What a show

An awesome concert by the middle school students last night! I was pleased with the efforts of all! Something that gets overlooked too often is the fact that all the equipment in the gym needs to be brought from somewhere else--sometimes long distances. A lot of that equipment isn't meant to be that mobile. There are a lot of people who work to get things where they need to be.

The morning after is no exception. I had between 10 and 20 students help to move things back to the band room. What a huge help! I always appreciate those who go out of their way to help others. What a great holiday spirit!

I hope everyone has a safe, happy and restful holiday break!

Concert Day!

Well, for right now, it looks like the weather might hold off so we can have a concert this evening! A decision will be made by the end of the day, but I really hope that we can still have this concert tonight. Rescheduling is going to be a pain because January is a very busy month! Plus, the students are making some really good music right now and I would love for them to be able to perform it tonight!

Lots of things go into having a concert, not the least of which is logistics. The band room basically has to be transported to the gym--which involves taking instruments outside. This is no where near my ideal situation, but it is what we have to work with. I am really grateful to all the students who help move things and get things set up during the day!

Fingers cross, we will have a concert tonight!

No heat

So, there is no heat at the middle school today--that makes it hard for us to have kids here. I am sure it is a huge inconvenience for everyone, especially those who need to make arrangements for their kids!

From my perspective, it is frustrating because there is a concert in a week and we have another day without rehearsal. Adding this to last week's snow days is enough to give me some blood pressure issues. Hopefully everything will be fixed tomorrow and we can be back to normal!

High School Concert Tonight!

Quarter projects are just one week from due and there is a great opportunity to get an item done tonight. There is a high school concert this evening at 7PM! Great chance to go and listen and do some critiquing!

December--in Iowa

I guess this is what happens when you live in Iowa--snow. Judging by the time I have spent shoveling (we don't have a snow blower) the last 2 days (at least 6 hours--and they haven't plowed our entire street yet) I think it is a good thing that there has been no school! It adds to the things we need to get accomplished in rehearsals this next week before the concert, but I am trying not to think too much about that right now!

Enjoy the snow and stay safe! Maybe we will have school tomorrow?

Tis the Season

I had the opportunity to attend Christmas with Wartburg this weekend at the Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines. I graduated from Wartburg and it was nice to go hear the performances of college bands and choirs--really rejuvenating for me. If you ever get a chance to attend a college performance, do it! Amazing musicianship there!

It is also the snow season! As we move into those lovely winter months, just a quick reminder that on days where we have a late start, there will NOT be jazz band rehearsal. I figure we are having the late start for a reason and having rehearsal doesn't make a lot of sense.

The final push

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving break! I know I ate too much food and didn't sleep enough, but I had a great time. Now it is on to the push to the concert on Dec. 22! Three weeks will go by in a hurry, but it should give us some time in rehearsals to work things out that need fixing. Reminding students there are only x number of practices left usually helps to get them focused and ready to work.

Students in 7-8 band should be getting solo/ensemble music this week that they can start working on at home. The festival will be in Feb. at PCM Middle School. Something to look ahead to! I am also in search of one or two people with some piano skills who might be interested in accompanying students with solos. Let me know if you are interested!

Short Week

I don't know about everyone else, but I am in great need of a long weekend! Thanksgiving comes at the right time--a chance to sit and relax, enjoy life and rejuvenate and re-energize for the run up to the winter concert!

Partially as a Thanksgiving gift (and partially because I have a meeting) there will be no jazz band on Wednesday morning. Enjoy the sleep in time :) and we'll be back at it on Monday, Nov. 30th getting ready for the Dec. 22nd performance.

Butterbraid orders that needed to be fixed should be ready to go today. I am going to run up to the high school during lunch and pick up those orders that needed amending. Hopefully we'll get everything straightened out today!

If Money Grew on Trees

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was no need for fundraisers? Alas, that is just not the case and with the fundraisers come some headaches. Because of a time crunch yesterday in packaging the orders, there were some that were either incomplete or incorrectly filled. We are working to get the situation fixed. The sales rep will be at CM on Monday, so we are trying to get everything ironed out today. If you have a problem with the order, please let me know asap so we can get it taken care of. Logistics are always a challenge with filling the orders and yesterday was no different. I have some thoughts to make next year's order filling a little easier. Mr. Moening, Mrs. Warrick and I will talk about them and see if we can't get some things ironed out! Thanks for your patience!

Time Flies

It's amazing that Thanksgiving is just a little over a week away. I'm not sure where the last few months have gone!

This means that the quarter is almost half over!!! Most students haven't started on their quarter projects yet--it's something that needs to get done soon. December will be even quicker than November.

In December, 7-8 band students will beginning working on solos/small ensembles for contest in February. All students are required to participate in either a solo or small ensemble. The school pays the entry fees and the students get some feedback from someone other than me about their playing. It's a great opportunity that is coming soon!

