Sun Ridge Middle School Band Handbook

Sun Ridge Middle School Band Handbook Directors: Mr. Nohe Mrs. Hunt Mr. Hunt Mr. Sierra Mr.Chavira Ignacio Estorga - Principal Lori Diaz and Laura Garcia - Assistant Principals We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle 2210 Sun Country Dr El Paso, TX 79938 (915) 937-6632

Welcome! Welcome to the Sun Ridge Middle School Band Program! Your child is now a part of one of the most popular and active organizations at school. We will all have to work hard to get the most out of our band experience. The following information will give you a better idea of what is expected of band students at Sun Ridge. Band is one of several elective classes at Sun Ridge. It requires a great deal of self-discipline, positive attitude, regular attendance, attentiveness, and an overall desire to learn the basics of music and many of its components. There are nine band classes, consisting of six beginning classes, one Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and one Advanced Percussion. There is also a jazz band class. The principals, guidance counselors, and schedule clerk have worked with us very diligently to make this schedule possible, and it is all for the benefit of the band. Be sure to thank them whenever you see them for making these accommodations. Band Schedule 1 st period Beginning Clarinets Mr. Nohe 2 nd period Beginning High Brass Mrs. Hunt Beginning Saxophones Mr. Nohe 3 rd period Symphonic Band 4 th period Conference 5 th period Beginning Low Brass Mr. Sierra Beginning Flutes Mr. Chavira 6 th period Concert Band Beginning Percussion Mr. Hunt 7 th period Jazz Band Advanced Percussion Mr. Hunt

Ensembles Concert Band Review of basic skills, study of playing/ensemble skills, study of reading music, music theory, ear training, understanding conducting, syncopated rhythms, key signatures, major and chromatic scales, tone, intonation, characteristic sound, embouchure, hand and body position, alternate fingerings, sight-reading, and live performances. The ensemble usually performs for Feeder Pattern Night at Pebble Hills High School;; the Halloween Fine Arts Showcase;; additional concerts in December, March, and May;; SISD Concert and Sightreading Contest;; UIL Concert and Sightreading Contest;; and Solo and Ensemble. Symphonic Band Symphonic Band reviews all of the Concert Band materials, but at a higher level and faster pace. Minor differences include additional performances at assemblies, pep rallies, and community meetings at Pebble Hills High School. The Symphonic Band is often called on to perform on short notice and often serves as the public face of Sun Ridge M.S. student body at community events. The Symphonic Band is the most prestigious band program at Sun Ridge Middle School. Musicians in this band are required to display excellent musicianship, work ethic and responsibility. Jazz Band Jazz Band is an ensemble for extra enthusiastic 8 th grade students who want to participate in band for both of their electives. As they will be receiving most of their fundamental training in either Symphonic or Concert Bands, Jazz Band students primarily focus on learning a new style of music, and often perform at the SISD Jazz Festival in the spring. Many students learn a secondary instrument in this ensemble. Jazz band is for nerds. EACH AND EVERY STUDENT IS EXPECTED TO PRACTICE 20-40 MINUTES DAILY. THIS MUST BECOME ROUTINE IN ORDER FOR A STUDENT TO EXPERIENCE HIGH LEVELS OF SUCCESS. Instrumentation Instrument changes are occasionally necessary to create the proper overall sound and balance. Because even one student changing instruments can have a dramatic effect on the sound of the band as a whole, any and all instrument changes will only be permissible with the approval of the band directors. The following is an example of a 50 student band class with the proper instrumentation. These numbers are mildly variable. Woodwinds: 5 Flutes Brass: 6 Trumpets 1 Oboe 6 Horns in F ( French Horns ) 1 Bassoon 6 Trombones 10 B-flat Clarinets 3 Baritones 1 Bass Clarinet 2 Tubas 4 Saxophones 5 Percussion

