The Patriots

West Suburban Home School Band

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Challenge results will be announced on Thursday, October 16th. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

GENERAL NOTES/NEWS

Watch for additional notes as the week progresses……

1. All students, especially Cadets, please continue wearing your name tags. If you did not receive one, go to the front tables and Samantha Borow will help you obtain one before band begins.
2. Mrs. Pfauth is offering a new service this year to our band members. Band members can order various instrument accessories through her. She her flier for additional details.
3. Some families have asked for recommendations regarding private music teachers. There will be a list at the front tables with  names of instructors that have been come to our attention and are for your information.
4. The Craft Fair is coming up soon - Nov. 8th. Mrs. Cassity and Mrs. Blunt are organizing this and should be contacted for crafter/distributor information. All band members are urged to help publicize this event. Fliers will be available at the front desk. Please plan on attending, if at all possible.  Those band members interested in performing at the fund raiser should contact Mrs. Cassity.  Ensembles are welcome.
5. All students should sit according to the seating arranged by Mrs. Wiesner last week.
6. Musicians who play like instruments must sit together. In Concert and Symphonic band, those who are playing similar parts (1, 2, 3, etc.) need to sit together.  
7. All students MUST, including percussionists, have their music arranged in their white notebooks, in page protectors.
8. All students MUST play the music they are assigned – not their neighbors.
9. There are to be no Symphonic Band percussionists joining in on the Concert Band percussion section. I will reiterate that the percussion sections are separate this year. If Symphonic percussionists arrive early, they are to sit with the other parents and students, by the tables, opposite the stage.
10. Challenge results will be announced on Thursday, October 16th. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
11. Remember to label all belongings, bring all books and equipment, especially a pencil and Winning Rhythms books.
12. All families need to check the website on Friday and Wednesday.
13. Our band is in need of a cargo trailer, in order to transport the timpani and other percussion equipment to and from band. Anyone who knows of one for sale, please contact Mrs. Borow. 
14. Gentlemen, please be gentlemen and help immediately after band, by carrying the heavy tables and helping to rearrange the chairs. Please be considerate and not leave this job to the ladies and children. All students are expected to help with this as well. Those who want to play ensembles can continue after this is done. That is our foremost task after band is finished. After the hall is arranged, I will make a point of leaving it open until 9:50 for socializing. But rearranging the hall needs to be our first priority after Symphonic band is finished.

The Basics and Embouchure: All Cadets should review "The Basics" on page 2 of the Essential Elements #1 book. These basic instructions for playing are critical for each instrument. Since each instrument has different embouchure requirements, we have not had the time to cover this individually with each student. That was the purpose of the Ultimate Beginner Series video. Review posture, breathing and airstream, reed placement (for reed instruments) and embouchure.

Review all yellow boxes, which introduce the basics of music theory.

Remember the saying for reading music:

Bass Clef: Great Big Dogs Fight Animals (lines) and All Cars Eat Gas (spaces)

Cadets should practice their new passages slowly, without the CD. However they should try to play along with the CD at the end of the practice session, to see how much improvement needs to be made to keep up with the recording. As the week progresses, the student should play be spending more of his practice time playing with the CD. If he finds that it becomes quite easy, he should review the past lessons. After he is sure that all those lessons are quite polished, he may move on to the next lessons.

Those brass players who are having a hard time matching the notes, should go back to the first lessons, and just work on matching, disregarding the tonguing. You may have to experiment with what you are doing with your lips. Try putting less of your upper lip in the mouthpiece, more of the bottom lip. This will often help to tighten the embouchure. Do not move on until you can match the notes consistently each try. Contact Mrs. Borow for help if this is still a problem later in this week, since we will be adding on new notes at next week’s practice.

Cadet Assignments: pages 6 and 7, exercises 14 through 26. Make special efforts to practice the "Notes in Review"

Concert Band

Section Heads: All section heads, please make sure that your section is sitting according to the convention set up by Mrs. Weisnes last week at rehearsal.   We will rely on your help to insure orderly seating at the upcoming rehearsals until the seating chart is complete.

All concert band students need to start bringing their Yamaha Christmas books. We will start working on those carols in preparation for Yorktown and Christmas.

Study all the yellow boxes, which review and teach new musical symbols and terms.

Concert Band Assignments: exercises 11-19, review 1-8 and all concert songs.

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.

Symphonic Band

Section Heads: All section heads, please make sure that your section is sitting according to the convention set up by Mrs. Weisnes last week at rehearsal.   We will rely on your help to insure orderly seating at the upcoming rehearsals until the seating chart is complete.

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.

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

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

Christmas Prologue

Email

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