Upcoming Events
Greetings Wildcat Band Family,
Students continue to amaze me with their diligence, hard work and weekly growth. The main things parents and guardians can do to help your young musician to be more successful is to help them to establish regular practices time (at least 4 days per week for 20 minutes) and to remind them to complete their practice records so that their grade reflects what they are fully capable of. The practice records, when completed correctly, helps students to make goals for each practice session, utilize specific techniques to get better and to reflect on their progress. A process that can be highly beneficial to students in all parts of their life and personal growth.
7th Grade Brass and Woodwind Classes have W25 Concept Check due which is a video recording of a scale and arpeggio. Students were given 10 minute of class this week to record it or to play it live for me to have it done before the weekend. :)
8th Grade band has an assignment due on Monday that is posted in google classroom as well as several missing assignments that were due last week.
Monday, February 21st, come to Tiger Arena to see some the BPS Band Directors take on the Harlem Wizards! It is sure to be a FUNNY....I mean FUN time!
8th Grade Band - please remember that we will have a full band rehearsal on Tuesday 3:45-5:30pm.
Percussion WILL have their weekly sectional Wednesday until 4:45.
8th Grade Band - please remember that we will have a Pre-Assessment Concert on Friday, March 4th
Also, please remember that there is no schools for Bentonville Schools students on Monday, February 21st as staff have a professional development day.
Stay healthy, stay well and have a band-tastic week!
-Mr. Jones
CONGRATULATIONS on an excellent week of music making at the Arkansas All-State Conference in Hot Springs!! Bentonville Schools placed more than 50 students in the All-State Bands, more than any other district in the state! Here are some highlights from the weekend:
Homework Assignments this Week
Click the arrow next to a class to expand the homework for the week. Not everything is required to record or turn in for a grade. This is simply a list of items students should be working on during their practice sessions throughout the week to continue growing on their instrument and to be prepared for class.
7th Grade classes will not have a new recording due this week. Instead, it will be a catch up week for students to:
Turn in missing assignments
Re-do assignments for a higher grade based on the feedback left in google classroom.
Practice record will still be due next week.
ALL CLASSES WEEKLY PRACTICE RECORD:
Student need to complete their weekly practice record consisting of 4 days of practice for 20 minutes each. It is important student complete it correctly and turn it in on time. Practice records will not be accepted more than 1 class day late for credit. Concept Checks and Sectional Assignments will not be accepted more than 2 weeks after the due date for credit. Students who are sick for multiple days are excused from band assignments with a doctor's note turned in to the school for the week they are out.
7th Grade High Winds (1st Period)
8th Grade Band (2nd Period)
7th Grade Low Brass (3rd Period)
7th Grade Clarinets (6th Period)
Jazz Band (7th Period)
7th Grade Percussion (8th Period)
Hello, Wildcat Band Family! It's been several weeks since the we've had an update on the BHS Band, so there's a lot to cover for this first edition of 2022.
ASBOA All-State Music Conference - This weekend (2/17-2/19), Bentonville High School sent 38 representatives to the ASBOA All-State Music Conference in Hot Springs. Similar to the All-Region process you are familiar with, these BHS Band members earned this honor as All-State Music Conference participants with qualifying try-out scores and met alongside other band members all across the state. In fact, BHS sent the highest number of honorees from any single high school in Arkansas. These 38 students participated as members of the All-State Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Orchestra and two Jazz Bands. It was a fantastic weekend of learning and musical excellence for all involved. Congratulations as well to Mr. Hendrix, Mr. Shewmaker and Mr. Fernandez for their leadership and guidance in helping these students succeed.
Sr. High All-Region Clinic - This upcoming weekend (2/25-2/26), BHS will host the 2022 Sr. High All-Region Clinic for Region VI. The 10th, 11th and 12th grade band members that qualified will have several hours of rehearsal, culminating with concerts on Saturday afternoon at the Arend Arts Center. Feel free to join us for another great weekend of music!
Harlem Wizards Game - Don't miss this Monday night, February 21st, at 6:30 PM, as Bentonville Band Directors will be taking on the Harlem Wizards in a fun-filled evening of basketball and family entertainment. This special night is a fundraiser for Bentonville High School Bands, so come on out for some great basketball and support a great effort. You can still get tickets at www.harlemwizards.com.
Walmart AMP Concert Season 2022 - We are less than two months away from the first Walmart AMP concerts of the year, which provides all our band families a unique opportunity to earn donations for their student's band account. Jr. High families can begin volunteering now to help cover fees for the upcoming 2022-2023 band season, while enjoying music and hanging out with other band families, as well! More information to come, but start thinking about this special opportunity now and plan ahead for next band season!
-Kevin Miller, BHS and WJHS Band Parent
Our Wildcat Band Members are intelligent, hard-working, and multi-talented!
This past weekend we had several competing at some awesome regional events:
Erin G - Dance Comp in OK City
Collin M - Archery Tournament in Joplin
Hudson C - Archery Tournament in Joplin
Aiden L - Quiz Bowl
Wildcat Alumni Doing Awesome Things:
Ella S - Archery Tournament in Joplin
Phoebe S - Archery Tournament in Joplin
Carter N - Archery Tournament in Joplin
All-State Band and Jazz Band Members in photos below
7th Grade Band Family
The first week of August, the 8th grade band (currently 7th graders) will have 1 sectional and 1 full band rehearsal to knock off the summer rust, start preparing for the school year, and learn all of the pep music we will perform at pep rallies, Natural's Game, and other public performances the first quarter. Like last year 7th graders (current 6th graders) are welcome to attend!
I have spoken with all the coaches at WJHS and have crafted a schedule that does not overlap with any other activity that week and gives students some time between activities for those who are involved in multiple ones that practice this week.
These sectionals and rehearsals are essential as we will not learn this music once school starts. We will clean it up but not learn any of it from scratch. So please, put these dates on your calendar so your band student can be there.
August 1st 12:00p-3:30p: Bass Clarinet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Bari Sax, French Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, and Tuba Sectional.
August 2nd 12:00p-3:30p: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, and Trumpet Sectional.
August 3rd 12:00p-3:30p: Percussion Sectional
August 4th 12:00p-3:30p: Full Band Rehearsal
The Wizards will be visiting BHS on Monday, February 21st to take on the BHS Band Directors and other staff in a fun filled basketball game to raise money for Bentonville Bands!
Money from this fundraiser will go to support not only the Bentonville High School Band program, but also supports our Junior High feeder schools as well. We would also love to support our Middle School band programs and beyond!
The Bentonville High School Band Boosters have supported our Band programs via fundraisers like this one to help purchase instruments, feed band students, and more. Our goal is to support the Bentonville Bands programs as they provide positive life experiences through the study and performance of music.
Link to purchase tickets:
Link to promo videos:
We will be using a program called "Band" app to communicate important reminders and updates. T
his is similar to Remind 101 but better suited for groups such as band. This also allows us to share photos and videos that we may not want public on our social media channels. Lastly, it is a one stop location for access to our calendar and other resources.
Click here to enroll in the 8th grade band updates: https://band.us/n/ada9685fD2mex
Click here to enroll in the 7th grade band updates: https://band.us/n/a5ad635eDbN7p
Click here to enroll in the Jazz Band updates: https://band.us/n/aea0675fD9N23
Grading Reminders (Click to expand)
It is important to review our calendar dates for the spring. The most updated calendar can be found linked here.
PRIVATE LESSONS ARE AWESOME! They are designed to be fun, engaging, supportive and focused on the individual student.
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 week everyone!
Musically Yours,
