Fall is in the air...

Dear Parents,

Week 6 is already upon us!  We are just 1 month away from our first concert and parade of the year.  Here's what you need to know as we start the first day of fall.

MARCHING BAND UPDATE
We have accepted a record 93 students into the CMS Marching Band! This record sized group of students will continue to learn how to work together as a team, problem solve, and make great music.  Feel free to come watch us march in the afternoons. We typically go outside by 3:45 PM and you can find us along Richmond Street and in the neighborhood north of the school. Please read the below dates carefully as we have added uniform fitting dates based on the instrument your student plays:

• September 24 - 2:30-4:30 PM, percussion until 5:00 PM
• October 1 - 2:30-4:30 PM, percussion until 5:00 PM, uniform fitting until 6:00 PM for woodwinds
• October 8 - 2:30-4:30 PM, uniform fitting until 6:00 PM for brass and percussion 
• October 15 - 2:30-4:30 PM, percussion until 5:00 PM
• October 19 - 9:00 AM-12:00 PM, barbecue following the rehearsal
• October 22 - 2:30-4:30 PM, percussion until 5:00 PM
• October 26 - Nevada Day Parade
• November 5 - 2:30-4:30 PM
• November 11 - Reno Veterans Day Parade
• November 12 - 2:30-4:30 PM
• November 19 - 2:30-4:30 PM
• December 3 - 2:30-4:30 PM
• December 7 - Sparks Christmas Parade

WAITING FOR SHIRTS?
If you or your student are waiting for band t-shirts and polos, I received word that there is a delay due to the shirts themselves being on backorder. The newest estimate for delivery of the new shirts is September 30. I will distribute the shirts to everyone who has paid their band fees as soon as we receive them.

GRADE NEWS
This week, along with the minimum 30 minutes of recorded practice time that's due Friday, students will also be submitting assignments on the following tunes:
Concert Band: Technique Builder
Advanced Band: Tribute to America, measures 1-25
Intermediate Band: Chromatic Scale
Beginning Bands: Hot Cross Buns
Jazz Band will not have a playing test yet. They will earn a performance grade by playing their first Jazz in the Commons on Friday, September 27.

Need a refresher on how to submit an assignment? Watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcHeU-GbcWE

WORKSHOPS, PERFORMANCES, AND GUESTS
One thing I try to do as much as possible is invite guests to work with our students and offer after school time to help support our musical students.  Here's what we have this week:
September 25: Clarinet and Saxophone Boot Camp, 2:30-4:00 PM
September 26: The Reno Philharmonic Brass Quintet Workshop, 9:30-10:15 AM (I'll email teachers to see if they can let students out of class to attend this amazing free workshop that takes place during the Advanced Band rehearsal)
September 27: Jazz in the Commons, 7:15-7:35 AM.  This tradition is in its 5th year, and takes place at the end of the last week of every month. Parents are always welcome to watch these performances.
September 27: Office Hours/Open Practice, 2:30-4:00 PM

NEXT WEEK:
October 2: Flute Boot Camp, 2:30-4:00 PM
October 3: Jazz Band Mentor Clinic with Peter Epstein, 7:00-7:40 AM  These will continue every Thursday for Jazz Band students until November 14.
October 4: Office Hours/Open Practice, 2:30-4:00 PM

SAVE THE DATE:
October 23: Fall Concert *Mandatory for all students* - 6:00-7:30 PM in the CMS Gym
October 26: Nevada Day Parade

That's it for this week. Let me know if you have any questions!

-Mr. Jacques-

SmartMusic

Dear Parents,

On Friday, I rolled out SmartMusic, our new (and improved) way to track student progress on their instruments! I'll be discussing the basics of this new practicing platform, along with upcoming after school activities and a grade update.

SMARTMUSIC

Students joined SmartMusic on Thursday and Friday of last week. This program will completely transform the way students practice, and once they get used to using it, you'll see a dramatic improvement in how they play. I encourage you to ask your student how the program works and have them demonstrate it for you by playing their instrument into the program.  To access the website, you'll go to https://admin.smartmusic.com and students will enter their username and password. Usernames are their student ID and passwords are what they use to access their Chromebooks. Once there's in, they will search for music. Once they have found and opened what they'll be practicing, here's what you'll see:

• Accompaniment: Students can change how loud the other parts of the band are in the piece.
• My Part: Students can choose to hear how their part is supposed to sound while they play.
• Metronome: Students are encouraged to keep this on for now. This clicks the tempo, or pulse, of the piece so they are playing into it at the correct speed.
• "80" is the tempo. The plus and minus signs change the tempo that the student plays into the recording.
• The mic icon allows students to calibrate the microphone. This is the part that must be functioning for a student to record into the program.
• The fork is the tuner. I will post a separate update on how to tune later.
• The number (4) is the countoff in beats that the program will give before the student enters. Increase this number if a student plays a larger instrument and needs more time to get ready.
• Play button: This allows the student to hear how the song sounds. 
• Record button: This is where the magic happens. The program counts you in, and you'll play through the exercise. Right notes and rhythms will show up green and wrong notes and rhythms will show up in red.

Students are required to log at least 30 minutes of recorded practice time this week, due Friday.  Just be sure that students are pressing the red "record" button when they're playing in order for their time to count. 