Rules and Procedures Classroom Rules No food, drinks or gum in the band room Clean up after yourself Respect all equipment and people If you wouldn t do it in front of the principal or a priest, don t do it! Rehearsal Etiquette Be prepared with all materials Follow instructions the first time they are given Participate 100% of the time Remain silent Entering the Classroom Line up outside of the bandroom until a band director gives you instructions to enter Set up as quickly and silently as possible. Do not play your instrument until instructed to do so Disciplinary Action Disciplinary infractions will be recorded as they happen. Sporadic, minor infractions will be handled with a verbal warning. Repeated infractions will result in student-teacher conferences, parent contact, lunch/after-school detention, and at last resort, administrative referral. Any behavior involving defiance, insubordination, illegal substances, physical harm, or weapons, will result in an immediate administrative referral as per campus policy Instrument Storage Instrument storage procedures must be followed in order to keep instruments and the band room safe. Each student will have an assigned spot in the band room for their individual instrument. At school, instruments should be in the assigned storage area or with the student. Instruments should never be left in the hallway, cafeteria, library or another classroom. Instruments should never be left unattended. The band room will open at 7:00am unless band directors are absent or in a meeting. If the band room is not open, do not leave your instrument in the hallway outside the band room. Take your instrument with you until you have band class. Under no circumstances should instruments be left in the band room overnight. Instruments left at school cannot be practiced at home. Failure to take your instrument home will affect your daily grade. All instruments should be picked up by 3:45pm unless you are staying after school to practice. Although the band room will usually stay open later, prepare for the band room to close at 3:45pm. If you go home early for any reason, stop by the band room to pick up your instrument.

Before and After School Practice The band room will usually be open before and after school as a place for students to practice. Students should be practicing on their own instrument, following all band room procedures. Students are encouraged to use this time to get help from band directors and more advanced students. For the safety of our equipment, non-band students should not be in the band room. Non-band students have not learned how to handle band instruments and equipment. Kindly ask your non-band friends to wait in the hallway while you pick up or drop off your instrument.

Performance/ Concerts Attendance Directors reserve the right to hold students from any performance if they determine the student is not musically prepared or is unable to follow rules and procedures. Keep up with your music and follow our procedures so you are able to perform with your friends! Attendance is REQUIRED at all performances and all pre-scheduled rehearsals. An excused absence from a band function will require the same criteria as an excused absence from school-personal illness, death in the family, or family emergency. If you become ill during on the day of a performance, call the band room at (915) 937-6632 and leave a message if we are not available. Notice of performances will be given well in advance. If there is a conflict between a performance and another activity, written notice from the parent must be provided to the directors as soon as possible. Parties, church, practices, babysitting, and quinceañeras are not excuses to miss performances. You are part of a team. If you are missing, the whole team suffers. In addition, excuses for absences or tardiness must be submitted in WRITING with the parent of guardian s signature. If it involved a doctor s appointment, it is required that they provide official documents to the directors in order to excuse the zero. Directors may also excuse absences on a case-by-case basis. Remember to call BEFORE the absence and provide a note AFTER the absence. Concert Dress Proper attire contributes to our professional approach to performances. All parts of the uniform must be neat, clean and pressed. Directors reserve the right to keep students from performances if they are not wearing the appropriate attire. The embroidered Sun Ridge Band polo is still a usable dress shirt for less formal performances (school assemblies, pep rallies, community meetings, etc). The shirt will still be available for purchase later in the year. Concert and Symphonic Bands White button up shirt Black dress pants or long, black, ankle-length skirt Black, closed-toe dress shoes (no sneakers) Long black socks unless wearing flats or heels Beginning Band Khaki pants Black, closed-toe dress shoes (no sneakers) Band Shirt, tucked in

