SAS Wildcat Bands Band Handbook

Transcription

1 SAS Wildcat Bands Band Handbook

2 Welcome! Dear Wildcat Band Students and Parents, Our Wildcat Bands have developed a tradition of excellence in the past and I can promise you that we will continue to strive for the best in the future. I set the bar high and expect a lot from you. In return I will give you my best at every rehearsal to help you reach your potential. We have an exciting year ahead full of great music, festivals, and concerts! Let s get to work! Sincerely, Brian White Director of Middle School Bands Dhahran School

3 Find us on the web Bookmark our music department webpage: Lost your music? No problem- find copies on the site Can t remember what assignment was due? -Download the trimester assignment sheet. Can t figure out how to get Smart Music downloaded? - find helpful how to videos on the site. Thinking about buying an instrument? - find recommendation from Mr. White on our site. Want to know about online lessons?- Find lesson teachers on our site!

4 Course Grading 40% Ensemble Skills Have instrument, music book and folder, concert music, working reeds, oil, pencil on your stand Demonstrate good posture Class notes about performing are written in your music On time, focused on task at hand, music is well practiced listening attentively to instruction 40% Assessments Playing tests/smart Music Quizzes Homework assignments Practice Guides Written Quizzes 20% Concert Performance & Reflections 20% Concert Performance and reflections 40% Assessments/ Homework Prep. 40% Ensemble Skills Each student is expected to have his/her instrument, and folder, all music, band book, pencil, and necessary instrument supplies (reeds, mouthpiece, oil..) during every band class. Students who are unable to participate in band because they do not have required materials must complete a Non-Participation Work-Sheet during class. If this assignment is thoughtfully completed, partial credit will be given for that class period. Students will receive a list of playing tests at the beginning of each trimester. Those who fail to submit a quiz by the published deadline will be required to come in after school to complete the assignment. Late assignments may earn no more than an 80% score. Performances are the culmination of many hours of work and practice. Your participation in the concert affects other students and the quality of the overall performance. Therefore, performances are required for all band members and constitute a portion of your grade in band class. Every effort will be made to give ample notice of concert dates. Please mark these dates on your school and home calendars to assure that family plans are not made without knowledge of band obligations. On rare occasions, a concert absence is unavoidable. If an absence is considered by the director to be an excusable absence (generally sickness or out-of-kingdom travel) and is verified by a written note from parents, the student s grade will not be penalized. They will simply receive a no grade in Power School under Concerts. Unexcused absences will receive a 50% score. Students who miss a concert will need to complete an assignment to make up for missing the concert. Grades are kept up to date in Powerschool. On average, grades will be updated every two weeks.

5 Course Rubric

6 Course Rubric-used for Ensemble Skills Grade and Assessment Grades

7 Daily Procedure Rehearsal Guidelines Check the smartboard for daily announcements & rehearsal order. Look for the Just Do it Activity...and do it. Brass/Woodwinds: Get your instrument, music, and pencil, and take your seat. Begin to warm up with long tones or your warm-up packet. Open your music to the first assignment on the board. Percussion: check the board for rehearsal order and set up equipment accordingly. Begin warming up with your warm-up packet Class will begin no later than 3 minutes after the start of the period. Anyone not in their seat ready to begin will be considered late and will lose ensemble skill credit. Begin packing up only when the teacher has given permission. At the end of class: woodwinds need to swab their instruments and wipe off fingerprints brass need to empty water and wipe down their instruments percussion need to put all equipment away in the correct locations 6th Graders if you need reeds, grease, oils, you must find the band manager and get your items from them. If your instrument is not working bring it to Mr. White before school. He will not have the time to do anything about it once class has started. Listen carefully for remarks from Mr. White. instructions he may give to one section of the band he is working with will often apply to other sections that may not be playing at the time. If you are given instructions to write in your music, do it! Be supportive of your peers; put downs or killer statements are not acceptable. ALWAYS play your absolute best. You won t get better if you don t. ALWAYS have a pencil out on your stand ready to write musical directions on your music. ALWAYS do your best to help not hinder the rehearsal. Mr. White tries to work fast and he has two pet peeves 1. Anything that slows down the pace of rehearsal (someone telling him the need a reed in the middle of rehearsal, someone purposely hindering the progress of a rehearsal, waiting until rehearsal has started to notify him they have no music, waiting until the middle of rehearsal to tell him their instrument doesn t work). He is not patient with these. 2. Students that give up on themselves and don t make the effort to try even if it is difficult.