Music Boosters

On Thursday, Nov. 12th, there will be a Music Booster meeting at the CMHS band room, beginning at 5:30PM. The boosters do a lot of organizing for the music programs at Colfax-Mingo. Their supports is hugely appreciated! I would encourage any parents who can attend the meetings to do so. This is one of the many ways we as a community can strengthen the music program in the district. There are lots of things that happen in the program to make it run and we can always use more help! There is no fee or monetary contribution required to be a member! Help us make decisions and undertake projects that continue to support and strengthen the music program at Colfax-Mingo!

Butterbraids!!!

Sorry I haven't written anything in a week, but the week of conferences was pretty crazy! Thanks to everyone who came to the middle school on Tuesday and Thursday evenings! It was great to have the turnout we did and we appreciate your feedback on the surveys that you filled out. Hopefully we will continue to be able to improve the setup and make conferences less daunting and more inviting!

Last Thursday, I handed out Butterbraid forms to band students. Every year, we tag on to this fundraiser that the high school music department does. While they use it for trips, we use it for supplies. Each student has an individual account with the music boosters. As they sell, each student gets a percentage of each sale deposited in their account to be used for things like lesson books, reeds, valve oil and other supplies. As the student moves into high school, that account stays with the student and can be put toward travel expenses.

This is by no means a required thing!! It does give some students who would otherwise not have the money for their supplies a chance to work to be able to have those and participate in the program.

Money should be collected when items are sold and everything is due to me at the middle school on Monday, Nov.9th!!!!

As usual, if you have questions about the fundraiser, don't hesitate to contact me!!

Conferences

It's conference Day! I hope you are going to have an opportunity to come visit the teachers at the middle school during conferences. We are all working together for the betterment of students! I hope you will enjoy some of the changes that the iSpin committee has made to make the conferences a better experience (including refreshments!) Come visit us from 4-8PM!

We have been hit

The flu has hit us hard this week at the middle school. Each day we have had at least 50 students gone! It makes it really difficult to teach, especially an ensemble that relies on many people to do things at once! Hopefully everyone gets to feeling better soon!

What complicates things even more is that the end of the quarter is Friday. Band quarter projects are due then, as well as a choir sight-singing test! I'll be flexible with the sight-singing est, but the quarter projects are something that I have been reminding students of for several weeks now. I have a little less sympathy as far as those go. That said, there are always circumstances where things happen, so those I'll work with on an individual basis.

Stay healthy!

Jazz Band

Jazz band is tentatively going to start rehearsal on Wednesday morning this week at the elementary. Rehearsal will start at 7:15 on the stage in the gym. I have had a sign up sheet up in the band room for the last week and we have a pretty good list so far. It isn't too late! Anyone who is in 7-8 band can be in the jazz band on their instrument--it doesn't have to be a typical jazz band instrument! I am still in search of someone to play bass as well. It should be a lot of fun!

Flute Care

As I promised earlier in the year, here is a video with some good information about flute care. There are more to come!


In the next couple of days, be looking for a reminder in the mail about conferences. With the help of the iSpin committee, we are making some changes that we hope will make the evening smoother and more welcoming

Thursday

I will be gone all day on Thursday to attend an iSpin meeting in West Des Moines. The choir is still going to have practice, thanks to Regina McLaughlin and Donita, who will be playing piano for sectionals. It's great to have a chance to still have a rehearsal while I am away. Lots of times there is no music sub available to teach the class. A big thanks to those people.

Also, if you see Mr. Ruden and like the new web design, let him know because he did some nice work on it!

Quarter Projects

I am reminding both bands today about the quarterly projects that are due in 3 weeks. 6th grade band members should choose one item from the list in the handbook, 7th and 8th graders should choose two. These projects are intended to help students delve into an area in which they are interested, or at least improve their technical performance on their instrument. Either way, I want to engage their brain! The handbook is posted on the band/choir page of the middle school website. Things included on that list are not the only things that are available as options--I am more than welcome to other suggestions.

Projects are due the 23rd of October.

Parade

What a great day for a parade last Friday! We had fun at the middle school in the early afternoon doing the RAPP games that we usually do on Homecoming. I was pleased that my RAPP class was second in the door decorating contest!

The band loaded up about 1:45 and headed over to the elem. to drop cases and the re-boarded the bus to head to Kelly Field. After waiting a while, we finally got going and the kids did an awesome job! I am very proud! The parade route is much flatter than anything we have near the middle school to practice on, so hopefully that made things easier. We cut out of the parade a little early so the students who were involved in athletics could hustle back and spend some time on the fire trucks! All in all it was a great day!

If you have any pictures you would like to send to me, I'd be more than happy to take them!

Late notice, but...

The music boosters are hosting a beef burger supper tonight at the high school before coronation. Please come out and support the music program here at CM. The boosters help us with many things that are important for the program, but that we wouldn't necessarily be able to have if we only using school budgets. They are very supportive of the program and everything that we do! See the middle school band/choir website for more info!

Homecoming Week

Homecoming is always an interesting week. The dress up days provide some interesting attire--including Mr. Staley in his pajamas! I pretty much just stick to my usual shirt and tie.