Eligibility If your 9 week grade in ANY class is below a 70, you will be denied performance privileges (except for end-of-9-week concerts) based on UIL eligibility regulations for three to nine weeks, pending improvement in your grades. Your grades have a direct influence on EVERY OTHER STUDENT IN THE BAND, and a single student has the potential to keep the entire band from performing well. We believe that all students should be able to pass their courses. If everyone implements the following suggestions, we can minimize the problem. 1. You are in class to do one thing, and that is to learn. This includes taking notes, following along with the text, asking questions, etc. This does not include talking, daydreaming, or anything that could cause you to miss material that is being covered. 2. Do all your homework and hand it in on time! 3. Prepare all tests and projects well in advance. This is exactly the same way you should prepare your band projects, such as All-Region, Solo/Ensemble, and UIL Contest. You wouldn t wait until the night before a performance to practice a solo for the first time, would you? By the same token, you cannot wait until the night before a test to begin studying. 4. ASK FOR HELP! If you are having grade problems that might affect your eligibility, the directors may be able to recommend tutoring for you, either from other students, or other teachers. Remember, others are depending on you, and continual bad grades affect your participation, and thus your growth and development in band. If at ANY time, you desire assistance, let us know, and we will try to find help for you. Students, you need to realize that your grades have the potential to hurt a lot of people. Make sure that you begin to take care of them from the first day of each and every grading period. Do not wait until you have dug yourself into a hole and received a failing grade. Do not put yourself in a position of letting the whole band down, as well as yourself and your family. PASS YOUR CLASSES! Grading Our campus grading policy will follow Socorro Independent School District policy. Our school policy will ensure that students are being assessed on their progress and that a sufficient number of grades are recorded to support the grade average assigned. 60% - Class participation, weekly playing assignment and demonstrating proper rehearsal technique 30% - Three test grade assignments or performances 10% - 9 Weeks Exam (usually a concert) Band is a co-curricular class and is factored into the overall GPA for promotion to 9th grade. Extra Credit will be given at least once every nine weeks. Assignments will consist of extra performance opportunities and pre-approved concert attendance.

Instrumental Rental Larger, more expensive instruments are generally not available for rent-to-own plans at local vendors. If your child will be playing oboe, bassoon, bass clarinet, baritone saxophone, horn, euphonium (baritone), or tuba, they will need to acquired their instrument from the school. Rental fees and district paperwork must be discussed with the students in person in order to rent the instrument. Please email or call the directors if you have concerns or questions regarding district instruments. Parents: How You Can Help 1. Daily practice is very important. a. Arrange and encourage daily practice sessions. Better results will occur if these practice sessions are set for a specific time each day. b. Provide a quiet place for practice. c. Provide a music stand and a metronome. d. NEVER use practice as a punishment. 2. Encourage weekly private lessons. Private lessons provide a student with extraindividualized instruction and are the quickest avenue to success. If you would like more information on private lessons, send a note to us at school through your child. 3. Show an interest in your child s schoolwork and musical activities. 4. Stress the importance of attending and being on time to extra rehearsals. 5. Discus with the directors anything that will help to better understand and better educate your child. We are here to help students. If you ever feel the need to speak to us about your child, feel free to contact us at work either by phone or email. 6. Notify the directors of any absences from performances or extra rehearsals PRIOR to the event. Remind 101 Remind 101 is a text messaging program that allows the directors to communicate with students and parents. This program will be used to send out reminders or last-minute changes. A record of all communication is kept via the Remind 101 app and email. In order to sign up, text your class code to the number 81010. Beginning Band Code: @BeginSRMS Concert Band Code: @ConcertSR Symphonic Band Code: @SymSRMS We encourage all students and parents to sign up for this service as it will help us all communicate efficiently.

