20180429

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.


MORE 5th GRADER INSTRUMENT TRYOUT NIGHTS
     We have scheduled more "Band Parent Meeting and Instrument Tryout Nights" for incoming 5th graders for  May 14 and May 21 at 6:00pm.  Our original dates got snowed out.  Please help me spread the word to any 5th graders who may be coming to Hawley next year.  Thank you!


7th GRADERS CAN DO MARCHING BAND AT S.G.H.S. NEXT YEAR!

     Dear 7th grade band parents, next year, your child is eligible to be a member of the South Granville High School Marching Band as an 8th grader.  This is something that Mr. Maston (the band director at SGHS) has allowed for several years, and it is a great opportunity for our talented students.  

     Your child will need a ride from Hawley to SGHS after school, because they will be expected to attend all after school practices, as well as the home football games, parades, and Saturday band competitions.  This year, several of our 8th graders arranged a car pool with each other, so that is an option too.

      If you are interested, your child should attend the "Rookie Band Camp" at SGHS May 21-24 from 4:00-6:30.  This is not a commitment, this is not you signing up for marching band.  Think of it like how our athletic teams have "open practices" before tryouts.  Your child will get to know Mr. Maston and the student leaders in the band, they will be taught the basic skills of marching, and then they can decide if this is something they want to do next year.

      The 8th graders who take advantage of this opportunity quickly become the best musicians in our band program every year.  They learn so much and develop their skills on their instrument from playing next to the high school students, and the high school students go out of their way to help and teach the "rookies" everything they can.  The SGHS marching band has an incredibly positive, nurturing student culture that way.  I hope you will consider allowing your child to be a part of this award-winning band of dedicated, fun, caring, hard-working student musicians.  

      Feel free to contact Mr. Maston with any questions at MastonBM@gcs.k12.nc.us

CALENDAR FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR

     I sent this out last week, but here it is again:  http://hawleyband.blogspot.com/2018/04/20180426.html

E.O.G. PROCTORS NEEDED

     Speaking of the end-of-grade exams, our school needs many volunteers to proctor the exams.  If you are willing to help, even for just one day, please call the school at 919-528-0091.  Thank you!

IN THE BAND ROOM THIS WEEK
     6th grade will have a test this week on the "Shaker Hymn" piece that we have been learning for their upcoming concert.  Our concert is three weeks away, so we will spend the rest of our class time getting ready for that.  We also have a special fourth piece for our concert in the works, but I don't want to say too much about it yet.

     7th grade will focus mainly on music for our upcoming concert this week.  We will do a lot of recording and evaluating in class, so we can see what issues we need to address in order to make these pieces "performance ready".  Students who have not passed off their previous playing tests can do it in class, they just need to tell me when they are ready.  Please encourage them to practice at home so they are prepared.

     8th grade has two weeks before the Carowinds Festival of Music, so of course we will focus heavily on that music this week.  We will also have a playing test on the new version of "Fundamentals For 8th Grade Band" exercise #3, which is a basic scale study in three different keys.  Please make sure your child has practiced and is prepared to take this test in class, as taking it before school is no longer possible due to my morning duty. 

     Jazz Band will keep working on "These Foolish Things" and "Autumn Leaves" this week.  We will mainly focus on AL.  I wrote a few new solos for it, so we need to see who wants to play them.

===========================
OLD BUT STILL RELEVANT INFO 
===========================

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...
     ... @HawleyBa18 for fifth grade, next year's sixth grade
     ... @HawleyBa17 for sixth grade
     ... @HawleyBa16 for seventh grade
     ... @HawleyBa15 for eighth grade

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

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. 
     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.  


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

9th GRADE BAND REGISTRATION
     Yes, it's already time for our 8th graders to start thinking about their 9th grade class registration!  Mr. Maston and I put together a document to help you understand which band classes are available to you at SGHS next year.  Just go to the "SGHS" page on my website (click here), and click on "Information about 9th grade band registration".