Our new addition to this week is marching band. The 7-8 band has been working on Eye of the Tiger for performance in the Homecoming parade. It is the band's first attempt at marching in about 10 years, so it has been a learning experience for all involved. The students are deciding that it is harder than they thought it would be! Lots of skills are needed to have to group look and sound good. We have made a lot of progress since the beginning of the year, but I would love to have 2 more weeks to work on some things. I've posted some pics below that Mrs. Maher took about a week ago. Hope you enjoy and get a chance to see us in the parade on Friday!

Trumpet Cleaning

Here is a great video that shows how to clean a trumpet. It's really straightforward and emphasizes how important it is to be careful with the parts of the trumpet.

iSpin

If you get a chance, take a look a the front page of the Des Moines Register today, or follow this link. There is a great article about what this school and others around the state are doing to help increase parental involvement and communication. Mr. Ruden and I, along with 3 parents and Mrs. Maher are on our building's iSpin team. Take time to read the article and see some of the benefits that can result from participation!

Instrument Care

One hugely important aspect of owning or renting a musical instrument that is often overlooked is cleaning and proper care. Over the next few days, as I get time, I am going to post some links to videos and sites that have great tips on how to properly care for instruments and the routine care that they need. An investment as expensive as this should be taken care of at all times.

Iowa v. I-State Week

I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday weekend. I got a chance to see a lot of family and grill out!

This week is the Iowa/I-State game. We usually make a big deal about this at the middle school--students dress up in their team's colors on Friday, we have an assembly and a tug of war. To help students get in the spirit, I have copies of both fight songs if students would be interested. All they have to do is ask! It's a fun week that I always look forward to being a part of!

Go Hawks!

Pics, etc.

Here are some pictures from the open house on Monday evening!

I am also posting a link to my handout from that evening about practicing. It's not always fun, but it is really important to the development of abilities--and parents play a key roll in that process. http://cmmiddle.colfax-mingo.iowapages.org/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/bandchoiropenhousenote.doc

We are going outside for marching band today. Only 6 more practices until the homecoming parade! AARGH!

Thanks for coming!

It was great to see some of you at the open house on Monday night. I know that it can seem like a hassle to come the middle school and sit in classrooms for an hour and a half, but I think it really helps to get a perspective on what the students go through every day. Even more importantly, it gives us as teachers and you as parents to get acquainted and start that line of communication that is going to help everyone involved. I took some pics and will have them posted here soon (at least better than last time I promised pictures!). I have to take the flash card home to do it, since my computer here won't read it.

Again, thanks for coming! If you have questions, comments or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me or the school!

Open House!

I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the open house tonight! We'll get things going in the gym and then head off to RAPP. In RAPP you should get an explanation about a Parent, Teacher, Student Compact that we are implementing this year. In addition to that, you'll receive a folder with some information. As you go around to each room, you can pick up a resource sheet for each teacher. Hopefully that will have some information on how to stay in contact with the teachers, but also on ways to help your son/daughter in that particular classroom--whether you know much about that subject or not. We as a staff are looking for ways to stay connected and in communication with parents. We really hope you are going to find it beneficial! Hope to see lots of you tonight!

In addition, all of my classes (minus RAPP) will meet in the gym due to size restrictions of the band and choir rooms. Since those classes meet opposite each other, there is no way I can be in 2 places at once and still cover everything! :)

Choral Sounds

I told the choir students last Thursday that I would put links to audio files of songs we are going to be singing this semester, in case they wanted to listen!

Seize the Day--This is a YouTube link of the original song from "Newsies"--not exactly the same, but it's the idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOnuGJsEV_8

Here is a clip of a choir singing something close to the arrangement we are going to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDN4EfOER30

Gloria In Excelsis Deo-- The entire song isn't there, but it has a part of it! Click where it says MP3Audio.

http://www.jwpepper.com/3283595.item

Carol of the Bells--I haven't been able to find the exact arrangement yet, but I'll keep looking!

One Candle--I can't find any recording of this one. I may have to make one...

Lessons and Practicing

So, I didn't get around to getting the pictures up and I left the camera at school, so that will have to wait until next week.

Lessons will start on Monday and each student should have a lesson schedule! I'll try to get that up on the website soon. I still don't have network access on the machine it is on at school, so I'll try to get it out there some other way! It is really important that students practice each week for at least 45 minutes. In the September edition of the Des Moines Register's Moms Like Me section, there was a great list of "tips to motivate your young musician." I list them here because I think there are some great ideas!

• Ask to hear old favorites as well as new, challenging songs.
• Have your child perform a few tunes at a "concert" for the family.
• Have your child practice with someone else.
• ask your child's band teacher for suggestions for alternate, fun sheet music to play for a change of pace.
• Go to concerts, buy music CDs or listen to the radio. Ask your child to pick out his instrument sound from the group you are listening to.
• Attend your child's performances.

One day down

I would call the first day back a success! It is always great to see all those students coming back to school. Almost everyone comes with a great attitude and is patient while they sit through 8 periods of classroom rules and expectations. I figured by the time the 7-8 choir got to me 7th hour, they would be tired of that--so we started right away with warm-ups, range checks and a new song called Gloria in Excelsis. Hopefully by the time next week rolls around, everyone will be assigned a part (soprano/alto) and we can really get going. I am really excited because we have 34 people in choir and 8 are guys!!!! We are in store for some fun music!

