Jared Jones
- Mar 5
- 4 min read

Common Times" Weekly Newsletter 3/6-3/10

Upcoming Events

Greetings Wildcat Band Family,

I'm really proud of the work all of our classes are doing! We are moving forward and getting better every day. This week most of our 7th grade classes have a check in assignment due on a scale we have been working on. Please ask your student what scale they are to play and be sure they are ready to go. :)

8th Grade Band had a terrific performance this past Thursday at our Pre CPA Concert!!! Now, this week is the big event. We perform this Friday at 1:00pm at BHS. Everyone is invited to come watch and support all the hard work these students have put in this semester. It's going to be incredible! Please review the details below so that students are fully prepared for Friday and not stressing out at the last minute.

8th Grade band and Jazz Band, please remember to be making your spring trip payments. Thank you to everyone making payments as we are well on are way to being caught up!! We are currently $3,300 short to pay our upcoming invoices for the trip. Please remember that these payments need to be made by this Friday. I will be sending out an updated financial statement for those who still owe for the trip or other band fees. As always, if you need help with any of this, please please reach out and let me know. We have resources to assist families.

Our instrument Step-Up event is happening NEXT Tuesday, March 14th. There will be 14 representatives on site to answer all your questions in an absolutely no pressure event. They are not trying to sell as much as they can. They are not paid on commission. This is simply to help families get quality instruments into the hands of their students so they can continue to be successful. In addition to new and used instrument options, we will also have other equipment that can be helpful to student success such as head joints, barrels, mouthpieces, etc.... Even if you don't want to purchase yet, come by, let your student try out some instruments and accessories and get information for the future.

8th Grade Parents: Opportunities to Raise Funds for New Freshman BHS Band Fees Available NOW!

There are three key pieces of information to share with our 8th Grade Band families getting ready to be a part of the BHS Band program and the Bentonville Pride Marching Band this Fall.

For the upcoming year, both the Bentonville and Bentonville West Band Booster programs made the difficult decision to no longer participate in the AMP Concessions Volunteer Program. There were some aspects of the plan for this season that the organizations were not comfortable doing, so it will not be available for families to volunteer.
However, the Bentonville High School Band program was just offered the opportunity to run concessions for Spring BHS Track and Soccer events. When a person volunteers in Concessions, a $25 Fair Share donation is applied toward the specific Student's fees for the 2023-2024 Band Season. Up to two volunteers can help for each event (totaling $50), and Student's 14 or older can volunteer as well! Below are links to the available Track and Soccer events for this Spring, so take advantage of this opportunity now!
Link to Sign up for Track Concessions - lots of help needed, if you need to be a little late for the shift, sign up and make a note on your available arrival time
Link to Sign up for Soccer Concessions
In the "My Comment" section of your sign-up, please type the Band Student's NAME, GRADE (8th), and INSTRUMENT
Mark your calendars for Monday, May 1st, at 7 PM, for the Mandatory Parent Meeting for the upcoming Bentonville Pride season! More details to come.

Please reach out to vpbbboosters@gmail.com with any questions!

I am excited to announce a BRAND NEW offering for this June. The Junior High Bands are offering a 1/2 day All-City Summer Band Camp June 12th-16th 8:30a-11:30a. Cost is $75 and includes a camp shirt, daily snack, instruction and a concert at the end of the week. Students who are CURRENTLY in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade are welcome to attend. More information will be available from the district on how to sign up soon!

Please take a few moment to review the information below so you are fully prepared for the week ahead.

This week:

Monday - A Day (Classes 1-4 and Advisory)
Band Room opens at 7:30 for students to complete Check in #2
Band Room Closes at 4:30p
Good luck Track Team!!
Tuesday - B Day (Classes 5-8 and Priority)
Band Room opens at 7:30 for students to work on Check in #2
8th Grade Band Rehearsal during Priority Time
St. Louis Chaperone Meeting at 5:30pm
Wednesday - A Day (Classes 1-4 and Priority)
Band Room opens at 7:30 for students to work on Check in #2
Band Room open 4:30 to work on Check in #2
Thursday - B Day (Classes 5-8 and Priority)
Band Room opens at 7:30 for students to work on Check in #2
Band Rehearsal during Priority Time
Friday -B Day (Classes 5-8 and Engagement Friday)
BAND CPA DAY!
8:15am - Hang Up and Label your Concert Black in Band Room
MUST bring concert black on a hanger. Don't bring in a bag or folded up
9:45am - Report to Band Room
9:55am - Warm-Up/Spot Check
10:30pm- Early Lunch
11:15am -In Concert Black Ready to load buses
1:00pm - Assessment Performance (EVERYONE welcome)
1:40pm -Sight Reach (closed to audience)
3:00pm - Students back in Class

Current 7th Grade Band Members	Current 8th Grade Band Members
Times will be determined once speaking with XC, Cheer, Dance, Volleyball and Football Coaches so that there aren't any conflicts. Typically, these are 12:30-3:30. For those planning to attend Camp War Eagle, please plan to do one of the early sessions.	July 17th -21st - Mandatory Pride Band Members Music Sectional 1:00p-5:00pm For full calendar, please see www.bentonvillepride.com
July 31st- Low Brass and Low Reeds Sectional (Bass Clarinets, Saxophone, French Horns, Trombones, Euphoniums and Tubas)	July 24th-August 4th - Mandatory Pride Band Members Rehearsal 8:00am-5:00pm For full calendar, please see www.bentonvillepride.com
August 1st - High Woodwinds and High Brass Sectional (Flutes, Clarinets and Trumpets)	August 7th-15th - Mandatory Pride Band Members Evening Rehearsals Beginning at 5:00pm. End time varies depending on day. For full calendar, please see www.bentonvillepride.com
August 2nd - Percussion Sectional
August 3rd - Full Band Rehearsal
August 4th - Full Band Rehearsal

You can find a complete copy of this year's calendar of events 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!

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 missed substantial class time due to illness
Students who just began playing this year
Students who want to get better
EVERYONE

To stay in the know be sure to follow us on your social media platform of choice: Facebook or Instagram - @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.

Musically Yours,