Mr. Navarro, Band Director Mrs. Aguilera, Instructional Aide Room

Transcription

1 R.O. GIBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND HANDBOOK Mr. Navarro, Band Director Mrs. Aguilera, Instructional Aide Room * Preface * This handbook serves the Gibson Middle School Band members and their parents by providing information regarding the purpose, procedures, expectations and activities of the band program. In band all students will learn a wind or percussion instrument. There will be mandatory performances during the year. As a member of the Gibson Middle School Band you have the honor and responsibility of participating in an organization with a tradition of excellence and pride. Please keep this handbook at home so that you may reference it throughout the year. We are extremely fortunate to have parents, administrators, faculty, and school board members that are committed and dedicated to a quality band program. We look forward to having you a part of the band program, at Gibson! Course Description This course is designed to introduce and develop skills that are necessary in performance of a wind or percussion musical instrument. Emphasis is placed on the fundamentals of music such as rhythm, notation, symbols, intonation, vocabulary, and music reading. Music history, composition, improvisation, and various genre of music are also introduced in the course. General Course Upon completion of this course, the student will: 1. Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of music performance, 2. Correctly identify rhythm, notation and music symbols, 3. Be able to identify different instrument intonation, 4. Have an expanded used of music vocabulary. * Performing Ensembles * SYMPHONIC BAND The Symphonic Band is the top-performing group which is made up of the most advanced 7th and 8th grade students. Students in this band must be proficient on their instrument and must be willing to commit to regular rehearsal and practice time. Students in this band are required to participate in ALL scheduled rehearsals, concerts, and contests as these are graded events. There are four concerts, a festival performance and a yearly band trip out of Las Vegas that are mandatory. 1

2 Concert Band Concert Band is the second performing group that is made up of intermediate/advanced 7th and 8th grade students. There are three concerts and a festival performance that are mandatory. It is recommended that the Concert Band students participate in the CCSD Honor Band tryouts and all students are required to participate in the Solo & Ensemble Contest. BEGINNING BAND The Beginning Band is a fundamental class designed for beginning 6th or 7th grade students. There are three beginning Band classes: one is woodwinds, one is brass, and one is mixed woodwinds and brass. The following instruments are offered in Beginning Band: Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, Euphonium and Tuba. The Beginning Band is intended as a training ground to prepare each student to participate in one of the 7th & 8th grade performing bands the following year. Students will learn a vast amount of musical and instrumental concepts the first year and will perform scales, music and band literature throughout the year. Basic music concepts such as rhythm notation, music note identification, instrumental fingerings and tone production will be covered in this class. There will be TWO public performances and one solo contest opportunity this first year for the Beginning Band. The first concert is in December in the school gym. The second performance is in May. JAZZ BAND The 7 th & 8 th grade Jazz Band is open to band members who are enrolled concurrently in a 7th & 8th grade band. A student may not participate in only Jazz band and not a regular band class. Jazz Band is limited to certain instruments including saxophones, trumpet, trombone, guitar, bass, piano, and drum set. Jazz Band performs at several concerts during the year as well as 1-2 Jazz Festivals in the spring. * Communication * We make every effort to communicate information and expectations effectively with students and parents. We use in-class reminders, handouts, our the school website (rogibson.org), Infinity Campus and s to try keep you informed of what is coming up so that you can plan accordingly. Please check your student s band binder weekly for information that we have passed out in class. Please mark your family calendar with the band events pertaining to your child. These two things, in conjunction with making sure we have at least one valid address in our online database, are the best ways to ensure that you stay informed. If you have a concern, or cannot find the answer to a question on our website, please feel free to contact me at the following numbers/ address. Please understand that we have very full teaching schedules during the day, but will make every effort to return your call/ as soon as possible. Band Room ext pnn432@interact.ccsd.net 2

