For those of you who didn’t have the chance to come to the band room during Meet the Teacher night, I’ve posted slide show here:

Meet the Teacher Presentation

Small group lessons are being offered this week to students who are new to their instruments and were not able to attend the summer band camp.  Please note the schedule below:

Tuesday (12:30-1:15):  Flutes

Wednesday (12:30-1:15):  Trumpets and Trombones

Friday (12:30-1:15):  Clarinets

Grade 9 band students who are willing to volunteer to assist during these times are welcome to attend.

Instruments have been distributed, and we are ready to begin to make music!  The Grade 8 and 9 concert bands will begin early morning rehearsals this week.

Tuesday, September 19:  7:45-8:35 am:  First Grade 9 early AM band rehearsal

Wednesday, September 20: 7:45-8:35 am:  First Grade 8 early AM band rehearsal

Thursday, September 21:  7:45-8:35 am:  Grade 9 early AM band rehearsal

Grade 8-9 Jazz Band rehearsals:  Every Friday during period 6

Grade 7’s will have their first rehearsal on Monday, September 25th from 12:35-1:15 pm.

Students must be in the band room at 7:45 am on early am band days.   Students should plan to arrive at school no later than 7:35 am in order to visit lockers prior to rehearsal.

Students are to be dropped off at the back door of the school for early AM band rehearsals.

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

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.  In order 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.

Band Rehearsals

Please find below the tentative weekly band rehearsal schedule for 2017-18. 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. 25)

Tuesdays and Thursdays: 7:45-8:35 am: Grade 9 Band rehearsal (first rehearsal on Tuesday, September 19)

Wednesday: 7:45-8:35 am: Grade 8 Band rehearsal (first rehearsal on Wednesday, Sept. 20)

Grade 8-9 Jazz Band rehearsal (schedule and first rehearsal TBA)

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.

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

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.

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!