2018: Year In Review

Dear Parents,

What a year it has been! I know that I am down to the wire on timing tonight, but it's time for my annual "year in review" post, highlighting everything that took place in the Carson Middle School band program during 2018:

January

• The Jazz Band performed in its fifth annual Jazz Extravaganza performance with the Mile High Jazz Band. 

February

• The Jazz Band made their 6th appearance at the Jazz in the Schools Clinic at UNR.
• 19 band members proudly represented Carson Middle School in the Northern Zone Honor Band.
• The Bingo Chili Night fundraiser generated $10,000 for the program!

March

• For the 4th time in the program's history, the CMS Advanced Band traveled to Reno to perform in the Washoe County Band Festival, earning unanimous "Superior" ratings, including a "Superior" rating in sight reading.
• Advanced Band earned unanimous "Superior" ratings at the Northern Zone Band Festival! These ratings were also the highest at the entire festival.
• Intermediate and Concert Bands earned "Excellent" ratings at the Northern Zone Band Festival! 
• The annual Band-O-Rama event was held at Carson High School.

April

• 6 band members proudly represented Carson Middle School in the NMEA All-State Band in Las Vegas.
• Beginning Band, Concert Band, and the CMS Ringers earned unanimous "Superior" ratings at the Northern Zone Beginning Music Festival!
• The Jazz Band performed at the Northern Zone Jazz Band Festival in Gardnerville.
• The Jazz Band performed at the Reno Jazz Festival, earning two "superior" ratings, and placing 9th overall in the middle school division.
• Intermediate Band traveled to their first ever Music in the Parks festival, earning "Excellent" ratings, 1st place in their middle school band division, and the overall "esprit de corps" trophy! 

May

• Advanced Band took their annual spring trip, performing in Disneyland, attending a soundtrack recording session, performing with a local middle school band, and participating in a clinic with Dr. Betancourt.
• All groups performed their spring concerts in the Cafeteria, signaling an end to the 2017-2018 school year.

June

• We hosted the 4th annual Mile High Jazz Camp, which included 5 days of rehearsals and a concert with the Mile High Jazz Band.

August

• The school year began with record enrollment of approximately 240 students in the bands!

September

• The band and strings program participated in a popcorn fundraiser that generated over $8,000 in profit.

October

• The fall concert was held in the CMS gym (once again, there wasn't enough room in the cafeteria!)
• The Marching Band performed in the Nevada Day Parade.
• Dolan Auto Group donated $5,000 to the Carson Middle School Bands after Jake, one of our band students, prepared a video that helped show the community why they should vote for our band program. 

November

• The Marching Band performed in the Veterans Day Parade, and once again, our band's performance was in the local news. We were also the only marching band that participated in this year's parade.
• A record 26 band members were selected to represent CMS in the 2018 Northern Zone Honor Band! Carson Middle School students comprise 50% of the entire membership of this year's honor band.

December

• The Marching Band performed in the Sparks Hometowne Christmas Parade. 
• The Advanced Band performed at 9 holiday events, including the Empty Bowls fundraiser, a choir concert, elementary school concerts, and a school assembly.
• The winter concert was held at the CMS Cafetera, ending our 2018 calendar year on a fun, festive note. A bake sale was held with the help of Mr. Jacques's encore class and raised over $300 for the Paradise Middle School band.

Thank you to everyone that helped make 2018 such a huge success! 

Winter Concert FAQs

Dear Parents,

We are almost there!  Our winter concert is on Tuesday evening, Advanced Band has 2 elementary school concerts, the Jazz Band performs in the commons on Friday, and then we're done! With the concert coming up, and the inevitable questions that I receive from students, I have compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions.  If your question is not answered here, feel free to send me an email.

Q: When is the concert?
A: Tuesday, December 18

Q: Wait...where is this concert again?
A: Carson Middle School Cafeteria

Q: Why isn't it at the Community Center this year?
A: The Community Center is closed because they are putting in new seats. If we were to have the concert there, we would have had to have it in late November or the first week of December. 

Q: Can we come early to help set up?
A: Yes, as long as it's no earlier than 5:00 PM and you are with your parents. Bring your baked goods and decorations, and we will be happy to have you help.

Q: When is call time?
A: 5:30 PM for Beginning Band, 5:45 PM for Concert Band, 6:00 PM for Jazz Band, 6:45 for all others.