8 SAS Tiger Band Homework: Daily Practice & Assignments You will receive assignments that you will need to practice at home. How long do you need to practice? You need to practice as long as it takes to complete the assignment at the required score (most Smart Music assignments will have a minimum score requirement assigned to them). However, the quickest way to get better is to have a daily habit of playing your instrument at home. Mr. White suggests a daily practice of 20 minutes per day at least 6 days a week. for all students. Don t wait until the day an assignment is due to start practicing. After-School Rehearsals Before a concert we will need to schedule a rehearsal after school to combine grade levels. Band is a curricular class that receives a grade. After school clubs and sports do not. Your presence at our rehearsal is mandatory and part of your class grade. Excuses from our practice will be considered on a case by case basis. Please contact Mr. White as soon as you know about the conflict. Smart Music Every Student must secure a subscription to Smart Music. If you had a subscription last year, your Smart Music account might have auto-renewed or will be doing so in the coming weeks. If you are new to the Middle School, or new to Aramco, plan on buying a Student Subscription to Smart Music. The cost has increased this year, and the fee is USD $40. Our students and parents have found that it is well worth the money. Check out our band webpage to find videos on how to download and get Smart Music working.

9 SAS Tiger Band Instrument Storage & Case Labels/Tags The only safe place for your instrument is in the Band Room. There have been times in the past when students instruments have been lost when they were stored in unsecure locations throughout the school. When your instrument is on campus, please store the instrument on the shelves provided in the band room. This is the only place where we know that they will be safe and secure. Please avoid leaving your instrument in your homeroom teacher s room as the room might be locked when you need to pick up your instrument. Please avoid leaving instruments in unsecured places in the hallways. Personal instruments need to go home after school. You have a better chance of practicing if you have your instrument. All students must provide a luggage tag or label bearing their name and phone number for their instrument. This applies for both personal and rented instruments. Band Supplies Concert Attire Ladies: White shirt/blouse with black slacks. NO skirts or dresses. Tops should have sleeves. Dressy shoes (no flip flops) Hose and socks are not required, Gentlemen: White, long-sleeved dress shirt. Black trousers Black socks and black dress shoes. Black belt

10 Instruments Student Instruments The Aramco School System provides band instruments to students for 5th and 6th grade. Students are expected to purchase their own instrument for use for 7th grade and above. If the student plays a high cost instrument (i.e. Oboe, Tenor Sax, Baritone Sax, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, French Horn, Baritone, or Tuba) he/she may continue to use a school owned instrument in 7th-9th grades. Care of Instruments Band instruments are expensive and delicate items and they deserve the utmost care. Therefore, students are responsible for the proper care and cleaning of their instrument whether school owned or privately owned. With proper treatment, your instrument will give many years of service. Brass Tubing Cleaner Band Supplies All Students General General Band Supplies All Students Aramco Schools will provide general band supplies (i.e. reeds, oils) for school-owned instruments during the 6th grade school year. After that time students will be responsible for their own supplies. While some of these items are available locally, you may find that purchasing extra supplies while on repat is less expensive and more efficient. Woodwind reeds are generally not available in Kingdom. Reed case Students are responsible for obtaining the following supplies: Portable Music Stand (for use in home practice) Pencil in music folder at all times Online Subscription to SmartMusic software ( To accompany the SmartMusic software, you will need access to a home computer and a computer-microphone with an extended wire-cable (not built-in computer mic). See next page for instrument specific supplies

11 Band Supplies Instrument Specific Woodwind Players (Grade 7-9) All Woodwind players - Instrument Care Kit that incudes a swab, oil, cork grease, polishing cloth, mouthpiece brush, etc. Reed players (Clarinets, Saxophones) 4 Boxes Vandoreen Reeds* (30 pieces) of Reeds (Size 2 1/2 or size 3+)-- see note below Look for the blue Vandoren boxes of reeds *The box should be blue. If it s green, they are jazz reeds and are better suited for advanced high school jazz players. Reeds are also a personal choice based on the strength of the embouchure. In general a 7th grader should probably be on 2.5 reeds and 8th and 9th graders on a 3 or higher reed. Oboe & Bassoon 15 Reeds (Medium Soft) These are expensive and delicate. Students will need to be take good care of their reeds to insure they have a working one all year. Saxophones Extra neck-strap. For heavier instruments like the tenor, you may want invest in a padded strap. Padded neck strap Brass Players (Grade 7-9) All brass players- Instrument Care Kit that includes oil, tuning slide grease, polishing cloth, cleaning brushes, etc. You will need more than one bottle of oil. Extra mouthpiece (also for those using school-owned instruments). Trumpet Bach 5C or Yamaha 14C4 Trombone/Euphonium= Bach 6 1/2 AL or Yamaha 48 French Horn- Yamaha 30C4 or Schilke 30 Tuba Yamaha 18 or 22 Percussion Players (Grade 7-9) 3 pr. Vic Firth American Classic Hickory Wood 5A 2 pr. Vic Firth SD7 Whacker Drum Sticks Vic Firth EP2 Intermediate Education Pack (includes stick bag, one pair snare sticks, one pair hard rubber mallet, one pair yarn mallets, one pair timpani sticks). Vic Firth EP2 Intermediate Education Pack

