Upcoming Events
Greetings Wildcat Band Family,
It was wonderful meeting so many families during conferences last week and it is no wonder why your kids are so awesome!
HUGE shoutout to the 8th grade band on an OUTSTANDING concert Friday night!! I mean, wow! With students such these who work hard to be prepared EVERY DAY and who are not shy to receive constructive criticism it is like being in an all-region honor band every day we have class. Very few students across the country get to have this experience once a year, let alone every class. This has all to do with their daily focus on achieving excellence in all that they do.
I am beyond excited to welcome our student teacher this week, Ms. Bailey Tadda. Ms. Tadda is a graduate of Bentonville High School and an alumni of Washington Junior High. She currently attends Kansas State University and will graduate this spring with a Bachelors of Science in Music Education. Her primary instrument is flute, but we will be putting her to work learning and teaching all classes. If you see her, please welcome her.
8th Grade Band - please remember that we will have:
full band rehearsal on Tuesday 3:45-5:30pm.
Percussion weekly sectional Wednesday until 4:45.
Assessment Concert this Thursday, March 10th. Concert Black. Family and friends are invited to attend!
To review a complete copy of our calendar until the end of the year, you can find it here.
We have changed the 7th Grade Silver Dollar City trip to May 7th to coincide with the Jazz Band Festival in Branson due to transportation issues on our original April date.
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.
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)
CONGRATULATIONS to the Bentonville High School Jazz Orchestra and winning the Drury University Jazz Competition this weekend!
Our Wildcat Band Members are intelligent, hard-working, and multi-talented!
This past weekend we had several competing at some awesome events:
Bryce A - Track
Bailey B - Track
Thor B - National History Day
Kai B - Track
Hudson C - Archery - made it it Nationals!
Marissa C - Track
Henry C - Track
Erin G - Individual and Group Dance Comp
Tate G - Track
Lucy G - Track
Colt H - Track
Jackson K - State Swim Meet and Track
Logan M - Track
Caleb M - Track
Bree N - Track
Trace P - Hockey
Braeden S - Track
Isla W - Archery - Made it to Nationals
Wildcat Alumni Doing Awesome Things:
Tyler C - Archery - Made it to Nationals
Carter N - Archery - Made it to Nationals
Phoebe S - Archery - Made it to Nationals
Ella S - Archery - Made it to Nationals
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 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,
