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

We are asking parents and students to sign up for this year's fundraiser to ask friends, family, neighbors, parents' coworkers, coaches, and other members of your community to donate to the Belton MS Band!

Once you create your profile, you will be directed to add email addresses and phone numbers to ask for donations. Make sure you do NOT include other students, teachers, fake emails, etc. and are only legitimate potential donors. These contacts are strictly protected and will not be shared outside of this fundraiser.

Starting this Wednesday, September 11, SnapRaise will send out emails and texts to your potential donors and will start receiving donations online until Wednesday, October 9. Visit this website to sign up: bit.ly/bmsbandfund2024 and/or download the app here: snapmobile.app.link/download. Check out the flyer below for more information, plus you can watch this video for more detailed instructions: https://vimeo.com/479649033/56b06a761d.

Be sure to stop by the Band Hall and say hi at the BMS Open House this Wednesday from 5:30-7:00pm. This event is an opportunity for parents/guardians to:

• Meet your child's teachers and learn more about their classes
• Explore and see where your student spends their day
• Sign up with your child's teachers for one-on-one conferences in October
• Ask any questions you may have about the year ahead

By using this Forms page of our website, you can pay online for School-Owned Instrument Usage Fees, Uniform Shirts, and Auto Decals by using the MySchoolBucks service. Each item is listed separately on the website, and there is a convenience fee for using this service. Alternatively, we accept Cash or Checks made payable to BMS with a valid phone number.

Regardless of which way you pay, your CutTime MagicLink is always up-to-date with your student's financial statement that includes how much you owe for what items, as well as what you have already paid. Remember payments are due by Friday, September 13.

To align with BMS campus policy, we wanted to clarify our band program's policy in regards to a student's participation if they are assigned to ISS (in-school suspension) at any point during the school year:

While this is not commonplace, a student's placement in ISS also means suspension from all band events that occur both inside and outside of the school day during their length of their placement. The student will either need to make up the grade with an alternative assignment or will be marked as excused, based on the discretion of the directors.

If a student's ISS placement occurs during a day and time where they normally have private lessons scheduled, they will still be able to participate in their lesson during their normally scheduled time as arranged by the lessons teacher and directors. As stated in our Band Handbook, any student who is suspended for a combined total of 4 or more days during the current school year will not be eligible for the annual Spring Trip in May.

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

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.

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.

We need your help in providing a suitable place for your student to practice 5 days a week for 25 minutes a day. This means a place with no distractions practicing with their home stand with a sturdy chair. The more supportive and encouraging you can be, the more they can achieve on their instrument!

Once given permission by their teacher, all instruments go home everyday! For larger instruments, we are currently working on assigning home instruments so students will have an instrument that stays at school and that one stays at home, based on our availability. We do not charge for home instruments.

We had a great time Friday night at the annual MS Band Night at Tiger Field with the M100. Our students got to play in the stands and perform for Halftime! Thank you to our parent chaperones who helped out at this event, and be sure to click on the picture to see all the collected photos and videos from this performance!

The directors will like to compliment the superior behavior of our BMS students throughout the evening! Our students did the right thing all the time, even when no one was watching. This is a testament to our parents and a great showcase of disciplined behavior from our students all while having fun!

Students have received a pass-off sheet similar to the clarinet one shown. This will help students track their progress in preparing for the upcoming TMEA All-Region Auditions on Saturday, November 2 in College Station.

Pass-offs include scales and etudes and will guide students in their practicing. Students will also be graded with these pass-offs, which will allow them to take ownership and responsibility for their own progress.

Students in Wind Ensemble will have a major grade chair test this Wednesday, September 11 during class. Winds (woodwinds & brass) will be playing one of the following scales memorized individually within their section: Concert Bb, Eb, or F.

Wind students within each section will play the same scale and will be graded on the following rubric:

1. Superior Tone - 40 points
2. Correct Notes & Fingerings - 30 points
3. Correct Rhythm - 20 points
4. Steady Pulse - 10 points

Percussion students will be playing m. 1-8 of their Mallet etude (not memorized) using the following rubric:

1. Correct Notes - 40 points
2. Correct Rhythm - 30 points
3. Correct Stickings - 15 points
4. Steady Pulse - 15 points

This test will determine the new chair order where students sit in the ensemble, which also determines part assignments for upcoming music.

We had a great time Friday night at the annual MS Band Night at Tiger Field with the M100. Our students got to play in the stands and perform for Halftime! Thank you to our parent chaperones who helped out at this event, and be sure to click on the picture to see all the collected photos and videos from this performance!

The directors will like to compliment the superior behavior of our BMS students throughout the evening! Our students did the right thing all the time, even when no one was watching. This is a testament to our parents and a great showcase of disciplined behavior from our students all while having fun!

Students have received a pass-off sheet similar to the clarinet one shown. This will help students track their progress in preparing for the upcoming TMEA All-Region Auditions on Saturday, November 2 in College Station.

Pass-offs include scales and etudes and will guide students in their practicing. Students will also be graded with these pass-offs, which will allow them to take ownership and responsibility for their own progress.

We are definitely starting to swing and will continue working on counting, scat syllables, and proper jazz articulation daily. We will start playing actual charts this week!

Email: beltonmsband@gmail.com

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

Address: 1704 Sparta Road, Belton, TX, USA

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