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| Happy New Year! |
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| We're Off Again in 2010! |
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The 2nd semester has begun! What a great semester it will be for all the HMS Bulldog Band members. There will be many performance opportunities for all during these five months.
Sixth graders will be reviewing what they've learned and continuing in their method book in the next few weeks. We hope to finish Book One soon and begin Book Two.
The Seventh Grade Band and the Eighth Grade Band will begin preparing for the District 10 LGPE, which stands for Large Group Performance Evaluation. This used to be called Fesival or Contest. This is the first year in many years, HMS will be sending a separate Seventh and and Eighth Grade Band. We will be sight-reading selections in the next two weeks and will choose the program soon.
While learning the musical selections, the students will continue to learn their scales, work on rhythmic recognition, and compete music theory and history lessons. Some of the time will be spent in the computer labs working on drill and practice of reading notes and rhythms.
Stay tuned for our upcoming events and look for newsletters. Newsletters will be sent via e-mail to those parents who have sent in valid e-mail addresses. Those who do not have valid addresses, will receive hard or paper newsletters. Please respond that you have read them.
Check out the school calendar for addtional dates and information. |
| Large Group Performance Evaluations |
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Members of the Seventh Grade Band and the Eighth Grade Band will be participating in the 2010 District 10 LGPE in March. Both bands will prepare three separate pieces of music demonstrating our playing and music abilities. We will perform before three adjucators approved by the GMEA, the Georgia Music Educators Association. Also, we will Sight Read a piece of music written especially for this event. Sight reading is playing a piece of music on sight. We will be given five minutes to study and discuss the music and then play it to the best of our abilities.
Be on the lookout for more information concerning this event. It will be held in March at Thomson Middle School. |
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What would convince a band director to take eleven middle school students to a university to participate in a band clinic, spending two nights in a hotel, listening to middle school conversations, and making sure they are at their individual rehearsal sites? I've asked myself that several times. Finally, I decided it was the memories made, the experience of being in a group that rehearses for five hours and then presents a concert, and the pride that is instilled in each student knowing that they represent a great school. Gabby Farr and Cheyenne Sims, Clarinet; Louis Scherer and Zach Koshene, Alto Clarinet; Dylan Boyd, Trumpet; Andrew McCorkle, French Horn; Ethan Strang, Trombone; Ezekial Lucas, Euphonium; and Dakota Nale, Percussion, represented HMS well at the 2009 Middle School Music Festival at the University of Georgia, in Athens.
They auditioned for a place in one of eight different bands, practiced for over 5 hours and then presented a concert in the beautiful and enormous Hugh Hodgson Performing Arts Center on the campus of UGA. They were under the direction of some of the most noted band directors in the Southeast.
When asked what was their most memorable musical experience, many of them said realizing that they could play all the music. Some could play better than the people sitting near them. Others said they will always remember the feeling of getting a standing ovation after their group performed.
All of them brought back a desire to do better, and many, many ideas to assist their section in improving their performance to achieve our goals.
Way to go DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Each band student should come to class prepared each day with the following supplies:
Instrument with supplies such as reeds, oils, greases, creams, etc.
Band Notebook (3 ring binder with 4 dividers labelled - Music, Theory, Paper, Exercises)
Pencil
Music Book or method book
Most Importantly Student Agenda |
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We did it! We sold over $14,000 of fruit this year. The band and chorus combined managed to sell tangelos, grapefruit, navel oranges and juice oranges to people all over the area.
Many thanks to the parents and grandparents who helped.
Wasn't the fruit great this year? |
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The following HMS Bulldog Band students auditioned for and made the 2010 District 10 Honors Band. Gabby Farr and Cheyenne Sims, Soprano Clarinet; Louis Scherer and Zachary Koshene, Alto Saxophone; and Dylan Boyd, Trumpet, will be representing HMS in February at the Honors Band Clinic.
This year, the clinician or director for the middle school band will be Mr. Larry Clark, a well known composer for band music. Mr. Clark was commissioned by the District 10 Honors Band and Band Directors to compose or write a piece of music especially for our middle school honors band. This will be the first time a group will perform the music and have it recorded.
This event will be held in Evans, February 18th - 20th. The final concert is open to the public and will be held at 2:30 pm, at the West Acres Baptist Church, in Evans. Plan to attend.
Good Luck!!!! |
| Practice Records or Practice Notes |
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Each student has homework in band on a daily basis. Unlike other classes, the homework can be done over a period of time. Each week every band student is required to practice their music and other assignments for a maximum of 100 minutes for the week. This is the amount required for an "A", or a 93. Minutes over 100 will raise the grade.
All students are given a packet of Practice Notes that are numbered for the week, dated and given a date due to be turned in. There is also a place for the parent to sign.
Please check I-Parent to see if your child is turning their sheets in. Failure to turn in Practice Notes will result in Detention and a significant lowering of the band grade. |
| SUNSTREAK |
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| They were an awesome group! |
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On Thursday, November 5th, the rock/pop/alternative group SUNSTREAK, gave a mini concert for our eight grade students. Sunstreak, one of two bands to ever make a place on the BILLBOARD CHARTS, agreed to visit HMS to share their experiences with the students.
"I knew about them", one of our HMS students said. "I've seen them on MTVu.com!"
"They were a very musical group.", said many of the high school students.
Mr. Stacey Wade, the HHS Band Director stated, "They played dynamically correct which is very unusual for a rock band."
The band is originally from Rochester, New York, and has performed in the Warp Tour twice since their forming in 2002.
They shared their motto, "You can achieve whatever you set your mind to." with the students. All of the guys had college experience. One graduated from Berkely School of Music in Boston, Mass., with a degree in music performance. Another has over two years of electrical engineering, and one had a double degree in science and engineering. There was an Army Veteran in the band as well.
Check them out on their Facebook and/or MySpace pages.
We hope to see them back again. |
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| WE ARE. . . HARLEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| Visitors since September 2008 |
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