3 * Class Requirements and Grading Procedures * 1. Formative Assignments/Practice A. Absence - If you are absent from school you will not earn points. B. No participation - No points are earned if you do not participate with the class regardless of the reason. If a student does not play his/her instrument six (6) times during a quarter, an F grade will be awarded. C. Written Homework These are worksheets given periodically. D. Practice Sheets - All students are expected to fill out a practice sheet every week. The sheets are picked up on Mondays, graded and returned the same day. These are to be signed by the parents. Students are expected to practice one hour a day or a total of 7 hours weekly. 2. Summative Assignments/Assessments A. Tests are graded from a 100-point scale. Music tests are to be performed on SmartMusic. Those students who have SmartMusic at home will be expected to take tests at home. Music playing test must be taken by the end of the week in which they are assigned. If the test is not taken within the grace period either because the student forgot or was unable because they did not have their instrument, and F grade will be awarded. B. Concerts and Performances: Due to the nature of a concert or performance, they cannot be made up if you are absent. Therefore, students will be expected to be at all concerts unless cleared by the director ahead of time. Students who do not participate in concerts will not receive the concert points. If you are absent from a concert, no points will be earned. However, if the absence has been excused by the director ahead of time, then the points can be made up. Reasons such as baby-sitting, no ride and not having the correct materials are not an excusable reason for absence from a concert. Percentage for each category to earn an overall grade. 40% Formative assignments/practice 60% Summative Assignments/Assessments 100% Total Grading Scale A = 90% - 100% B = 80% - 89% C = 70% - 79% D = 60% - 69% F = below 60% Citizenship Grades O = The student exemplifies outstanding behavior. He/she meets and exceeds classroom and school wide behavior expectations and displays a positive and self-motivated attitude in the classroom. S = The student has satisfactory behavior. He/she meets all classroom and school wide behavior expectations with seldom reminders. This student generally displays respect towards others and follows directions. N = The student needs improvement in behavior. He/she needs reminders of classroom and school wide behavior expectations. On occasion, the student is disrespectful to either the teacher or other students. Sometimes, the student is reluctant to participate in the classroom activities. U = The student demonstrates unsatisfactory behavior. He/she engages in inappropriate classroom conduct by not adhering to the classroom rules and acts in a manner that distracts any portion of the learning process. 3

4 * Financial Commitment * If you will want to purchase your own instrument or already have an instrument you will need to have to purchase a book and cleaning supplies of your own to maintain the instrument in good working order. School Instrument Use There is a nonrefundable $50.00 supply charge for the book, supplies and cleaning/maintenance cost. If you have your own instrument, the book is $10, slightly more for F horn and Percussion. A hardship letter is provided upon request for parents needing more time to pay the supply charge. Please use the form provided by the director. Be advised that instruments are costly. If at any time I deem that your child does not take good and responsible care of the instrument, I will remove it from the child s possession. You will be responsible for any damage. Instruments cost from $400 to $4000 depending on the instrument. Repairs are also costly. If the instrument is damaged, it is the responsibility of the parent to go to the music store and repair the instrument. If the instrument is damaged and not repaired, an additional fee will be assessed at the end of the school year. Instruments are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Beginning band students will be able to sign up for school owned instruments on Tuesday, the third week of school. Instrument Repairs If a student reports a problem with a school-owned instrument, one of the band directors will evaluate the problem and determine the best solution. If necessary, the school will send out school-owned instruments to the repair shop. If a school-owned instrument is damaged due to negligence on behalf of the student, he/she will pay for the damages. If necessary, the band staff will send the instrument for repair and send you the bill. If a privately owned instrument requires repairs, please have a director evaluate the repair first. We can take care of some repairs for you and save you the money. But if repairs could not be fixed please send the instrument to the following music repair companies: Kessler and Sons Family Music Centers 2350 S. Rainbow # W. Craig Rd I highly recommend that students purchase their own instruments, especially if flute, trumpet and alto saxophone are chosen. We have a limited supply of these instruments. You can purchase an instrument out right or on a rent to own plan. Local music stores have great plans to assist you. I will provide more information for you. Reeds Students playing clarinet, saxophone, oboe or bassoon are required to purchase reeds. They must always have 4 reeds available every day in class. The reeds are available through the students store at school or you may purchase them from a local music supplier. Reeds cost between $1.75 to $4.50 per reed. Parents, please be aware of this before your child choses any of these instruments. Necessary accessories Following is a list of the some of the musical accessories that will be needed for each instrument. These are included as part of the $50.00 for those students using school instruments. Every day the students are to wipe 4

