Upcoming Events
Greetings Wildcat Band Family,
Wow! The Razorbacks played an awesome game against Gonzaga and an exciting one against Duke this week. Can't wait to see what Coach Muss and the team brings next season. It's going to be something to watch for sure!
Welcome back to the last 9 weeks of the 2021-2022 school year! While it might be spring time and the last quarter we still have much to accomplish and room to grow as individuals and musicians. Please be sure to review our upcoming dates here or our more detailed calendar here. If you have any conflicts, early communication is the key to finding the best solution for your student.
8th Grade Band Sectionals will resume this week following a slightly modified schedule for 2 weeks due to 5th grade instrument testing nights that I will be involved in.
We have also added one performance that we are excited about. On April 27th the 7th and 8th grade bands from all 4 junior highs will combine to perform some pep music pre game of an Arkansas Natural's Baseball Game. Tickets to the game will go on sale on April 1st! Be on the lookout for the special email and order form to support our terrific young musicians later this week.
We have changed the 7th Grade Silver Dollar City trip to May 7th (8th graders may attend if they would like) to coincide with the Jazz Band Festival in Branson due to transportation issues on our original April date.
To review a complete copy of our calendar until the end of the year, you can find it here.
The online portion of the fundraiser is good until THIS Wednesday. Due to spring break our rep said that they have not begun to process our orders. Until that begins, expected to be Wednesday, we can continue to sell order online! :) GREAT news!! Our online sales surpassed our goal of raising $5k before break. Let's see if we can do a final push these next couple of days to really help our students cover spring trip costs and band material fees that have yet to be paid. PLUS, anything above that earned for the year will roll into your band student's fees for the 2022-2023 school year if attending Bentonville Schools.
Homework Assignments this Week
"A" day classes assignment will be due Thursday and "B" day classes assignment will be due Friday. The goal of this is to keep the weekend free of deadlines and open for kids to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather as well as to allow us time to schedule students into our priority for the following week to turn in any late work. This should ensure all students are caught up (assuming they aren't pulled for other priorities) each week. All assignments should be video recorded with an audible metronome and turned in to Google Classroom for full credit. (Tutorial on how to record video on a Chromebook)
1st Period High Winds
Bb Scale Drill 2 lines PLUS 1 NOTE (should be a quarter note A) metronome should be set no slower than 70bpm. (this is in our Warm-Up book)
2nd Period 8th Grade Band
8 Measures of concert music (instrument specific assigned in google classroom)
3rd Period Low Brass
Scale Sheet - play the entire sheet from top to bottom. Add 4 beats of rest between the end of the arpeggio and the start of the next scale. Metronome should be no slower than 70bpm.
6th Period Clarinets
Fingering Chart Chromatic Scale from Chalumeau E to Altissimo D in whole notes. Metronome should be no slower than 80bpm.
7th Period Jazz Band
Write out (notate) the concert Db Blues Scale based on the formula. Upload a picture of it and a video of you playing it. Metronome should be no slower than 80bpm.
Earn donations for your Band fees: Volunteer in Concessions at the AMP!
Join in Thursday night (3/31) at 6:30 PM, on Zoom, where you can learn about the 2022 Walmart AMP Concessions Volunteer Program. Representatives from the BHS and BWHS Band Boosters will let you know about how you can volunteer to earn donations for your student's Charms account that can help cover band fees in Junior High AND start saving up for High School!
Visit www.zoom.com
Click "Join a Meeting"
Enter the Meeting ID - 973 2862 2069
Password - 148910
AMP concerts start in April. Don't miss out!
Over the break the following Wildcats were still working hard and being awesome!
Gage B - Mountain Bike tournament in Tulsa
Jackson K - Swim Tournament in Orlando
Zachary G - Low Brass Day in Springfield
Nicholas G - Low Brass Day in Springfield
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
We are 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,
