The Next Steps

Dear Parents,

Wow! What a great Band-O-Rama performance last week!  Mr. Stokes, our superintendent, came up to me and complimented the performance done by all the middle school students.  I shared the video and did a self-assessment project on Friday with the students and they were generally very proud of their performance (as they should be).

Now, it's on to the next steps.  Students are switching gears and learning new music for their music festival on April 1, and Chili Bingo Night is on March 27.

Band Festival

Each year, students will participate in a band and orchestra festival (except for beginning classes).  They perform in front of a panel of judges for an overall rating.  I will share more about this in later newsletters.  As a competitive and judged performance, I expect students to learn notes and rhythms as soon as possible so we can make music in rehearsals.  The band and orchestra festival is on April 1 at the Carson City Community Center.  As the hosting school for the festival, we need parents who have April 1 off to consider helping.  I will also ask a few 8th grade band and strings students for their assistance running scores and being stagehands.  Let me know if you'd be able to help.

Chili Bingo Night

Chili Bingo Night is March 27 from 6-8 PM in the CMS Cafeteria.  This fundraiser is traditionally the largest of the year for the music program.  This year, I'd like to see us raise $7,000.  This would put us at our ultimate goal, allowing us to purchase the instrument storage cubbies!  Additionally, some of the proceeds will help offset the participation costs for the Advanced Band on their spring trip.

Students will be asked to sell at least 10 raffle tickets for prizes.  If a band or strings class ends up with all students selling at least 10 raffle tickets each, the class will be rewarded with a barbecue lunch!  Top sellers also have the chance at earning prizes, such as Best Buy gift cards, pizza gift certificates, and more. I will be sending home more information later this week. Ticket sales will begin on Wednesday, March 11th.

Other Upcoming Events

March 30: NZNMEA Jazz Festival, Community Center
April 24-25: Reno Jazz Festival, UNR Campus


What should your student practice?

Concert Band: Colliding Visions, Lux Prima, A Mix of Mozart
Intermediate Band: Epic, An Irish Air, Stonybrook Overture
Advanced Band: Sound Innovations Fanfare, A Childhood Hymn, Shackelford Banks
Advanced Strings: Concerto Grosso, Momentum, Classic Bits and Pieces, 2 Celtic Dances
Beginning Band: Method Book: #125-142
Beginning Strings: Method Book, Classic Bits and Pieces

Just a reminder: please make sure your students are practicing the new music and only counting practice log time on these selections. They can still play through the other pieces for fun, but it should not be counted towards their time.