Assignments

Each class also has an assignment.  Assignments are pieces that must be recorded for a grade.  The grade is calculated as a percentage of how accurately the student played the notes and rhythms. Students may record as many times as they want before submitting the assignment. The assignments are: 

Beginning Band: Our First Note, Our Second Note, Our Third Note (3 different exercises)

Concert Band: Scaling New Heights

Intermediate Band: B-Flat Major Scale (Exercise 188)

Advanced Band: Chromatic Scale (Exercise 21) 

All assignments are due this Friday at 11:59 PM. This will be your student's first "benchmark assessment" grade.

Students who are having technical difficulties may come in at lunch to troubleshoot with me or a friend.  Students without internet at home may borrow mobile hotspots from school for the weekend and practice in my room during lunch.

AFTER SCHOOL REHEARSALS

Tuesday, September 10: Marching Band, 2:30-4:30 PM  *All are still welcome to attend, even if they missed last week's rehearsal.
Wednesday, September 11: Trumpet Boot Camp, 2:30-4:00  *All trumpet playing band students should plan to attend.
Tuesday, September 17: Marching Band, 2:30-4:30 PM
Wednesday, September 18: Low Brass Boot Camp, 2:30-4:00 *All tuba, trombone, and euphonium playing students should plan to attend.

CHILI BINGO NIGHT PLANNING UPDATE
We had a planning meeting last Wednesday, and attendance was quite low. This is our big fundraiser of the year and it takes a lot of parent support to ensure this event's success.  If you were unable to attend the meeting and want to help, we are currently looking for volunteers to call/Facebook message businesses or go visit in person to ask for donations.  Please email me: njacques@carson.k12.nv.us if you are able to contact a few businesses.

I'll post another update this weekend once we see how our rehearsals and our SmartMusic rollout goes. Let the practicing begin!

-Mr. Jacques-

Week 3

Dear Parents,

I hope you all had a relaxing and restful Labor Day weekend. Can you believe we're already on to week 3?? Well, here we are.  Beginning Band students are getting ready to make their first sounds, and all other classes are reviewing fundamentals. Concert Band, Intermediate Band, Advanced Band, and Jazz Band are receiving their first pieces of music. Marching Band had their first rehearsal today. Later this week, we will be introducing the new way our band students will be practicing.

GRADE NEWS

I've updated all your student grades.  When you sign on to InfiniteCampus, you'll notice a few things:

• Handbook Contract - Worth 10 points. If you have not completed this, please read the "CMS Band Handbook 2019-2020," sign it by clicking the above link ("Handbook Agreement Form") and I'll update your student's grade.
• Cases Labeled - Worth 10 points. With about 250 students in band and 60 in strings, we have a lot of cases in the band room. Students must have their cases labeled with their name, address, and phone number to receive credit.  Have a personal or store-rented instrument? Please also complete this form so we have you student's instrument information on file in case we ever need it.
• Rehearsals - Worth 10 points per day (30-40 points per week). Students receive full points for having their instrument, any music, and a pencil. They must also be actively participating during class.
• Any assessment with the word "Formative" - These are non-graded pre-assessments. These will be followed by a graded version later on in our "unit" when students have mastered the concept. These two scores can then be compared to show growth. 
• Citizenship - These scores are entered on a rubric from 1-4, with 4 being the highest.  To receive a 4, students must not have any missing work and be on their best behavior during all parts of all rehearsals.

Practicing

All students should be taking their instruments home each day. Beginning Band students need to practice sustaining sound for as long as they can on one breath while properly holding their instruments. All other classes have their first pieces of music, and will be receiving more throughout the week. Once we receive our school license for SmartMusic, I'll have more information on our new and improved at-home practice methods. Until then, check on how they're doing with old-fashioned sheet music. I'll send out more details about how students should be practicing later this week.

Band Fees
Thank you to everyone who has paid their band fees. All band fees were due on Friday, August 30. Please pay your band fees as soon as possible, unless you've made prior arrangements with Mr. Jacques.

Band Shirts and Polos
Band polos and t-shirts are out of stock until at least September 19. I will let you know as soon as our new orders arrive.

MUSIC ACTIVITIES

Marching Band
Marching band had its first rehearsal on Tuesday, and 85 students showed up, making this the largest Marching Band we've ever had at CMS!  With the size of the band, we do not have quite enough brass players. If your student plays trumpet, trombone, euphonium, or tuba, we could use a few more from those sections. Marching Band continues on Tuesdays from 2:30-4:30 PM (2:30-5:00 PM for percussion) and meets on the following dates:

• September 10
• September 17
• September 24
• October 1
• October 8
• October 15
• October 19 - Saturday morning rehearsal and barbecue
• October 22
• October 26 - Nevada Day Parade
• November 5
• November 11 - Reno Veterans Day Parade
• November 12
• November 19
• December 3
• December 7 - Sparks Christmas Parade

Jazz Band
Our award-winning Carson Middle School Jazz Band is still looking for a piano player. Any students with experience that can also take private lessons should consider joining!

Instrument Boot Camps
Presenting: Instrument boot camps!  All students are highly encouraged to attend these special sessions that focus on specific techniques unique to these instruments. Students will also meet others in all ensembles who play the same instruments. All boot camps will go from 2:30-4:00 on Wednesdays. Each section meets on the following day:
Trumpet - September 11
Low Brass - September 18
Flute - September 25
Clarinet and Saxophone - October 2

Chili Bingo Night Planning Meeting
We have our first planning meeting on Wednesday, September 4, at 6:30 PM in the CMS Band Room.  All parents are welcome to attend. We need all available volunteers to begin asking local businesses for donations as we plan our major fundraiser for the school year.

Onward!

-Mr. Jacques-