DaVinci

When we get back from break, the entire middle school is going to be taking a trip to the Science Center of Iowa to explore the life and times of Leonardo DaVinci. Before we go on that trip, staff members are working on developing lessons that will give students some background information about the time period.

All students will have the opportunity to explore 2 arts related websites that are listed on the Academics link on our web page. One is from a school in California that has a great music history web page. It has lots of interaction opportunities. The second is from Iowa State University and has pictures, descriptions and sound clips of period instruments.

There are some interesting things! Take a look if you are interested!

7-8 Band Solo/Ensemble

7-8 band students will be working on solos/small ensembles for the next month and a half in their lessons. In 5th and 6th grade, all are required to play a solo for a judge's feedback. In 7th and 8th, students can either play a solo or be part of a small ensemble (duet, trio, etc.). Our performance date for these solos is Feb. 10th at PCM Middle School. The judges will provide feedback to the students and give them a rating from I+(highly superior) through III. It's a great chance to hear some comments from someone other than me!

Today is the last day to sign up for small groups. Those names not on the list will receive a solo. It is my hope that all 7-8 students would have their solo/ensemble music before they leave for break.

December!!!!

With the last cold blast of air I have realized that it isn't Fall anymore. Getting up early for jazz band gets a little harder this time of year. Kudos to those students who are routinely making all 3 rehearsals for jazz band! This is going above and beyond!

Our concert is fast approaching! Dec. 21 is going to be here sooner than we think! I'm going to send a note home next week about the concert, but here are just a few preliminary details.

Where: Middle School
When: Dec. 21 at 7PM
Who: 6-8 Band, 7-8 Choir, 6th Grade chorus, jazz band
How long: The concert should last no more than an hour and 15 minutes

Students are expected to dress nicely--no jeans or tennis shoes if at all possible. I do have some extra, clean, fairly fashionable clothing (including pants) if any should need that. Don't hesitate to ask me!

Butterbraids

I would like to apologize for the one day delay some of you will have in receiving your orders. The delivery person did not arrive at the high school until 3:00 today, making it impossible for me to package orders and get them back to the middle school by 3:05. All orders are at the middle school as of this time and will be sent home on Tuesday!

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Practicing Tips/Suggestions

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I put something up here--my apologies. As the school year rolls on, lots of things pull and tug for time and this has been moved to the back burner.

I am going to use this post to talk about practicing. While not always fun, it's the main way in which students improve. During our lessons, we discuss new ideas/concepts and this is the time students get to "practice" these skills. It really is like homework. Or maybe it would be better if we called homework "practice."

Making practice effective comes partially in it's regularity, not necessarily in its length. 10-15 minutes a day, 3 times per week is considerably more effective than one 90 minute marathon practice session. The reinforcement is repeated, which promotes the retention of the information.

Set a regular schedule for practicing, the same time each day of practice. Maybe even set the timer for 10-15 minutes. While it should be fun most of the time, it's not all the time. Sometimes it takes encouragement to get started. Once practice has begun, that fun will, more often than not, appear and the time will fly by.

More than an election

Along with yesterday being election day and my wife's birthday, I had the opportunity to take 3 students to the South Central Iowa Bandmasters Association (SCIBA) Honor Band in Johnston. Nicholas, Michael and Kathryn spent the afternoon working with guest conductors and students from about50 area schools working on music they received a couple weeks ago. Last night, they put on a concert--absolutely wonderful. It is amazing how talented students can come together and make such great music.

For the CM students, it was a great chance to see what it is like playing in a band of about 100 students! Quite a different experience than what they are used to doing. The top 8th graders in the auditioned "Blue" band were selected to perform as part of the All Iowa 8th Grade Honor Band in May at the Iowa Bandmasters Conference. Lots of hard work and preparation goes into something like this, but the end result is awesome! Hopefully this experience will remind all those involved of the importance of the arts in education!

Conferences

I just wanted to say thanks to the parents I saw on Tuesday evening! Despite the wind, it was a great turnout. One of my classes had 1/3 of the students accounted for, and that was the lowest turnout of all my classes. I am excited to see/meet a bunch more parents tonight! I am also very much looking forward to a 3-day weekend!

On another note, we started Butterbraid sales on Wednesday. Money earned goes to individual student accounts maintained by the music boosters for purchase of supplies (reeds, books, oil, etc.) and eventually can be put toward defraying the cost of trips in high school. Selling is completely optional, but the Butterbraids taste really good!