I will be attending meetings at the Department of Education in Summerside on Tuesday and Wednesday, and many of our grade 9 band students are involved in the Duke of Edinborough bike trip on Thursday and Friday.  As a result, please note the changes in the band rehearsal schedule for next week only:

Monday:  Grade 9 early am band, Grade 7 lunch time band

Tuesday:  Grade 9 early am band in cancelled

Wednesday:  Grade 8 early am band is cancelled

Thursday:  Grade 8 early am band

I apologize for any inconvenience these changes may cause!

Grade 9 early morning band will be held as usual tomorrow morning.

First of all I want to say thank you to all of the Stonepark students and parents for their cooperation today as we dealt with a very stressful situation.

I have e-mailed Mr. Beck to ask whether or not it is advisable to have early morning band tomorrow.

I will post an announcement either way as soon as I receive his response.

Just in case you aren’t able to stop by the band room this evening, here is a quick summary of information about the band program.

Meet the Teacher Slide Show

Mr. Underhay is directing the Jazz Band and Glee Club again this year.  Please attend the meeting(s) if you are interested in learning more!

September Newsletter post from Mr. Underhay:

The Stonepark Jazz Band is gearing up for another season! We’re moving to an after school format this year. The band is open to grade 8 and 9 instrumentalists. Come see Mr. Underhay if you are a bass player. Our first meeting will be on Wednesday, September 14th from 3pm to 4pm in the band room.

The Stonepark Glee Club is ready to sing again this year! Anyone who likes to sing in Grade 7, 8, or 9 is welcome. Start thinking about ideas for songs you’d like us to sing. Our first meeting will be on Friday, September 9th at 12:35pm in Mr. Underhay’s room.

Did you know that playing a musical instrument is “the brain’s equivalent to a full body workout”?  Watch this short video to learn more!

How Playing an Instrument Benefits Your Brain

Welcome back!

It was fantastic to see so many Stonepark students at band camp, and I am really looking forward to another year of music making at Stonepark.

The band blog is an important source of information for the band program. Please check the home page regularly for news. If you wish to receive automatic e-mail notifications when new posts are added, please subscribe to the blog by entering your e-mail address on the home page.  Please note that I will not be sending group e-mails, as the blog is the primary source of information for the band program.

Google classroom is another tool that we will be using again this year to support learning in the band program.  More information on this will be provided in a future post.  Grade 8 and 9 students who are familiar with the application will be given the codes required to join their Google classrooms during the first week of school.

Band Rehearsals

Please find below the tentative weekly band rehearsal schedule for 2016-17. Should it be necessary to make any changes, updates will appear here on the band blog.

Monday: 12:30-1:15 pm: Grade 7 Band rehearsal (first rehearsal on Monday, Sept. 26)

Tuesday: 7:45-8:35 am: Grade 9 Band rehearsal

Wednesday: 7:45-8:35 am: Grade 8 Band rehearsal (first rehearsal on Wednesday, Sept. 21)

Thursday: 7:45-8:35 am: Grade 9 Band rehearsal (first rehearsal on Thursday, September 15)

Grade 8-9 Jazz Band rehearsal (schedule and first rehearsal TBA; please see Mr. Underhay if you have questions)

Students must be in the band room at 7:45 am on early am band days. Students who are habitually late or absent may be asked to make up missed practice time in the band room during lunch breaks. If a significant amount of rehearsal time is missed during a reporting period, students may lose performance or field trip privileges.

There may be times when I have to cancel or reschedule extracurricular practices. I will always give you as much notice as I can when this happens.

Thank you for your past and future support in providing transportation for your children to early morning band classes!

School Supplies for Band Classes

Students are asked to please bring the following supplies to band classes.

-a pencil
-a ½ inch or 1 inch binder (black)

Optional, but very useful:
-10 protective plastic sleeves (for 3 ring binders)
-a music stand to facilitate home practice

Early Morning Band Cancellation Policy

Should a rehearsal be canceled, an announcement will be made at school the day before or on the radio (CBC, Hot 105.5, Ocean 100) in the morning. An announcement will also be posted on the band blog.

On stormy mornings, please ensure that there are no school cancellations or delays before leaving for band practice. School cancellations and delays which affect Stonepark will result in the automatic cancellation of early morning band rehearsals.

Band Concerts

Participation in band concerts is a highlight of the band experience, and attendance at all scheduled performances is a required element of the Stonepark band program; please note concert dates as they are provided, and mark them in your calendars.

I am looking forward to another great year with the Stonepark band students!