Private Lessons All students are encouraged but not required to study with a qualified music instructor. Each student should have the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument to the highest degree of proficiency. Private lessons provide: The individual attention needed to progress quickly for improved tone, intonation, interpretation, and technique. Development of potential leadership in the band. Growth of the total band program. Greater motivation and enjoyment in music. Preparation of solo literature for Solo and Ensemble Festival. Preparation of etudes required for district All-Region auditions. Please call any of the music stores on the attached list. They can provide names of reputable local private instructors. Fund Raising The Sun Ridge Band Program has a very limited yearly budget. This leaves us with no alternative other than to fund-raise. Our goal is to raise $5000 average per year to pay for such things as sheet music, instruments, equipment, accessories, supplies, bus/travel fees, festival fees, clinician fees, etc. Students will be asked to help with the fund-raising as much as possible. Operation of our entire school year depends on successful fund-raisers. Financial Guidelines As of Socorro ISD prefers that any monies turned into the school be in the form of a check. This does NOT mean that cash will not be accepted, but that checks are highly preferred. This includes money turned in for our fundraisers, as well as payment for the Sun Ridge Band polos and PHHS Feeder Night tees. Whenever any payment is requested to the band program, please remit the check to Sun Ridge Middle School, and also include a driver s license number.

Required Band Materials Beginning Instruments Instrument two sharpened or mechanical pencils Required sheet music and method book Folding stand for home practice and outdoor performances Concert Band Instrument two sharpened or mechanical pencils Required sheet music and method book Chromatic Tuner/metronome Folding stand for home practice and outdoor performances Standard of Excellence Book 1 (for your instrument) Symphonic Band Instrument two sharpened or mechanical pencils Required sheet music and method book Chromatic Tuner/metronome Folding stand for home practice and outdoor performances Standard of Excellence Book 1 (for your instrument) In addition to the required ensemble materials, students must also have the following instrument-specific materials: Woodwinds At least 4 working reeds at all times (except for flutes) Swabs Cork grease Cleaning cloth Brass Mouthpiece brush Snake Cleaning cloth Valve oil (except for trombones) Slide grease (except for trombones) Slide cream (trombones only) Most of these materials are sold as a pack at local music stores.

All Percussion The following need to be purchased at STEVEWEISSMUSIC.COM o Liberty I Basic Stick Pack (SW- Stickpack) Includes: 1 pair of Vic Firth SD1 Concert Snare Drumsticks 1 pair of the Liberty I Timpani Mallets 1 pair of the Liberty I Xylophone Mallets 1 pair of the Liberty I Marimba Mallets Liberty I SW-02S Basic Stick Bag o Simple Steps to Successful Beginning Percussion by Kennan Wylie o Any inexpensive metronome Beginning Percussion Rent a set of bells and practice pad from one of the listed music stores Advanced Percussion RealFeel by Evans Practice Pad, 6 Inch Single sided

El Paso Music Stores Stop by any of the following music stores for your music supplies or instrument rental. Please call ahead to make sure the item you need is available. VERY IMPORTANT: Please purchase/rent your instrument from a dedicated music equipment store, such as the listed stores. These companies only sell QUALITY instruments that are durable and reliable (with proper care and maintenance). Furthermore, these stores will almost always provide you with a VERY reasonable payment plan within a rent-to-own plan. Please do NOT purchase the instruments sold online, Wal-Mart, Sam s Club, Target or Pawn Shops. The instruments are not good quality and WILL break. Supplies other than instruments can be purchased online but we highly encourage visiting our local music stores. Bertie s Music (Pellicano and Lomaland) 1407 Lomaland Drive #101 (915) 581-7505 Open 10am - 6pm (5pm on Fridays) Closed Sundays Olivas Music - East Side (Rojas and Zaragoza) 1320 N. Zaragoza Rd (915) 858-6700 Open 10am - 6pm (5pm on Fridays) Closed Sundays White s Music Box - East Side (near Pendale across from Big 8) 1475 George Dieter Dr #D (915) 525-9052 White s Music Box - West Side Colony Cove I, 7040 N Mesa St # M (915) 833-0909 Olivas Music - Westside 125 Thunderbird, Suite H (915) 833-0346 Open 10am - 6pm (5pm on Fridays) Closed Sundays