Dear band parents,
This is Justin Dickson, band director at Hawley Middle School. Every week I will send out a message like this to communicate what is happening this week in band class, upcoming events, and other announcements.
MONDAY AND TUESDAY
On Monday and Tuesday, I will be in Winston-Salem for the North Carolina Music Educators Association 2017 conference. However, we are very fortunate to have Mrs. Susan Shell, who was the chorus director at Hawley for 20+ years, available as a substitute teacher. So your kids will have their normal band rehearsal for these two days.
I have been attending this conference every year, and I am proud to tell you that this year I was asked to present a session on using technology in a music classroom. So I get to show other music teachers from around the state all the ways that we use technology in our band room to make it easier and more fun to learn. I am proud to represent our school, our county, and our band program at this conference.
CONCERT DRESS CODE
Just a reminder that students wear formal black & white dress for our concerts. Santa hats are optional for the December concert too. For details about the dress code, please refer to our course syllabus on the Documents page of my website www.JustinDickson.com/Band
IN THE BAND ROOM THIS WEEK
6th Grade will continue working through Chapter 5, in which we learn how to count and play 8th notes. Our next test will be #5.05, "Jolly Old St. Nicholas". I will make a video to help your child practice when I get back from the conference. Practice help videos are on www.youtube.com/HawleyBandRoom
7th Grade will start learning our fourth concert piece, "Mystery Ride", this week. We will also test on "Bumpy Sleigh Ride", so please make sure your child has studied / practiced their notes.
8th Grade will rehearse the two pieces we have been learning, and start learning our third piece, "Hark The Herald Tubas Sing". We will do playing tests on this material after the Thanksgiving break, so please make sure your child has studied / practiced their notes.
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OLD BUT STILL RELEVANT INFO
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PLEASE SIGN UP FOR TEXT ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you have not already done so, please sign up to receive text message announcements from me via the Remind app. You do not have to download the app. Just sent a text message to phone number 81010 , and the text message should say...
... @HawleyBa17 for sixth grade
... @HawleyBa16 for seventh grade
... @HawleyBa15 for eighth grade
TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE LEARNING EASIER
By now, most of you know that I designed a free mobile app for my students called Bandmate Chromatic Tuner (www.bandmatetuner.com). I highly recommend that you download it, or that your child downloads it on their phone / tablet if they have one, because it makes it so much easier for kids to learn their notes while they are practicing at home.
Students are allowed to use it in band class, too. In fact, I highly encourage it. If you would like your child to use it in class, I recommend you purchase the Peterson PitchGrabber pickup: https://www.amazon.com/Peterson-PitchGrabber-Mobile-Tuner/dp/B014L9CCHO/
This is like a microphone that will only "hear" your instrument, so you can use the Bandmate app in class while other people are playing their instruments beside you.
The Bandmate Tuner app is a big deal because it gives personal feedback to students while they learn. It lets students see what note they are playing, so that they can check for themselves if they are playing the right note or not. It has made it so much easier for my students to learn, and people all around the world have discovered it and are using it in their own music programs. In fact I expect it will hit 1 million downloads by October.
FLUTES, CLARINETS, AND SAXOPHONES NEED A SWAB
If your child plays a woodwind instrument (flute, clarinet, or saxophone), they need a swab so they can clean out their instrument every day before putting it back in the case. You can order one from Hills Music Shop if you do not have one.
If woodwinds are stored in the case without swabbing, moisture causes the pads under the keys to wrinkle and be ruined. This costs $100-200 to fix, depending on the extent of the damage. A swab costs $5. Please make sure your child has a swab.
FACEBOOK
Our band program has a Facebook page. You can "like" it here: www.facebook.com/HawleyBandRoom
CONCERT CALENDAR
October 26, 6:30, 8th grade only, at Hawley
December 12, 7:00, 6th grade only, at Hawley
December 15, 7:00, 7th and 8th grade, at SGHS audition
March 8, 7:00, 8th grade only, at SGHS auditorium
May 17, 7:00, 6th grade only, at SGHS auditorium
May 18, 7:00, 7th and 8th grade, at SGHS auditorium