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 12, 8th grade only, Carowinds Festival of MusicMay 17, 7:00, 6th grade only, at SGHS auditorium
May 18, 7:00, 7th and 8th grade, at SGHS auditorium

20180426

CALENDAR FOR MAY AND JUNE

Dear Band Parents,
It is about to get very busy as we approach the end of the year, so I put together this master calendar of all band-related events. The best way to stay in touch is to receive the text message announcements I send every week through the Remind app. You do not need to download the app in order to receive the messages, you only need to text the code for your child’s class on your cell phone.
Just sent a text message to phone number 81010 , and the text message should say... ... @HawleyBa18 for fifth grade, next year's sixth grade ... @HawleyBa17 for sixth grade ... @HawleyBa16 for seventh grade ... @HawleyBa15 for eighth grade ... @HawleyJazz for jazz band

WHEN	WHO	WHAT
May 10	Jazz	Spring athletic awards banquet, at Hawley. Be there at 5:30, we will start playing at 5:45. Dress nicely -- boys wear a collared shirt, etc.
May 12	8th	Carowinds Festival of Music. Meet in the Hawley band room at 8:00. Blue band t-shirts.
May 14	5th	Band parent orientation meeting and instrument tryout night for rising 5th graders. 6:00pm in the cafeteria.
May 14	Jazz	Hawley Night Of The Arts. Jazz band will play for 30 minutes. Details TBA. Blue band t-shirts.
May 17	6th	Spring concert. At South Granville High School. Be seated by 6:45, formal black & white dress.
May 18	7th, 8th, Jazz	Spring concert. At South Granville High School. Be seated by 6:30, formal black & white dress.
May 21	5th	Band parent orientation meeting and instrument tryout night for rising 5th graders. 6:00pm in the cafeteria.
May 21-24	7th, 8th	Rookie Camp for students interested in marching band at SGHS next year. 4:00-6:30 at SGHS. Percussion auditions will also happen here.
May 21-25	7th	Auditions for next year's Jazz Band and Football Pep Band. We will do this during class time.

20180422

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.


MORE 5th GRADER INSTRUMENT TRYOUT NIGHTS
     We have scheduled more "Band Parent Meeting and Instrument Tryout Nights" for incoming 5th graders for  May 14 and May 21 at 6:00pm.  Our original dates got snowed out.  Please help me spread the word to any 5th graders who may be coming to Hawley next year.  Thank you!


7th GRADERS CAN DO MARCHING BAND AT S.G.H.S. NEXT YEAR!

     Dear 7th grade band parents, next year, your child is eligible to be a member of the South Granville High School Marching Band as an 8th grader.  This is something that Mr. Maston (the band director at SGHS) has allowed for several years, and it is a great opportunity for our talented students.  

     Your child will need a ride from Hawley to SGHS after school, because they will be expected to attend all after school practices, as well as the home football games, parades, and Saturday band competitions.  This year, several of our 8th graders arranged a car pool with each other, so that is an option too.

      If you are interested, your child should attend the "Rookie Band Camp" at SGHS May 21-24 from 4:00-6:30.  This is not a commitment, this is not you signing up for marching band.  Think of it like how our athletic teams have "open practices" before tryouts.  Your child will get to know Mr. Maston and the student leaders in the band, they will be taught the basic skills of marching, and then they can decide if this is something they want to do next year.

      The 8th graders who take advantage of this opportunity quickly become the best musicians in our band program every year.  They learn so much and develop their skills on their instrument from playing next to the high school students, and the high school students go out of their way to help and teach the "rookies" everything they can.  The SGHS marching band has an incredibly positive, nurturing student culture that way.  I hope you will consider allowing your child to be a part of this award-winning band of dedicated, fun, caring, hard-working student musicians.  