5 the instrument with the cleaning cloth. Every week the students are to oil the valves. Flute: cleaning/tuning rod, a clean, man's handkerchief Clarinet: mouthpiece w/ligature, cork grease, swab, reeds, a reed holder Saxophone: mouthpiece w/ ligature, swab, neck strap, cork grease, reeds, a reed holder Trumpet/Baritone: valve oil, slide grease, soft cloth, 12" square, mouthpiece brush F - Horn/Tuba: valve oil, slide grease, soft cloth, 12" square, mouthpiece brush Trombone: slide cream, slide grease, soft cloth Band Uniforms Each member will need the following for all performances. There are no exceptions. If you have a financial burden please check with the band director in advance. Please don t wait until the last minute to take care of this. Symphonic Bands: Solid black slacks (no denim jeans), solid black socks, black dress shoes (no sneakers), and a white long sleeve tuxedo shirt. The school will supply a tuxedo jacket and bow tie for advanced band. If either the tuxedo jacket or bow tie is lost, you are responsible for the replacement. The cost of the jacket is $ The cost of the bow tie is $4.00. Concert Band: Solid black slacks (no denim jeans), solid black socks, black dress shoes (no sneakers), RED SCHOOL SHIRT with SCHOOL LOGO. Beginning Band: The blue school T-shirt is required for all performances. This shirt is the NAVY BLUE with the SCHOOL LOGO on it. It is available in the front office. ***There are two concerts at school for all bands December 1 and May 4. The concerts are at 6:00pm. Please plan accordingly.**** Fund Raisers The band participates in several fund raisers during the year to help purchase more instruments, music and supplies. Participation is not mandatory, but we would appreciate the support. * SmartMusic * SmartMusic is the computer program we use to take tests. It is available for home use. Please download from smartmusic.com and get the latest version. There is a $40.00 for the subscription that lasts one year. This will allow your child to take the tests at home and as many times as possible. This is a tremendous music program which will give your child great gains in improving their musical education. Please sign up for the program by September 10. Testing will begin shortly after that. The program is available at school in the practice rooms. However, it is only available for 10 minutes a week. If you do the following: 1. Download and purchase a SmartMusic subscription, 2. Take the tests and practice regularly at home, 3. Use a school-owned instrument, and 4. Have this done by September 10 th. You will only have to pay $30.00 for the use of a school instrument. This is an incentive for you to have SmartMusic at home. 5

6 * Daily Class Rules * Classroom behavior greatly impacts each student s learning and growth. Success in performance is directly proportional to success in rehearsals. Effective and efficient rehearsals will lead to a great experience for all students. The following procedures will be enforced in the Gibson Band Program Exhibit respect for yourself, peers, teachers and the band facilities at all times. Be in your seat with all materials, ready to rehearse, at the bell (or slightly after in the case of performing). Keep a pencil on your stand during every rehearsal. Buy many of these as they tend to get lost easily! Follow instructions and remain seated during class time unless otherwise instructed. No food, drinks or GUM in the band room. Students should never leave their instrument unattended and should only handle their OWN instrument. Do not touch other student s instruments or percussion equipment in the band room unless you are a percussionist who has permission. Only band students may enter the band room. Instruments should be stored in the band cabinets during the school day. Students will be expected to take their instrument home every day for daily practice. Instruments can be picked up right after school daily. If you leave school early, please take your instrument with you. Practice rooms and ensemble rooms are only to be used with director approval. The Band Office should not be entered unless a director is present. Please knock when the door is closed and wait for a director to acknowledge you and let you enter. Thank you for respecting our office area. TEACHER DETENTION and/or REFERRALS are given when a students violates school or classroom rules. * Parent Guidelines for Student Practice * Following a consistent, daily practice schedule is essential for a student to progress at an acceptable rate on his or her instrument. Parents, encourage your child to adopt a routine for practice every day. Students should be practicing an average of minutes a day. Past experience has shown us that students who are practicing and making noticeable progress on their instrument are more likely to enjoy band than those who do not practice. Just as with anything else that is worth learning, there are parts of learning an instrument that are not as fun as others. Often, as the newness wears off, practicing becomes more work. When this happens, please encourage your child to push through the difficult parts, and they will become easier in time. Past experience has shown us that students who are practicing and making noticeable progress on their instruments are more likely to enjoy band than those who do not practice. Keep the following guidelines in mind when establishing a practice routine: 1. Practice for results, not just for the sake of putting in time. 2. Keep distractions to a minimum: no radio or TV. 3. Set up a daily schedule and stick to it. Treat practice as part of your homework. 4. Always use a metronome. This greatly enhances your sense of pulse. 6

