Cougar Band Spring Newsletter
We have so much to celebrate and be thankful for!!
Parents and Students:
In January, the 41 Cougar Band members who made the All-Region Band attended their Clinic and Concert weekend. The students did a fabulous job, rehearsing for only 7 hours before performing a concert that Saturday night.
In February, the Clark Symphonic Band gave an amazing performance in San Antonio at the TMEA CC Honor Band Concert. As the reigning state champion CC middle school band, we were charged with giving a concert in front of nearly two thousand people. The students rose to the occasion, giving up several Saturdays in order to prepare for this event. The band’s performance was received by professional musicians with tremendous enthusiasm. So many adults were stunned at the student’s playing ability and tremendous musicianship. We are so thankful for the countless hours that parent volunteers dedicated to the preparation for the trip; watching over us on the trip to keep us safe, and continually moving forward to keep us on schedule. What a tremendous undertaking that we could not have done without you.
The Clark Bands competed once again at the UIL Band Contest. Congratulations to the Symphonic and Honor Bands for earning a Superior Rating or “Sweepstakes Award” in both the Concert and Sight Reading portions of the UIL Band Contest! Congratulations to the Concert Band for earning a Superior Rating on stage and an Excellent rating in sight reading.
The Clark Honor and Concert Bands competed at the Murchison Band Contest. Congratulations to the Clark Concert Band for earning a Superior Rating on stage as well as being the “Outstanding Band” in their division at the Murchison Band Contest! Congratulations to the Clark Honor Band for also earning a Superior Rating on stage as well as being the “Outstanding Band” in their division at the Murchison Band Contest! We are so proud of all of you!!
In June, the Cougar Band attended the Frisco ISD Solo & Small Ensemble Contest, at Hunt Middle School. Soloists were required to perform with a piano accompanist on a challenging solo. The Judges awarded one of the following ratings (not rankings) to each soloist or ensemble; I, II, III, IV, or V. A First Division (I) = Superior Performance; a Second Division (II) = Excellent Performance; (III) = Fair Performance; (IV) = Less than Fair Performance; (V) = Poor Performance.
186 students were judged to be First Division or Superior rating and received an award medal, and 4 were judged to be Second Division or Excellent!
We are pleased to announce that we expect to add 156 beginning band students for next year! The Cougar Band could have 370+ members in grades 6-8. We will have three 7th & 8th grade bands for next fall. The Bands are based on ability. They are the Concert, Honor and Symphonic Band.
Upgrading your Instrument!
Upgrading: This is a great time to consider trading in the old beginner instrument for a “step up” instrument that will give your child an equal advantage in May and in competitions next year. By their second year of playing, all students are ready for an instrument that is a “bigger bore” (brass diameter) or higher quality instrument. Please contact a Band Director for assistance in finding one of these instruments or for advice before purchasing an instrument. We want to insure that you are receiving a good deal on the instrument and that the brand is worth the money. Don’t buy new! We have had a lot of success finding good used “step-up instrument” for hundreds less. If your family would have to make a choice between buying a new instrument OR taking privatelessons…choose private lessons!
Important: If you are renting an instrument from a music company, do not “Trade-in” your instrument towards a new instrument; merely “Turn it in.” This is because according to your rental contract, if you “trade in” your instrument on a new one, you will probably pay retail price for the new instrument. If you just turn in the instrument like it was “rented” all along, you can then take advantage of the discounted prices (20-25% LESS than retail). In most cases, it is a far better deal than to “trade-in” on the new instrument. Also, don’t let the music stores sell you a “knock off” brand saying that it is “Just as Good” (Remember the old “Just as good as a Xerox” commercials?). It is the professional recommendation of the private lesson staff, and the band directors that the following instruments are those of the best quality, and it is the last instrument you will ever need.
- Flute (open hole) Emerson 8B, Jupiter “DiMedici” 911, Sonare , Altus 907, or Lyric I or II
- Clarinet Buffet R13 (USED) –The original R13, not the R13 “Limite”
- Alto Saxophone Selmer S80 – Series II or Series III (USED)
- Trumpet Bach S180-37 “Stradivarius” in Nickel-Silver (USED)
- Trombone Bach 42 BO or Conn 88HO (NEW or USED)
*FYI: Your band directors DO NOT receive compensation of ANY kind for recommending certain instruments, brands, or music stores!
