Friday 13 February 2015

Congratulations!
Congratulations to all the Grade 8 students who represented our area at the Regina Public Junior Select Band.  

Reminders
February Blues is quickly approaching.    All Jazz Band families are reminded that Thurs. Feb. 26 evening is February Blues.   This concert is in the auditorium at Campbell.

Grade 8's get your trip permission forms in and, if possible, please pay online.

Grade 6 Band
Grade 6's are working on Concert Bb scale in eighth notes, up and down.   We have been checking to make sure that fingers are staying close to the keys.  Some students fingers are coming extremely far off the keys.   We are doing our best to correct this.    Students have also begun work on Concert Eb, and Concert Ab scales.    We are learning these so that we can learn different registers of our instrument and new fingerings.     Students started to compose in groups this past week.    It was quite interesting to hear what the Grade 6's came up with.   They were asked to try composing in Concert Eb.   This is so students get used to more than one key signature.  

Massey, RCS, and McVeety students are continuing to work on Ayre and Dance and Midnight Sky.   We tried "scrambling" this week.   This means that students move somewhere else in the band room.  Students no longer are beside the same instruments and often students are able to hear different instrument parts more clearly.      Students were asked to work on their composition and to work on their trouble spots in their music.  

Grant Road and Perry students discovered mutes this week.    They discovered if they put a mute in their instrument it changes the sound, however,it takes a lot of sir.   These students also discovered they are able to go much longer than they realized in one breath.   Students were asked to practice 35-43 in Two Canadian and 38-end of Highlands March.  

Grade 7 Band
The Grade 7's demonstrated some excellent rehearsals this week.    They were quick to mark details down and quick to make improvements.   We've had a few problems with students forgetting or losing music, and so students are being checked each band class to make sure it is their music with their markings they have.  

 After working at the "Breathing Gym" since September, the Grade 7's are discovering it is paying off.    They demonstrated 8 measure phrases and are playing with some really nice sounds.    Grade 7's are being checked on right notes for both Song for Friends and Colliding Visions.    We have begun work on Whirlwind.   This is a percussion feature, but is written in an awkward key signature for all the wood winds and brass.   Parts of this piece are written in "free form" meaning that there is no time signature.     At first students thought this would make it easier, but are quickly finding it is hard to do.   Students who have not shown me their music for markings will show me this week.   Students who have not played their parts for Song for a Friends and Colliding Visions will need to do so this week.

Grade 8 Band

We've had our first full band rehearsal with every band student from Massey, McVeety, Perry, and Grant Road.  We sounded great and now can fine tune and tweak our Optimist pieces as well as start cleaning up Whale Warriors and Adrenaline Engines.

The itinerary and permission form for the band trip to Saskatoon were sent home and are due back on Wednesday, March 4th.  You can pay online and this is the preferred method of paying.  We still need one male and one female chaperone to come on the trip.