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7th & 8th Grade Band students are strongly encouraged to audition for the District IV Middle School Honor Bands, which rehearse and perform the weekend of January 16-18, 2020 at Southeastern University in Hammond. The Mustangs who have been selected in the past have had an unforgettable experience participating in a fun overnight trip, performing new and challenging music, meeting other musicians, and learning from an accomplished band director. Earning membership in these prestigious groups is a great addition to any young musician’s resume. Last year we had the highest number of students from an Ascension Parish Middle School make the band and we hope to keep the record this year! Students are already preparing the audition music and scales in class as part of their final assessments for this semester -- so let’s push them to take the extra step to go for excellence and represent at a District level!
Audition Information DATE: Saturday, December 14, 2019 (individually assigned times, you may request times to avoid conflicts) LOCATION: Denham Springs Junior High TRANSPORTATION: Parents bring students approx. 30 mins. before scheduled time.
WHAT TO BRING TO THE AUDITION:
WHAT TO WEAR: Dress nice! The judge will see you and you want to make a good impression. There is no dress code, so use your best judgement. Make sure whatever you wear you feel comfortable playing in it. WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET THERE:
Nervous? The best way to not be nervous is to be prepared. Spend this last week practicing everyday! Some other tips:
 Soon, the 8th grade band will be performing in our annual Fall Concert. This year is a Red Carpet Movie Theme! Students and audience members are encouraged to dress in a movie-themed costume for this concert. There will even be Trick-or-Treating for the little ones! REPORT TIME: Students should arrive no later than 6:10 pm in their band uniform with their music book and instrument assembled (leaving their instrument cases in the car OR with their parents). UNIFORM: Movie-theme Costume -OR- Students NOT wishing to dress in costume can wear their regular band uniform (maroon band polo, black pants, tall black socks, black belt, black shoes).
Masks or fake teeth/fangs are NOT going to be allowed due to the restraint over eyes & mouth. Faces can be decorated with paint or make-up; HOWEVER, make-up needs to stay off of mouth area and hands. Anything that can damage an instrument should not be worn; therefore, any costume that is bloody or gory should be avoided. Costumes that have flesh wounds, fake blood, guts, brains, or other oozing items should not be worn to the concert. If you need help with a costume or want the band director to approve your costume ahead of time, please ask! Costumes are to be worn to the concert only, not to school during the school day. Let's get creative and have fun with this Red Carpet Movie Night! GRADING POLICY: All performances are mandatory and for a grade, based on:
**Thanks to Katie Aucoin for her graphic design on our concert flyer!**
 Tuesday, October 8, 2019 Students Report 6:10 pm | Concert Begins 6:30 pm Central Middle School Gym The 6th Grade Beginning Band is getting ready for their debut performance at our Beginner Demonstration Concert in October! We will show off the very first songs that we have learned on our band instruments. This educational concert will be a treat for not only our audience but also for our first time performers!
Friends and family are invited to attend and admission is free. We will collect monetary donations at the door. Please consider giving to help support our instructor fund. This fund pays for our specialty instructors that work with the students in small group settings. Students should arrive no later than 6:10 pm in their band uniform with their music book and instrument assembled (leaving their instrument cases in the car OR with their parents). Percussionists will use school equipment that will be set-up. The concert will be approximately 45 minutes. Thank you for the great parent turnout for our first Band Parent Booster Club Meeting of the year! As a note, Booster Club meetings ARE our Band Parent meetings and all parents of students in the band, and students, are invited to attend!
We discussed our general expectations for our students as members of the band program including practicing on a weekly basis, abiding by our commitment of Pride-Discipline-Teamwork, and attending all performances. We also discussed some needs we are seeking to fill:
I wanted to give one more BIG THANKS to the parents that have helped recently to get many projects accomplished in the band room (building shelves, painting music stands, and so many "home" improvement projects), including: Kayla & Jimmy Lafleur, Monique & Greg Wempren, Niki Havard,and their children. Below is the agenda from the night. Please e-mail Kayla Lafleur at klafleur61@yahoo.com to volunteer!
