Short Week

Reminders:
-Instrument Rental Forms need to be handed in
-Any t-shirt orders left, need to be handed in
-Grey Cup Marchers need to make sure you have your form handed in

In Grade 6 Band

This week in Grade 6 band we went beginning to end (without stopping) of one piece of sheet music.  Students discovered, this is much harder than it sounds, especially if there are no long rests written in the music.  It takes a great deal of focus and concentration to do this, especially for the first time, and so congratulations Grade 6's!  

This week we also learned a Concert Bb scale.   We learned this by playing the note, writing it in our composition books, and then playing it again.   Grade 6's also discovered this week why we have been learning music by reading notes, by writing note names down, and figuring out by ear.   Many were very surprised by the diversity in which our students prefer to learn.   Our goal is to make students comfortable playing music in all of these ways.

Students this week, also figured a base line.   We learned this by some of us playing our 12 bar blues, some of us soloing, and some of us playing the scale degrees that we wrote out.   We did this all at the same time.   It was a little tricky, but the Grade 6's did a great job of trying their best and helping each other out in the process.  

This coming up week we will be taking a closer look at Beethoven's Ninth.   We will once again be applying the practice strategies  - airing, singing, clapping,  and using our fingering charts to help us figure it out.  This piece is tricky, because everyone gets not only melody, but harmony as well.   We learned quickly that harmony many times is more tricky than the melody.   We once again circled in students' books the lines to practice.

In Grade 7 Band

We are continuing to work on Concert F scale and our chromatic scale.   We will begin trying some experiments with different articulations.   The Concert F scale puts many of our students in a range of their instruments they do not regularly play in.   Some instruments this is lower and some this is much higher.   We are having students try these notes.   Many are surprising themselves that although they thought they could not do them, they can.    This is a major accomplishment and discovery as we continue to work on expanding instrument range.  

We have been working mostly on sheet music.   However, the sooner we have the Orange Book, we will begin!    Some students have begun the second book.   We are looking forward to getting everyone going in the next book.  Students are asked to practice O Tannenbone and Spirit of The Wolf.

In Grade 8 Band

Although it was a short week, we had a very full four days with two full band classes.  In particular we had a great workshop with Dr. Dale Lonis.  Dr. Lonis had worked with many of our students last year so it was particularly beneficial to take what they learned last year and incorporate it and build upon it this week.  Also, we'll get another chance to work with Dr. Lonis again in February.  Students should continue to practice Chesapeake Overture, Chant and Tribal Dance, and Spania.