Dear Middle School Band Parents,

We are very excited to have the opportunity to teach your children this year in band!  Please read through this important information and the grading policies, then electronically sign the agreement.

BVMS Band students will have several large group concerts this year along with middle school solo contest in the spring.  Our first performance opportunity is just around the corner; we will be playing at the football game against Sioux Falls Lincoln High School on September 21!  The full schedule is included with this letter, and we hope that by giving you these dates now you will be able to plan your schedule so that your child can attend all required concerts.

For the football game performance, seventh grade students will be required to purchase a uniform shirt.  It is a long-sleeved t-shirt that they will wear several times in 7^th and 8^th grade.  The cost for this shirt is $15, and will be fit and ordered after school starts.  A check made payable to Brandon Valley Middle School can be brought to school when the student picks up their shirt.  If your eighth grader doesn’t have a shirt or needs a new one for any reason, please let Ms. Baker or Ms. Lundin know ASAP.  Sixth grade students, plan to wear BV Spirit Wear.

In addition to group band, your son or daughter will also have small group lessons once per week.  This schedule will be posted once school has begun.  These lessons are a great way for your student to improve musically, so please help your child remember to bring their instrument back and forth to school on the days that it is needed.  If a lesson is missed, our expectation is that it be made up within three school days.  Students are expected to practice at home.  Please encourage your child to play for you- it is always more fun and rewarding to play when you have an audience!

As parents, you can help ensure your child’s success in band by making sure that they have all the required supplies.  Instruments should be in good working order and kept clean to maintain good tone and pitch.  Students should bring their music to each rehearsal, and should always have a pencil.  Woodwind instruments should have at least three good reeds with them at all times so that if one gets chipped they don’t have to miss out on any rehearsals or performances.  We suggest purchasing the small plastic reed guards along with your reeds for storage.  This will probably save you money in the long run as it will extend the life of your reeds!  Brass players should have valve or slide oil with them at all times to keep their instrument running smoothly.  Percussionists are expected to bring their own snare drum sticks to each rehearsal.  Required books will be discussed at students’ first lesson.

We are confident that we will have a great school year!  We will work hard, learn a lot, and have a ton of fun along the way.  We will keep our website updated throughout the year with our schedule, what we’re working on, and other things you may find helpful.  In an effort to go green, we will post all information you may need online rather than sending paper copies home once the school year begins.  Our website address is www.bvmsbands.blogspot.com.  You can “follow” the blog so that you will be automatically notified via e-mail whenever an update becomes available.  If you have any questions for us during the school year, please feel free to contact us at school anytime.  Our email addresses are Laura.C.Baker@k12.sd.us or Elanor.Lundin@k12.sd.us and the Middle School phone number is 582-3214.

Brandon Valley Middle School Band

Course Expectations

In order to reward students for the hard work that they are doing in band, students will earn a grade in middle school band.  This is to recognize the efforts that they put forth to become musicians.  The school grading scale will be followed, and the student’s grade will be broken into five categories. 

1.  Lessons- 30%

Lessons are a vital part of the band curriculum.  Students work in small groups according to their instrument and individual ability level to gain new skills.  The lesson times are assigned by the teacher to coordinate with the student’s schedule.  The lesson grade will be determined by the teacher and will include both lesson attendance and preparedness for the lesson.  If a student must miss a lesson for any reason, it must be made up within three school days.  Students can sign up for make-up lessons in the band office. 

2.  Daily Participation- 30%

Participation points for group band rehearsals will be awarded in this category.  Points can be earned by coming to band on time with all materials and ready to learn.  Good rehearsal etiquette will ensure maximum points are earned.

3.  Practice Records- 10%

Because everyone progresses at a slightly different pace, at-home practice is a very important factor in musical success.  The practice requirement is meant to allow students to work on individual needs at their own pace.  Practice time should be substantial enough to accomplish a goal while not being overwhelming.  It is best to break the practice requirement into 4 to 5 blocks of time throughout the week, rather than trying to complete it all in one sitting.  This year’s goal is 100 minutes per week.