The 7th & 8th Grade Football Band performs at the home football games. 8th graders must attend all 4 home games. The 7th graders are only required to attend two games, but are encouraged to perform at all four. (Exception: the 7th & 8th grade drumline members attend all games) Read on for details… WHO IS INVOLVED IN FOOTBALL BAND? All 7th and 8th grade band members NOT involved in Cheer, Dance, Mascot, or Football. HOME GAME DATES Thursday, October 3 Thursday, October 10 Thursday, October 17 Thursday, October 24 (8th Grade Recognition) *All mandatory performances are for a grade. Cheer, dance, mascot, and football members are excused as long as they are reporting for their duties to those teams. BAND UNIFORM
REPORT TIME Report no later than 4:30 pm in band uniform to the CMS Bandroom PICK-UP TIME Games typically finish around 6:30 pm. We send a remind message in the last quarter to let you know when to pick-up. But…. STAY and watch the kids play! We play a lot of music and have a great time! TRANSPORTATION Students are required to go home and come back for the 4:30 pm report time. Many students will arrange to go home with a friend that has an adult available to drive them back for 4:30 pm. As always, CONTACT ME If you are having trouble getting transportation sorted out and I will help you find a solution! DONATIONS OF SNACKS & WATER We appreciate any donations of individually portioned chips, cookies, etc. to have as a snack for the students during half time. We are also in need of bottled water donations. Please contact Kayla Lafleur at klafleur614@yahoo.com to inquire about our needs. VOLUNTEERS Volunteers to hand out water, monitor students during break, etc. are greatly appreciated. Please contact Kayla Lafleur at klafleur614@yahoo.com to volunteer.
We will end at 4:00 pm with pick-up in the back by the band room. Please let me know if you are having trouble arranging rides and we will do our best to help you out. We don't want ride issues to be a reason for you not to participate!
We will expect you to make these rehearsals to keep your spot on the line. If there is an extenuating circumstance, please e-mail and let Ms. Codina or Ms. Wilson know ahead of time. Football Game Dates: Thursdays, Oct 3, 10, 17, 24 - Report NLT 4:30 pm to CMS Let me know if you have any questions! I am very excited to get started making music with our beginner musicians! We will begin with instruments on Monday, August 12. All students need to have their instruments and should have paid their band fees by this date in order to remain in band! Also, Students don't need to bring their instruments until Monday. Included in band fees is their beginner band book, containing all the music they will need for 6th grade. Play-along tracks are available on our website at http://www.cmsmustangband.com/6th-grade.html. I hope students are able to utilize these fun play-along tracks in their weekly practice. (Yes! Students should be practicing at home!)
6th Gr. After-School "Sectional" Help Sessions: We will be hosting several after-school help sessions for each instrument. These are optional, but HIGHLY recommended, and I am going to strongly encourage our 6th graders to attend as many sessions as possible for their instrument. These sessions are the reason why our beginners are so successful so quickly. Since our band classes are very large, it is our opportunity to isolate the instrument groups to help them get a solid start. We bring in 7th and 8th graders to pair up with the 6th graders and help mentor them for even more one-on-one attention. Students report to the band room when the bell rings at the end of the day. Pick-up in the back parking lot by the band room at 4:00 pm.
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For many of you band is a new experience for you and your child. I invite you to attend our first Band Parent Meeting (Booster Meeting) on August 29 at 6:30 pmin the bandroom to get more information. Meanwhile, please email if you have any questions! -- Other reminders: - Pay Band Fee ASAP on our band website OR OSP - Order Band Polos (mandatory for Oct concert) on our band website - Order Sweatshirts (optional but can be worn to school) on our band website NO LATER THAN AUG 23 - Read & Sign our Band Concert online: http://www.cmsmustangband.com/handbook.html
Online Prep begins today! www.cmsmustangband.com is the place for all online prep Band related! Bookmark this website for info and communications throughout the school year, usually uploaded in the “News” section. Please follow the links below for what you need to know for band:
These *optional* summer rehearsals are for our rising 7th & 8th Graders and will focus on getting our musicians back into shape after summer break and preparing the football game music. We will also set the drumline for the year so attendance by potential drumline members is highly recommended! It is free to attend these summer rehearsals. Football music and recordings are all posted on our website under the “Music” tab. I will continue to update it throughout the summer with new tunes: http://www.cmsmustangband.com/music.html Stay Connected!