I'll try to post some pics tomorrow (if I get a chance)! It's good to be back!

Tomorrow, Tomorrow

The summer is officially at an end with students arriving tomorrow! After being refreshed on the teacher evaluation procedure, we had scheduled time to work in our rooms until noon today. Of course we could stay longer, but it was officially compensation time for hours spent on back to school night/open house. Many people did stay at the middle school, working to get things ready for tomorrow. I am still without email and Internet access in the band room, so the best way to contact me might be the telephone! Hopefully that can get worked out soon.

From a teaching perspective, I am eager for the year to begin. Everyone always has such high hopes as we start the new year--teachers, students and parents. It really gets me motivated to see what we can all accomplish together this year. My plan is to put more pictures in this blog and on the website. Along those lines, if there is anything you would like on the website, relating to music or other things, don't hesitate to let me know! I am really looking forward to good things this year!

Getting Back to Work

We have survived one day of inservice. So far, I have spent a lot of time working to get both of my rooms ready to go for the year. It always seems like double the work. :) Trying to get things all lined up for 4 different performing groups is always interesting. I have been spending a lot of time making sure we can hit the ground running. I still do not have access to the computer network, so no email or Internet for the time being. Hopefully that will all get worked out soon, so that I can communicate with all of you! Today's inservice is going to be spent in different clinic sessions--hopefully I'll find something that I can use!

Summer News

Summer is starting to wind down for me as I look to the next school year. Seems hard for me to believe teachers report in under 4 weeks! I have a lot of work to do as far as listening to, selecting and ordering music for the next school year.

I am a little behind for a couple of reasons this year. The first is the fact I didn't have power in the band room for a large part of the summer (still might not--haven't been there for a while). It makes it hard to go through music and instruments without lights! But that brings me to my other news. We welcomed Caelyn Marie into the world on July 15th! Nights have been short and she has lost about 11% of her birth weight, but she has really started eating well the last couple of days. I love spending time with her and wife! I can't imagine her being born during the school year and having to go back to teach.

One more note, even with the things keeping me busy over the summer, I am still seriously considering doing marching band with the 7-8 band next fall. We would only march in the homecoming parade, but I think it would be a good learning experience and a lot of fun.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

News, News, News

A couple of things as we wind down the month of June and the summer lesson program.

1) I have really enjoyed doing lessons this summer and am really looking forward to having some down time before the school year begins again! Planning music selections, spending time at Riemans looking for choir music and preparing for our first child in about a month!

2) In Sunday's Des Moines Register, there was a great article about the DCI (Drum Corps International) show on Thursday this week in West Des Moines. It's a great show--go see it! The article talked about a study done about the physical nature of these drum corps. It's a great read. There was another piece of info yesterday.

3) I never met the head coach at Aplington-Parkersburg who was shot and killed this morning, but from what everyone says, he was a great guy. It makes me, and many more teachers, think about how dangerous schools can be and the steps we need to take to make sure students are safe.

Summer fun--weather??

Well, I started lessons this week and I really enjoy doing them. It is more laid back and relaxed than the regular year and students are ready to do some learning!

I made a trip over to Mingo after lessons today and discovered the storms of last night left a lasting impact. Below are some pics I took with my phone. Needless to say, I won't have electricity in the band room for a while, so that means no email as well.

The End of the World as we know it...or maybe just the end of the year

A day without students means it's the end of the year. It was a good year, but I can say that I am glad it is over. Sometimes we just need a break from the everyday routine, and this is a good break. The summer gives me a chance to teach lessons, which I enjoy immensely because all I have to do is teach--no paperwork or other responsibilities! I also spend the time cleaning, reorganizing and planning for next year. So while it looks like a big vacation on paper, I spend most of the time working on school related things so that next year can be better than the last. I also get the opportunity to play with a couple of community bands, sometimes on the thing that originally got me interested in music education--the tuba!

With that said, the lesson schedule for June has been posted on the middle school website on the band and choir page. If you signed up for lessons, but a schedule didn't make it home, check that out.

I intend to keep blogging over the "vacation," but it might become a little more sporadic. Hope you all have a great break. Off to clean, repair, organize and all that stuff!

Promotion and lessons

I just wanted to say thanks to all the students who played and sang at the 8th grade promotion on Friday evening. I understand that it gets long and somewhat boring, but when 8th grade rolls around, it becomes a big deal and is nice to have the music there. I am proud of what the students have accomplished this year. The program has grown nicely in my 4 years here. There are more students involved, playing more challenging music and learning lots of things. Perhaps there are more things to be added next year, but right now I am looking forward to summer lessons.

I just finished putting together a summer lesson schedule. I'll plan on handing it out on Thursday--in addition to putting it on the middle school website and linking to it here. I am pleased that even though the circumstances around the lessons have changed that there are many students who are still taking advantage to learn new things and play some other stuff!

As it all winds down...sort of...

Some people wind down to the end of the year. I race really, really hard until I run into the brick wall that is the last day of school. This week has a busy end with solos tomorrow and 8th grade promotion on Friday! So much still to do!