4.  Concert Participation- 30%

We work very hard to put together outstanding performances for our friends, family, and community members, and students will be rewarded for those efforts as well!  All concert dates are considered mandatory, and the dates are provided below.  Please put those dates on your family calendars right away to avoid any conflicts.

We believe that these guidelines will help us to create a successful music learning environment while maintaining the current high standards of music performance.  If you have any questions regarding these policies, please feel free to contact us at any time.

Sincerely,        

Laura Baker and Ellie Lundin

Electronically Sign the form here!

2012-2013 BVMS Band Calendar

Please put these dates on your calendars today to avoid conflicts!

Monday & Tuesday, August 13-14- MS Marching Camp 

Friday, Spetember 21^{st -} Marching Performance – HS Football Game – 7:00 - All Grades 

Thursday, December 13^th - 6^th Grade Winter Band Concert – PAC – 7:30 

Tuesday, December 18^th - 7^th and 8^th Grade Winter Band Concert – PAC – 7:30 

Tuesday, March 5^th - Augustana Jazz Festival – All Day - Jazz Band Students Only 

Monday-Thursday, April 8-11 - Recital Week - All Grades 

Saturday, April 13^th - Turkey Supper – PAC – 5:00-8:00pm - 7^th, 8^th, and Jazz Only 

Saturday, April 20^th - Middle School Solo Contest – BVMS – All Day - All Grades 

Sunday, May 5^th - Brandon Loyalty Day Parade – 2:00pm - 7^th and 8^th Grades Only 

Tuesday, May 14th - 6^th Grade Spring Concert – PAC – 7:30 

Thursday, May 16th - 7^th and 8^th Grade Spring Concert – PAC – 7:30pm

Summer Band Camps and Summer Youth Band

Summer is a great time to play your instrument!
There are several great opportunities for you to keep up the progress you've been making all year.

1.  Sioux Falls Youth Summer Band
This program is offered through the Sioux Falls Parks and Rec department.  Mr. Bob Carlson from Lincoln High School runs this 6-week summer program.  Students meet Tuesday and Thursday mornings for an hour (varies depending on grade) and put together a program of fun and challenging band music.  The cost is only $30 for the whole summer, and it includes a t-shirt.
Dates:  May 29-July 12 (No camp the week of July 4th)
Cost: $30
More Information/Registration:  http://www.siouxfalls.org/parks/recreation/music-theatre-arts/programs/youth-band.aspx

2. Summer Band Camps
There are several camps run throughout the state at SDSU, USD, or Mt. Rushmore.  This is a great way to get away for a week and have a great time meeting new people while playing your instrument.  Some of the camps offer singing, too, for you chorus kids!  Check out the websites of each for more information.
Remember:  Brandon Valley Band Parents provides a $100 scholarship for any student wanting to attend band camp.  Please let your band director know which camp you are attending so we can send your scholarship!
SDSU: http://www.sdstate.edu/mus/outreach/all-state/index.cfm
USD: http://www.usd.edu/fine-arts/music/upload/Upper-Midwest-Summer-Music-Camp01.pdf
Mt. Rushmore (put on by NSU): http://www.rushmoremusiccamp.com

3.  Private Lessons
One-on-one help over the summer can help you continue to improve your playing, and is especially great if you want to work on your All-State audition music over the summer!  See Mr. Miller or Ms. Baker if you are interested in getting a private instructor.

Have a wonderful summer!

Parade

The weather looks much better today, and the parade is on!
With temperatures expected to be in the low to mid-60's and a bit of wind, please dress appropriately. 

See you all at 1:00.

Spring Concerts and Performances

The year may be almost over, but we've still got a lot going on in the band room.  Our solo contest was held on April 21 and we had outstanding results.  Students performed very well and received great scores.  Please take an opportunity to congratulate your students on their hard work.  Thank you also to all who came out to our annual Turkey Supper in April.  We had a blast!

