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.
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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...
... @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