Summer lesson forms are due on Friday, as are band students' quarter projects. Many have done these, but there are still several who haven't! I have to have them by Friday in order for them to be counted.

The choir is also getting ready to sing an original song with lyric written by 2 of the students. I have made recordings from my computer to practice with and some students have been generous enough to copy those and pass them around so more students can take a copy and practice with it. Technology is a plus--in addition to one of my posts earlier in the year!

Solos and Promotion!

I am back from my conference, and it was really refreshing!

Band students performing solos on Thursday should have received a schedule last week with performance times. I will be posting one on the website just in case they didn't find their way home. Feel free to switch times with another person, but just let me know!

Just a reminder that 8th grade promotion is Friday at 7pm. Band and choir students should be here by 6:45!

Great Concert! (Plus, what IBA really means)

What a great concert on Monday!!! Thanks to all who helped move things, watch students and everything else you do make the concert run smoothly! I get a chance to see the growth of students every day, but it was great to hear parents saw the growth as well! It was also nice to attend the high school concert last night (and the potluck, too!)

On Thursday and Friday this week I am going to be attending the IBA convention at the Hotel Fort Des Moines. IBA stands for Iowa Bandmasters Association and the convention is a great chance for band directors from all levels from all over the state to get together, share ideas, attend classes and concerts and refresh ourselves. Many directors only get the month of July off during the summer (if you want to call it 'taking in off') because of summer lessons and preparation for the next school year. This is a great chance to rejuvenate and communicate--something that is much needed for me after this busy school year. Hopefully I'll be ready for that final push when I come back (bringing many great ideas as well!)

Concert Night!

Well, the concert is in about an hour and a half. I think everything is close to being ready. There is so much that goes into having a concert--moving chairs/equipment from the band room and from the high school, setting up the room, having final rehearsals, writing and printing and folding programs, setting up the sound system, warming students up--then we get to the actual performing and tear down! Lots of people play a role in making this work!

Today the 7-8 band had the opportunity to perform for the 5th graders who were touring the building in anticipation of their arrival here next year. What an awesome show they put on!! I was really proud!

Summer lesson forms are available on the band/choir page of the middle school website. Things are slightly different this year, so be sure to read things carefully. Hope to see lots of you at the concert in a little while!

The Final Push

We are coming down to the last few days!!! I thought I would take some time and update what is going on!

First, the trip to the From the Top performance is off. Too many logistical things to deal with other pressures and circumstances made the planning difficult. My apologies to those who were excited about going.

Second, look for information concerning summer band lessons in the next several days. It is not a school sponsored thing this year, but it is still being offered. I will be doing all the lessons for those going into 6th-12th grade.

Third, as we get closer to the end, it is really easy for students to shut down. The staff had a good discussion with the seventh grade students today. The gist was that the 7th graders need to work harder and give more effort to maximize to the potential that they have. It was very productive and many students stepped up and were willing to be leaders--lots who are part of the music program at CMMS. I was really proud of this. There are lots of great students at the middle school!

I'll write more when time allows. Sometimes circumstances just don't allow for writting, but I'll keep doing it as often as I can!

Technology

When it works, it's great. When it doesn't, so annoying! The server was down the entire day today at the middle school. This means no Internet, no email and no gradebook. Hopefully we will be up and running tomorrow. It's amazing how much we use some things and we don't notice until they aren't handy!

End of the year info!

Below is the text of a note that I started sending home today. You can also download it from the middle school website!

4-22-09

Parents and Guardians—
I am trying to save on the amount of paper I send home, and I have crammed all the info onto one sheet. Three events are discussed below. I highlighted in bold which groups are involved, so you can skim the letter and see what applies to you!

On May 11th, the Colfax-Mingo Middle School will present Fine Arts Night. This event is the final concert of the season, as well as an opportunity to feature artwork of the students involved in Art Exploratory. It is a great night to recognize the accomplishments of the students throughout the year. As was the case for the Winter Concert, Fine Arts Night is a required event. All the bands (jazz, 6th and 7-8) and both choirs (6th grade, 7th-8th) will be performing. The concert should last between an hour and an hour and 15 minutes. Please plan on staying for the entire concert, as all the students have worked hard and deserve the respect of a great audience! Concert dress is the same as usual—look nice and try to avoid jeans and tennis shoes. 7-8 choir is going to wear black and white again. 7-8 choir should arrive at 6:30, all band students by 6:40 and the 6th grade choir should be in their spots in the gym by 6:50.

In addition, 8th grade promotion is Friday, May 22nd. Both the 6th and 7th grade band students, as well as the 7th-8th grade choir are required to attend. This is the first chance to hear next year’s 7-8 band! In addition, the choir will perform an original song! The ceremony should last about and hour and a half.

Finally, the 6th grade band students (as well as some 7-8 band students) will be presenting solos at a solo festival at the CM Elementary on Thursday, May 21st. Students are receiving their solos this week and should spend some time practicing them at home. At the festival, a judge will listen to their performances and give some helpful comments. This is an individual event and each student will be scheduled for a specific 5 minute block of time between 4pm and 7pm. If there are any scheduling needs, I am more than happy to accommodate them, just let me know!

