Hi, hey, hello!
Band and Winter Weather... You all know how midwest weather can be. Some days, it's a lovely 70 degrees and others, it's dropped down to 30 degrees. To this point, we have only been playing outside, so when rainy weather approaches, we have had to cancel or alter our plans. I've been looking into inclement weather solutions for awhile now, but last week, some exciting news came down from the state. While playing outside is considered preferable, playing indoors is now allowed with a few stipulations: 1. Airflow circulations should be at the state's requirements. I have been told that this is the case throughout our entire district. 2. Students should be 6' apart at all times, 9' for trombone players. 3. Students should wear bell covers on wind instruments. The school and Fine Arts Boosters are helping us with this purchase at NO STUDENT COST. These should be delivered this week. 4. Students should wear a mask at all times. After speaking with other area schools that are playing indoors, I have learned that cutting a slit in a mask is pretty easy to do so that we can play indoors. All students should provide their own mask for band and it does need to be a separate mask than what they wear the rest of the day. Percussion students do NOT need a different mask for band and a different mask for the rest of their school day. They will wear their normal mask at all times while indoors. I'm more than willing to answer any questions you may have about this change. Please be aware that this has been discussed with administration as well. Plan on bringing a band mask to band starting this week. Fall Concert While it was my hope to have this concert in person, I do not think that will be able to happen. Our plan is to record the fall concert on the evening of the 20th (which is the evening of the concert), create a video along with the high school bands and percussion ensembles performances, and then post the concert video to social media as well as email on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 7pm. It is also worth mentioning that, due to the hybrid schedule, the bands aren't able to rehearse together. I planned the recording evening around this fact. Please see the schedule below: 6pm - 6th grade band rehearses at Civic Memorial High School (at the football field) 6:30pm - 6th grade band records (dismissed after successful recording) 7pm - 7th/8th grade band rehearses at Civic Memorial High School (at the football field) 7:30pm - 7th/8th grade band records (dismissed after successful recording) The students have been working hard on their musicianship skills and we cannot wait to share them with you all! Concert Dress We utilize all black concert clothes for our concerts. Specifics can be found in the Band Handbook. Please ensure that your child is wearing all black concert clothing on our recording night. It's about the presentation at this point, especially in a video! Grades Due to the hybrid schedule and the amount of change we are all facing at this point in time, I have adjusted my grading policy accordingly. I will accept all late grades with no penalty up until the end of the first quarter (October 23). After that point, I will not accept any late grades for the first quarter. As long as we are on the hybrid schedule, I will follow this policy. So, for the second quarter, it will work the same way. I hope this policy helps your child continue to adjust to the changes we are all dealing with right now. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to email me! Musically yours -- Michaela Davis
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