On Sunday, May 6^th, the 7^th and 8^th grade bands will march in the Brandon Loyalty Day parade.  The parade starts at 2:00 and runs along Holly Blvd. from the high school to Main Street and then turns south on Main to the lumberyard.  The seventh grade band is the first thing in the parade and the eighth graders are last, so come out and show support for those students.  7^th grade and 8^th grade students should report to the middle school at 1:00pm.  Holly Blvd. will be blocked off for the parade beginning at 1:00, so please don’t be late!  *Due to the Aspen road construction project and the altered route, students will be dismissed from the end of the parade route, which is the corner of Main St. and Dogwood Ave.  They can either walk back to the middle school or find their family and friends along the route.  Please make arrangements with your students ahead of time for what you would like them to do after the parade is through.

Spring concerts will be held on Thursday, May 3 for the 6^th grade band and chorus at 7:45 in the PAC.  The time has pushed back to accommodate the senior athletic banquet, so please note the time change.  The 7^th and 8^th grade bands will perform in their spring concert on Friday, May 11^th at 7:00 in the PAC.

Over the summer, consider enrolling in a music camp or the Sioux Falls Parks and Rec Summer band program.  Camps are held at SDSU from June 10-15, at USD from July 8-13, and at Mt. Rushmore from July 29-August 3.  Sioux Falls Summer Band meets at Edison Middle School two mornings per week throughout the summer, and is only $30 for the entire summer!  These are all great ways to keep yourself playing and increase your musicianship throughout the summer.  Scholarships of $100 are awarded to any student attending a music camp from the BV Band Parents!  More information is available from either Mrs. Baker or Mr. Miller.

Solo Contest Schedule

Please plan to arrive about 15 minutes early for warm-ups and arrive to your assigned room 5 minutes ahead of schedule.

A full schedule with rooms listed will be posted on the office door on Saturday.

7:53 Bayleigh Holter Lindsey Schobert Sydnee Pottebaum
8:00 Kaitlyn Gloege Arika Jacobsen Tatum Mork Ellie Holmes
8:07 Ali Woodward Keaton Reindl Jennika Wrightsman
8:10 McKenzie Gloege
8:14 Emily Thompson Kennedy Vandemore Hannah Hendrick
8:20 Dana Schroeder
8:21 Sarah Archer Hannah Bulatao Bri King
8:28 David Baillie Macy Clark Macy Beck
8:30 Gracie Adams
8:35 Josie Puetz Taylor Dawley James House
8:37 Sydney Trout
8:42 Arianna Stanghor Isaac Bertsch Dawson Kremlacek
8:44 Kaitlyn Nelson
8:49 Erin Livingston Faith Burch Mason Rusten

8:51 Payton Livingston 

8:56 Morgan Johnson Alex Miller Grace Bennett
9:00 Shayla Beck
9:03 Johnny Hoffmann Kylie Pickering Derek Hubers
9:10 Kali Lein Kayla Moss Riley Bennett Grant Ellis
9:17 Hannah DeVille Dylan Blom Allen Wright Derek Gonseth
9:24 Morgan Palmer Nick Wagley Isaac Buteyn Jordan Anderson
9:31 Ally Boerhave
9:33 Gaven Bowman Jaden Carlson Josh Mikeworth
9:40 Moira McCollam-Larson Adam Else Kenyan Mikeworth Katie Wright
9:47 Hannah Pruett Andrea Hubert Alex Broderson
9:50 Lara Ellis
9:55 Natalie Wagley Tanner Burkman Joel Kocer
10:00 Jacob Hubers
10:02 Kaylee Hamann Isaiah Dietz Rayne Huettmann-Larson
10:09 Katelyn Baanwarth Alyssa Fick Seamus Vandemore
10:10 Layne Symington
10:16 Ashlea Wolfe Rylie Nettestad Jacob Scherb
10:20 Christian Headrick
10:23 Alexis Barrett Marissa Herll Courtney Meeker
10:30 Kaily Davis Grace Bender Nick Hanson Chloe Hauge
10:37 Lexie Godwin Heather Kirkpatrick Curt Flaten
10:40 Riley Johnke
10:44 Sadie Sehr Erik Honken Elizabeth Michaels
10:50 Mason Blue
10:51 Paige Moeller Andrea Poole Cassie Huebert
10:58 Christina Waller Martin DeKam William Kruse
11:00 Kjarstyn Davis
11:05 Alyssa Bierwagen Max Howard
11:10 Mikaela Neubauer
11:12 Laramie Giles Remmy Larson Taylor Bush
11:19 Kristina Pike Tanya Tingle Brooke Thoelke
11:20 Bridget DeKam
11:26 Allyson Thuringer Courtney Klatt Sommer West
11:30 Lennon Keller
11:33 Kenneth Keuser Tessa Johnson Charlie Weise
11:40 Tess Erickson Drexton Trantina Katelynn Mulvihill Jake Forster
11:47 Kailee Duncanson Andrew Sandbulte Gerrit Van de Kieft Bryce Ahlers
11:54 Katelyn Nissen Jeremy Heirigs Ethan Brown Bailey Bernal