Q: Where do I go?
A: For the first part at 6:00, Beginning Band members will go to the stage, Concert Band members will sit with their families, and Jazz Band members will sit on stage.  For the second part at 7:00, Intermediate Band will sit on stage and Advanced Band will sit with their families.

Q: What do we wear?
A: Parents may wear whatever they want!!  But seriously, here's the concert attire for each group:

• Beginning Band, Concert Band: Blue CMS Band polo with black dress pants, black socks, and black dress shoes.
• Jazz Band: Tuxedo outfit issued to your student, including vests/jackets, along with black socks and black marching/dress shoes.
• Intermediate Band, Advanced Band: Complete tuxedo outfit or dress issued to your student, including black socks, marching shoes, dress shoes, or flats (if you are wearing a dress).  *Remember to take your garment bags home*

Q: Can we decorate our instruments or ourselves?

A: Absolutely!  Holiday hats are encouraged.  If you decorate instruments, make sure the decorations do not get in the way of the functionality of the instrument or damage the lacquer.

Q: Can I bring baked goods without signing up online?

A: Sure!  Just show up with your favorite individually packaged cookies, fudge, brownies, or anything else and we will sell each bag for $1. 

Q: What time does the concert start?

A: The concert starts at 6:00 PM. Part 2 starts at 7:00 PM.

Q: What is the order of groups: 
A: Part 1: Beginning Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band. Part 2: Intermediate Band, Advanced Band

Q: What time does the concert end?

A: Part 1 should finish around 6:45 PM and part 2 should finish around 7:45 PM.

Q: Where do students sit when they don't perform?

A: They will sit with their families in the audience. They will also be required to stay in the audience whenever someone is performing. No students should be in the band room, halls, or restrooms when anyone is playing. 

Q: How much is admission?
A: My concerts are always FREE!

See you all Tuesday night!  

-Mr. Jacques-

Week 3 of 4...

Dear Parents,

We are now approaching our third week of holiday preparation and fun in the band world. We are also quickly approaching wither break, and with that, the end of the semester. Please read through this update for the latest in upcoming events, grade updates, and more.

LAST WEEK'S CHOIR CONCERT
Last Wednesday, half of the Advanced Band performed with the choir at their winter concert. The students played in the background for the choir with an arrangement of Cartoon Christmas. They were absolutely wonderful, and it was a hit with the choir students, Ms. Valley, and the audience.
A full recording of the performance of Cartoon Christmas on the Carson Middle School Bands Facebook page.

LAST WEEK'S EMPTY BOWLS PERFORMANCE
Last Friday, the entire Advanced Band traveled to the Carson Mall to perform at the Empty Bowls fundraiser.  Their 9 song set went over well and they played beautifully.  Several students also showed off their ugly sweaters:

A full recording of the entire performance is on the Carson Middle School Bands Facebook page.

HONOR BAND RESULTS
The results are in, and a record 26 students made it into honor band this year. Our students comprise almost half of the entire honor band!  18 students from Advanced Band, 6 students from Intermediate Band, and believe it or not, 1 student from Beginning Band are now members of honor band. CMS once again has the most students participating in the Northern Zone Honor Band!

FINAL GRADES
Last Friday, I assigned a traditional practice chart on their Google Classroom that outlines what to practice each day, with a total of 35 boxes (goals) possible.  This is due on Friday.  Later this week, students who have not completed playing tests throughout the semester will perform those during class. Students may also make up any playing tests they choose during lunch or by appointment after school. The cutoff for make-up playing tests is Thursday, December 20.

EVENTS THIS WEEK

ADVANCED BAND TOUR: MARK TWAIN
Students will wear their spirit "it's cool" t-shirts, along with festive hats and decorated instruments, leave CMS at 9:30 AM, and head to Mark Twain Elementary School to perform for their students. We will return around 11:00 AM. Since this will take place during Advanced Band's long class period, students will only miss a few minutes of their 5th period.

UPCOMING AFTER SCHOOL REHEARSAL
December 11: Concert Band, 2:30-4:30

UPCOMING EVENTS
December 12: Mark Twain Elementary School Performance (Advanced Band)
December 18: Winter Concert in gym (ALL ENSEMBLES)
December 19: Bordewich Bray Elementary School Performance (Advanced Band)
December 20: Fritsch Elementary School Performance (Advanced Band)
December 21: Jazz in the Commons (Jazz Band)

Winter Concert - December 18
The winter concert is quickly approaching! I uploaded a inter concert flyer in your student's Google Classrooms and emailed home an attachment. Students should be preparing their music and checking to see if they have all their concert attire (we are working on fitting Adv. and Int. band students into their tuxedos/dresses this week). The concert starts on 12/18 at 6 PM and will end by 8 PM. Check out the information flyer on top of this page for more details. Please sign up here: http://signup.com/go/vrbRytF

Time for another fun and festive week!