      Feel free to contact Mr. Maston with any questions at MastonBM@gcs.k12.nc.us

YES, PARENTS CAN COME TO CAROWINDS.  PLEASE DO!
     8th grade trip to the Carowinds Festival of Music is Saturday, May 12.  Some parents have asked me if they can join us.  YES!  Of course, we would love to have you!  In fact, the bigger audience we have cheering us on, the better!  There is no additional $$ cost to attend the performance, you only need to buy the regular admission ticket into the Carowinds park like every regular person who is going to Carowinds that day to ride the rides etc.  You can just buy your ticket at the gate.  You may be able to buy tickets ahead of time online, too.  

JAZZ BAND SCHEDULE

     Here is a list of everything the Jazz Band is doing for the rest of the year:  http://hawleyband.blogspot.com/2018/04/20180419_19.html


MAKING UP TESTS IN THE MORNING

     My morning duty assignment has changed so I am in the cafeteria and then monitoring the hallway from 8:00-8:30.  As a result, I am not able to hear playing tests before school starts.  I also cannot hear them at 8:30 because first core class starts at that time, and students need to be in their core classes.  I cannot expect students to come make up work during other teachers' instructional time, and the almighty EOG exams are coming up so students really need to maximize their core class time.

      My recommendation is that students practice / study ahead of time so they are prepared to pass their test in class, so they don't have to worry about making it up.

E.O.G. PROCTORS NEEDED

     Speaking of the end-of-grade exams, our school needs many volunteers to proctor the exams.  If you are willing to help, even for just one day, please call the school at 919-528-0091.  Thank you!

IN THE BAND ROOM THIS WEEK
     6th grade will continue working on their third piece of concert music, "A Shaker Hymn".  Our goal is to be able to play this by the end of the week.  If your child did not pass off their playing test from last week on "Caribbean Delight," please make sure they are practicing at home and they can tell me when they are ready to try again any day.

     7th grade will take a break for a few days from our concert music, and explore some other material.  They are ahead of schedule with their concert preparation, and I do not want to get bogged down in monotony.  I am going to throw some Pep Band stuff at them, and maybe they can start to consider playing in our football pep band next year.  I will do the same thing with some Jazz Band music.  If your child did not pass off their playing test from last week on "Long Day's Journey," please make sure they are practicing at home and they can tell me when they are ready to try again any day.

     8th grade will learn a new piece for our upcoming concert this week.  And of course we will also continue "polishing" the other concert & Carowinds Festival music.  

     Jazz Band will keep working on "These Foolish Things" and "Autumn Leaves" this week.  AL is a new one I just finished this weekend, but I have not written many solos for it yet.  I will try to write a solo for everyone who wants one by the end of the week.  Practice, practice, practice!

===========================
OLD BUT STILL RELEVANT INFO 
===========================

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...
     ... @HawleyBa18 for fifth grade, next year's sixth grade
     ... @HawleyBa17 for sixth grade
     ... @HawleyBa16 for seventh grade
     ... @HawleyBa15 for eighth grade

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

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. 
     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.  


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

9th GRADE BAND REGISTRATION
     Yes, it's already time for our 8th graders to start thinking about their 9th grade class registration!  Mr. Maston and I put together a document to help you understand which band classes are available to you at SGHS next year.  Just go to the "SGHS" page on my website (click here), and click on "Information about 9th grade band registration".


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 12, 8th grade only, Carowinds Festival of MusicMay 17, 7:00, 6th grade only, at SGHS auditorium
May 18, 7:00, 7th and 8th grade, at SGHS auditorium

20180419

Dear Jazz Band band parents,
Our jazz band has been asked to play at school functions and community events in May & June, so I thought an aggregate list would be helpful.  Here is what we have lined up:

    ♫ May 10: Spring athletic awards banquet, at Hawley.  Be there at 5:30, we will start playing at 5:45.  Dress nicely -- boys wear a collared shirt, etc.

♫ May 14:  Hawley night of the arts.  The event is from 4:00-6:00 but we will only play for about half an hour.  I will send out a Remind text message when I know the details.  Blue band t-shirts.

