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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!
What is the major difference between 6th Grade Band and 7th/8th Grade Band?
In 6th grade you were just learning your instrument. Now that you have many basic skills mastered, we can play a greater variety of music. As you get better, you play better music and you play with better musicians! When will the 7th and 8th Grade Band meet? Band meets during elective block. Sometimes, if necessary, after school full band rehearsals are required. These consist of a handful of rehearsals just before a major performance. We work very closely with the cheer/dance/athletic schedules and coaches to make sure conflicts are worked out. We also help to make sure all our students can find transportation. When do the 7th and 8th Grade Bands perform? Performances include 3-4 home football games, pep rallies, Festival field trips, Pre-Festival, Fall, Winter, Spring Concerts and the Gonzales Christmas Parade. 8th Graders also perform at one EA High School Football Game! Can I do sports, cheer, or dance and still be in Band? Yes! There is NO conflict between band and sports at CMS! These students participate in band activities during class time but after school participate in the sports, cheer, or dance activities. Can I switch instruments? This depends! To avoid slowing the progression of the band program, instrument switches are not typical as we rather students master their first instrument. If a switch is made, it is usually because the student he been unsuccessful or unhappy on their current instrument OR they are fulfilling a new need for the band program. For example, we will be looking to switch students to bassoon, French horn, and bass clarinet. We make these decisions on a case-by-case basis through consultation with the band director. Any switches are contingent upon the student progressing over the summer through private lessons so as not to begin the following school year as a beginner. Please contact Mrs. Codina to discuss this further. Can I “try another elective” and come back to band later? This is highly discouraged. You need to stay the course! Missing a year and coming back is extremely difficult. What about High School credit courses? Band students have the opportunity to take high school credit courses such as Algebra 1 and Health. In high school, band counts as an art elective (required for graduation and TOPS) and simultaneously fulfills PE requirements. Many band students graduate EA top of their class with enough college credits to begin college as a sophomore! What are some other benefits of staying in band for the long term? #BandKidsBestKids Band attracts (and develops) students that value hard work and determination as a member of a team. Studies have shown that students involved in music score higher on standardized tests and stay more engaged in school. College music scholarships are plentiful, even more so that athletic scholarships. For example, LSU offers $1-3,000 a year and ULL will pay student’s housing just to play in the band at football games (not even to major in music)! What is the cost? There is the annual $35.00 band fee, a $20.00 uniform shirt that is used all three years the student in band, and participation in an annual fundraiser to cover other expenses is required. |
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