First Few Weeks of School

Just a short FYI -

The meeting for band parents at Riverview will during parent information night on August 26.  I will have two meetings, 6:00 and 6:30.  I will also stay after 7:00 for anyone who can't make it earlier.

For the first three weeks of school, the students will have opportunities to try out several instruments. I know some of them have a pretty good idea, some would like to try a couple different instruments and some are not sure if they want to play at all.

5th Grade Band is optional so this is the time to decide if they want to play and what instrument they are going to play. If you were not able to attend the meeting during back to school night, you can see our webpage at www.usd232.org/bandinfo.  All the info is on that page. We will start with instruments the week of September 8 so they have plenty of time to decide what they what to play.  Here is the schedule for that week:

Band Classes with instruments:
September 8 - Flutes
September 9 - Clarinets
September 10 - Saxophones
September 11 - Trumpets and Trombones
September 12 - Percussion

Back To School

Welcome back everyone!

This is my first post of the year, if anyone happens to be scrolling on the school's webpages.  This week there will be some parent info meetings for those families who are interested in band.

Thursday, August 14

Clear Creek - 5:00

Horizon - 5:45

Mize 6:45

Friday, August 15

Belmont - 5:30


Riverview will be during Parent Information Night.


We will start with instruments the week of September 8.  Please refer to www.usd232.org/bandinfo if you would like any additional information.  I'm looking forward to a great year!

March 3, 2014

Mark your calendar for May 15!

Our spring concert will be on Thursday, May 15 at Mill Creek Middle School for all schools.  Belmont, Mize and Horizon will meet at 6:15 and perform at 6:30 as a combined band.  Clear Creek and Riverview will meet at 7:00 and play at 7:15 as a combined band.  Dress for this concert will be black shirt and jeans.

Remember, this will be at Mill Creek Middle School, 8001 Mize Road in Lenexa.

Nov 5

I have been really pleased with the work everyone is doing.  We still have notes to fix but its coming along.  We have been reviewing some easy songs and moving to Jingle Bells and Jolly Old St. Nick this week.

These are the dates for our first concert:

Horizon - December 12, 6:15 (with choir)
Clear Creek - January 14, 7:00
Belmont - January 15, 7:00
Mize - January 21, 7:00
Riverview January 22, 7:00

The dress for all concerts will be black shirt (any kind) and blue jeans.  For Horizon students who are also in choir, they should wear their choir shirt.  We will also have an assembly in December before break.  Those are being schedule now and I'll let you know the details soon.

I have had an idea to make a series of videos to post online with short lessons like instrument care and making the first note.  A band director in Massachusetts made such a webpage, so instead of re-inventing the wheel, I'm going to share it with you.  I have watched most of the clips and they are pretty good.  For the percussionists, the videos are about snare drum so they can practice that if they want to.

http://www.basicband.info/

Please let me know if you have any questions.  I am happy to help.

Mr. Harvey

Oct 25

We had another great week and we are making some good progress.  We have learned a new note on page 8 and are learning lots of new songs.  I would like everyone to practice Hot Cross Buns, Rolling Along, Listen to Our Sections, Au Claire de la Lune and Mozart Melody.  If the songs on page 6 are still a little challenging, they should try to get those under their fingers quickly.  Here are some more helpful tips we have talked about in class:

Flutes – Think about which fingers are changing.  On a song like Mozart Melody, there are not a lot of fingers that move around.  Sometimes it is only one finger.  Also, use plenty of air on the high notes, which means you will need to take a big breath!

Clarinets – Try to keep the fingers you are not using close to the instrument, so you can quickly put them down when you need to.  Feel the circle under your finger so you can cover the whole key.  Do not let your right hand rest of the four side keys.  You need to use your thumb to hold the instrument.

Saxophones – Keep your hands round so you don’t touch other keys.  Feel like you are dropping your jaw when you are playing low notes and be careful not to blow too hard.  Sometimes, I like to use a little more mouthpiece to play low notes.  It makes it easier without overblowing.

Trumpets – If anyone is still having trouble playing high notes, you can practice this by playing our five note scale going up.  Make sure each note is higher than the previous one.  You may need to feel like you are squeezing your lips as much as you can and bring your teeth closer together instead of dropping your jaw.  That makes squeezing your lips easier.  Also, practice the first four notes of Mozart Melody.  It should sound like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. 

Trombones – The easiest part of some our songs are the ones that move on the scale.  Find where these scales are and think about your starting note.  If the scale starts on F, move the slide down each position we know: 1, 3, 4, 6.  Move your slide quickly from 6^th position to 1^st. 

Percussion – Practice these songs one or two measures at a time.  It may help to memorize the songs or parts of the songs.  It can be tricky to look up at the book and back down to the bells.  Use both hands; it will make it easier.