♫ May 18:  Spring band concert.  Jazz band will be first to perform at 7:00pm.  Black & white dress.

♫ June 9:  Community fun day event at Creedmoor United Methodist Church.  I am still waiting for the details about this, but please save the date.  We will wear our blue band t-shirts.

If you are not receiving the text message announcements for Jazz Band, please text the message @HAWLEYJAZZ to phone number 81010

20180418

Dear 7th grade band parents,

Next year, your child is eligible to be a member of the South Granville High School Marching Band as an 8th grader.  This is something that Mr. Maston (the band director at SGHS) has allowed for several years, and it is a great opportunity for our talented students.  

Your child will need a ride from Hawley to SGHS after school, because they will be expected to attend all after school practices, as well as the home football games, parades, and Saturday band competitions.  This year, several of our 8th graders arranged a car pool with each other, so that is an option too.

If you are interested, your child should attend the "Rookie Band Camp" at SGHS May 21-24 from 4:00-6:00.  This is not a commitment, this is not you signing up for marching band.  Think of it like how our athletic teams have "open practices" before tryouts.  Your child will get to know Mr. Maston and the student leaders in the band, they will be taught the basic skills of marching, and then they can decide if this is something they want to do next year.

The 8th graders who take advantage of this opportunity quickly become the best musicians in our band program every year.  They learn so much and develop their skills on their instrument from playing next to the high school students, and the high school students go out of their way to help and teach the "rookies" everything they can.  The SGHS marching band has an incredibly positive, nurturing student culture that way.  I hope you will consider allowing your child to be a part of this award-winning band of dedicated, fun, caring, hard-working student musicians.  

Feel free to contact Mr. Maston with any questions at MastonBM@gcs.k12.nc.us

20180416

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.
     Sorry for the delay.  I became preoccupied with the tornado watch last night.


MORE 5th GRADER INSTRUMENT TRYOUT NIGHTS
     We have scheduled more "Band Parent Meeting and Instrument Tryout Nights" for incoming 5th graders for  May 14 and May 21 at 6:00pm.  Our original dates got snowed out.  Please help me spread the word to any 5th graders who may be coming to Hawley next year.  Thank you!


JAZZ BAND WAS SWINGING ON SATURDAY
     Congratulations to our 8th grade Jazz Band for a great show on Saturday at the Fun Run 5K in Creedmoor.  We were "the entertainment" for the meal and carnival after the 5K, and everyone sounded great.  This was the first time these students have performed in this sort of context, being the side entertainment for the public instead of the feature at a concert for just our parents, and I hope they found it exciting and rewarding.  Playing music for strangers is fun, and you can do it for the rest of your life if you want to.


YES, PARENTS CAN COME TO CAROWINDS.  PLEASE DO!
     8th grade trip to the Carowinds Festival of Music is Saturday, May 12.  Some parents have asked me if they can join us.  YES!  Of course, we would love to have you!  In fact, the bigger audience we have cheering us on, the better!  There is no additional $$ cost to attend the performance, you only need to buy the regular admission ticket into the Carowinds park like every regular person who is going to Carowinds that day to ride the rides etc.  You can just buy your ticket at the gate.  You may be able to buy tickets ahead of time online, too.  


IN THE BAND ROOM THIS WEEK
     6th grade will have a playing test on their second piece of music, "Caribbean Delight" by Victor Lopez, this week.  We will also start working on our third song for the concert.  We may add a fourth concert piece next week, but I am a quality over quantity guy so we will see how things go.  

     7th grade will have a playing test on their fourth and final piece for the concert, "Long Day's Journey" by our friend James Swearingen, this week.  We will also spend the week rehearsing all four of our concert pieces, getting them good to go.  We have several weeks remaining for concert preparation, so we will mix in lessons on other material every few days.

