Our motto for the next few days of band is, “Never settle for ‘good enough.'”  Students are identifying areas in the music that can still be better and we are fixing them one at a time.  I remind the students, “If you want to be the best, you can’t settle for mediocrity.”  I have been so impressed with the students this quarter.  The 7th graders sound really great — their phrasing is pretty amazing in Festival and in Chalumeau.  In 8th grade, the students watched a video of themselves performing the pregame show.  They have identified areas of the show that they can fix for the performance.  6th graders have been doing the same sorts of activities in class — listening to recordings of themselves and identifying areas of improvement.

You won’t want to miss our band concert on Monday, October 5 at 7:30 PM.  Students need to arrive in time to warm-up at 7:00 PM.  Students need to wear long pants, closed-toe shoes, their band shirt (I will pass this out in class on Friday), and they need to tuck in their shirt (I suggest a belt, but not required).  The concert will be about 45 minutes with a reception following.

Band Routine

With five days to go until the concert, students are determining what still needs to be fixed in the music.  The 7th graders listened to the recording they made in class on Thursday and identified specific areas in the music to work on more.  The 6th graders recorded themselves today and will begin to analyze the recording tomorrow to determine the final touches to put on the music.  The 8th graders will videotape themselves on the field tomorrow and watch it later to analyze how to improve their pregame show.

Band Routine

Mr. Bley is gone today.

Students rehearsed concert music in preparation for their October 5 band concert.  The 7th grade students recorded themselves and will listen to it on Monday.  The 8th graders marched outside today.  The 6th graders rehearsed their music in concert order.  Mr. Bley will be gone tomorrow and the students will not need their instruments unless they are in jazz band.

Band Routine

Today the 6th graders learned the procedures for a concert.  All classes got a copy of the concert rubric detailing how they will be graded for the concert.  The 7th grade band continued to make progress on music for the concert, improving a little bit each day.  8th graders worked on their pregame show.  They will be working hard each day to get better each day.  “Never settle for good enough.”

Band Routine

The 7th grade band continued to make progress in their music by working hard to improve balance and phrasing in their music.  The 8th grade fixed a few big problems in their pregame show.  The 6th grade percussionists got their part assignments on “Turbo Rock.”

Band Routine

With the band concert two weeks away, students are working hard on their music.  The 7th graders will be working on the higher-level music skills of balance and phrasing.  The 8th graders finished learning their entire show today.  The 6th grade percussionists got official part assignments for “Dragon Slayer.”

Band Routine

The band students have worked hard this week and deserve a few days off — so I told them they could stay home on Saturday and Sunday!  The 7th grade band did a nice job on their playing test over line 167 in class today.  They played through their concert music and are in position to have a great performance.  The 8th grade band is almost finished with the show.  They have one set left to learn and they are done!  6th grade band worked on dynamics in “Dragon Slayer.”  They are coming along nicely.

Band Routine

Today the 7th graders got their signature sheets and played lines for each other out of the book in class.  They will need to get a parent signature over the weekend.  The sheet is due on Monday.  The 8th grade band learned how to perform pinwheels in class today and have started charting the drill for their last song.  6th grade band continued to make progress on their songs for the concert.

Band Routine

Halfway through the first quarter, the band students have fallen into their groove for class.  Students are coming with supplies to class, setting up for class, and following the routine.  All classes are working on music for the upcoming concert on October 5.  The 8th grade marching band is also learning the drill for their pregame show at the Salina Central football game on October 9. 

Band Routine