-Mr. Jacques-

Week 2 of 4...

Dear Parents,

Happy Decemburrr!  Along with the cold and snowy weather, we have a few amazing things to celebrate from last week.  We are now approaching week 2 of 4 as we head towards winter break, and once again, we have another round of holiday events coming up.

SPARKS CHRISTMAS PARADE WRAP-UP
On Saturday, we had quite a wonderful day of rehearsing, marching, shopping, and celebrating a wonderful marching season. The students performed quite well and even made it in the news once again: http://www.ktvn.com/story/39572773/snow-clears-in-time-for-sparks-hometowne-christmas-parade





We also made it in Reno Gazette-Journal!







Additional videos, including a live stream of a performance with Eagle Valley Middle School, are posted on our Facebook page.

CAPITAL CITY COMMUNITY BAND CONCERT
Thank you to all students and parents for coming out to support our very own Capital City Community Band winter concert!  Students who attended the entire event have had their lowest practice log score dropped.  Watching great bands is an excellent way to improve your own individual musical skills, and their time watching us on Sunday was time well spent.

PRACTICING
Now that video practice logs and the make-up playing tests are finished, you can see your student's scores on Infinite Campus. This week, we will have an in-class playing test for each student, based off material they've been asked to practice during the week. On Friday, I will assign a traditional practice chart on their Google Classroom that will outline what to practice each day, with a total of 35 boxes (goals) possible.

HONOR BAND RESULTS
Honor Band results should be posted on Friday or during this weekend. As your student eagerly awaits their fate, I reminded them that they should be proud of going the extra mile to prepare the audition.  I'll post results as soon as we receive them.

EVENTS THIS WEEK

ADVANCED BAND TOUR: FREMONT
Students will wear their spirit "it's cool" t-shirts, along with festive hats and decorated instruments, leave CMS at 9:30 AM, and head to Fremont Elementary School to perform for their students. We will return around 11:00 AM. Since this will take place during Advanced Band's long class period, students will only miss a few minutes of their 5th period.

CMS CHOIR CONCERT
Volunteers from Advanced Band will perform with the CMS choir at their concert on Wednesday night in the CMS cafeteria.  Call time for these students is 6:30 PM in their tuxedo or dress. The concert starts at 7:00 and they will be finished performing by 7:15 PM. Once everything is returned to the band room, students are dismissed.

EMPTY BOWLS PERFORMANCE
Advanced Band will perform at the Empty Bowls fundraiser on December 7 at 4:45 PM. To show their appreciation for our band, the organizers are letting the students eat free of charge!  We will begin with a rehearsal from 2:30-4:00 in the band room. Students will get a bus ride to the Carson Mall, and perform from 4:45-5:15 PM.  Attire is spirit shirts or ugly sweaters, plus any other holiday-themed fun hats. After the performance, students will be released to parents and eat delicious soups, listen to the other performing groups, and have a fun evening for a wonderful cause.

UPCOMING AFTER SCHOOL REHEARSALS
December 4: Advanced Band, 2:30-4:30
December 7: Advanced Band, 2:30-4:30 (part of the Empty Bowls gig)
December 11: Concert Band, 2:30-4:30

UPCOMING EVENTS
December 5: Fremont Elementary School Performance (Advanced Band)
December 5: CMS Choir Concert (optional performance for Advanced Band)
December 7: Empty Bowls Fundraiser Performance (Advanced Band)
December 12: Mark Twain Elementary School Performance (Advanced Band)
December 18: Winter Concert in gym (ALL ENSEMBLES)
December 19: Bordewich Bray Elementary School Performance (Advanced Band)
December 20: Fritsch Elementary School Performance (Advanced Band)
December 21: Jazz in the Commons (Jazz Band)

Winter Concert - December 18
The winter concert is quickly approaching! I will have additional information by Friday. Students should be preparing their music and checking to see if they have all their concert attire (we are working on fitting Adv. and Int. band students into their tuxedos/dresses this week and next). The concert starts on 12/18 at 6 PM and will end by 8 PM.

Time for another fun and festive week!

-Mr. Jacques-