The Patriots

West Suburban Home School Band

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GENERAL NOTES/NEWS

1. Registration deadline is next practice.
2. Remember to come before band starts. If you arrive at the time band starts, on the hour, you are already late. Allow for setup and warmup time.
3. Those who need help in Cadet Band can get help, but only if they arrive early.
4. Remember to fill out your practice logs, have it signed by your  parent, and filed each week.  It will not be recorded unless it is signed.
5. To all band students: We won't have a seating chart for a few weeks. Musicians who play like instruments need to sit together. In Concert and Symphonic band, those who are playing similar parts (1, 2, 3, etc.) need to sit together.  
6. Wheaton North is hosting it's annual Marching Invitational competition. It is very entertaining and worth the time and expense, if the weather permits. It is held this Saturday, Sept. 27th. The link  with all the information is this: http://www.wnband.org/Contest/Contest2003.php
7. CONCERT AND SYMPHONIC MEMBERS: Last call to those interested in competing in the IMEA State Music Competitions. If you are interested call Mrs. Krista Calvino. Her number is   630 512-0168. Deadline is October 4^th. Krista Calvino is putting together a special group so that home schoolers can compete in the IMEA  (Illinois Music Educator's Association) state competitions. Anyone interested should call Krista soon.
8. Our Patriot Marching Band won 1^st Prize for Best Band at the Streamwood Summer Celebration. The plaque we received and some pictures will be on the front table at band this week
9. Parent helpers needed:  Those parents who are not playing, please help us out and line up the empty instrument cases neatly along the wall , while the children are setting up. . We have a big turnout this year and we need to use our space more efficiently.  
   We also need a parent to monitor the parking lot between bands, to make sure that everyone makes it safely to their cars and so children are not wandering around the church premises. 
10. All families need to check the website twice a week. All announcements will be posted there on Friday, and Wednesday. 10 am proved to be a little early for me to get them in place. Lets try after noon for the time, to give me a little more room.
11. Our band needs a cargo trailer, in order to transport the timpani and other percussion equipment to and from band. This will also be an asset for us during our parade season, when we have hats and percussion equipment that need to make it to and from parade sites. If you know of anyone who has a used cargo trailer (the kind that landscapers and boy scouts use - ideally 6' X 8 or 12')  for sale, please contact Mrs. Borow. 
    
    

Cadet Band

All Cadets are strongly urged to practice WITH the CD. This is very important.

Flutes must review the video (Ultimate Beginner Series) regarding embochure.  Those who don't have the video should make a special effort to obtain it. This is especially true for those who are still striving to produce a strong sound. Keep practicing at it, rolling the mouthpiece on the lip, a little out and then in. At some point, it will be evident which position produced the strongest sound. That spot is where the flute needs to be placed at all times.

All brass, particularly trumpets, need to play with the CD. Those having a hard time reaching the notes we worked on  should keep repeating the exercises that introduce the first five notes, that is, ex. 1, 3,  5, 7, 9. They should not move on until they can match the note. Tone quality will come later. When they can regularly reach the note, then the student can go on to exercises that work on tonguing the quarter notes. 

Those who are having problems either producing sound or matching sound are welcome to come to band early, so that we can help them. There are a good number of parents and older students who arrive early and are available to provide assistance. I ask these experienced musicians in the sections to spend their time before band starts going one by one through the students in their section, reviewing the exercises, making special efforts to notice who needs help and offering help as much as possible.

Percussionists should remember to work on all the assigments that Mrs. Pfauth outlined in her session.  

Concert Band

Work on playing Essential Element book with the CD, exercises 1-10.

Continue working on Cheyenne Adventure. Use the www.jwpepper.com website to play along with this piece on your computer. It will be excellent practice. Note your problematic parts, those you can't keep up on; break them and work on the measures that need corrections.

Next week, after reviewing Essential Element book , exercises 1-10  we'll play:
    March of the King's Trumpeter

    Cheyenne Adventure

    We Need A Little Christmas  

Symphonic Band

Nice job on sight reading!
Continue working on Bacchanale, slowly, until all the notes are correct. Don't be concerned with the speed. That will all come with time.  This song and the next should be played with the pepper website.

Panis Angelicus - please play along with the recording of this on www.jwpepper.com . It should be a help. It needs to be played with delicacy and feeling. Everyone needs to work on their tone and their attentiveness to dynamics for this song to work. I will listen to the clarinets play their part separately during practice when we practice it next.

Eroika and Capricio Italien went incredibly well, considering it was sight reading. Break it down slowly.

Capricio Italien can be played along with a different website, http://www.alfred.com/frameset.cfm?sub=band . Try playing it it once a week with the website, after you've worked slowly through the song, even though it may be too fast for now.

Percussionists, we will sight read the Navy Hymn (Eternal Father Strong to Save) after your session with Mrs. Pfauth next week.
There is a lot to do on that song. It will need to be practiced diligently in order to master it, since it is probably your most difficult song. I am hoping that it will be our opening song.
It contains sixtuplets. These are to be played as two sets of triplets, consecutively.

Everyone, for next week, drill on Part 2 - there will be a section pop quiz.

Songs to be played next week:
Hallelujah Chorus - no percussion part - percussionists in the kitchen with Mrs. Pfauth.
Navy Hymn
Washington Post
Hawiian War Chant
Dixieland Ramble

Email

General Information: info@wshsb.com
Musical Director: director@wshsb.com
Webmaster:  webmaster@wshsb.com