Band Together Newsletter
October
Message from Ms. Myszewski
Hello Band Families,
I’ve been looking forward to sharing our first newsletter with you! There is a lot of fun in store for this school year. 6th graders will be attending a Bucks Game and performing pep band music alongside the Shorewood Intermediate School and some Shorewood High School mentors. 5th graders have their first performance with the 6th grade band this December at the Shorewood High School Auditorium. 4th graders and our new to band 5th and 6th graders (beginners) are just starting to learn how to put their instrument together and make a sound on it. By March, they will be able to perform songs at a concert with their peers (Band-O-Rama).
For those families who are new to band, let me introduce myself. I started my love of music in 6th grade when I started the clarinet. This passion led me to study music education at Ripon College where my primary instruments were clarinet and saxophone. In 2022, I graduated with my masters in Administrative Leadership from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee as a member of their Intentional Equity Cohort.
Prior to Shorewood, I taught 5th-8th grade band and jazz band in the Cedarburg School District for two years. This will be my eighth year of teaching and my sixth year in Shorewood.
In my free time, I enjoy hiking, yoga, crochet, reading, and bike riding tandem with my husband Wyatt (who I met through band!). I also love cuddling my cats Matilda and Herbert. Performing music is still an important part of my life. I'm a hired professional musician in local pit orchestras and I perform with the Milwaukee Community Orchestra.
Additionally, part of this newsletter is highlighting hearing protection. Hearing protection is important for protecting our ears and it is something many students have been requesting (see more below). I did not start wearing hearing protection until my junior year of college. From my 10 years of band without wearing protection, I did develop tinnitus as a result of not using hearing protection earlier. Thus, I highly recommend that your musician get their own pair of earplugs to wear for band starting at a young age. I recommend ear plugs for our full band setting as this is the loudest. Ear plugs for our small group lessons and at home practicing are optional. Please read more below to purchase your child ear plugs.
I am so excited to welcome all our beginners to our band family and welcome back our 5th and 6th graders who made such strides in music last year.
Cheers to an amazing year!
Ms. Katherine Myszewski (she/her)
All band students will wear a t-shirt for their concert. Each year the band students vote on this year’s t- shirt color. This year's color is still being voted on.
The last day to order and pay for your scholar’s band t-shirt is Friday, October 23! All students are required to order a shirt so they can wear it for the upcoming concerts. We order a new shirt every year as the color changes. Shirts are a part of the instrumental music fee which is $15. This fee has been added to your child's Infinite Campus Account. Please note that if your family qualifies for free and reduced lunch, this fee will be waived.
All band families are encouraged to sign up to help with one of the items we need help with for our current band season.
You can assist by:
- Helping with fundraisers for the Band program
- Managing the Band program's social media (Facebook and/or Instagram)
- Helping move, transport, and/or set-up band equipment for district concerts/events
- Joining the Shorewood Band Parents Association as a board member
Tuesday, November 17 @ 6:00 pm
All beginning band students in 4th, 5th, & 6th grade will have the opportunity to showcase their growth to families on Tuesday, November 17 at 6 pm in the Atwater Cafeteria. This event will have three parts.
Students will demonstrate their new skills and teach their caregivers how to play their instruments. If your family is unable to attend, there will be some teachers and high school students available to step into that role for this event. Please email Ms. Myszewski if you cannot come and would like her to pair your student with someone else.
Students will perform some beginner songs.
Ice cream social! This portion will include various resources related to band including a private lesson teacher meet and greet, introduction to the Shorewood Band Parents Association, and connecting you with our music store partner: Brass Bell.
Highly encouraged for all band students!
Private Lessons: These 30 minute once a week private lessons are offered outside of the school day with a professional musician on your child's instrument. Lessons are offered through the Shorewood Recreation Department, Brass Bell, and the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. Please click here for a list of offerings. Students who are enrolled in private lessons tend to have more success on their instrument!
Mentoring: Shorewood High School (SHS) and Shorewood Intermediate School (SIS) band students have signed up to mentor elementary band students. This is a great opportunity to provide additional support for your scholar in band. How does mentoring work? Your child will meet once a week with a SHS or SIS Band student to practice their instrument together for 30 minutes. SHS & SIS students will be paid $15 a lesson. Please sign up ASAP!
Your musician will be matched with a Shorewood High School or Shorewood Intermediate School Band Student
Ms. Myszewski will reach out to your family with your match mid-late October
Practicing begins!
Some benefits from private lessons and/or mentoring:
1. Private lesson teachers model a professional sound on their instrument. How do babies learn to talk? By listening to people talk. How do instrumentalists learn to play with a characteristic sound? By hearing a characteristic sound.
2. Students are able to perform by themselves weekly and get concentrated feedback. In band it is rare for students to perform by themselves and if they do, feedback us usually limited to 10-15 seconds. Performing weekly for a teacher helps them become a more confident and independent player. They also have more time to give feedback, try again and continue to work on a problem until it improves because it is an individual setting.
3. Students are able to focus on supplemental exercises written specifically for their instrument. These fundamentals are crucial for later development and more advanced playing ability.
4. Private lesson teachers provide a role model for students that can be a strong motivation for students to continue in band and excel on an individual level. While students move through different classes, grade levels and schools, it is possible they would have the same lesson teacher for 7 or more years. Lesson teachers often have a long term plan for each student’s development. Private teachers can guide a student all the way from the first sounds in beginner band through a professional level solo as a senior in high school and they know how to get them from one point to the next.
Students are encouraged to practice multiple times a week (for 10-20 minutes each practice session). Our goal is for students to practice 60 minutes over the course of the week. Here’s how you can help your musician:
Help your scholar create a practice schedule (every day after school or after dinner) and remind them to practice.
Help them find a quiet place to practice with no distractions - with a music stand if possible.
Ask to hear some of their progress and congratulate them on their growth!
Practice Goals for October:
4th Grade / Beginners - Instrument Assembly, Instrument Care, First Three Note Songs (Hot Cross Buns, Au Claire de la Lune)
5th Grade - Concert Bb Scale, Rhythm Warm Up #1 Levels 1 & 2, Alpha Dog, & Wisco Weather
6th Grade - Concert Bb Scale, Rhythm Warm Up #1 Levels 3 & 4, Bucks Music & Valkyrie
Check out the video below for more practicing tips!
Please be on the lookout for an email from Ms. Myszewski with the field trip form in the next few weeks. A paper copy will also be sent home.
Date of Field trip: Friday, January 7, 2027
Destination: Fiserv Forum
Type of Activity: Indoor Activity - Students will be performing pep band music for the Bucks pregame!
School Departure Time: 3:45 pm
School Return Time: Between 10:00-10:30 pm (we will return after the end of the game)
Students will load the bus at Shorewood Intermediate School (Morris Blvd)
Method of Transportation: Bus
This field trip includes: No Food
Student should bring:
1. Instrument
2. Music folder
3. Foldable Music Stand
4. A sack dinner to eat on the bus or money to buy concessions (concessions are rather pricey at Fiserv Forum, so plan for $20+ for dinner. Fiserv Forum is also cashless, so please plan accordingly)
