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.
FUNDRAISER!
We are doing our annual Donations Drive fundraiser. It will be due by February 14. Students will receive papers in class with all the details, and you can also see/print the papers here:
www.justindickson.com/justindickson/band/stuff/band-fundraiser-2018.pdf
As I explained in that letter, band programs are expensive, and we did not even receive enough funding from the county to buy all of our concert music. If we all contribute what we can, we can do something incredible. Thank you so much for your support!
Here are a few things we will purchase with this $$ to make our band program better:
- Buying new concert music to play.
- New timpani drums. Ours may be 30 years old and no longer work, even though we have tried to get them professionally repaired. It's time. We need a 26" ($1769.99) and a 29" ($1819.99).
- Additional shelving units for the band room ($80 each). We have many instruments stacked on the floor because we do not have enough storage shelves for everyone.
- A class set of Peterson Pitchgrabber pickups ($15 each, x 30).
U.N.C.G. SUMMER MUSIC CAMP
Registration for the UNC-Greensboro Summer Music Camp will be open soon, possibly this week depending on the age of your child. Here is the website: https://www.smcamp.
Last year, we had several of our students attend this camp and they had an incredible experience. I went when I was a kid, too, and I got so much out of it that I later decided to go to UNCG to get my music education degree. I highly, highly recommend it. And no, the dates do not conflict with SGHS marching band. See that website for more details.
This is the most popular summer music camp in the entire country. Kids come from all over the country just to be a part of it, and we are fortunate enough to have it one hour away. Spots do fill up quickly, so jump on the registration on the day it is available.
8th GRADE PERFORMANCE AT THE CAROWINDS FESTIVAL OF MUSIC!
8th grade band only. In case anyone needs it again, here is the paper with all of the information about the Carowinds Festival of Music event: http://www.justindickson.com/band/stuff/carowinds-letter.pdf
And here is the Medical release & permission form in case your child still has not turned it in: http://www.justindickson.com/band/stuff/carowinds-permission.pdf
IN THE BAND ROOM THIS WEEK
Hey, we are going to get two whole weeks without snow! How about that?
6th grade is working through Chapter 6, in which we have learned a new note and how to play dotted-half notes. Our test on this material will be #6.05, "Jurassic Park." This melody is pretty difficult, so please encourage your child to practice every day. I made an instructional video to help them practice on www.Youtube.com/HawleyBandRoom
7th grade is learning how to play new high notes and building their strength / endurance to play those notes consistently. We are using our Fundamentals routine, and learning melodies that use these high notes in Chapter 15. Our test this week will be #15.01, which is "Twinkle Twinkle" but in a higher key so students have to use their new high notes. Students who are struggling with these high notes should repeat Fundamentals #9 ten times, and then rest for at least five minutes. This will help build their strength.
8th grade will start on a new piece of concert music this week, a march written by our friend James Swearingen. We will perform this piece at our next concert (March 8) and at Carowinds. We will also continue working on As Twilight Falls, the piece we began learning last week. We will test on this material, so please make sure your child is practicing at home and knows their part. The more everyone practices and does their part, the more music we will be able to learn, and time is a factor because we lost two weeks to the snow.
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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.
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