Icicle River Middle School
8th Grade Band Handbook
2016-2017
Welcome
Welcome to a new year in the Icicle River Middle School band program! I’m looking forward to a wonderful year full of great music, developing skills as musicians, and having a lot of fun in the process. I hope the coming years in band will have a lasting impact on your educational experience and your life in general. I wouldn’t be where I am today without participating in band! I will do all that I can to make this time valuable and productive, and I expect that you will do likewise.
In order for this program to achieve its full potential, it’s important for students and parents both to be familiar with the policies and procedures of the organization. That’s the purpose of this handbook – take a few minutes to read through it. Keep it somewhere you can find, as it will prove helpful to you as you navigate your way through the year. Please return the Handbook Contract and Field Trip Forms with the appropriate signatures and other information as requested to Mr. Mitsuyasu by Wednesday, September 7th. This will be for a grade.
Please note that band is a full-year exploratory class. Signing up now means that you commit to play in band for the full school year; not just for a semester.
Classroom Expectations
The keywords for my classroom are Respect, Responsibility, and Fun. These are three things I believe a performance ensemble must have to succeed. In a group performance setting like band, everybody makes a significant contribution to the final product, and the actions of one person can affect the rest of the group. Band is not just about the final concert; it’s also about the journey to the concert. No two musicians are alike, and it’s important that everyone feels included and accepted, no matter his or her skill level or ability to contribute. Mistakes are a part of the growing process, and the band room must be a safe place to learn and grow as a musician and as a person.
1. Be prepared for rehearsals. Have your music learned – practice at home so that you can make a contribution to the rehearsal.
- Practice is at home; rehearsal (reviewing what you’ve practiced and learning how your part fits with others) is at school.
- Mistakes are allowed and expected, but be willing to take feedback and advice to make improvements. If you make the same mistake more than once, you need to mark it in your music.
- ALWAYS HAVE A PENCIL ON YOUR STAND
2. Be on time – in your seat with all your stuff by the time the bell rings; warmed up and ready to play as a group 5 minutes after the bell.
3. Be respectful of each other, of each other’s instruments, and our rehearsal time. If you are unable to do that, consequences will progress according to the Mountain Lion Citizenship Program
4. No Cell Phones at any time. If I see it, I’ll take it and you may pick it up at the end of the day in the main office.
5. Attendance is mandatory at all performances. Please use the dates listed below to plan your year now, so that there are no conflicts later on. Be sure not to schedule a doctor, dentist, or other appointment during rehearsal or performance times!
6. Have fun! Get to know your classmates and make friends with them; this is one of the few classes in which you’ll see the same people for up to 7 years in a row.
Grading Policy
This is my first year implementing the Standards-Based grading system, so I ask for your patience and understanding as I learn and adjust to it. Students will be evaluated in several broad categories: Rehearsal Skills, Independent Work, Performances, and Technical Skills. Please note that these categories may or may not be exactly reflected in the new gradebook, but the concepts and skills below will be reflected in those grades.
Rehearsal Skills & Participation
In band you’ll learn more than just how to you play your instrument. You’ll also learn what it means to play as part of a larger group, and how you are expected to behave and interact with other members. You will be evaluated on your contribution to the rehearsal, in how you behave and interact as well as your musical contribution. We’ll work on learning new skills while improving old ones, which may take some patience on your part while others work to catch up. If you are respectful and keep from becoming a distraction, we’ll be able to move on much quicker.
Independent Work
Students in the IRMS band are required to practice outside of class a minimum of four times each week. It is really important that students spend time outside of class working on the skills we are building. With so many students at different levels of skill development, it is hard for us to be able to spend time in class reviewing every technique we’ve learned, so you’ve got to do some of that at home. You can divide the time up however you want, but a truly productive practice session should last at least 20 minutes. You will turn a record of your practice sessions each week using special practice journal to record how you spend your practice time. I’ll explain how that will work during class. I will not accept practice journals that are incomplete or that do not have a parent signature.
Other music-related activities may contribute to fulfilling the practice requirement. Please be sure to check with me to make sure your activity will count! Activities that may be used include the following. Please check first with Mr. Mitsuyasu to make sure these or other options will be accepted.
Private lessons
Performances/rehearsals in non-school groups
You may also be asked to complete various small projects or reports. These may be as simple as a short music theory worksheet, or they may require a little more time, such as a report on a professional artist who plays your instrument. You will be given a time table to complete the assignments and time during class as necessary.
Technical Skills
Although I’m informally checking on you every day to see how your skills are developing on your instrument, we will also have formal “playing tests” to check off certain landmarks in your progression. However, in order to determine each student’s progress and help ensure students are spending time outside of class to prepare, individual playing tests may be necessary. It’s one of the ways I can assess each student’s needs, give some specific and focused feedback, and also adjust future instruction to ensure everyone’s success. Band is a performance-based class, and it’s important that students become familiar and comfortable with performing for each other alone or in small groups.