12:50 Lance Rasmussen
12:52 Shianne Dutson Drew Jurgens Anthony Girton
1:00 Hannah Jarovski Jamie Johnson Kayla Knutson Bailey Stroud
1:07 Jayde Schroeder Chase Kunkel Dylan Tyree
1:14 Brenden Richardson Sabrina Simons Ryan Williams
1:20 Emily Ullom
1:21 Gage Ruhlman Amber Dubbelde Morgan Mashlan
1:28 Claudia Martin Amy Vardsveen Kaylee Riley
1:30 Trevor Dean
1:35 Kaitlin Sorenson Kaitlyn Hanna Karissa Ternus
1:40 Claire Jeanson
1:42 Emily Strasser George Wright Madison Lee
1:49 Hannah Hofer Nicole Priola Ryan Backer
1:50 Lincy Rodriguez
1:56 Shanley Zahn Andy Holmes Spencer Brandsrud
2:00 Seth Short
2:03 Hannah Antrim Jeremy Bute Nick Moeller
2:10 Kaeli Anderson Kyle Heidbrink Dalton Vielmette Dayton Johnson
2:17 Jaecie Brouwer Lexis Sherron Damen Holmes
2:20 Zoey Sjogren
2:24 Becca Koehn Dustin Kemner Kirstyn Polasky  
2:30 Elizabeth Schumacher
2:33 Lam Pham Gracie Lubbers Ethan Reese      
2:40 Breana Meyerink Alex Johnson Darian Blue Gage Hoffmann
2:47 Peter Schumacher Josie Duin Alex Gomez      
2:50 John Funches
2:54 Lauren Blue Haley Hammond          
3:00 Emily Kluin
3:03 Emily Rief Anthony Benitez Amanda Miller      
3:07 Kaylee Mork
3:10 Eric Hanson AK Ojuluwayo Rylea Webb      
3:14 Nick Rise
3:17 Rebecca Hicks Jessica Berg Kaitlyn Withee      
3:21 Morgan Smith
3:24 MaRena Dybdahl Morgan Lindemann Lucas Mace      
3:28 Will DeCurtins
3:31 Chloe Askdal Hanna Mutschelknaus Carson Haase      
3:35 Braeden Sorenson
3:38 Tucker Loosbrock Braden Paulsen Noah Holm      
3:42 Will Thompson
3:45 Malory Lacey Dawson Schaap Kylie Stephens      
3:49 Erika Christopherson
3:52 Brian Waller            
3:56 Kevin Gillespie
4:03 Emmett Simmons

Turkey Supper!

I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to eat some turkey!  Our pops concert is upon us, so here are some details for this weekend:

7th Grade Band:  Warm up at 4:15, play at 5:00.
7th Grade Jazz:  Warm up at 4:00, play at 4:45.  *Rhythm section arrive early to set up.
8th Grade Jazz:  Warm up at 4:00, play at 5:40.  *Rhythm section arrive early to set up.

EVERYONE:
Attire:  Band shirt (yes, it should be tucked in), blue jeans, any shoes besides flip-flops.
Arrival:  Please be dropped off 5-10 minutes early so that we can start playing at our warm-up time.  We are going to have a pretty tight schedule.  Be in your seat in the PAC at the assigned warm-up time.  An area will be set aside for your instrument cases.

Thank you all for your help in allowing the concert to run smoothly!