Here is a schedule reminder for next week:

Belmont - Clear Creek - Riverview

Brass (Trumpets, Trombones) Percussion – All Mondays and Thursdays

Woodwinds (Flutes, Clarinets, Saxophones)– All Tuesdays and Fridays
Wednesday, October 30 – Flute

Mize

Brass (Trumpets, Trombones) – All Mondays and Thursdays

Woodwinds (Flutes, Clarinets, Saxophones) and Percussion– All Tuesdays and Fridays
Wednesday, October 30 – Flute

Horizon

Brass (Trumpets, Trombones) Percussion – All Tuesdays and Fridays
Woodwinds (Flutes, Clarinets, Saxophones)– All Mondays and Thursdays
Wednesday, October 30 – Flute

I would still like everyone to practice for 60 minutes a week.  It really helps when they are able to take their instrument home and spend some time to get these songs under their fingers.  All the classes are getting better and I’m looking forward to getting on to some new music.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

For the baseball fans, here is a fun video featuring the brass sections from the St. Louis and Boston Symphonies playing Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better and Take Me Out To The Ballgame.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faSXwwz0kFU

Mr. Harvey

Oct 18

Welcome to Mr. Harvey's 5th Grade Band Blog.  I need to warn you though, I have never written a blog, so please go easy on me. 

Here is some information regarding schedules and helpful practice tips for your child.

Belmont - Clear Creek - Riverview

Brass (Trumpets, Trombones) Percussion – All Mondays and Thursdays

Woodwinds (Flutes, Clarinets, Saxophones) – All Tuesdays and Fridays
Wednesday, October 23 – Trumpet, Trombone and Percussion
Wednesday, October 30 – Flute

Mize

Brass (Trumpets, Trombones) – All Mondays and Thursdays

Woodwinds (Flutes, Clarinets, Saxophones) and Percussion– All Tuesdays and Fridays

Wednesday, October 23 – Trumpet and Trombone

Wednesday, October 30 – Flute

Horizon

Brass (Trumpets, Trombones) Percussion – All Tuesdays and Fridays

Woodwinds (Flutes, Clarinets, Saxophones)– All Mondays and Thursdays

Wednesday, October 23 – Trumpet, Trombone and Percussion

Wednesday, October 30 – Flute

Our M, T, Th, F schedule will stay the same all year.  All band students will meet on Wednesdays later in the year.  Everyone should come on the days they have band, even if they forget their instrument. 

I would like all 5^th graders to practice at least 60 minutes a week.  This can be broken up into several days.  It helps them to be more comfortable on their instrument which makes playing more fun. 

For Brass (trumpets and trombones) – We started on # 9 in the book and worked backwards through the odd numbers.  This allows us to start low, which is easier.  They should remember in order to play higher, the lips need to be squeezed a little more and they should blow a little faster.  If you think they are too loud, you are right!!  We are moving on to some familiar songs like Hot Cross Buns, Mary Had a Little Lamb and Go Tell Aunt Rhody. 

For Percussion – The lines we have played so far are easy on purpose.  I want them to learn stick control.  They should keep their arms still, only play with their wrists, and practice using both hands instead of only one.  The songs on page six are a quite a bit more challenging than what we started with.  They need to keep their eyes moving from the book to their mallets and back to know what know what notes to play.  Most of the time I see them stare down at the bells. 

For Woodwinds (Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone) – The first day with instruments we started with the easiest note to play, which different for each instrument.  By now, they should be able to play all the new notes on pages four and five.  If not, that’s ok.  They will get it soon enough.  We are starting to work our way through the even numbers learning how to change fingers and notes.  If flute players have trouble on notes, I want them to blow only on the head joint to make sure their lips are in the right shape.  They know how to do this.  Sometimes their lips and the flute move out of the proper position while playing.  If saxophone players have trouble, they should check that the correct keys are pressed down.  Their hands should be curved, not flat, so they are not pushing down extra keys.  It is important to not over blow on the saxophone and clarinet.  They also should have their bottom lip barely covering their bottom teeth and their top teeth should be on the mouthpiece.  Clarinet players should check that their fingers are covering the holes completely.  They should be using the flat, soft part of their fingertip, not the tip near the fingernail. 

For everyone, patience is very important.  They are all anxious to learn some songs, but it would be more frustrating if we go too fast through the book.  Everyone is doing well and I’m proud of them for trying a new activity.  Thank you for your investment in them.  I hope they have thanked you too!!!

Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can help in any way.

For those of you familiar with Remind101, you can now get text or email reminders from me.  Text the following code to 913-305-5049:

For Belmont:  @beband5 or email beband5@mail.remind101.com

For Mize:  @meband5 or email meband5@mail.remind101.com

For Horizon:  @heband5 or email heband5@mail.remind101.com

For Clear Creek: @cceband5 or email cceband5@mail.remind101.com

For Riverview:  @reband5  or email reband5@mail.remind101.com