     8th grade will have a playing test on the fourth movement to the "Ocean Voyage" piece this week.  This test must be passed no later than next Wednesday.  We are entering into our final push towards the Carowinds Festival of Music, so we will be rehearsing that music heavily.  From time to time we will mix in lessons on other material so that things don't get too monotonous.  

     Jazz Band will start working on some new pieces this week.  I would like to learn a ballad, and I will let the kids listen to my previous arrangements of "I Can't Get Started" and "These Foolish Things" to see which one they would like to do.  I am also working on a new arrangement of "Autumn Leaves", which we will work on this week also.  Writing music is a trial-and-error process of writing, rehearsing, figuring out what worked and what sounded bad, re-writing, rinse and repeat.  I enjoy the creative process and I hope the kids enjoy being a part of it too, because the music gets better with their input.


===========================
OLD BUT STILL RELEVANT INFO 
===========================

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...
     ... @HawleyBa18 for fifth grade, next year's sixth grade
     ... @HawleyBa17 for sixth grade
     ... @HawleyBa16 for seventh grade
     ... @HawleyBa15 for eighth grade

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

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. 
     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.  


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

9th GRADE BAND REGISTRATION
     Yes, it's already time for our 8th graders to start thinking about their 9th grade class registration!  Mr. Maston and I put together a document to help you understand which band classes are available to you at SGHS next year.  Just go to the "SGHS" page on my website (click here), and click on "Information about 9th grade band registration".


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 12, 8th grade only, Carowinds Festival of MusicMay 17, 7:00, 6th grade only, at SGHS auditorium
May 18, 7:00, 7th and 8th grade, at SGHS auditorium

20180308

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.
     We are in the final "push" towards our end-of-the-year concerts!  Here's the plan...

8TH GRADE $94 FOR CAROWINDS IS DUE WEDNESDAY
     Checks may be written to "Hawley Middle School".  I have to order the tickets this week.  If you ordered a blue band t-shirt last week, it should be here this week.


IN THE BAND ROOM THIS WEEK
     6th grade will work on their second piece of music, which I handed out last week, "Caribbean Delight" by Victor Lopez.  Our goal is to be able to play it completely by the end of the week, and we will have a playing test on it next week.  Then we will add at least one more (hopefully two more, time permitting) song for the concert.

     7th grade will start learning their fourth and final piece for the concert, "Long Day's Journey" by our friend James Swearingen.  Our goal is to be able to play it by the end of April.  We will also have a playing test this week on the Chromatic Scale that we recently added to our Fundamentals routine.

     8th grade will learn the fourth movement to the "Ocean Voyage" piece that we performed at our last concert.  As you may remember, we only had time to learn the first three movements thanks to the many snow days.  We will add the fourth movement and give an even better performance of this piece in May.  Expect a playing test on this piece next week.

     Jazz Band has their performance at the "Fun Run" this Saturday, April 14.  We will learn one more quick song this week, maybe "Bye Bye Blackbird", and get organized for the performance.  ***I may need some help transporting the drum set.  If you can pick it up on Friday and bring it on Saturday, please let me know ASAP.***


===========================
OLD BUT STILL RELEVANT INFO 
===========================


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...
     ... @HawleyBa18 for fifth grade, next year's sixth grade
     ... @HawleyBa17 for sixth grade
     ... @HawleyBa16 for seventh grade
     ... @HawleyBa15 for eighth grade

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

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. 
     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.  


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

9th GRADE BAND REGISTRATION
     Yes, it's already time for our 8th graders to start thinking about their 9th grade class registration!  Mr. Maston and I put together a document to help you understand which band classes are available to you at SGHS next year.  Just go to the "SGHS" page on my website (click here), and click on "Information about 9th grade band registration".


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 12, 8th grade only, Carowinds Festival of MusicMay 17, 7:00, 6th grade only, at SGHS auditorium
May 18, 7:00, 7th and 8th grade, at SGHS auditorium