This is your weekly MUSIC DEPARTMENT update!
Hello Folks!
It's October! You know what that means?
It also means it is the last month of Marching Band! Seniors, have you started thinking about your senior speeches? 🤔
It's Officially competition season for Marching Band! This means I need to remind you of the following:
There are 7 rehearsals remaining until Music Performance Assessment. You need to be present.
YOU NEED TO BE PRESENT.
Your presence makes a difference at these rehearsals, people. We want to be really polished so that we can earn our desired ratings at MPA. This is only possible if we are present to get the job done.
Some other things:
In ADDITION to being present, we all need to be more detail- oriented. It will be the individuals that tear us down more than the whole. If each of us are pillars to hold up a building, then each pillar must be STRONG or else we all become WEAK.
I also want to remind everyone to be selfless. We are tending more and more to make everything about ourselves. That is, many individuals are being selfish about their band experience instead of putting everything through the context of the bigger picture. We will be talking about this more this week, but here's a quote from TikTok:
"I say this with love, I swear. NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT YOU. If you would stop making everything about you, your feelings would stop getting hurt every two to three business days and your heart would not be hardening like old clay every week."
I've been sounding the alarm on selfishness for a long time now, but this is the kind of selfishness I'm talking about. A LOT of you aren't being honest with yourselves about the intentions behind your motives. If we are actually going to make sacrifices, the sacrifices have to be in the best interest of the band (something bigger than one's self) not just you; otherwise, it's not a true sacrifice! And if you think this message isn't for you, you probably need to read all that again three more times.
Senior Wills
Seniors, each year, a publication of the Senior Wills goes out for students to read on the bus ride to MPA. You should submit your Senior Will using the link on the band app (or the link HERE). You can leave funny or meaningful things to any student or staff member in the band. What you bequeath does not have to be a real item—it can be a joke, or a sort role you played in the band (ie. The math wiz, or the comedian).
Playing Tests this Week
Wind Ensemble:
Chair Tests begin the Week of October 17th! To Include:
Major Scales: G, C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db (performed within 2 minutes) (Can be found HERE)
Chromatic Scale
North Florida Honor Band Prepared Piece (Printed and can be found in the hallway OR in the Music Folder HERE)
Dot Book Check this week-- Movements 3 & 4 (No Dot Book? Buy another one from my office [limited supply] or HERE-- either way is $15.00)
Symphonic Band:
Percussion:
Chorus:
Countdowns
Weekly Walkthrough
Monday, there is a Flute Sectional from 2:30pm to 4pm
Tuesday, there is a Woodwind Sectional from 2:45pm to 3:45pm. We also have an After School Rehearsal from 4pm to 7pm. Professor Chris Creswell will be joining us for rehearsal! The Band Booster meeting will begin at 6:30pm today and will be held at the Dairy Queen.
Wednesday, there are no activities scheduled.
Thursday, from 3pm to 4pm (before marching rehearsal) we will have a joint Rookie Night Rehearsal for 8th graders to come and learn stands tunes with us in prep for Rookie Night on 10/20. I need all winds and percussion there and with a good attitude. There is a relatively large number of 8th graders (to the tune of 50+) and there was high interest in Rookie Night when I went over to advertise for it. We need to get each of them in band next year, so it’s important that this is a positive experience for them. We also have an After School Rehearsal from 4pm to 7pm.
Friday, we have HOME vs. Munroe HS. For attire we will wear Wildcat Gear (unless our band shirts have come in) and Blue Jeans. I'm trying to get uniforms cleaned so they can be fresh for Saturday. We will perform our halftime show. We will be fed.
Saturday, we have our first competition at Tocoi Creek HS. Check the itinerary for details.
Leadership Meeting Info
-No Regular Meeting this Week-
Reading: Everyone needs to read Mortars 9- The Apex.
Please communicate matter you want to discuss with the QM BEFORE the day of the meeting so we can discuss it altogether. This just helps everything run more smoothly.
