Mrs. Covart's Classroom News

Looking forward to Spring! The Spring Concert that is!!

Spring-2024

4th grade band members- Are working on learning putting their first 5 notes to work. We meet on Mondays for an individual group lesson and on Thursday mornings to work all together as a band. We sound so much better when we work together. We're preparing for the Spring Concert on April 19th at 9am.

5th grade band members- Are meeting Mondays before school, Tuesdays for an instrument lesson, and Thursdays during reinforcement period 8. The Spring Concert will be on April 19th at 9 am and the musicians are preparing 3 songs for this concert. We are working on some advanced rhythms and techniques to prepare us to join the Upper Grade Band next year.

Upper Grade band members- 6th, 7th, & 8th grade meet before school on Tuesdays through April 16th and Fridays March and April to rehearse for the Spring Concert on April 16th at 7 pm and the High Notes Festival on May 31st. 6th grade band members have their lessons on Thursdays and a reinforcement band practice on Tuesdays during period 8. 7th grade band members have their lesson on Wednesdays and a reinforcement band practice on Fridays during period 8. Seventh graders who also want to participate in chorus may practice with Mrs. Bartel on Fridays during period 8. 8th grade band members meet on Fridays for their lesson and a reinforcement band on Wednesdays during period 8. Any 8th grade band member participating in the Advance math class is excused from reinforcement band.

EXTRA HELP HOURS:

Thursday afternoon 2:31-2:51 pm.

Wednesday mornings 7:17-7:37 am.

SCHEDULE INFO

Lessons and early band practices are listed on the Google Sheet shared with all students and parents. If you haven't received the Google Sheet, please contact me at [email protected] and I will share it with you. All lesson schedules for 4th-8th grade band are on one document and all early band rehearsal dates are listed at the bottom of each sheet.

BOOK INFORMATION

Online book information: https://sionline.alfred.com

Click "Activate Product" and enter 5 digit code located on the back of the book. See picture on the above webpage for clarification.

Helpful Hints:

4th grade tips

1) Encourage your child to practice at least 10 minutes 4-5 times a week. One time through a scale or piece of music does not equal practice. Two to three times through each assignment will help increase muscle memory.

2) Sometimes they don't sound the best at first. The more step one occurs, the sooner they will sound better.

3) Encourage them to practice earlier in the day or right after school.

4) Remind them to brush their teeth before they play their instrument. Some instruments have pads which will get sticky if played right after snacks, a meal, or sweet drinks.

5) If you aren't familiar with an instrument or reading music, the website above contains fantastic videos to help you and assist your musician. Technology is GREAT!

5th-8th grade tips

All the same tips above apply.

1) Older students should practice 15-20 minutes a night 4-5 times a week. At this age the music starts to get a little harder and if they've switched instruments, it's key that practice happens at home.

2) Encourage them to practice.

3) Please help them to get to early rehearsals on time. Students should arrive to the gym between 7am and 7:10am. The rehearsal begins at 7:15am and all students should be seated and ready at this time. Thank you!

FAQs

1) When can my young musician join band? Band enrollment is open 4th through 8th grade September/October as well as January/February.

2) What instruments can my young musician choose from? All instruments in the Concert Band setting such as: Flute, oboe (not recommended in 4th), clarinet, bass clarinet (not recommended in 4th), alto saxophone, tenor and baritone saxophone (not recommended in 4th), trumpet, trombone, french horn (not recommended in 4th), baritone and tuba (not recommended in 4th).

3) What lesson book does RVS use? We currently use Sound Innovations Book 1 in 4th, 5th and the beginning of 6th. Sound Innovations Book 2 is used for the rest of 6th, 7th and 8th. We use this lesson book because a website is available to support our efforts.

4) How is the scheduling set-up at RVS? We rotate lesson schedules on a 6 or 7 period schedule. This ensures that students aren't missing the same subject week after week. Sometimes schedules change due to assemblies and these changes will be made as needed. Mrs. Covart will always have the most up-to-date- schedule hanging in her classroom. Please see Google Sheet emailed to all parents and students for current schedule. It can also be found in the band Google classroom.

5) What if I didn't take an instrument last year, can I still join? Absolutely! If you are willing to put a little extra time and effort in, we can work together to get you caught up to the rest of your classmates.

6) Can my young musician play an instrument with braces? Absolutely! It may take a period of adjustment but yes, they can. I excuse them from playing for 4 to 5 days after initially getting the braces and 2-3 days after any tightenings. They still attend lessons and "sing" and "fing" along with the rest of the class. Putting an instrument on or in their mouth will not effect their orthodontic development. They will have an adjustment period but that usually passes within a week or two.

Please email me at [email protected] with any additional questions.

Useful Links:

Here are some fun musical websites to try and expand our musical horizons.

1) Play a virtual keyboard.

http://www.usborne-quicklinks.com/uk/uk_music_keyboard/uk_music_keyboard.asp

2) A great website to learn about different composers.

http://www.classicsforkids.com/

3) Create your own funky beats.

http://www.incredibox.com/en/play

4) Some great printable activities and calming music.

http://www.makingmusicfun.net

5) Learn about music and create music to your hearts content.