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.

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.

If your student has their own personal device (such as a cell phone or tablet), we highly recommend they download the Tonal Energy app (TE Tuner) found at this link: https://www.tonalenergy.com/te-mobile.

This app costs between $4-5 and does not require a subscription or wi-fi (or network) to be used. This is the same app many musicians use since it works both as a tuner and a metronome, and is highly beneficial for all our students when they practice. Reach out to a director if you have any questions or if your student needs help getting it set up.

If they don't have their own personal device, there are free websites listed in the Band Schoology Group your student can access under "Free Online Practice Guides" that include metronomes and tuners.

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.

Our Beginner Solo Contest is this Saturday, February 22 at BMS. Please enter through the side Cafeteria entrance of the school. Students need to wear their band uniform with shirts tucked in and closed-toed shoes. Students should arrive 10 minutes before their performance time and warm up in the Cafeteria. Percussion students will warm up in the Band Hall.

After their performance, students may then leave and then look up their results on this live doc: https://tinyurl.com/beltonmsSolo about an hour after their performance. This list is sorted by class period and listed by student ID number. In all, this should take students no more than 30 minutes from start to finish.

Our performance schedule is now set and no changes will be allowed so we can prepare for the contest. We will tell students their time and room number this week in class or you can click on this link to see the schedule for yourself. Click on the attachment below to read all the details.

Our Pre-UIL Benchmark Concert & Evaluation is this Thursday, February 20 at the Belton HS PAC. This may be the only time family and friends will get to hear our 2025 UIL Program, so please invite everyone to attend this free concert. Symphonic Band needs to arrive by 5:45pm and performs on stage at 6:30pm.

Students will need to take their instrument home after school this Thursday in order to bring it to Belton HS. They will need to wear their formal uniform, which includes polo shirt tucked into black pants with black calf-length socks, black dress shoes, and a black belt for young gentlemen. They will need to report to the new Band Hall at Belton HS and then directors will lead them to the Orchestra Room to warm up.

After their stage performance, please follow Symphonic Band to the Band Hall to watch us Sightread! This is a unique performance as we learn to play a piece of music for the very first time. Please read the attached document below that has all the details.

Our Pre-UIL Benchmark Concert & Evaluation is this Thursday, February 20 at the Belton HS PAC. This may be the only time family and friends will get to hear our 2025 UIL Program, so please invite everyone to attend this free concert. Wind Ensemble needs to arrive by 6:45pm and performs on stage at 7:30pm.

Students will need to take their instrument home after school this Thursday in order to bring it to Belton HS. They will need to wear their formal uniform, which includes polo shirt tucked into black pants with black calf-length socks, black dress shoes, and a black belt for young gentlemen. They will need to report to the new Band Hall at Belton HS and then directors will lead them to the Orchestra Room to warm up.

After their stage performance, please follow Wind Ensemble to the Band Hall to watch us Sightread! This is a unique performance as we learn to play a piece of music for the very first time. Please read the attached document below that has all the details.

Email: beltonmsband@gmail.com

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

Address: 1704 Sparta Road, Belton, TX, USA

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