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.