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Our fall concert recording is THIS WEEK! The recording will be held at the high school, on the stadium field. Times for each band are outlined below. Students should bring their instrument and their music (as well as binder clips to keep music from flying around). They should wear what we call CONCERT BLACK: nice clothes that are all black. This is our band uniform and the goal of a uniform is in the name: uniformity. We are all together, one band, one uniform and wearing similar clothes allows for the performance to focus on the music making. Please reference page 5 of the band handbook for specifics. CLICK HERE. Recording Schedule 6th Grade Band 6pm - call time at CMHS, stadium. Warm up, tune, and record performance. 6:45pm - dismissal for 6th grade band 7th/8th Grade Band 7pm - call time at CMHS, stadium. Warm up, tune, and record performance 7:45pm - dismissal for 7th/8th grade band Grades The end of the first quarter is THIS FRIDAY. Students will not have any assignments for band this week and those that are behind on assignments may turn them in until Thursday, 11:59pm. Please check PowerSchool to see if your child is missing any assignments. The assignments themselves can be found on GoogleClassroom and please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have a question about a missing assignment! Parent/Teacher Conferences Parent/Teacher conferences are scheduled for Tuesday, Oct 27 from 3pm-7pm and Thursday, Oct. 29 from 3pm-7pm. We are planning on meeting via GoogleMeets, or Zoom, or a phone call conference if you would prefer. To sign up for a time slot, please CLICK HERE. If none of the available times work for you, please send me an email and we will schedule for a time that will work. Playing Inside As the weather gets colder, we will be playing inside more often. Please ensure that your child has the appropriate materials to play inside: bells covers (school provided), face mask with a slit (student provided). I highly recommend students practice playing with their face mask - it's an adjustment to get used to, but it does allow us to continue doing what we do in band safely! Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns! Musically yours -- Michaela Davis
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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 Hi, hey, hello!
Wow, it's hard to believe that October is nearly here! Fall is definitely one of my favorite seasons and I'm truly thankful it is here personally! Just a few updates on this email, the most important being how the Fall Concert is going to look. 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 16). 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! Michaela Davis Hi, hey, hello!
This is going to be a pretty quick update, but I wanted to be sure to inform you all of the plan for this week! This Week's Plan Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will be normal days with in person learners coming to school and remote learners having their typical assignments. Friday, which is a full remote day, will be as follows: A learners will have no assignments other than the ones posted on Tuesday and Thursday. B learners will have an assignment to complete. This is being done to keep all students on the page for assignments. PowerSchool and GoogleClassroom I've had a few questions about how grading is working and I wanted to be clear. While assignments will be posted to GoogleClassroom, grades will actually be found in PowerSchool. Grades cannot be transferred from GoogleClassroom to PowerSchool without re-inputting the grades so to avoid this, no grades will be put into GoogleClassroom and all grades will be found in PowerSchool. That being said, always check both! Just because an assignment says missing in GoogleClassroom doesn't mean you didn't do it - always check PowerSchool before becoming concerned. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns! I hope you all enjoy your three day weekend! Musically yours --- Michaela Davis Hi, hey, hello!
Just a few small updates for this week: Band Handbook The band handbook's E-Signature form was due this past Friday. Please CLICK HERE to fill out this form if you haven't already done so. HERE is a link to the TMS Handbook. Please join our band Remind! 6th Grade Only - text @tms6band20 to 81010 7th Grade Only - text @7tmsband20 to 81010 8th Grade Only - text @8tmsband20 to 81010 Band Website A ton of information can be found on the band website, found HERE! The url is cmhsbands.weebly.com because when I first started in Bethalto, I only taught band at CM. That has changed! :) At the top is a drop down bar for the TMS band. Any email I send will also be found at the Band Updates underneath that tab. You will also find the TMS Band Handbook uploaded to this website. I'm going to be going through this handbook with students this week and then an E-Signature will be required to show that the student and you have read and understand TMS band expectations and requirements. What is happening in class this week? Click Here and scroll down to lesson plans to see what is happening in our class this week! What do I need to bring to band this week? 1. All students should bring their instruments to in-person learning days this week. 2. Pencil 3. Binder/folder with music 4. Binder clips or clothesline clips to keep music in place while outdoors If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me! Musically yours -- Michaela Davis Hello, TMS band parents/guardian!
We have just a few updates for this week: Join our band Remind! 6th Grade Only - text @tms6band20 to 81010 7th Grade Only - text @7tmsband20 to 81010 8th Grade Only - text @8tmsband20 to 81010 Handbook E-Signature Form This is due Friday, August 28! HERE is a link to the TMS Handbook. HERE is a link to the TMS Handbook E-Signature Form. Band Website A ton of information can be found on the band website, found HERE! The url is cmhsbands.weebly.com because when I first started in Bethalto, I only taught band at CM. That has changed! :) At the top is a drop down bar for the TMS band. Any email I send will also be found at the Band Updates underneath that tab. You will also find the TMS Band Handbook uploaded to this website. I'm going to be going through this handbook with students this week and then an E-Signature will be required to show that the student and you have read and understand TMS band expectations and requirements. What is happening in class this week? Click Here and scroll down to lesson plans to see what is happening in our class this week! What do I need to bring to band this week? For Monday and Tuesday, students do NOT need to bring their instruments. Students should bring their instruments on Wednesday and Thursday this week! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me! Musically yours -- Michaela Davis Hi, hey, hello, 7th and 8th grade band parents/guardians!
