Middle School Band Syllabus

Centreville Middle School Band Grading Policy & Handbook

Mrs. Heather Fullerton, Director of Bands

E-mail:

Phone:

Best time to reach Mrs. Fullerton:

Materials

• Instrument & accessories (reeds, cork grease, valve oil, slide grease & swabs as needed)

o Mrs. Fullerton does have these items for sale in the band room.

• Method Book

• Sheet Music

• Band Journal

• Pencil (Not a pen!)

Student Expectations

The CMS Band has earned the reputation as one of the strongest band programs on the Eastern Shore. Students are expected to do what is needed to maintain and strengthen that reputation. Students who are not showing the proper respect and interest for this program may be asked to change their schedule in order to pursue other interests.

Students are expected to:

• Practice regularly (ex. 5 nights a week, 30 minutes each night)

• Come prepared to band class with:

o Your materials

o Your assignments prepared

o An attitude of respect for Mrs. Fullerton, fellow band members and the performing arts.

 This band operates as a family and we must always support each other.

Grading Policy

An Explanation of Concert Band vs. Symphonic Band

The CMS Band acknowledges that students learn at different rates and have “ah-ha” moments at different times throughout their education. With this in mind, there are two performing groups that will accommodate most musicians.

The Concert Band

The Concert Band is a performing group for the developing musician and is not defined by a particular grade level. The Concert Band will perform at the Winter Concert and the Spring Concert and will focus on further skill development the remaining times throughout the year. It is the goal of a Concert Band member to show the appropriate mastery of skills to move up into the Symphonic Band.

The Symphonic Band

The Symphonic Band is a performing group for the mature musician and is also not defined by a particular grade level. The Symphonic Band will perform at the Fall Festival, Winter Concert, District Band Festival, and the Spring Concert. Students in the Symphonic Band will have to continue to show growth and progress or they may need to move down to the Concert Band until such time as they have regained the appropriate skill level.

Decisions will be based on method book progress and classroom/rehearsal behavior. Mrs. Fullerton reserves the right to make decisions that will be in the best interest of a performing group and/or a particular student.

Method Book Requirements to earn MUSIC (wind players only)

• Beginners: Mrs. Fullerton’s decision (to play in the Concert Band)

• Concert Band Membership:

▪ For Winter: Minimum Completion of Page 20, book 1

▪ For Spring: Minimum, Complete book 1

• Symphonic Band Membership: Minimum Completion of Page 23, book 2

Deadlines for Method Book Benchmarks:

Winter Concert: Friday, October 25, 2013

District V Band Festival: Friday, January 10, 2014

Spring Concert: Friday, March 28, 2014

Percussionists: Percussionists use different books then the wind players. The decision of who plays with which group will be based on # of percussionists needed for a performance and made by Mrs. Fullerton. She will always use as many as she can without doubling parts.

After School Help

After school help will continue to be available this year on Wednesdays from 3:30 – 4:30. Please don’t forget to sign in during homeroom in the media center. You can obtain a “permanent note” from Mrs. Fullerton that will give your child permission to stay after for all band activities all year.

Marching Band

An enrichment activity for CMS Band members is Marching Band. While it is optional, being in the marching band is strongly encouraged in an effort to get the full spectrum of band experiences. In the fall, only 7th & 8th graders are invited to be in the marching band. 6th graders will have the opportunity to join us later in the school year. Rehearsals are after school, normally on Tuesdays, from 3:30 – 4:30 pm (the first one is October 8th!).

Jazz Band

The CMS Jazz Band is an exclusive group of students selected by Mrs. Fullerton based on instrumentation and ability level. Membership in this band is by invitation only.

Full Band Rehearsals

The ONLY way to prepare for a performance is to bring all sections together for rehearsals. Think about how many different instruments (flutes, clarinets, bass clarinets, contra alto clarinets, alto saxophones…….etc) & different parts in each instrument section (1st flute, 2nd flute, 1st clarinet, 2nd clarinet, 3rd clarinet……etc.) and the total of parts to pull together is close to 20. These full band rehearsals are held during the school day to avoid transportation issues. Mrs. Fullerton tries to pull students as little as possible from other classes without diminishing the quality of performance of the band. There are, usually, 5 pull-outs before each performance. Mrs. Fullerton tries to rotate the time of each pull-out so that students aren’t missing the same class again and again. The faculty of CMS is incredibly supportive of the CMS arts programs and is usually very flexible regarding pull-out rehearsals. If a student, however, is not being successful in a class, that teacher has the right to prohibit the student from missing his/her class for a rehearsal.