It has been a great year and I am proud of the music these students have made! As usual, any questions, please call or email!

Manners Meal

It is the day of the manners meal! I really enjoy going to these meals with the students because I get to see a different side of them. They always look great dressed up, and they carry themselves so well. It is also really interesting how much more attentive they are in class when they are dressed up! I typically do a lot less reminding about in class behavior on these days. It's a great learning experience for the students--I am glad we have found a way to keep this opportunity through all the budget concerns!

Look for information on 8th grade promotion early next week! The date will be May 22nd and it will begin at 7PM and last about an hour and a half. More info to come!

Break and More

I hope that everyone is enjoying their breaks! It was certainly time!

I spent the morning updating grades and cleaning up the band room--especially my office. It always seems to take more time than I ever plan. When we come back, it's time for the manners meal--then out next concert is right around the corner on May 11th! It seems like we just finished with the Parade of Bands. In addition, 6th grade students will begin working on solos for a festival at the elementary at the end of the year. This is a required event and gives students a chance to learn some things that they apply to their performance in band, as well as other aspects of their lives. Playing a solo helps develop a comfort in front of an audience, builds self confidence and responsibility, to name a few. 7th and 8th graders who didn't participate in February will have the option to do so in May.

The end of the year is coming fast and that means 8th grade promotion, which I will write about in a future post. I am off to find lunch and head to Rieman's Music to look at discount band pieces!

Hope you have a great break!

Pics from the Jasper County Honor Band

Here are some pics! I would have had more, but the camera battery died and several others were really blurry (bad camera!) Enjoy! We had a great guest conductor, Mrs. Janelle Hook from Ankeny, who did a wonderful job of working with the students!

Sorry for the Lack of Pictures!

I need to apologize for not putting any pictures on the blog! I have always intended to do that, but have never gotten around to doing it. I'll see if I can get that done sometime in the next week or so.

For the 8th grade promotion that comes around every year, both the band and the choir typically perform. This year, rather than have students unhappy about the selection the choir is singing, I asked if any of the students would write some lyrics to a song. Within a week I had lyrics and I have since written music to go with it. Hopefully it turns out great and you will hear a great performance at the promotion!

Great Concert!

What a great concert last night! I am really proud of all the students who performed. It is so much fun to see the progress over the years. The quality of the music was great, too.

I would like to say a special thanks to the audience, who was outstanding! Thank you for some great etiquette--what a great example to our students!

Rainy Start

Well, we're off to a wet start to the day. That made things interesting loading our equipment at 7 this morning. We put all the things that are safe to be in the rain on the trailer and got it sent off to the high school, but I am soaking wet! Hopefully we can get the rest of the equipment over to the high school in a suburban before rehearsal!

Concert Tuesday!

It is always so exciting getting ready for a concert. What an opportunity to showcase what we have been working on and studying over the last 2 months!

Tuesday morning, bright and early, our equipment gets moved over to the high school in Colfax--hopefully it isn't raining! The 7-8 band will miss 4th and 5th periods for a rehearsal at the high school. The 6th graders will miss 6th period and part of 7th for their run through. Jazz band rehearsed this morning and will take the rest of the week off!!! I brought donuts in as a reward for coming in early for rehearsals, as well a celebration of taking the rest of the week off. I think they were well appreciated!

With a concert comes new music for the following rehearsals. I have some fun things picked out--sightreading a piece (playing it for the first time) is always interesting, but it gives us a fun chance to explore some new things!

Parade of Bands

The parade is coming! The annual CM Parade of Bands concert is Tuesday, March 24! It is a little latter this year than in past years, but should be a great chance to hear all the groups perform, 5th grade through high school, including the jazz bands! A lot of work goes into this performance, not just from the students and directors, but also from a logistical view--all the equipment gets moved from the band room in Mingo to the high school on the day of the concert. A big thanks to all those who help with that process.

On the day of the concert, each band from the middle school will have the opportunity to run through their songs at the high school. The 7-8 band and jazz band will be gone to the high school during 4th and 5th periods. The 6th graders will be gone during 6th and 7th periods. The high school gym is quite different than the gym we are used to playing in, so it is important that we get the opportunity to rehearse there! It is also a great chance to educate about acoustics and that sort of thing!

The students have worked hard and we are looking forward to seeing a lot of people at the concert!

End of the Quarter and Parade of Bands

I can't believe it has been a week since I have posted anything! My apologies! We have reached the end of the third quarter. I don't know where the year has gone--seems like we were just getting to school in August. Third quarter extra items are due tomorrow. Several students have completed these, while there are also many who have not. Time is running out!

Monday is a full day of inservice for teachers--giving us a chance to look at data to help aid and improve our instruction. On a side note, many of you know my wife is pregnant with our first child. On Monday we get to find out if it's a boy or girl!

Here is another reminder about the Parade of Bands on March 24th. It is going to be a great concert! Students have worked so hard on this music. I sent a note home this week (I'll also put a copy on the middle school website) with some info. Students should be at the high school by 6:40 or so to warm up! I am really looking forward to the performances!