My name is Michaela Davis and your child is signed up for 7th/8th grade band. Most of you know me already because I've had your child before in band and I'm truly ready for this new school year - even though it will look like none other we have had before! This is my third year at Trimpe, but my fifth year in the Bethalto district. I also teach the high school band. I am dedicated to the band program in Bethalto, even during this tumultuous time. I am also dedicated to the safety of our children. Every decision made this year in the band classroom, and the entire district, is made with the idea of safety first. I wanted to give you a few updates leading into the first days of school this week: 1. I will be sending out either weekly emails or bi-weekly emails to keep you in the loop of what is happening in our classroom. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to respond to the emails. I'm pretty good at responding to emails: I have a fast response time - usually within 24 hours (although on the weekends it fluctuates). 2. A ton of information can be found on the band website, found HERE! The url is cmhsbands.weebly.com because when I first started in Bethalto, I only taught band at CM. That has changed! :) At the top is a drop down bar for the TMS band. Any email I send will also be found at the Band Updates underneath that tab. You will also find the TMS Band Handbook uploaded to this website. I'm going to be going through this handbook with students this week and then an E-Signature will be required to show that the student and you have read and understand TMS band expectations and requirements. HERE is a link to the TMS Handbook. HERE is a link to the TMS Handbook E-Signature Form. Join the Remind for band! 7th Grade Only - text @7tmsband20 to 81010 8th Grade Only - text @8tmsband20 to 81010 3. For safety, we are only allowed to play outdoors at this time. Luckily, our band room has a door leading right outside, so we are located in a pretty decent spot for this! In cases of inclement weather, we will be inside working on other music fundamentals and musically engaging activities that do not involve playing our instruments. This may change throughout the school year, but as of now, that is the plan. 4. For this week, students DO NOT need to bring their instruments. After this week, students will have to bring their instruments to school on whatever day they have in-person learning. They will have to take their instrument home with them after school that day. On remote days, students will have assignments that involve playing and they will need their instruments for those assignments. 5. For Remote Learners Only. At this point in time, remote learners may not rehearse with the band during school hours or after school. That being said, I would still like to include our remote learners on what we are doing in class. Remote learners will have assignments weekly that will be due on Fridays. Since school ends at 12:55pm, remote learners may reach out to me for help any time from 1:30pm-2:30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will be calling remote learners and their families sometime this week to discuss more specifics about this. I think that's all for this update! Please do not hesitate to ask me any questions you may have! Musically yours -- Michaela Davis Hi, hey, hello!
Over the next few months (starting in January), 8th grade students are going to start thinking about what classes to sign up for high school. While I will be talking in class to the students, I also wanted to relay a bit of information to you, the parents/guardians! High school band is similar to middle school band in that it meets as a class period during the school day. The biggest difference between middle school and high school band is the addition of a part of the band that we call the marching band. Marching band is a part of the curriculum of the high school band and one cannot be in band at Civic Memorial without being a part of the Marching Eagles! That being said, it is a team like no other. Those that join marching band, even if a little wary of it, end up loving it! It takes up time, yes, but what the students accomplish is simply remarkable. When I say that band takes up time, it truly does! The Marching Eagles' first performance is typically the first or second week of school! This means that we usually meet over the summer for camps to learn our marching show. We have three camps over the summer, all of them focusing on different concepts. All three camps are important and attendance is CRUCIAL to knowing what is going on: FUNdamentals Camp - focuses on learning how to march, what warm ups we play and how to memorize music Music Camp - focuses on learning the music for the field show and memorizing it Band Camp - focuses on learning drill (where students go on the field while playing their music) There is a misconception that students cannot be involved in band as well as other activities (football, soccer, basketball, golf, tennis, etc.). This is NOT TRUE! The coaches and myself work together to ensure that students can be a part of anything they would like to be: this year in the band at the high school, we had students involved in cross country, tennis, football, and golf. Conflicts occur, but we work it out so that students can participate in both. For example, if a cross country match and a band competition are on the same day, instead of riding the bus to the competition with the band, that student could just meet us there once there meet is over. As a bonus piece of information, students that are in band are exempt from PE during one semester. That is because marching band is a physical activity and it counts as a PE credit. For those who are interested in participating in band and choir, they are exempt from PE the full year. I know questions may arise as to whether or not continue with band in high school and I urge the students to consider at least participating for one year at CM. They've spent four years of their lives playing their instruments so far - what is one more year? But high school band is like no other experience for the students and one simply has to live it for a year to realize how amazing it truly is. There are a few dates I would like everyone to be aware of moving forward: Monday, December 16 - Trimpe Christmas Concert (CM Gym, 6:30pm call time, 7pm start) Saturday, February 8 - MCBDA Festival (Select Students Only - All Day) Tuesday, February 18 - 8th Graders are invited to attend a pep band game at CM this evening! Saturday, March 14 - IGSMA Solo & Ensemble (Optional) Monday, May 11 - Spring Concert (CM Gym, 6:30pm call time, 7pm start) If your child is planning on signing up for band in high school, please also be aware of the following dates: June 8-11 - FUNdamentals Camp (For freshmen, sophomores, and student leaders - 8am-12pm) July 13, 15 - Woodwinds Music Camp (9am-12pm) July 14, 16 - Brass Music Camp (9am-12pm) July 13-16 - Percussion Music Camp (1pm-5pm) August 3-August 7 - Band Camp (8am-6pm) If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to let me know. I am more than willing to meet to answer any questions as well. Musically yours -- Michaela Davis |
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