For those that prefer online shopping, links are provided below! NOTE: There are some slightly cheaper clarinet and saxophone lyres available if you shop around, however, last year we went with the very cheapest we could find online to try to save money and almost immediately had regrets. They broke almost instantly, leaving us to have to order more of a better quality! Flute
Clarinet Saxophone
Trumpet
Trombone
Baritone & Tuba (flip folder only, no lyre needed) Percussion (do not order until you know which instrument you will be on)
Our final Instrument Selection Night for 6th Grade Band will be June 20 at 6:30 pm in the CMS Bandroom. Please park in the back parking lot behind the football field and next to the bandroom. Do not try to enter through the front of the school due to construction on campus. Please DO NOT purchase or rent an instrument until you have attended an Instrument Selection Night and are sure band will be on your schedule! Once you have been matched with your instrument... You can buy or rent instruments at several local music stores or online. It is important to purchase a reputable brand from a reputable instrument dealer to insure your student the most success on the instrument and the least amount of time sending the instrument to the repair shop. It is almost ALWAYS better to buy a quality used instrument or rent one then to buy a brand new instrument “cheap”. Locally we have the Music and Arts stores (formally Alison’s World of Music on Airline Highway and Zeagler’s Music on Florida Blvd). Music and Arts rentals are also now online at www.musicarts.com/rentals/
WHAT TO AVOID:
Supplies
Read on for more information about each instrument...  Please mark your calendars for our CMS Band Summer Rehearsals: Monday, July 29 – Friday, Aug 2, 2019 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm CMS Bandroom Sign up here using this google form. These *optional* summer rehearsals are for our rising 7th & 8th Graders and will focus on getting our musicians back into shape after summer break and preparing the football game music. We will also set the drumline for the year so attendance by potential drumline members is highly recommended! It is free to attend these summer rehearsals. Students should of course take some time this summer to keep up on practice! Football music and recordings are all posted on our website under the “Music” tab. I will continue to update it throughout the summer with new tunes: http://www.cmsmustangband.com/music.html Also, summer private lessons are always recommended and encouraged! Students can have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a specialist on their instrument. Instruction can be focused on improving fundamentals, honor band audition music, or just whatever fun new music the student wants to learn! Attached is a list of some of the private instructors available in the area. We have had such a wonderful and successful year for our Mustangs and I can’t wait to see what the 2019-2020 school year will have in store for us! Please let me know if you have any questions over the summer! I will be on vacation for the next two weeks, but after that I will be checking email periodically. -- CMS Recommended Private Instructors List: 
 Congratulations to our 7th Grade Band on their "Superior" Ratings at the Sr. Hilary Invitational Band and Choir Festival. The 7th graders traveled on Friday to St. Dominic School in New Orleans to perform as the final band on the final day of what has been a series of five days and locations throughout the Greater New Orleans area for this band and chorus festival. The festival features bands and choirs of all age ranges, sizes, and ability levels. The band performed three selections: Plaza de Toros by Michael Story, The Tempest by Robert W. Smith, and Old Time Rock and Roll by George Jackson and Thomas E. Jones III. Two judges rated the band in many different aspects of performance, including tone, intonation, technique, balance, interpretation, musical effect, and other factors (choice of music, discipline, appearance, etc.). Both judges rated the band "Superior" or "1" overall! Congratulations! Thanks so much to St. Dominic School who allowed us to stay after the festival and use the gym for our pizza lunch due to the rain! Thanks so much to our band booster parents who helped to chaperone, move equipment, serve lunch, and pull the trailer. This has been a very busy week of festival performances and we could not have had such a successful week without you! Our Band Boosters are the best!  Congratulations to our 6th Grade Beginning Band on their "Superior" Ratings at the Sr. Hilary Invitational Band and Choir Festival. The students traveled on Wednesday to Riverdale Middle School in Jefferson to perform in what has been a series of dates and locations throughout the Greater New Orleans area for this band and chorus festival. The festival features bands and chorus of all age ranges and ability levels. The band performed three selections: Starsplitter Fanfare by Brian Balmages, Ancient Hunters by Sean O'Loughlin, and Hound Dog by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (arranged by Michael Sweeney as performed by Elvis). Two judges gave the band the highest ratings in all areas of adjudication, which include: tone, intonation, technique, balance, interpretation, musical effect, and other factors (choice of music, discipline, appearance, etc.). After the performance the students enjoyed a pizza lunch and social time in a nearby park. Thanks so much to our band booster parents who helped to chaperone, move equipment, serve lunch, and pull the trailer. We could not have had such a successful day without you! CMS is so grateful to have such a large and dedicated group of parents! Out last performance of the year will be our annual Spring Concert on Thursday, May 16 at 6:00 pm for the 6th grade and 7:00 pm for the 7th and 8th grade. Visit the NEWS page for more information on this performance!
 Thursday, May 16, 2019 6:00 pm 6th Grade, students report by 5:40 pm 7:00 pm 7th & 8th Grade, students report by 6:40 pm Central Middle School Gym Donations accepted at the door! Uniform: Black dress pants (NO faded black jeans, leggings, or joggers), black belt, TALL black socks, all black shoes, maroon band polo tucked in. Please leave instrument cases in the car or with parents. Only students with large school owned instruments will be allowed in the band room before the concert. Graded performance based on:
Concert Etiquette Our students have been working very hard in their preparation of this concert. So that audience and performers alike can have an enjoyable musical experience, we have also been practicing appropriate concert etiquette in class and hope that our audience will support us in our efforts!
8th Grade Slideshow We are seeking digital photographs documenting our 8th graders’ three-year journey in band for a special slideshow at the end of the concert. Please e-mail high quality photos to katie.codina@apsb.org. Closeups are better!
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