The Patriots

West Suburban Home School Band

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GENERAL NOTES/NEWS

Event News/ Info:

The Craft Fair is coming up soon - Nov. 8th. Mrs. Cassity and Mrs. Blunt are organizing this event 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.

The Third Annual WSHSB Solo and Ensemble Contest will be in March this year, depending on facility approval.  All WSHSB members, including new Cadets, are encouraged to participate in this event. Rules are in the handbook.  Now is a good time to start thinking about solo or ensemble choices.

Cadet Evaluations will take place on October 30th. All Cadets will be asked to play the "Five Notes in Review" and possibly some other elements for Mrs. Borow. More details to follow.

November 28th is the Wheaton Light-Up Parade. Mrs. Borow will be needing an idea of who will be participating in  that parade.

1. Mrs. Borow apologizes for:
   a)forgetting the private music instructor list and
   b) not getting the challenge rules  up on the website in time this week. The instructor list will be at the next practice and the challenge rules will be added to our site, too. 
2. All students should sit according to the seating arranged by Mrs. Wiesner last week.
3. 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.  
4. Parents, please remember that practice log sheets are available on this web site and need to be filed in the child's folder to get practice and attendence credit.. 
5. All families need to check the website on Friday and Wednesday.
6. 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. 
7. 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 chairs
8. 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.

Cadet Band

Continue drilling on the  five (5) "Notes in Review", page 6. Play them at a comfortable pace, until you are able to r change notes smoothly.  Gradually, increase speed, going both up and down. 

Review #22, Split Decision and, especially #24, Listen to our Sections, counting along, with the CD as much as possible.  The latter exercise needs some work. It is a good piece to work on as a band.

For practice, pay special attention to the two newly introduced notes in #27 and 33.

New terms to study and learn: fermata, harmony, pick-up notes, and dynamics (f, mf, p)

Remember to ask a more experienced band member or parent check your Essential Element (EE) quizzes.

Remember the saying for reading music:
Treble Clef: Every Good Boy Does Fine (lines) and FACE (spaces)
Bass Clef: Great Big Dogs Fight Animals (lines) and All Cars Eat Gas (spaces)

Cadet Assignments: Winning Rhythms:  page 1., ex. F-J
Essential Elements Assignment:  ex. 27-39

Concert Band

Section Heads: All section heads, please make sure that your section is sitting according to the convention set up by Mrs. Weisner.   We will rely on your help to insure orderly seating at the upcoming rehearsals until the seating chart is made. Help your section members tune up before Concert Band begins. Ask Mrs. Borow for her tuner. She forgets to bring it out.

All concert band students need to bring:  Yamaha Christmas books and Winning Rhythms. We will begin working on  carols in preparation for Yorktown Christmas Performance, Dec. 6th.

New terms to learn from this week's practice: Ritardando, crescendo, and decrescendo.
We didn't get to play Salsa Siesta, so we will begin with that  on October 16th

Concert Band Assignments: exercises 20-31, review previous exercises and all concert songs.

Brahms: Third clarinets - the beginning contains some very low notes, with added accidentals (sharps and flats). Please see your fingering chart to review these notes. At letters  E and F, third clarinets, flutes and low brass need to work on playing on the "off" beats. This will be the most challenging portion of this piece.

Cheyenne:  This is coming along well. Trumpets, review the passage 5 measures before 16. Watch the F sharps.
Flutes and clarinets need to watch the rhythm at measure 32 and on. At Adagio (40), clarinets beware of the rhythm change from the 40-44, compared to 45-47.

Star Wars: Everyone, work on the notes from 12 to 20. Pretty tricky, with lots of flats and sharps added.

For next rehearsal:
Nutcracker
March of the King's Trumpeter
Choucoune (a.k.a. "Yellow Bird" - Will someone find out how to pronounce this title??)
We Need a Little Christmas
Yamaha Christmas Songs

Symphonic Band

Section Heads: Make sure your section is sitting according to the temporary seating arrangement set up by Mrs. Weisner.

Continue working on Bacchanale.  Break down the rough spots. Play with the pepper website.

Panis Angelicus - Clarinets and saxes - you must play this song with the recording of this on www.jwpepper.com . The eighth note passages must be played with restraint and attention to the rest of the band. These can not be played independently. Watch phrasing and make every effort to breath between phrases only.

Capriccio Italien  - http://www.alfred.com/frameset.cfm?sub=band.

I omitted Part 2, #1. Everyone, for next week, drill on Part 2 - there will be a section pop quiz.

Songs to be played next week:

Panis Angelicus
Navy Hymn  - with winds alone
Hallelujah Chorus
Bacchanale
Dixieland Ramble
Sleigh Ride

Symphonic Band will be dismissed again at 9. If all things work out, I will bring two songs to sight read for those who wish to stay: One, a flute ensemble and the other, a percussion feature.

 Email

General Information: info@wshsb.com

Musical Director: director@wshsb.com

Webmaster:  webmaster@wshsb.com