Belton MS Band - Week of Sept. 12

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 towards the bottom.

After you've read through everything, feel free to contact a director if you have any questions. All of our contact information is at the bottom of this newsletter.

This Thursday is the deadline for many things that are due, which includes the following:

• Uniform Shirt Order - Click on the link to order a shirt for your student (if you haven't already), and one for you as well! We encourage all our parent chaperones to wear these when they are helping at our events. Put the word "Parent" next to the name so we know it's not for the student.
• Parent Chaperone Sign-Up - Make sure to sign up to become a chaperone at BOTH the link and the district volunteer background check. Instructions for this process can be found here.
• Then, be sure to join our Remind texts for Band Chaperones here.
• Payments for shirts, auto decals, and instrument usage fees are also due by Thursday, either by cash or check made out to BMS with a valid phone number. You can also pay for them online, at this link: tinyurl.com/beltonmsbandstore

After school this Wednesday, we will begin checking out boxes of chocolate for students to sell. They must have already turned in the signed parent permission slip before they are allowed to check out a box, which are worth $60 each.

Parents: Please notate on the form or send an email to Mr. Pulley if you wish to check out more than one box at a time. Once students check out a box, they have to sell it since we cannot return opened boxes of chocolate.

Students should turn in their money every day before school starting this Thursday so they aren't walking around school all day with their money. No coins, please! There will be cash drawings starting this Friday after school, and please read the permission slip for more information, including Belton ISD's policy of no door-to-door selling.

Participation in this fundraiser is optional, and the funds collected will go toward the cost of our Spring Trip to Typhoon Texas in Austin on Saturday, May 13.

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. Be sure to Subscribe to our calendar using the instructions provided on the website.

Alternatively, you may prefer the List of Band Events format that can be found clicking on the link.

We made sounds on mini-instruments, and will continue to learn how to properly assemble the instrument and make our first sounds on the whole instrument!

Practice Records will start this week where students should bring their instrument home to practice every day and have YOU initial on the days that they practice. Our expectation is that students practice 5 days a week for at least 25 minutes per day in order to earn a 100 for that week of practicing. Practicing for 4 days will earn a 90, 3 days an 80, 2 days a 70, and less than 2 days will be a 50. Not turning in Practice Records on a consistent basis is the #1 reason why students fail Band!

New practice records will be assigned at the start of each week to be due the following Monday (or the first day of the school week). For each day late, students will lose 5 points, and records will NOT be accepted past Friday of that particular week. Students should follow their practice plan as outlined on their practice record. See an example practice record here.

Please watch Mr. Chilton's 10-minute video below explaining the value of developing healthy practice habits, and how practicing must be consistent over time in order to build skill, as displayed on the Weekly Practice XP Chart below:

If you haven't already, make sure you sign up for our Remind texts for the Beginner's Ensemble here. Students may do this as well with parent permission. This is important piece of communication to receive reminders throughout the year.

Students continued to make good sounds on their instrument and demonstrate good rehearsal etiquette as we introduced 2 of our stand tunes for the upcoming Middle School Band Night on Friday, October 7 at Tiger Field for our 8th graders.

This week, we will continue our sectional schedule as listed below. Please note that Percussion sectionals now go until 5:15pm for this Fall semester.

Here is the Sectional Schedule in effect for August 29 to October 28:

• Mondays: Bassoons (Ensemble Room with Trahan) AND Trombones & Euphoniums (Band Hall with Pulley)
• Tuesdays: Saxophones (Ensemble Room with Trahan) AND Trumpets (Band Hall with Pulley)
• Wednesdays: Clarinets (Ensemble Room with Trahan), Tubas (Cafeteria with Pulley), AND Percussion (Band Hall with Smith)
• Thursdays: Flutes (Ensemble Room with Trahan) AND Horns (Band Hall with Pulley)
• Oboe: During rehearsal once a week with Pulley

Students will redo their Playing Assignment over the one octave concert Bb scale this Tuesday, September 13 during rehearsal. The music for the scale is in their blue Foundations for Superior Performance book. The scale does not need to be memorized and is for a minor/daily grade.

If you haven't already, make sure you sign up for our Remind texts for Symphonic Band here. Students may do this as well with parent permission. This is important piece of communication to receive reminders throughout the year.

Students continued to make good sounds on their instrument and demonstrate good rehearsal etiquette as we introduced 2 of our stand tunes for the upcoming Middle School Band Night on Friday, October 7 at Tiger Field for our 8th graders.

This week, we will continue our sectional schedule as listed below. Please note that Percussion sectionals now go until 5:15pm for this Fall semester.

Here is the Sectional Schedule in effect for August 29 to October 28:

• Mondays: Bassoons (Ensemble Room with Trahan) AND Trombones & Euphoniums (Band Hall with Pulley)
• Tuesdays: Saxophones (Ensemble Room with Trahan) AND Trumpets (Band Hall with Pulley)
• Wednesdays: Clarinets (Ensemble Room with Trahan), Tubas (Cafeteria with Pulley), AND Percussion (Band Hall with Smith)
• Thursdays: Flutes (Ensemble Room with Trahan) AND Horns (Band Hall with Pulley)
• Oboe & Bass Clarinets: During rehearsal once a week with Trahan

If you haven't already, make sure you sign up for our Remind texts for Wind Ensemble here. Students may do this as well with parent permission. This is important piece of communication to receive reminders throughout the year.

Last week, we had our first chair test which determined the chair order when we passed out the 3 new charts (means songs in jazz language).

This week, we will start learning all 3 of our new charts: 1. All of Me, 2. Ja-Da, & 3. Basin Street Blues for the upcoming performance at the Temple VA Hospital. Please encourage your student to practice these pieces at home during their daily practice time.

If you haven't already, make sure you sign up for our Remind texts for Jazz Band here. Students may do this as well with parent permission. This is important piece of communication to receive reminders throughout the year.

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Email: beltonmsband@gmail.com
Website: beltonmsband.org
Location: 1704 Sparta Road, Belton, TX, USA
Phone: 254-215-2828
Facebook: facebook.com/beltonmsband