Responsibility is a huge part of being in the CMS Band!!

▪ Students are responsible for making up any work missed in their regular class while attending a pull-out rehearsal.

▪ Any student who misses more than ONE pull-out rehearsal due to a forgotten instrument or actually forgetting to come to rehearsal will NOT be allowed to participate in that performance.

▪ If a student is going to miss a pull-out rehearsal for any reason (doctor’s appointment, absence from school…etc.) Mrs. Fullerton would like to be informed ahead of time so alterations to her rehearsal agenda can be made if necessary.

Uniforms

There are 3 uniforms depending on which group your child performs in. No matter which uniform a CMS Band student is wearing, it should always be worn with PRIDE!

▪ The Concert Band, wears a CMS Band Polo shirt (provided by the Band), long khaki pants, black shoes & black socks. The pants, shoes & socks can be any brand, style…etc. The shirt, upon arrival to a performance, should be tucked in.

▪ The Symphonic Band, Marching Band & Jazz Band wear the “fancy” uniform along with standard black shoes that must be purchased from Mrs. Fullerton and long black socks. The shoes are $10. There is NO fee for the uniform but parents must sign a Uniform Agreement in order for a student to be assigned a uniform.

o These uniforms are kept in protective garment bags. The uniforms & garment bags should be handled with care and returned when the student leaves the band program.

o Before each performance, please check to make sure your current uniform and shoes FIT! It takes at least one week to get new shoes ordered.

▪ On more casual occasions the CMS Band T-Shirt and blue jeans are worn. If such an occasion arises, Mrs. Fullerton will make the T-Shirt available for sale to those students who do not have one.

Fundraising

While the band is well supported by the school and community there are always ways to improve the program. It is nice to be a little self-sufficient which is what maintaining a fund of our own provides. The following are of top priority over the coming years:

• Nice extras, like fancy program paper, awards and pins that students earn throughout the year.

• $$ for next year’s Music in the Parks Trip (the 2014-2015 school year)

• Thinking ahead: replacing uniform parts, purchasing additional uniforms as the band grows.

• Replacing well-worn percussion instruments and accessories (always a need! )

Fundraisers planned for this year are:

▪ FALL FESTIVAL on Tuesday, October 30th from 5 – 7:30 here at CMS.

▪ Joe Corbi Pizza & Cookie Dough Sell Dates: January 2nd – 17th. Delivery will be Thursday, January 30th

Communication

Mrs. Fullerton believes communication is the 2nd most important aspect of her job (1st being training young musicians).

▪ E-mail: A quick and easy way to stay in contact with Mrs. Fullerton. She sends out reminders of performances, etc. Please include your e-mail address on the return slip of this syllabus. Even if you’ve given Mrs. Fullerton your e-mail before, write it again to make sure.

▪ Newsletters: Each month, there will be a newsletter e-mailed home and/or passed out in band class that is for PARENTS information. In these newsletters, accomplishments are praised and future activities are planned.

Calendar of Events

Performance dates are subject to change.

This calendar includes all performances for all bands and may not apply to every student.

10/26/13: QACHS Homecoming Parade

10/30/13: Fall Festival at CMS

12/2/13: Festival of Trees (8th graders only)

12/6/13: Centreville Christmas Parade

12/14/13: St. Michaels Christmas Parade

12/18/13: CMS Band Winter Concert

2/1/14: All-Shore Band Auditions

2/20/14: Solo & Ensemble Festival

3/27/14: District V Junior Band Festival

4/4 & 4/5 2014: All-Shore Band Festival

5/6/14: Jazz Night at QACHS

5/17/14: State Solo & Ensemble Festival

5/24/14: Centreville Memorial Day Parade

5/29/14: CMS Performs at KES

6/3/14: CMS Band Spring Concert

2013 – 2014 Understanding of CMS Band Policies

I have read the CMS Band Syllabus and understand the grading policy and other policies explained.

For the Winter and Spring concerts, students will walk to QACHS to practice in the auditorium (weather permitting.) Signing below gives your child permission to walk to QACHS for these activities.

parent e-mail address:

Mrs. Fullerton will use this e-mail address to keep parents informed.