7 5. Always use a music stand. This helps avoid the formation of bad habits. 6. Try to follow a daily routine: Warm-up exercises used in class each day Fundamentals (such as scales or exercises) Review material covered in class that day Practice assigned material Work ahead in book or music to material not yet covered. 7. Fill out your practice journal during each practice session * Students Wishing to Play Percussion * The band is comprised of the following instruments: flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, oboe, bassoon, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, trumpet, French horn, baritone, tuba and percussion (drums). However, students are not allowed to begin playing on percussion unless specifically allowed by the director. All students must first play a wind instrument where they will learn how to read rhythms and how to read notes. Percussion involves all instruments such as bells, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, auxiliary percussion, chimes, xylophone, timpani, etc. For any student to play percussion instruments, he/she must meet the following criteria: 1. Outstanding citizenship in both first and second quarter 2. Must have been practicing since the beginning of the year 3. Practice sheets (homework sheets) turned in 4. Take a note identification test 5. Take a rhythm test 6. Parent approval If your child does not meet the criteria for the Percussion, additional auditions are also held at the end of the school year for the following year. * Events Defined * Concerts Concerts are performances held at the school in the gym. All band concerts will starts at 6:00pm. Festivals Band festivals are held throughout Las Vegas. They provide a venue whereby the band will be judged for evaluation or for competition. This event occurs in March, April and May. Solo & Ensemble Festival A performance held at Clark High School. Students are grouped into small ensembles and/or solo performances. These performances are judged by professional musicians. This event occurs at the end of February. CCSD Honor Band This is a special band comprising the best musicians in Clark County. Auditions are held in January and the selected group practices and performs in February. Las Vegas Youth Orchestra (Symphonic Band) This performance ensemble is comprised of musicians from throughout the Las Vegas Valley. The students audition in May of the previous year. The group is selected in June and rehearses throughout the following year. There are four or five concerts. 7

8 Every day: Rinse out your mouth before you start playing, especially if you have just eaten. Always remove reed first and store in a reed case. Never leave the reed on the instrument when not playing! Swab out the moisture from the inside of your instrument. Don t forget to dry out the mouthpiece. Make sure you have a quality swab that is able to soak up the moisture. Wipe the outside of your instrument down with a soft cloth when finished. This removes the dirt and oil from your hands on the instrument and protects the finish. Every Week: Reed players Always have at least four reeds you can play on at all times. Rotate the usage of your reeds and they will last longer and you will always have one you can play. Replace reeds that are broken or discolored (moldy!). Put a little cork grease on all your tendon corks. If your instrument is new, this will need to be done more often. Anytime the instrument is hard to put together use a little cork grease. This will protect your corks and make them last longer. Flutes if your head joint is difficult to get on, put a little Vaseline on the metal and wipe off. Clean only your mouthpiece with warm tap water (not flutes!). Never use soap or detergent. Never run water through any other part of your instrument. You will ruin the corks and the pads. Every Month: Clean out tone holes with a soft cloth or pipe cleaner. - Check your instrument for damage of any sort (worn pads or corks, bent keys, missing screws, dents, etc.). Have your director repair damage or send to the repair shop. Other Maintenance: Never put extra things, such as books or folders, in your case unless your case has a designated place. Do not place objects, even cleaning cloths, between your instrument and the lid of the case. Always be very careful when putting your instrument together not to bend keys out of alignment. Try to grasp your instrument where there are no keys and use an easy, twisting motion. Always place your instrument in your lap or on an instrument stand when not playing. Neither the bell of your instrument nor a music stand is designed to hold an instrument. Try to brush your teeth or at least rinse out your mouth before you play. Store your instrument in the case and make sure the latches are closed. Do not sit or stand on your case. 8