Performances
Concerts, events, and performances are an important part of the learning process in music education. They are considered the culminating activity of the work students have done up to that specific point, or might be compared to a unit test in another classroom. It is expected that when students choose to participate in a performance group, they accept the responsibilities that go along with it. There will be performances and events outside of the regular school hours. Mr. Mitsuyasu bases the performance grade on punctuality, effort, behavior and other related observations. Students are also expected to adhere to the concert dress requirements.
Please see the calendar of dates at the end of this handbook and add them to your calendar now to avoid conflicts.
Music groups are the ultimate team activity. Every member is essential to a quality performance, and everyone has worked hard and deserves to perform with all of the parts represented. There must be accountability on the part of all the students who take on the responsibility of becoming a part of the Icicle River Middle School Band Program. Therefore, unexcused absences for performances will result in a “0” grade for the performance, and will be entered as such in the grade book until the appropriate make-up assignment is completed.
It is understood that some legitimate conflicts may exist. However, outside-of-school activities should not take precedence over a graded school subject that the student has chosen. If transportation is ever a problem, it should be possible to coordinate with another student who is also attending. If there is a genuine, unavoidable conflict, the director needs to be informed at least two weeks in advance by a written note or email.
Concert Dress Requirements
Concerts are formal events. As a result, every student is required to be in proper band attire for all performances. Any student not wearing regulated uniform (clean and pressed) at the time of a performance may not earn full credit for the performance and in some circumstances will not be permitted to participate in that performance.
The following is a list of the required Concert Dress for all 8th grade band concerts:
· BLACK shoes & socks – these will be needed for marching band in the spring.
o Speedster marching band shoes cost $25 and may be purchased by September 7th or in the spring. These work GREAT for concert shoes as well!
· Dark pants or long skirt
· Grey IRMS polo – *you do not need to purchase a new shirt unless the old one does not fit you.
Concert Behavior Expectations
Our students work hard to be prepared for every performance. We expect our audience to show respect for our work by sitting quietly, holding side conversations until the breaks between groups, turning off cell phones, and giving us their complete attention. If we expect it of them, we must expect it of ourselves as well. If you are not performing onstage, you are a member of the audience. You are expected to sit respectfully in the designated areas, not talking or using cell phones or other electronic devices, and not causing a disruption. Part of your concert grade includes your behavior as an audience member.
Instrument Care
Some instruments are very expensive to purchase or rent and, may be available through a checkout procedure from the school. These instruments include: bass clarinet, French horn, and baritone horn/euphonium, and baritone sax. The school also provides large percussion instruments, but percussionists must provide their own snare drum and concert bell set with appropriate sticks and mallets. A stick bag with the student’s name and contact information on it will help keep sticks organized.
In order to be issued a school owned instrument, the parent and student must sign an instrument check out form acknowledging that they take full responsibility for the instrument while it is in their care. There is a usage fee of $50 for school-owned instruments. Instruments will not be checked out to students until the fee is paid. This fee covers cleaning and regular maintenance of the instrument. The student is responsible for general upkeep of his/her instrument and should report any damage or needed repairs for the instrument during the year. The student must also provide his/her own reeds, oils, and other accessories. If any maintenance on the instrument is needed, the student should tell Mr. Mitsuyasu right away. PLEASE SPEAK WITH Mr. M BEFORE PERFORMING OR ARRANGING FOR ANY MAINTENANCE OR REPAIRS!!
The student should keep his/her instrument in good working condition at all times. Keep it clean, inside and out; valves and slides working, mouthpiece clean; clarinets swabbed, etc. Keep a supply of valve or slide cream, extra reeds, swabs, and whatever else you might need. Misuse or irresponsible treatment of a school-owned instrument may result in additional charges.
Required Materials
Students should bring the following supplies to class each day:
· Folder (supplied by Mr. M) with all method books, sheet music, and worksheets.
· Pencil – NO PENS, MARKERS, OR HIGHLIGHTERS!!!
o A pen will be needed for writing in your planner at the end of class, but should NEVER be used when writing in music.
· Instrument in working condition. This includes reeds, mouthpieces, and appropriate sticks and mallets.
o Flute: Cleaning Rod, Cleaning Cloth (Men’s Handkerchief works well)
o Clarinet: Reeds size 2 or 2½, cotton pull-through swab, cork grease, reed guard or reed case
§ **keep a minimum of 3 NEW reeds in your case at all times.
o Saxophone: Reeds size 2 or 2½, pad saver swab, cork grease, reed guard reed case, neck strap.
§ **keep a minimum of 3 NEW reeds in your case at all times.
o Trumpet: valve oil, tuning slide grease, cleaning snake, mouthpiece brush
o Trombone: – slide CREAM (not oil), spray bottle of water, tuning slide grease, cleaning snake, mouthpiece brush
o Percussion: stick bag with the following sticks and mallets:
§ 2 pair snare drum sticks, size 5A or roughly equivalent; smaller is okay.
§ 1 pair hard rubber xylophone mallets – Innovative Percussion F9 (sold at Avalon Music or Chinook Music)