Williamston Middle School 6 th Grade Band Handbook 2017-2018 Ms. Lynn Kelsey Mr. Judah Weeks Band Directors E-mail: kelseyl@gowcs.net E-mail: weeksj@gowcs.net Band Office Phone: (517) 655-4668 ext. 6470 Website: www.williamstonbands.weebly.com
Important Dates Fri. September 22 Tailgate/Performance at the Football Stadium 6:00 PM 6 th -8 th Grade students will play with the HS marching band at pre-game *Tue. October 24 First Performance 7:30 PM @ HS New Gym 6th Grade and High School Students Students need to arrive at 7:15 PM in Gym *Mon. December 11 Winter Concert 7:30 PM @ HS New Gym All 6 th -12 th Grade Band Students Students need to arrive at 7:15 PM in the HS band room Sun. March 4 March TBA Tue. May 15 *Mon. May 28 *Tue. May 22 Mattress Fundraiser @HS Commons 12-5 PM 6 th Grade perform for 5 th Grade at Elementary 6 th Grade Band DURING THE SCHOOL DAY Solo Festival 6:00 PM @ WMS Interested 6 th -8 th Grade Band Students Memorial Day Parade - Report to Community Center at 9:30 AM All 6 th -12 th Grade Band Students Collage Concert 7:30 PM @HS New Gym All 6 th -8 th Grade Band Students Students need to arrive at 7:15 PM in the HS Band Room *- denotes required performances
Williamston Middle School Band We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit! -Aristotle Helpful Phone Numbers Marshall Music Company (located in Frandor Mall) sells all band equipment, music, accessories and instruments. Marshall Music also does instrument repairs and offers private lessons. 337-9700 Meridian Winds (across from Okemos HS) sells reeds, valve oil, makes instrument repairs, and offers private lessons. 332-8729 Port Huron Music sells all band equipment, music, accessories, and instruments and also does repairs. For your convenience, a sales representative from Port Huron Music comes to WMS once each week. 1-800-284-7891 Classroom Standards Attitude is essential! No team ever achieved great success without each member giving 100%. The band will provide musical challenges, memorable experiences, musical growth and lasting friendships. For those things to happen, we need a willingness to work in a group and be a team player not only at concert settings, but every time we meet. Without dedication and hard work, we cannot be successful. Band Expectations: Be Responsible o Have your class materials every day. (instrument, notebook, band book, folder, music and pencil) Be Respectful o Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Be Safe o Take care of the school equipment and be kind to others.
Be Engaged o Participate every day in class to get the most out of every lesson. Do Your Best o Please give us your best effort every day. Your personal responsibilities include: Being prepared each day with your instrument, notebook, music and pencil. Using good posture when performing and rehearsing. Always leaving food, gum, candy, and pop outside the band room. Always treating music and equipment with respect. Always having a cooperative spirit and positive attitude. Always treating the other members of your team with respect. Always giving your best effort. Always listening for instructions and feedback. Always turning in assignments on time. Marking the concert dates on your family calendar. Cubbies Almost all 6th grade band students will be assigned a cubby for storing their instrument and music when not in use. Please remember that these cabinets do not have locks. Please keep valuables, other than your instrument, in your hall locker. Students who play smaller instruments such as flute and clarinet are asked to keep their instrument in their hallway lockers. Grading Band is a group effort that requires an extreme amount of teamwork. Therefore, it is very important for each member of our team to be prepared and ready to give 100% each day. Points will be given to document participation. Throughout each marking period, the student will work with the teacher to evaluate his or her progress and participation. The following criteria will serve as a guide for grading. I. Participation Grade 0%- If you want to be successful: At the end of the quarter, you will receive a rehearsal grade based on the following: 1. You are prepared. You have your instrument, book, pencil, and you have practiced your music. 2. You are in your seat and ready to go on time.
