Otto Bobcat Band

We hope to see you come out to support your kiddos at their UIL performances at the Robinson Fine Arts Center this week. Please click on the itineraries below for details. We have early arrival times!!!!😄

See below for details!🙌🏼

Be sure to sign up for private lessons! We have the best lesson staff around! 💫

LET'S GO, DREAM TEAM! 🌠

All sectionals are cancelled this week. Band students are strongly encouraged to come to the band hall before school on Monday and Tuesday to practice in the band hall. Regular sectionals will resume after Spring Break to focus on new music, auditions etudes, and new solos. Thanks! 🥰

Auditions for the 2026 - 27 school year will occur in class beginning with scales throughout the month of April and etudes during the week of April 13th. All students will perform a placement exam regardless of their plans for next year.

Placement exams will serve as both a major test grade and their audition for the 2026-27 school year. Our goal is to assess what the students have learned throughout this academic year and to place each student in the class that they will be most successful next year.

All 6th and 7th grade students in the Otto Bands will prepare and perform part or all of the following for their placement exam as prescribed in the Region 25 Scale Sheet.

☞ 7 Major Scales - Concert Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, F, C, G

☞ Chromatic Scale

☞ Audition etudes located in Google Classroom

Students will perform as many octaves of the above scales as they are able. Please see Mrs. Harper or Mr. Killgo if you have any questions.

In addition to the above musical selections, a student’s behavior and eligibility history may be taken into consideration in their placements for next year. Behavior and eligibility history will not affect any student’s exam grade.

Most or all of each student’s placement exam will be conducted during class. If necessary, make-up exams may be required before school, after school, or in class during exam week.

Students may be recorded during part or the entire exam so that both band directors may hear them perform to ensure correct placement next year. Placement results will be announced or posted by the last day of school.

Good Luck!!

.

1. High School Audition Music/ MS Audition Music

2. New technical exercises in blue book

3. Jack Tar, In Paths of Truth and Grace, and Caribana Afterparty!

4. New Solo

5. New Music

1. High School Audition Music/ MS Audition Music

2. New technical exercises in blue book

3. UIL Music

4. New Solo

5. New Spring Concert Music

1. Red Book New Lines

2. Long Tones 1A, 1B, and 2 octave scales

3. Morning Star March, Mystery Ride, Dark Star

4. HS/MS Audition Music

5. New Solo

Our next Jam Session will be after Spring Break. Enjoy your Friday! Please practice Smooth and Mr. Blue Sky with the recordings in Google Classroom. 🤩

All assignments will always be posted in their band Google Classroom in the Classwork tab and official grades will always be in Skyward. Each week, all students will receive a new objective sheet. Objective sheets are due each Monday and must be signed by a parent. 🤩Please sign up for Private Lessons if at all possible.😍Our private lesson staff is second to none! This is the BEST way to start in band! It's more than worth it!

Beginners should be working on musictheory.net - note identification exercises, their Rhythm Packet, pgs. 16, 17, 18, and 19 in their red book. Tuners with pick-ups are required! Each Friday beginners will have a playing quiz. This week will be their next one octave scale. This week: Long tones 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D., One Octave Scales, All-Star Pass Offs, New Contest Music! 🤩

Practice your Pass-Offs packets! Once you reach All-Star status, you will be awarded a special Otto Bobcat pin to commemorate your achievement. Are you an All-Star yet?

<-------CLICK HERE!

Hello Parents!

We are in need of band parents to help carry percussion equipment off of our charter bus upon arrival to the Robinson for each band. We will then need help staying with the band carrying percussion equipment to the warm up area, the stage, to the sightreading room, then back to the bus at the Robinson. If you are able to help, please sign up here:

All volunteers will need to create an account and complete an application, online orientation and background check through the Plano ISD volunteer management system, VOLY, to be eligible for district/school volunteer opportunities. Please visit plano.voly.org to create a volunteer account and begin this process. These items will need to be completed by volunteers each school year.

An email will be sent to the volunteer applicant communicating the status of their application and criminal history search within 3-5 business days of completing these steps. Volunteer approval status can also be viewed by the volunteer by logging into their account. Volunteers will need to complete the online orientation as well to be eligible to volunteer. Once you have been officially approved, please email Mr. Killgo (philip.killgo@pisd.edu) to let him know you are an Otto Band Approved Volunteer!

We have several options to choose from, but we recommend Tarpley or Music and Arts as these stores offer fantastic service and visit Otto regularly for instrument repair.

Tarpley or Music & Arts can deliver your instrument and supplies from our list to Otto.

We recommend Dallas Percussion for all percussion students' supplies (https://www.denverpercussion.com/dallas.htm) and texasmarimas.com for their rental.

Private Lessons are the way to go! Please consider signing up your child for lessons!

Getting that one-on-one attention is PRICELESS.

Check this out: https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/7/

jennifer.harper@pisd.edu