Thursday, January 24, 2019

New Events, New Music

Dear Parents,

This short week of classes is already about to end!  All students in all classes have all their Bandorama music. Jazz Band has all of their Jazz in the Schools music, and we added a couple events to the calendar.  I also included a special upcoming concert and an update on grades.

SPECIAL CONCERT
On Sunday, January 27, my band, the Capital City Community Band, is performing at First Presbyterian Church at 3:00 PM.  The songs are all requests from the band members and it is also our big fundraising concert. If your student attends the entire concert and checks in with me at the end of the performance, they will earn extra credit! There is a suggested donation of $10, but nobody will be turned away if they can't pay. We want to fill the seats and expose our students to quality band literature. We hope to see you there.

GRADE UPDATES

PLAYING TESTS
Students had a playing test on Friday and also turned in their practice logs. I allowed redo's of playing tests last Tuesday if they received 50% or forgot their instruments. Those still with a score of "50" and lower either couldn't play their music or were without their instrument. Any student may retake a playing test by emailing me a recording of themselves. If this is not possible, they can see me at lunch.

PRACTICE LOGS
Practice logs were due on Friday and students had time to submit them in class. Just a reminder: their score is based on the number of goals they completed over the whole week, not the number of days they practiced. I encourage students to practice a little bit each day, rather than practicing a lot on just a couple days. The consistency is crucial at this early point in their musical learning.  I tell the students, "If you're persistent, you'll get it. If you're consistent, you'll keep it."

WEEKLY REHEARSAL GRADE
Each week, just like last year, students are receiving a daily grade for coming to class with everything they need to participate in rehearsals.  Those items are their instrument with all accessories, all music, and a pencil. Each day, students will receive 10 points, with a total of 40 points possible each week. If a student loses/forgets some music but not all music for that day's rehearsal, they will still receive half credit for the day.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Here is the most up-to-date schedule for the rest of the school year. Please mark these events in your calendars and plan to enjoy some fabulous music making. New events added this week are marked with an asterisk:

February 7-8: Honor Band rehearsals in Fallon (concert on Feb. 8)
February 9: Jazz in the Schools (Jazz Band)
February 22: Chili Bingo Night
March 8: Northern Nevada Day of Percussion (Percussion Ensemble)*
March 19: Washoe County Band Festival  (Advanced Band)
March 19: Jazz Extravaganza Performance (Jazz Band)*
March 26: Northern Zone Band Festival (Advanced and Intermediate Band)
March 28: Band-O-Rama
April 4-6: All-State Music Festival in Las Vegas (concert on April 8)
April 26: Reno Jazz Festival (Jazz Band)*
April 30: Northern Zone Beginning Band Festival (Beginning and Concert Band)
May 1: Northern Zone Jazz Night (Jazz Band)*
May 11: Intermediate Band spring trip
May 15-19: Advanced Band and Jazz Band Spring Trip
May 21: Spring Concerts

Have a great rest of your week, and see some of you on Sunday afternoon!

-Mr. Jacques-

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