3. You participate appropriately 4. At the end of class you properly take care of your instrument and music II. Practice Logs 0%- If you want to be successful: It is important to understand that making music takes a great deal of work. As with any endeavor, you get out of it what you put into it. Practicing is not always fun, but it is necessary in order to improve your skills consistently on your instrument. We suggest creating a home practice schedule to help students stay on task. Generally, five days a week is a good goal. Breaking this time up into 10-15 minute blocks is suggested for young musicians. In order to help establish good practice habits, we require each student to keep a written practice log and turn it in with their parent s signature. These will be collected once a month. The goal for each student is to play 40 minutes a week at home. Students can earn band bucks for practicing at home. Here are some practicing suggestions: 1. Warm up correctly with a good tone. Spend at least 3 minutes on your warm-up. 2. Set a goal for each practice session. 3. Isolate a problem and correct it. Do not simply play things over and over. This only solidifies mistakes and bad habits. 4. Play new material and repeat old lessons for both class and private lessons. Nothing in music is ever perfect. There is always room for improvement. III. Playing and Written Exams 30% Written and/or playing tests and assignments will be given in class on a regular basis. Playing tests will consist of students playing music from class for a grade. Grades will be determined by note accuracy, rhythmic accuracy, tone quality, musicianship, correct posture, and effort. There will be an average of 4 major playing tests per marking period. Written quizzes and tests will also be given throughout the year to test students skills with music vocabulary, concepts, and rules. IV. Monthly Goals 40% In order to guide students in their home practice we will be using monthly goal sheets. Each month we will have a new goal sheet that will have items for them to work on at home. Designated class time will be allowed for students to check off/pass their goals.
V. Concert Attendance 30% In band there are no substitute players on the bench. Every member is important to the success of the team. That is why attendance at all public performances of their group is so important. Please check the band calendar in this handbook and discuss any conflicts with me as soon as possible. If a student has a conflict with a concert date, written notice must be given to Ms. Kelsey or Mr. Weeks at least two weeks in advance in order to be excused. Students may need to write a paper or complete another assignment if a concert is missed. Personal illness and family emergencies should also be excused with a note. Even in an emergency situation, if at all possible, please call or email Ms. Kelsey or Mr. Weeks rather than surprise the group with a no-show. Concert Attire When we perform in public as the 6 th Grade Band, we try to keep the dress for performance as neat as possible. After all, the audience will see the band before we even play a note, and we want our first impression to be positive one. Students will be responsible for providing their own concert attire which consists of: Girls: Plain black dress pants, (or plain black skirt, mid-calf length when standing), plain white dress type shirt, plain black dress shoes, and plain black socks. (No socks are necessary with flat shoes.) Boys: Plain black dress pants, plain white dress type shirt, plain black dress shoes, and plain black socks. Please no black jeans, athletic pants or tennis shoes. Communication Parent and teacher communication is a vital part of a student s experience in band. We welcome and encourage you to call, stop in, or email us with questions, comments or concerns. We look forward to talking with the families of each band student. Lynn Kelsey kelseyl@gowcs.net 655-2142 ext. 7780 Judah Weeks weeksj@gowcs.net 655-4668 ext. 6470 Website: www.williamstonbands.weebly.com Facebook Page: @williamstonbands
You might also receive emails from williamstonbands@gmail.com and williamstonbandboosters@gmail.com (our parent organization) Private Lessons Taking private lessons is not mandatory, but some students may find it helpful and fun to learn new skills and additional music. For your convenience, private lessons from MSU music students will be offered again this year at the middle school. Each lesson is $15.00-20.00 per half-hour. Students may sign up for lessons by contacting the teacher directly or leaving a message with Mr. Weeks or Ms. Kelsey. A sign up form is also included in this handbook. An updated list of private teacher contact information will be published on the band website. Both Marshall Music and the Michigan State University Community Music School also offer private lessons. Band Bucks Students will have the opportunity to earn band bucks during class and for completing work outside of school. Each student is responsible for