Solo Contest

Dear band parents and students,

            We have had a great year so far, and it’s hard to believe that the end is near!  We have only a few short months left of school but we have a lot left to accomplish.  We still get to perform as a group in our spring concerts this May, but this letter is to discuss something different- our annual solo contest. 

The South Dakota Grade School Instrumental Solo Contest will again be held at Brandon Valley this year.  It will take place on Saturday, April 21.  It is a regional contest, so in addition to Brandon Valley students, several other schools may be participating.  The contest begins at 8:00am and concludes around 4:00 in the afternoon.  The judges are band directors and specialists from surrounding communities and they will be assigned to certain instruments and grade levels.  For example, one judge will get to hear all the sixth grade clarinet players.  That way, the judge will be able to compare students’ abilities and be consistent in awarding ribbons.  It is possible for every student to receive a Superior rating at contest, and to earn top honors, every student will need to do their best job to be prepared.  Parents can be a big help by encouraging their students to put in extra practice time to achieve the goal that we have for our students:  that they play to the very best of their abilities, regardless of the rating they may receive.  Here is some other information you need to know:

• Every student in the band program is required to participate in solo contest.
• Every student will need to find a piano player to accompany the solo.  You may use someone you know, and we have included a list of players on the back of this letter if you do not know a pianist.  The piano music will be handed out in late March.  In addition to those names on the back, there are many high school students willing to play for students.  Many students know someone from church who plays.  Parents, if you play, this is a wonderful way to share a musical experience with your child, and middle school solos usually have a fairly easy piano part.  Percussionists will not need a pianist.  We’re always looking for good accompanists, so if you know of someone who may be willing to help out, please let us know!  If accompanist fees create a financial hardship for your family, please let us know.  Funds have been set aside to offset these costs.
• We will have an in-school recital week prior to the contest.  This gives each student the opportunity to perform their solo for a guest clinician.  Our guest clinicians this year are Mr. Bruce Wildes and Mr. Bob Goheen.  The piano player is not required to attend the recital. 
• Students who begin practicing now will have a better chance at success than those who try to cram their practicing in the last few weeks prior to contest.  Most solos are divided into three or four sections, and we will begin by working on one section a week.  Encourage your student to practice the solo about 20 minutes per day.  After the third or fourth week the solo will be ready to rehearse with the accompanist.  Even though they may be anxious to practice with their accompanist, we encourage students to wait until they have learned the entire solo.  If not, it can be frustrating and time consuming for everyone involved.
• If you have scheduling concerns, please let Mrs. Baker know as soon as possible so that we can make arrangements for that.  We will honor all requests made before April 10th.  After that date, we cannot guarantee a time change will be possible.  On contest day, we ask that students be ready 10-15 minutes early for their scheduled time slot.
• Dress clothes should be worn for solo contest.  This means no jeans, t-shirts or sweatshirts with writing, etc.  Please dress as you would for a band concert.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support of your student in solo contest.  We are looking forward to working with you and your child on this project.  We believe that it will be a challenging, rewarding, enjoyable, and educational musical experience for your child.  If you have any questions regarding this contest, please let us know.  Contact us via email at Laura.C.Baker@k12.sd.us or Jesse.Miller@k12.sd.us or by phone at 582-3214.

Piano Accompanists

Donna Schwartz - 360-6265

Denise Edwards - 582-7779

Susan Heezen - 582-7167

Deanna Wehrspann - 357-8825

Yona Weinberg - 338-1163

Gayle Strand - 335-1098

Gea Gjesdal - 334-7071

Janice Noonan - 582-6209

Kristie Happeny - 351-0562

Many of these pianists take a limited number of students. 

Please call early to ensure that your students get to work with the pianist of your choice.

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

April 10-13:     Recital Week

April 14:          Turkey Supper (7^th, 8^th, Jazz bands only)

April 21:          Solo Contest – All Day

May 3:             6^th Grade Band and Choir Concert – 7:45

May 6:             Brandon Loyalty Day Parade (7^th and 8^th only) – 2:00

May 11:           7^th and 8^th and Jazz Band Concert – 7:45