"Common Times" Weekly Newsletter 10/25-10/30
Greetings Wildcat Band Family!
I have thoroughly enjoyed being back with the students this week, even with the full moon! :)
The 2nd quarter is off to a great start as the pep band performed at the Rogers Away game last Friday (and did an AMAZING job by the way!!) , as 7th grade continues improving on our instruments and learning winter concert music as well as we prepare for the fall concert this Tuesday, a pep rally Thursdays and BHS Band night this Friday! It's going to be a GREAT week of BAND!!
Tuesday, October 26th - Jazz and 8th Grade Band Concert at WJHS.
Attire is concert black
Location is WJHS Gymnatorium
Photoshoot will begin at 5:15 for all 8th grade band and jazz band members
Activity Doors will open for audience at 5:40pm
Jazz Band performs at 6:00p
8th Grade Band performs at 6:30
All students will stay the entire evening and will help break down setup after concert
First off, a huge THANK YOU to the combined Wildcat and Timberwolf Pep Band for bringing the music, fun and energy Friday night at the BHS football game while the Bentonville Pride was on the road. We hope the musicians had a great experience and are looking forward to playing alongside the Bentonville Pride Marching Band at this week’s Tigers football game!
It’s been an exciting few weeks for the Bentonville Pride Marching Band. On October 9th, the Pride earned top honors at Union High School’s 2021 Renegade Review as the Marching Band Champion! They also were recognized for the Outstanding Visual and Outstanding General Effect for their finals performance, as well.
This past Tuesday night, the Pride performed at the Regional Band Assessment and their performance earned them straight superior ratings to qualify for the State Marching Contest on Tuesday, November 2nd, in Little Rock. The Bentonville Pride Marching Band will be seeking its third straight State Championship!
Finally, for news hot off the press, the Bentonville Pride competed at the Bands of America Super Regional Championship this past Saturday (10/23), in St. Louis, featuring two days of performances from nearly 60 bands from 10 different states. The Pride’s morning preliminary performance earned them a score in the top 14 that qualified them for Finals later that night, alongside bands from Broken Arrow (OK), Blue Springs (MO) and Coppell (TX) High Schools, among others. In front of a crowd of several thousand marching band fans at The Dome at America’s Center, the Bentonville Pride Marching Band delivered an exceptional performance of this year’s show, Opus 48, finishing in 10th place for the 2021 St. Louis Super Regionals Finals. A great result for a great performance!
So come out and join us at the Bentonville Tigers football game this Friday night at Tiger Stadium against Springdale. You’ll get to cheer on the Wildcat Band and check out the award winning “Opus 48” performance from the Bentonville Pride Marching Band!
Oct. 26th - Jazz and 8th Grade Band Concert at WJHS.
Attire is concert black
Location is WJHS Gymnatorium
Photoshoot will begin at 5:15 for all 8th grade band and jazz band members
Activity Doors will open for audience at 5:40pm
Jazz Band performs at 6:00p
8th Grade Band performs at 6:30
All students will stay the entire evening and will help break down setup after concert
We'd LOVE to have our 7th graders join us for the concert as wonderful audience members to get an idea of what they will get to do next year!
Oct. 29th - JH Band students will stay after school, be fed and will be bussed over to BHS to perform with the Bentonville High School Pride Marching Band during pre game. Students will walk over to the south building at the end of the 3rd quarter for parents to pick them up.
Instruments go home every single day and that it's vital for student progress to practice no less than 15 minutes per day, 5 days a week. Please help your band student find time at home to practice and beef up their musical muscles! Students are welcome to practice in the band room before school on A days as early as 7:30am (just come knock on the back band room door) and can stay any day there is a scheduled after sectional until 4:30 to practice in a practice room.
HINT: Students have SOMETHING to practice and prepare for every class even if it isn't a playing test. To be successful, students should be practicing regularly.
What a 15 minute practice session should look like:
2 minutes - Long Tones (F-Remington, Scales in whole notes, pg. 7 of Embouchure Boot Camp)
2 minutes - Lip slurs and buzzing for brass instruments. Chromatic scales or finger exercises for woodwinds.
2 minutes - scales for accuracy and increased speed with great tone.
7 minutes - assignment (focus on a small goal to noticeably improve a difficult part)
2 minutes - pick ANYTHING you enjoy playing
For a 30 minute practice session the above times can simply be doubled
If your student is "bored" with what we are currently doing in class and wants more of a challenge, reach out to me and I will get them some more challenging material to work on.
If your student is struggling with what we are doing in class, please reach out as I have many resources available to assist students at all levels.
If you are available, PLEASE sign up for a shift tonight as our high school bands have their fall concert. We will need lots of JH parent help on Friday, November 12th for the first play off game as BHS will be traveling to compete in the Bands of America Grand National Championships. So, if you could sign up for a shift, we'd greatly appreciate it! junior high game or the high school game. The concession stand is the single largest fundraiser for the Bentonville Bands. Funds from this help to offer band feeds, purchase new instruments, provide financial assistance to band families and scholarships for students to attend summer band and music camps. It takes a village!
All-Region Sectionals
No flute, clarinet, or Friday brass sectionals this week.
Trombones are in person on Wednesday. Be sure to review the assignment from the flipped sectional from last week as it will be due this week.
We have an awesome partnership with Arkansas Music Conservatory where your student can take a lesson or two on US to see what private lessons can do for your band student! We have set aside $1000 for lessons this year. We can also help pay for additional lessons and offset the cost of lessons for families who need financial assistance in this area.
Who should take private lessons:
Advanced students who need to be pushed and challenged
Students who need some 1-on-1 assistance to learn and master concepts covered in class
Students who were not in class the last year and a half due to covid.
Students who just began playing this year
Students who want to get better
EVERYONE
To sign up for a free lesson:
Contact Mr. Jones so he can track who is taking the exploratory lessons
Contact Arkansas Music Conservatory to setup a lesson 479-268-3307 call or 479-430-2226 text
Support the WJHS Band AND make your life easier! It's a win-win for everyone. Fundshine is an online service that allows you to purchase paper and plastic goods that will shipped directly to your home. Spot checking prices come in a little cheaper than from local stores plus a portion of sales comes back to the band twice a year. Even better, you can sign up to have recurring shipments so you get set it up and forget about it. Also, family and friends can use this service anywhere in the US! :)
Check it out by going to www.fundshine.org,support the band and make sure your pantry is always stocked!
To stay in the know be sure to follow us on your social media platform of choice: Facebook, Instagram or Twitter - @wjhswildcatband and/or at www.wjhswildcatband.com
If you have any questions or concerns, please never hesitate to reach out. We are partners in your student's growth and need to work together for them to be as successful as possible.
Have a band-tastic and short week everyone!
Musically Yours,