keeping track of their own cash and storing it in a safe place. We will have a designated time during class on Fridays when students may purchase items. They may also only purchase ONE ITEM at a time. (You can t spend 200 band bucks at once.) In some cases, you may have to order something from Mr. Weeks or Ms. Kelsey and wait for it to arrive. There is a list of ways to earn band bucks posted in the middle school band room. Class Materials Needed Essential Elements 2000 Book 1 with a yellow cover. Band Notebook to be left in class Music Folder (provided) Pencil Instrument and Instrument supplies (listed below) Supplies In order to play and maintain the student s instrument there will be some periodic supplies needed. These supplies may be purchased at any music store, or you may purchase them at school. For your convenience, Port Huron Music visits Williamston Middle School each week on Wednesdays. This makes any special order items available to students. Order forms may be found in the band room hanging on the wall. Flute students need to have: A handkerchief and flute cleaning rod to swab out the instrument
Oboe and bassoon students need to have: At least two good reeds at all times. Reed strengths vary and as the student progresses they should try to use a higher quality reed. Swab for cleaning and maintaining the instrument Clarinet and saxophone students need to have: At least two good reeds at all times. Reed strengths vary from number 2 (softest) to number 5 (hardest). As the student progresses, the reed strength will increase and they should try to use a higher quality reed such as Vandoren. 6 th graders should begin on size 2 and a half. Individual reeds may be purchased at school in an emergency situation but the school must be reimbursed. A plastic reed guard is also needed to keep the reeds dry and free from cracking while not being used. a mouthpiece brush cork grease Swab for cleaning and maintaining the instrument. Brass players need to have: a bottle of valve oil (trumpet, baritone, tuba), rotor oil (French horn only), slide oil (trombone) slide grease a mouthpiece brush and snake to properly care for their instrument. Percussionists will need to provide: Stick Bag (for transport of sticks and mallets from home to school) Snare Sticks (Vic Firth SD1) Yarn Mallets (Balter medium) Rubber Mallets (Musser M1 Yellow Rubber Marimba mallets) Hard plastic Bell Mallets (Musser M23 hard plastic bell mallet) Timpani Mallets (Vic Firth General Timpani mallets) *It is recommended that all students have a folding music stand for home practice. Many students find that having a metronome/tuner for home practice is also beneficial.
Dear Parents: We hope you and your family had a relaxing and enjoyable summer. In an effort to save money this year, we did not print the band handbook for each student. We have gone over it in class and it is available to view on our website (williamstonbands.weebly.com) and will be emailed to you at the beginning of the year. A hard copy is available upon request. We hope that you will take a few minutes to review this with your son or daughter. ***Please note the important concert dates and contact us if you have a conflict.*** After you and your student have read the Band Handbook, please sign the bottom portion of this letter and return it to school no later than Tuesday, September 5th. If you as a parent plan to participate in any band activities this year, which may include chaperoning the all school party, helping with the pumpkin carving party, or helping at any fundraiser, please complete the background check NOW so that it can be checked and valid for the whole year. We look forward to working with your student. If you ever have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, Lynn Kelsey kelseyl@gowcs.net Judah Weeks weeksj@gowcs.net PLEASE RETURN NO LATER THAN TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th I have reviewed the 2017-2018 Band Handbook and understand what is expected of me as a member of the Williamston Bands. I will do my best to follow these guidelines and be a positive part of our ensemble. Student signature Please print student name Date Parent/Guardian signature Email Address(es) you would like added to the williamstonbands@gmail.com mailing list: Interested in Volunteering Yes No If yes, contact phone number
Private Lesson Sign-up Form If you are interested in taking private lessons, please fill out this form and return it to Ms. Kelsey or Mr. Weeks. student name grade instrument days not available after school for lessons Would you be willing to have lessons during band class? (circle) YES NO phone e-mail best time to call
Williamston Middle School Band Practice Log Total Each Week: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Month: Parent Signature: Goals per week (in minutes): 50-60=Excellent, 40-49=Great, 30-39=OK, 0-29=Practice! Band Bucks per week (in minutes) 1= 100 2=130 3=150 4=180 5=200 or above To be turned in at the end of the month with a signature for credit.