9 Every day: Rinse out your mouth before you start playing (especially if you have just eaten) and rinse your mouthpiece out with cool water when you have finished. Oil all valves whether they need it or not. If possible on your instrument, do not oil valves through the bottom hole. Only place a few drops of oil directly on the valve once you have removed it from the instrument. Only remove one valve at a time. French horns: unscrew the valve cover cap and place a few drops in the hole. Wipe your instrument down with a polishing cloth when finished. This removes the dirt and oil from your hands on the instrument and protects the finish. Every Week: Clean mouthpiece (especially the shank) with a mouthpiece brush in cool running water. Check spit valves to insure proper function. Notify your director if the cork is in bad condition or the valve is not functioning properly so it can be repaired. Oil all valves whether they need it or not. Run a snake brush through the main lead pipe and tuning slide to remove anything that may have gotten built up throughout the week. Rinse with cool water after you have snaked it out. Every Month: Give your instrument a bath in cool to luke-warm water. Remove all slides and valves, remembering what goes back where. Soak the slides and instrument in a sink/tub for 10 minutes. Clean the valves in the sink with cool running water. Use a snake brush to clean out all slides and the instrument. Use a mouthpiece brush on the mouthpiece. Only use very gentle soap when cleaning instrument. Oil valves after washing. Polish instrument. Put slide grease on all slides. Never use oil or slide grease in place of the other. Allow instrument to dry before putting it back together. Every Year: Always check your instrument for damage of any sort (dents, holes, bent parts, loose soldering, etc.). Have your director repair or send it to the repair shop to have these problems fixed. Other Maintenance: Never try to bang dents out yourself. Always take it to a repair shop to be fixed. Never try to pull out a stuck mouthpiece with pliers. Always have your director use a mouthpiece puller to get it out properly. If your valve slides get stuck, try to use a towel to loosen them. Do not use pliers to try to loosen them. Always place your instrument down on its side or on an instrument stand when not playing. The bell is not designed to hold your instrument up on one end. Try to brush your teeth or at least rinse out your mouth before you play. Store your instrument in the case and make sure the latches are closed. Do not sit or stand on your case. Never place objects, like books or folders, between your instrument and the lid of the case. Trombone Slide Maintenance (in addition to above maintenance): Everyday: Use the Slide O Mix on the slide as often as needed while playing. If you can hear the slide moving, it needs to be lubricated. Every Week (or more often if needed): Using slide cream (not slide oil), spread a thin layer of cream on the 9

10 slide and wipe off excess with a clean cloth. Spray with water and work slide to spread cream evenly. Use rotor oil for the trigger valve (if you have one). Clean inside of slide and slide cover with a snake brush to remove anything that may have gotten built up throughout the week. Every Month: Follow instrument bath instructions and then lubricate slide following the directions above. Make sure to put slide cream on tuning slide as well. Nothing will ruin a trombone faster than not taking good care of the slide. If you hear any scraping sounds or feel any resistance in the slide, lubricate it immediately. If that does not solve the problem, see your director. It is equally important to give your trombone an instrument bath regularly to get rid of built up slide cream this can also cause slide operation problems (stickiness). At the end of the year if the instrument is not cleaned properly an extra charge will be assessed. * Calendar * September November 7-28 December 1 December 3 January 25 February 3-4 February 21 March April April April May 4 Coupon fund raiser World s Finest Chocolate fund raiser Winter Concert at Gibson (all bands) Honor Band Auditions at Roy Martin Honor Band at the Smith Center CCSD Solo and Ensemble Festival (Symphonic Band) Pre-Festival Concert (Symphonic Band and Orchestra) Advanced Band Festival (Symphonic Band) SNBA Band Festival (Concert Band) Band Trip TBD (Symphonic Band) Jazz Band Festival at TBD Spring concert at Gibson (all bands) 10