Girls' State Basketball Tournament

Here is another link to information about pep band playing at the state tournament. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090304/NEWS03/903040365&theme=CARLSON

I have a couple of friends who are band directors at schools participating in the tournament. One is even quoted in the paper. It's nice to see the attention drawn to this issue!

Early Out and this Friday

There is an early out scheduled for teacher inservice tomorrow. As usual, lessons will be rotating and those with lessons usually scheduled for the second half of the hour will meet. Those scheduled for the first half are excused!

On Friday, I will be at a meeting all day in West Des Moines as part of a group looking to increase the communication between the school and parents. There will be no lessons on Friday--not sure yet for what the plan is for rehearsals (both band and choir) on Friday. Stay tuned!

End of the 3rd Quarter

The end of the thrid quarter is coming!! Friday, March 13th--yes, I know--is the last day of the quarter. This is just a reminder that third quarter projects are due by that date. Some people have already taken the initiative to get their projects taken care of. There is still time left to get them turned in! If suggestions are needed, take a look at the list in the band hand book.

From the Top

2 weeks ago (sorry it's been so long) I posted a link to some audio from a program called "From the Top," a public radio/television program featuring young musicians from around the country. It has been brought to my attention that From the Top will tape a recording in eastern Iowa (Cedar Rapids or Iowa City--I am at home and don't have the info with me and I am too tired to look it up) in May. It would be a great opportunity to hear some incredible students from our state. The school won't be able to officially sponsor the trip, but it might be nice to get a group together to go! I'll post some more details about it later this week, but something to think about. Let me know if you or your middle school student might be interested in going!

From the Top--A Great Listen!

I will be saying a little more about the show "From the Top" next week, but I listened to a clip last night and couldn't help but want to post a link to it. The show taped a performance at Hoyt Sherman in the latter parts of last year. It will air this weekend on NPR. They recorded an interview with one of the performers--a student at Johnston High School. It is about 5 minutes long and a great listen--it really made me feel proud of our state and the individuals who are growing up and representing our state. He is well-spoken and a great advocate for arts education.

www.fromthetop.org/files/111308-3.ram

Conferences and a survey

It was good to see several parents at conferences last evening. I always enjoy talking to parents about their students!

I was also working on handing out some surveys. Around Christmas, an email went out about an online survey concerning parental opinions regarding the school. We are in the early stages of working on a program to increase the school-parent communication and participation. This survey is our first step. If you received the email and participated in the survey, thanks!! If not, we can certainly get you another link. I also have paper forms available for anyone who would prefer those. It is a process that we are really hoping will improve the learning environment for all involved, so if you have time, we would really appreciate it if you could fill one out. THANKS!!!

Performances and Girl's State Basketball

I wanted to take this posting and talk about a couple of things.

First, congrats to all those students who performed band solos this past Thursday. It takes a lot of work to prepare a solo, not to mention getting up in front of a judge and an audience and having them critique you! Putting yourself out there is a great skill to have and these solos/duets provide a great opportunity to develop those skills! Kudos to you, even if the scores don't reflect the work you thought you put in.

Second, I am thrilled to see that the live pep bands are going to be continued at the Girl's State Basketball Tournament. In case you missed it, a couple of weeks ago, the new head of the girl's athletic union decided that live music was going to disappear from the event in favor of recorded music. There was a big uproar from the music education community in the state, as well as some media attention--John Carlson had an article in the Des Moines Register and I know I saw something on it on a WHO sports broadcast. Thankfully, the decision has been revisited and there will be live music at the tournament.

This is the way that music programs around our state will start taking a hit. Something small here and there can develop into something much bigger. With the introduction of the Iowa Core Curriculum coming in the next several years, it is important to remember the roll that arts education plays in the development of well-rounded individuals. This education is a critical component in learning higher order thinking skills, as well as an ability to work with and relate to others.

Keep supporting the arts and all educational opportunities for Iowa students!

Performance Day

It's solo/ensemble day for 7th and 8th grade band students! We are going to have a couple of last minute runs with the piano this afternoon. We are also going to hear some of the duets during band today. I am proud of the students who, even though the solo festival became an optional event this year, decided to participate and go through the process. It will be a good experience. I'll also count this as one of their quarterly items.

Things are a little crazy around here with the science fair going on in the gym, but it is great to see all the students' projects! There are many that are well done!

Solo/Duets!

It is the week of the solo/ensemble festival! I know that there is a lot going on in addition to this festival this week, with Science Fair and the finishing of the sports seasons. During this busy time we have been rehearsing student ensembles and solos with the piano. A big thank you to Mrs. Gonzales for accompanying the students this year. We will have another opportunity to run through things today and the festival is on Thursday. Just a reminder to those who are participating--be sure to dress nicely and be about 10-15 minutes early so you have time to warm up. All the students participating have worked hard and I am eager for them to get the opportunity to participate and get some feedback from the judges!

Peanut Butter

If you purchased any peanut butter cookies from our fundraiser last fall, be sure to check out the letter I put on the middle school website. It appears if the peanut butter came from the same source as the salmonella outbreak that has spread throughout the country. In the letter is a list of code numbers to check out on your tub of peanut butter, as well as what to do with the container of dough. If there are any questions, please let me know!