Summer Lessons: We strongly encourage you to take summer lessons!!! Lessons throughout the summer are far more valuable to a student’s educational development than only going to a summer camp for one week. It is a wonderful way to give them an opportunity to continue to develop their skills throughout the summer. While other students are taking the summer off, your child can catch up, or stay ahead of the curve. They will be offered throughout the day starting on Tuesday, June 17th. Please speak with your lesson’s teacher to set up a schedule. The private teachers understand that families take vacations during the summer. Unlike most childcare providers who you have to pay even when you (or they) are on vacation, you only pay for the private lessons you schedule. Just let the private teacher know ahead of time what week(s) you will be out of town and you will not be charged for those lessons. Go to Clarkband.org/ private-lessons for details.
Summer Camps, Braces, and Maintenance:
Summer Band Camps (Optional for all grades):
Band camps are weeklong camps where the students play in bands, work with nationally recognized conductors and band directors, take master classes and private lessons, attend concerts and seminars, and have lots of fun with the various activities the university provides. This is a great way for your child to experience individual and small group help from some of the best musicians in the world. It is also a wonderful time to reintroduce the instrument during the summer and dust off some of the rust. The week culminates in a Saturday concert of the music rehearsed during that week. Most of our students attend any of the following summer camps: Baylor University, Univ. of Texas at Austin, Univ. of Texas at Arlington, and Texas Tech.
Band and Braces
Middle school brings many changes to students’ lives and one of the most commonchanges is braces and other orthodontic devices. Many students have received various devices, continued in band and been very successful. There is, however, a period of time right in the beginning, where the student has to adjust to the new device that is in their mouth. Some students adjust very quickly, but most take at least a month to adjust and perform on the same level that they previously played before the braces. We humbly suggest looking into invisalign, especially for brass players.
Please consider the timing of putting your child in braces or making adjustments to their orthodontics. In band, your child is part of an ensemble of over 60 students and they are relied upon by all to perform their music at a very high level. For most of the year, adding new orthodontic equipment will not be a problem and will give your child ample time to adjust and continue to contribute positively to the music.
In the months of October, February, March and April before UIL Concert and Sight reading and Region Band auditions, please consider holding offputting on or taking off braces and/or other orthodontics until after the performance or audition. This will allow your child to continue to perform at a high level and support their peers in their musical endeavors. Please note that we are in no way forbidding a child to have braces and the ultimate decision of when to put your child in braces is up to you, the parents, and your orthodontist.
Instrument Cleaning and Maintenance
All students should have their personal instruments serviced this summer before the start of school. During normal use, woodwind pads become worn, pad heights become uneven, and keys get greasy and sluggish. For woodwinds, we recommend Heather Karlsson at hkarlssonww@gmail.com. Woodwinds should just ask for a “Cleaning” and a “PC” (playing condition) and not a “full re-pad” or “mini-overhaul” as these procedures are very pricey and are usually not needed. If the music company recommends the “full re-pad” have a band director examine the instrument first.
For brass, the interior needs to be chemically flushed, valves polished, slides cleaned and greased, and dents removed. Only a certified instrument repair technician should perform this repair.
For Brass we recommend Music & Arts in Frisco or Music First. Their contact info is at clarkband.org.
Brass players should ask for “PC” (playing condition) and a “Chemical Flush.” The removal of “accessible dents” in the bell area is covered under the “PC” repair. School-owned instruments: Inaccessible dents and damages to school instruments which are deemed as not being from the normal wear of the instruments must be repaired at an additional cost.
Students using FISD owned instruments have already paid for their summer cleaning by their payment of the $100.00 per school year usage fee. School instruments will be cleaned and delivered to Clark Middle School on Tuesday, June 17th (the day summer private lessons start).
Important Upcoming Events:
Summer Jazz
Clark Summer Jazz: We have Summer Jazz starting Tuesday, June 17th! Our first performance will be Friday, August 15th. Jazz Bands will meet from 2:00 – 3:00pm. If there is enough interest, then we plan to have two jazz bands this summer. If you are going to be out of town and miss a week, “no worries,” just let us know.
Summer Band
Summer Camp for returning members: Reminder that our summer bandcamp will be August 11th, 12th, and 14th from 5:30pm – 8:30pm. We will be having a party at the end of camp to celebrate! You are expected to attend. We hope that this is early enough in advance so that you can adequately plan family vacations away from this important event. We traditionally learn all our pep band/pep rally music for the fall during these three days. That is 4 or 5 pieces. If transportation is a problem, please arrange carpooling. If you have ANY questions about all that we have covered, please e-mail us at KatzB@friscoisd.org or call us at 469-633-4621.
Be sure to check us out at CLARKBAND.ORG and follow on twitter @clarkband this summer!!