennessee Pride: Beginning to C

Percussion Cadence: Beginning to C

Announcements 3/29/20

1)  No memorization assignments this week.  Enjoy your Spring Break!

2)  With school now out until April 24, the Spring Concert and Jazz Concert have been cancelled.  If possible, I would like to play some kind of Spring Performance in May before school lets out, so keep that music worked up.

3)  The directors of the Mass Band have been talking, and we are working to get this performance in at some point, even if it means performing the Mass Band in the summer.  So keep the Tennessee Pride song worked up.  Guard, all of the bands involved in this never got a chance to get uniforms together for the spring parades, including us.  We are looking at doing something easy, such as black leggings and a plain color top.  Keep an eye out for further details on all of this.

4)  Next week, I will have google forms ready for next year's Marching Band members to fill out.  It's the usual information forms that we normally fill out on paper plus a new one for this year.  The big Fall kickoff meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, but now that will have to be done online.  More details next week.  

5)  Thomas Tours has been working to get us as much refund as possible from the NY trip.  So far businesses have been cooperative.  The last hurdle seems to be the hotel room refunds, and the hotels in NY have been recently shut down themselves.  So that should work out.  If you are going to the Rose Parade this winter, all of your individual account fundraising money from NY will be transferred to your Rose Parade account.  

Announcements 3/22/20

1)  I hope everyone is staying safe and not going crazy yet.  Last week was very stressful and I know there is still a lot of uncertainty about the next few weeks.  Please thank your teachers for continuing to adapt how they teach and provide instruction.  They are, on the fly, having to completely rethink how to teach.  I encourage you to do the work assigned, not for the grade, but for the continuation of learning.  The grades will work themselves out and I can assure you that teachers and administration are working hard to make sure that grades will not be unfairly affected.  You must do your part, though, and complete the work assigned to you. 

2)  Neither the Teapot Parade nor the Strawberry Festival have been cancelled yet.  I am keeping daily tabs on their websites and looking for emails from both parties.  I will tell you that I want to perform these two parade songs.  If the parades are cancelled, it will become my goal to march a parade somewhere by the time the Seniors graduate, even if it's down the streets of Medina.  I want to give the seniors their final performance.  That being said, here are your memorization assignments for this week:

Star Wars - beginning to 20, memorized by Friday.

Tennessee Pride - beginning to letter B, memorized by Friday

Percussion Cadence - beginning to letter B, memorized by Friday.

I am not asking for videos of you playing the excerpts yet, but it could happen if we are still out of school in April.  

Color Guard - we are working on the routine now and will have videos ASAP.

3)  Nothing in April has been cancelled yet.  That includes the Spring Concert, the Jazz Concert, and the Fall Kickoff meeting on April 7.  Band, keep working on the concert tunes including the new one that was handed out Friday.  

Announcements 3/15/20

1)  It was with a heavy heart that the decision was made not to go to New York, but ultimately it would have been irresponsible to send the students to New York in the current situation and put them at risk for sickness.  Seniors, I am sorry this is happened during your final year, but I want you to know how much you have meant to me and this program during your tenure here.  You have continued to carry the tradition of excellence and pushed the band to even newer heights.  I ask now that everyone be patient as we begin the process of recouping our funds as much as possible over the next few weeks.  I will keep you updated during the process.

2)  Tomorrow's NY rehearsal has been cancelled, but I am going to keep the Jazz Band Rehearsal on Tuesday.  Monday's are usually when teachers have called staff meetings and the odds of a meeting happening tomorrow are high, I am sure.

3)  The mattress fundraiser is the Saturday!  I am going to be sending out lots of reminders and marketing information out this week as we let the community know about our first fundraiser geared toward the Rose Parade.  I will also be asking for a few student volunteers to stand outside the school on Saturday to help publicize the event throughout the day.  

4)  I want to congratulate the Band again on their accomplishment at Concert Festival last Thursday.  Such a great concert! It made it into the top 4 highlights of this school year! 

5)  Happy Pi Day everyone!