Band Notes - Week of March 24

General information that applies to all students and parents can be found towards the top of every newsletter, while information specific to your child's ensemble can be found in that particular section by scrolling all the way down.

Feel free to contact a director if you have any questions and our contact information is at the bottom of this newsletter. Thanks for reading!

Fill out this form ONLY if you are ordering an 8th Grade Band Shirt, which will include nicknames created by the directors on the back. PLEASE ONLY USE ONE SUBMISSION PER PERSON. RESUBMIT THE FORM FOR ADDITIONAL SHIRT ORDERS.

The cost is $15 per shirt and your order and money are due by Thursday, April 2 at 4pm. If no money is received by Thursday, we will not order you a shirt. CLICK HERE TO PAY FOR YOUR SHIRT ONLINE.

Please click here to see all of the Band Events for this new school year in order to plan your family's activities. Remember, performances are a required part of our curriculum, so please contact a director ASAP for any conflicts.

Click on this link to sign up to become a district volunteer and complete the background check. Even if you have done this before, this process must be repeated every school year: Parent Chaperone Sign-Up. Please sign up for volunteer opportunities on your CutTime MagicLink.

We want to interact with you on social media, so be sure to Like, Follow, and Subscribe on all of the following platforms you use:

• YouTube Channel
• Parent Square Group
• Facebook Page
• Instagram Account
• Band Website
• Google Photos Album
• SoundCloud Channel
• Smore Newsletters

In the Belton MS Band, we form a partnership between teacher and student where both share responsibility in their musical development. Our team of teachers include middle school directors, private lesson instructors, high school directors, and even hired clinicians, masterclass teachers, and adjudicators. We also strive to communicate and produce strong partnerships with parents since their support is vital in their student's growth.

To that end, we as the teaching team provide Introduction, Comprehension, and Demonstration to students for their instruction. However, each student has a responsibility as well to facilitate Repetition in the form of practicing daily for at least 25 minutes, 5 days per week.

This means that instruments go home everyday to practice the concepts, patterns, and music that we go over daily in class. This leads to student Mastery of their music and ultimately of their instrument. Students have homework everyday in Band as they practice their instrument in preparation for performances and to continue their musical growth. Reach out to a director if you would like more information on how to better help and support the musical growth of your student.

Students should take their instruments home daily and we expect them to practice 5 days a week for at least 25 minutes. Students may also practice before school in the Band Hall starting at 7:30am every school day.

Parents, we implore you to help set up a consistent practice routine at home for your student. Students will not improve their musical skills on their instrument without practice outside of regular class time. The directors, we will teach your student what and how to practice, but we need your help in establishing when and how much they practice. The more they practice, the better they will get faster. Please review the How To Practice and Weekly XP Chart attachment below:

Click here to see the Calendar page of our website to find all of the current events, including special rehearsals, contests, and performances for the whole school year. We provide this so you can plan your family's activities. Remember, performances are a required part of our curriculum, so please contact a director ASAP for any conflicts. Be sure to view the List of Band Events that can be found clicking on the link.

On Monday, March 9, the BMS Symphonic Band participated in the UIL Concert & Sightreading Evaluation at Lake Belton High School. This marked this group's 5th consecutive UIL performance since the school reopened as a middle school in 2020. The Symphonic Band diligently prepared 3 concert pieces since early January, alongside enhancing their sightreading abilities, which entails performing a piece for the first time.

The Symphonic Band received 2nd Division Excellent ratings in both Concert and Sightreading. Judge comments for this group include: "A solid technical program; I appreciate the dynamic contrasts; The ensemble effectively balances to the melody; and Overall, a pleasant band sound." You can listen to their professionally recorded performance here: https://soundcloud.com/beltonmsband/sets/uilsymphonic26

We extend our gratitude to our private lesson staff, who directly interact with our students to foster their individual development. Their invaluable contributions have been instrumental in the success of these accomplishments. Additionally, we acknowledge the pivotal role of our parent chaperones in facilitating the smooth operation of our activities. Their assistance in moving equipment and ensuring the seamless execution of our plans was crucial. We express our sincere appreciation to the following individuals: Mrs. Maynor, Mrs. Kirkpatrick, and Mr. Pierce.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your unwavering support of our musicians throughout this school year. You are cordially invited to witness their performance at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL98BTtfGPIumcCN5LAIqvYgxTpDY8Do77&si=7No_PyVMj6qCpTon

On Tuesday, March 10, the BMS Wind Ensemble participated in the UIL Concert & Sightreading Evaluation at Lake Belton High School. This marked our 6th consecutive UIL performance since the school reopened as a middle school in 2020. Wind Ensemble diligently prepared 3 concert pieces since early January, alongside enhancing their sightreading abilities, which entails performing a piece for the first time.

The Wind Ensemble achieved straight 1st Division Superior ratings in both Concert and Sightreading, securing our 4th Consecutive Sweepstakes Award! Judge comments for this group included: "Some truly impressive ensemble moments and solid technique; The band plays with a mature tone… many talented players; Students listen to one another and blend seamlessly, and I always enjoy hearing a band perform with exceptional sound, particularly when sight reading." You can listen to their performance from this professional recording here: https://soundcloud.com/beltonmsband/sets/uilwindensemble26

We extend our gratitude to our private lesson staff, who directly interact with our students to foster their individual development. Their invaluable contributions have been instrumental in the success of these accomplishments. Additionally, we acknowledge the pivotal role of our parent chaperones in facilitating the smooth operation of our activities. Their assistance in moving equipment and ensuring the seamless execution of our plans was crucial. We express our sincere appreciation to the following individuals: Mrs. Puffer, Mrs. Burns, Mrs. Covington, and Mr. Trimble.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your unwavering support of our musicians throughout this school year. You are cordially invited to witness both ensembles' performances at the following link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL98BTtfGPIumcCN5LAIqvYgxTpDY8Do77&si=7No_PyVMj6qCpTon

Email: beltonmsband@gmail.com

Website: beltonmsband.org
Call/Text: 254-262-3050

Address: 1704 Sparta Road, Belton, TX, USA

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