12 Recommended Music Stores US and Middle East When buying an instrument, your best option is to always go with a local music store in your city. They can provide more personalized service and a better warranty service if anything should go wrong. Your child will also be able to try out the instrument before purchasing. However, if you do not have a good music store in your town, the largest online retailer of music instruments in the US is: United States Woodwind and Brasswind (for instruments and supplies) J.W. Pepper (for music) 4004 Technology Drive P.O. Box 850 South Bend, IN Valley Forge, PA Phone: or Phone: (610) or Fax: Fax: Internet: Internet: jwpepper.com satisfaction@jwpepper.com Woodwind & Brasswind has very competitive prices, will accept most credit cards, and will deliver the instrument anywhere in the United States by express mail. Saudi and Bahrain Al Khobar: A Dawliah Yamaha King Khalid Street and Al Rashid Mall Ash Shark Distr. Est. King Khalid Street Please note that stores in Saudi Arabia have a limited selection of appropriate instruments. Availability varies and you may need to order the instrument well in advance to assure delivery by September. Bahrain: Ambassador Stores 141 Government Avenue Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain Phone: Moon Stores Bahrain Instrument Repair Please keep in mind that there are no instrument repair shops in Saudi Arabia. Students must be very aware of this since instruments are delicate and easily damaged if not taken care of correctly. Mr. White can perform simple repairs and maintenance on school owned instruments at no cost to students. However, more complicated or costly repairs must be sent to a repair shop (possibly outside KSA). Parents must bear the cost of such repairs. Parents will be notified if costly repairs are needed they have a large selection of sheet music and a good select reeds and instrument supplies. Directions 1: If you know where Upstairs Downstairs and the Camelot are in Adliya, head down that street on the Bahrain Carlton side and go straight at the DHL corner, then go right at the roundabout, the Moon Store is on the left side of the street. Directions 2: If you re drive past the Radisson Diplomat heading toward the Gulf Hotel. Go past the Gulf Hotel to the next intersection, which is Jufair Ave. Turn right and at the next light turn left. At the little roundabout and turn right. The Moon Store is about two blocks down on your left. Privately owned instruments are the responsibility of the owner. The band director can help to evaluate needed repairs but the student must seek a repair shop out of Kingdom.

13 Festival/Travel Opportunities European Middle School Honor Band May 3-7, 2017 Bonn, Germany Students record their auditions the first week of October to be mailed to the AMIS selection committee. Those selected will travel to Bonn to participate in the AMIS festival. Audition materials available from Mr. White. Cost for the trip is paid for by the student and their family. Saudi Arabia Inter-Kingdom High School Band Festival Date- TBA Hosted TBA Saudi Arabia Inter-Kingdom Middle School Band Festival Date TBA Host TBA Jazz Band Jazz Band is open to all students 7-9 and will meet every Wednesday and Thursday during lunch. Jazz rhythms can be difficult for younger musicians therefore sixth graders will need to play a short selection from one of the assigned pieces as an audition to insure they have the skills to succeed in the ensemble. All pianists and guitarists will have to do the same. Jazz ensemble music is written for Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Bari Sax, Trumpet, Trombone, Piano, Bass, Drums set, and Guitar. Other instruments are welcome to join but will be doubling the above instruments. Jazz band is a great opportunity to expand your technique to other instruments. (ex. clarinets and flutes learn how to play sax, euphoniums learn to play trombone).

14 DATE TIME EVENT AND VENUE WHO IS INVOLVED 1st week of October TBA AMIS Festival Auditions for Band band room Select students who have prepared the music September :00 Cabaret Auditions Choir Room Select students November 27-Dec. 1 3:00 Musical Auditions Anyone interested 6-9 November 8 6:00 Cabaret 3rd Street Gym Select students December 6th 6:00 December Choral Concert 3rd Street Gym December 7th 6:00 December Band Concert 3rd Street Gym All 6-9 Choirs All 6-9 Bands February 28th 6:00 Spring Prism Concert 3rd Street Gym All 7-9 band and choir members March 1-3 All Day Tentative SAIK-AC HS Band Festival ISG Dhahran Select members March 14, 15,16 6:00 PM School Musical Dhahran Theater Select students April 18 5:00 5th Grade Band and Choir Concert Day 2 Students only 5th Grade April 19 5:00 5th Grade Band and Choir Concert Day 1 Students only 5th Grade April All Day SAIK-AC MS Band Festival KAUST Select members May 3-7 AMIS International European Middle School Honor Band Festival Bonn, Germany 7-8 Students that were accepted into ensemble May 23 6:00 Spring Band Choral Concert 3rd Street Gym All 6-9 Bands June 24 6:00 Spring Choir Concert 3rd Street Gym All 6-9 Choir June - TBA 6:00 Graduation All 7-8 Symphonic Band Members