Grades

I am sorry for not getting the grades updated until now. It is amazing how little things here and there can pull away at the available time! Not everything is up to date yet, but a large amount of things have been entered. Hopefully I'll get fully caught up in the next week.

Keep in mind that parent/teacher conferences are coming. It would be great to see a bunch of people!

Solfege

I haven't written about choir activities for a while, and I apologize for that. The second semester started a new project for 7-8 choir. We are working on using solfege to improve our note reading abilities. Solfege, for those not familiar with the term, are syllables that are associated with notes in a scale. Do, Re, Me, Fa, etc. The best example comes from the song from "The Sound of Music"--Do, a deer. A female deer. Re, a drop of golden sun...

Students are working on recognizing these pitches in the key of C and we are singing them on our solfege syllables without the aid of the piano. These are great skills for building aural accuracy! So far, they are doing a wonderful job. I am hoping to stop writing the syllables in soon, so they can just do it by looking at the notes!

Honor Band and Solos

On Tuesday, I was at the Simpson College Honor Band with two students. Honor bands are a great opportunity for students who excel in music to have an opportunity to work on some different music with students from other schools. I nominate several students and I get notified of which students are selected. They receive the music ahead of time and are expected to practice it so as to be prepared for the honor band day. Students then come together and spend several hours that day putting the music together with a guest conductor. It's a great chance to play some good music and meet some new friends.

It is also a refresher for me to go and share struggles/successes with other directors and to meet with old friends whom I haven't seen in a while. It is good to be reminded that we all have the same struggles.

Solo/Ensemble

I received a copy of the schedule for the day at PCM at the honor band, and I will post it on the website later today, along with some other information. As usual, if there are any questions, please don't hesitate to call or email or comment below.

No Jazz Band

Just a quick note--no jazz band Tuesday, Jan. 20th or Wednesday the 21st. Enjoy the extra sleeping time!

Valentine's Food!

Take a moment to check out the info on the band/choir page of the website concerning the Valentine's event put on by the music boosters! They do a great job of supporting what we as directors do for the program! Tickets are on sale now and the proceeds go to a great cause--all the items listed are in great need!

Thanks in advance!


A reminder that I will not be at school on Tuesday this week, as I will be at Simpson College all day for an honor band.

Cold days

I can't remember a "cold" day. Must have been a while since I've seen one of those. Too bad that means one more day to make up in the summer!

It also affects scheduling right now. Solo/Ensemble is coming up quickly and we have 13 events participating, even with the Science Fair conflict. Congrats to those students for stepping up and finding a way to do both. I should get the performance schedule next week--barring more days missed. I will be gone on Tuesday for an honor band at Simpson College. I am hoping that those who have missed lessons (and are doing solos/duets) over the last couple weeks due to my absences and snow/cold can get made up when we get back. I will be working on a schedule.

I will, hopefully, post some links this weekend to the songs we are working on in both band and choir.

Sick Today

I was out sick today, but did make it in to do jazz band this morning. I really appreciate the way they help clean up the elementary music room after rehearsals--especially today. Hopefully the weather will be good tomorrow, as well as my innards! I really don't like to miss classroom time, whether for meetings, illness or anything else. It is important to student learning that the regular teachers are in the classroom. It usually takes quite a bit to knock me out, but as I am sure the kids will tell you, it's pretty obvious when I don't look well. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

Concert Recording

As I got really busy on the day of the concert in December, I didn't have enough time to set up a recording device. If anyone has a copy that they would burn for me or a least let me borrow, I would be forever grateful!

Happy New Year! (I thought things were supposed to work better in 2009)

Hope everyone had a great break! I am going to hold off on commenting any more about the noise in the gym during the last concert. Look for a handout and a "soapbox moment" at the next concert!

The date for our solo festival at PCM has somehow ended up as the same as the Science Fair results program. Because of this, I have decided that the solo festival is going to be an optional event. Below, I posted a copy of the note I sent home with 7th and 8th graders today concerning that event. It will also be available on the Band and Choir page of the MS website. Sometimes things happen and we have to make due with the situation as best as we can! If you have any questions or concerns about this, don't hesitate to call or email me.


1-7-09

Every winter, students in the band program work on solo and small group pieces for contest, usually held each February. In the past, this event has fallen on a weekend. This year it was moved to Thursday, February 5th at PCM Middle School. There is a conflict, as this day is also the evening of the science fair awards at CMMS. In prior years, this contest was required. Because of the circumstances with the science fair, I am going to have this contest be optional. Students wanting to participate should notify Mr. Wipperman by Friday, January 9th. There will be times scheduled at PCM from 4-8 PM, and I have been told that the person doing the scheduling that they will make sure that those students participating will have an early time slot. Again, this is going to be an optional event where the school does not provide transportation to the event. If there are any questions, please contact Mr. Wipperman at 363-4282 or bwipperman@mail.colfax-mingo.k12.ia.us.

Thanks!

Mr. Wipperman