October at- a- glance
Events:
Leadership Meeting – September 28th- 2:45pm- 3:30pm
Band Booster Meeting (at Dairy Queen) – October 3rd- 6:30pm
Homecoming Week – October 9th- 13th
Jazz Chair Tests – October 9th- 13th
Leadership Meeting – October 10th- 2:45pm- 3:30pm
Teacher's Planning Day – October 16th
Wind Ensemble Chair Tests – October 17th- 20th
Leadership Meeting – October 19th- 2:45pm- 3:30pm
Baker County Fair Fundraiser – October 23rd- 29th
Leadership Meeting – October 26th- 2:45pm- 3:30pm
Leadership Meeting – November 2nd- 2:45pm- 3:30pm
Rehearsals:
Flute Sectional – October 2nd- 2:30pm- 4pm
Woodwind Sectional – October 3rd- 2:45pm-3:45pm
After School Rehearsal (Professor Creswell Joins Us!) – October 3rd- 4pm- 7pm
Rookie Night Rehearsal – October 5th- 3pm- 4pm
After School Rehearsal – October 5th- 4pm- 7pm
After School Rehearsal – October 10th- 4pm- 7pm
Woodwind Sectional – October 17th- 2:45pm-3:45pm
After School Rehearsal – October 17th- 4pm- 7pm
After School Rehearsal – October 19th- 4pm- 7pm
After School Rehearsal – October 24th- 4pm- 7pm
After School Rehearsal – October 26th- 4pm- 7pm
Wind Ensemble Rehearsal – November 2nd- 4pm- 6pm
Performances:
HOME vs. Munroe HS – October 6th- 4pm
Show Day! @ Tocoi Creek HS (Link to Itinerary)– October 7th- 1:30pm
BCHS Homecoming Parade – October 12th- 4pm @ Old Courthouse (Corner of E Shuey Ave and S Second St)
HOME vs. Yulee HS – October 13th- 4pm
Show Day! @ Fleming Island HS (Link to Itinerary)– October 14th- 9am
HOME vs. Jackson HS (Rookie Night/ Senior Night) – October 20th- 4pm
Things to Note 🎵:
FSU Prism Concert
Information/ Permission slips for FSU Prism Concert on Thursday, November 30th can be found on the bottom box of my door.
There are 50 available spots. Spots are first come first served. You must turn in monies and form at the same time.
Price is $85 per student. Includes Ticket, Charter Bus, and Dinner on campus at FSU. Price remains the same even if a chaperone does not ride the bus or do seminole dining.
Go Noles!
FSU Band Day
FSU Band Day (A separate event from FSU Prism Concert) is Saturday, November 18th.
FSU Band Day is different from UF Band Day in that there will not be any element of performance, but you will get to watch the FSU Band and go to an FSU Football Game (vs. North Alabama). It's a good time!
Like UF Band Day, to sign up to go to FSU Band Day, you will need to pay a $20 Commitment Fee to the band. We have 80 spots available, that are first come first served. Everyone in the band could go!
THIS LINK is where an itinerary will eventually be posted. Itinerary will be posted whenever the time for the game is released by athletics.
Student Meals @ Home FB Games
Parents/Students-- This year we are offering student meals for $5. These meals will include either a hot dog or a hamburger, chips and a drink. We wanted to try something new this season, in the past some students weren't able to get food because the concession lines were so long that they would be late getting back to the stands. We are pre-selling these meals until noon the day of the game. You may prepay for a meal by going to the band website bakercountybands.org/events. If you go to the website to order make sure you are purchasing under the high school band.
You will have the choice to buy a ticket for a meal for each game if you would like. Unfortunately, you will have to purchase each game meal individually. Each week, we will have a list of the students that have purchased meals and pack them up and deliver them to the stands during 3rd quarter. Each week I will put out a reminder to give everyone a chance to purchase a meal. Students, if you purchase a meal, please make sure you send me a message or leave a comment on the reminder of what you would like to have as your drink. If you have any questions please reach out.
After School Activities this Week:
Monday
Flute Sectional – 2:30pm- 4pm
Tuesday
Woodwind Sectional – 2:45pm-3:45pm
After School Rehearsal (Professor Creswell Joins Us!) – 4pm- 7pm
Wednesday
No Activities Scheduled
Thursday
Rookie Night Rehearsal – 3pm- 4pm
After School Rehearsal – 4pm- 7pm
Band Booster Meeting (at Dairy Queen) – 6:30pm
Friday
HOME vs. Munroe HS – October 6th- 4pm
Saturday
Show Day! @ Tocoi Creek HS (Link to Itinerary)– 1:30pm
Birthday Announcements!
By the way, I base birthday announcements on what I can see on the Band App, so if you would like to be recognized for your birthday on the weekly announcements, please make sure your Birthday is set to PUBLIC on the Band App.
According to Band App, there are FOUR birthdays this week!!
Happy Birthday to Mrs. Clardy (10/3), Mrs. Grace (10/4), Alekzander Tsaregorodtsev (10/7), and Addisyn Haddock (10/7)!
Let's have a great week everyone!
And GOOOOOO WILDCATS!