6 th Grade Band Handbook

Transcription

1 6 th Grade Band Handbook Teacher: Times: Mr. Takagi Once a week full band rehearsal on Thursdays, 3rd Period. Once a week, group pull-out lessons on Wednesdays based on a rotating schedule. Philosophy and Goals: Grading: 6 th Grade Band Is a musical ensemble comprised of winds and percussion. Teaches us dedication, commitment, teamwork, creativity, and perseverance. Strengthens the social bonds within HHK school and community. Enriches one s intellectual, social, and emotional development. Encourages a life-long love and appreciation for music and music performance. Students are expected to Demonstrate respect toward themselves, their peers, and faculty. Practice their assignments to the best of their ability. Maintain their instruments in a clean, working condition. Participate in rehearsal with appropriate behavior. Attend weekly pull-out lessons and be responsible to make-up missed classwork. Keep all music handouts in a neat and orderly binder or folder. 6 th Grade Band grades will be given as: (O) Outstanding, (S) Satisfactory, (N) Needs Improvement, (U) Unsatisfactory, and (I) Incomplete. They will be determined as follows: 50% Lesson Attendance pg. 1

2 50% Preparedness / Participation Preparedness= having your instrument, band binder, lesson book, and pencil every rehearsal. Participation= demonstrating appropriate behavior at all times and playing to the best of your ability. Commitment: 6 th Grade Band is a year-long commitment. Students may not drop out in the middle of the year. Learning to play a musical instrument can be tough and even frustrating at times. It requires many hours of practice and dedication. At some point, you may hit a bump in the road and feel like you just want to give up. Don t Give Up! If you work hard and try your best, you will look back on the experience with a great feeling of self-confidence. You will approach your next challenge knowing that you have what it takes to persevere. Practice: Students are expected to practice their lesson assignments and band music on a daily basis at home. Having a daily practice routine is the best way to get better at playing your instrument. Try to practice at least 20 minutes at a time, every day. It is not a good idea to practice any more than one hour at a time. You will get tired and not make as much progress. Frequent practice (almost every day) is better than cramming (practicing 5 hours the night before a concert). Find a quiet place in your home free from distractions to practice so you can focus the whole time. Find a sturdy chair with a straight back to sit in, and remember to keep good posture when practicing. You may want to set a timer as well, and record you practice time on a practice chart. Be sure to warm-up for the first part of your practice session. Then, practice your lesson assignments and band music intelligently. Only work on small sections at a time if you are struggling, and repeat them over and over until you are satisfied that they are sounding better. Always leave some time at the end to play something fun that you enjoy. It can be your favorite song, or you can even improvise and make up your own tunes! It is also a great idea to play with others when you can. Arrange and ask to play with your friends, parents, siblings, anyone who likes to play music! Don t forget there are also many resources online and at the local music store to find new music to play and learn. pg. 2

3 Lessons: Students will miss one class each week to attend lessons with their instrument group. Students should report to that class first to notify the teacher of their absence and to record any homework for that day. Students are responsible to make up all work and notes missed from each class. Individual group lessons are very important because they are where we learn the specific techniques unique to each instrument that cannot be taught in full band. Attached is the 6 th Grade Band rotating pull-out lesson schedule. The schedule rotates over many weeks so a student will not miss the same period every week. Lessons are mandatory and should be made up if missed. Notify Mr. Takagi in person or by if you know in advance that you will be missing a lesson. Lessons may only be excused for the following reasons: tests, quizzes, class presentations, and absence from school. Schedule a time to make-up the lesson with Mr. Takagi as soon as possible. Materials / Supplies: 1) 2-pocket folder (any color) devoted solely to band. 2) Pencil(s). 3) Instrument and any supplies needed for maintenance. 4) Accent on Achievement lesson book 1. For All Instruments: Be sure to have a NAME TAG or LABEL of some sort on the outside AND inside of your CASE and BINDER! Flute: cleaning rag Oboe: two or more reeds (medium soft), reed case, cork grease, cleaning swab Clarinet/Saxophone: box of reeds (Rico, Mitchell Lurie, or Vandoren are recommended; size 2, or ask Mr. Takagi for size), cork grease, cleaning swab Trumpet, French horn, Baritone Horn, Tuba: bottle of valve oil, tube of slide grease, mouthpiece cleaner, polishing rag Trombone: tube of slide grease, tube of slide cream or slide-o-mix, small water spray bottle, mouthpiece cleaner, polishing rag Percussion: two pairs of drumsticks (Vic Firth SD1 General recommended), one pair of bell mallets, stick bag pg. 3

4 Jazz Band and Wind Ensemble Wind Ensemble will meet on Mondays from 7:45-8:15 AM. Jazz Band will meet on Fridays from 7:45-8:15 AM. Students should arrive between 7:30-7:40 AM at the band room doors. In addition to the Concert Band, the Ho-Ho-Kus Music Program also offers two before school instrumental ensembles. These ensembles provide a place for motivated students to improve their skills with challenging music. Both ensembles meet before school. Membership into these extra-curricular ensembles is by audition only. Please see Mr. Takagi if you are interested to receive audition music for your instrument. There will be a signup sheet in the band room to schedule a time to audition. In addition to preparing the assigned solo, you will also be asked to play three major scales. For Jazz Band, you will also need to play the concert B-flat blues scale. You must audition before the first week of October to play in the winter concert, and before the first week of February to play in the spring concert. Concert Dates: There will be two concerts this year. Attendance is mandatory for both concerts and required for a passing grade. Winter Concert- Thursday, December 14 th at 9:00am. Spring Concert- Friday, May 18 th at 9:00am. Dress Code: No jeans or sneakers. Boys: collared shirt, tie optional Girls: pants or long skirt, blouse Contact Info Mr. Tim Takagi - ttakagi@hohokus.org Phone ext.261 pg. 4

5 Thank you for supporting the HHK Music Program! (Complete and return this sheet only. Keep the rest of the band handbook for reference.) Please provide an address you d prefer to be reached at for progress reports about your son/daughter and announcements regarding the band program. You may provide multiple addresses. My Preferred (Leave Blank If Same As Last Year) I have read and understand the goals and expectations, requirements, and grading system for 6 th Grade Band. Parent Signature Date Student Signature (print ) Student Signature (sign) Date pg. 5