Cougar Band Spring Newsletter (for rising 7th graders)
We have so much to celebrate and be thankful for!!
Parents and Students:
We had a wonderful year working with your children and teaching them the joy of playing a musical instrument. As we begin to look ahead to next fall, we want to give you some information about how 7th grade is different than 6th grade.
Currently, we have around 90% of our current 6th grade students continuing to play in band in 7th grade.
Additionally, we are pleased to announce that we expect to have 150+ beginning band students for next year! The Cougar Band could have 370+ members in grades 6-8. We will continue have three 7th & 8th grade bands for next fall. The Bands are based on ability. They are the Concert, Honor and Symphonic Band. Results for the auditions will be available later this week. Your child will receive a letter in their locker to inform them of their placement for next year. No one else will know of the results.
Most rising 7th grade students earned a spot in the Concert Band. It will say Concert II on your schedule. The Honor Band, known as Concert I, will have some rising 7th grade students. The Symphonic Band will have a very few rising 7th grade students. All three directors will work with all three groups. We work as a team to ensure that your child has the most positive and successful musical experience possible.
Currently, we are working to schedule all of our events around the FISD athletic calendar. This will ensure that your child maybe involved in athletics as well as playing in the band. If you are involved in any events that are not FISD, and you have a schedule for me, please let me know and I will try to schedule around you as well. We want to do everything that we can to ensure that your child can be involved with us without interfering with their other activities.
Please e-mail us if you have any questions or concerns at KatzB@friscoisd.org.
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.
Summer Lessons
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.
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 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).
Be sure to check us out at CLARKBAND.ORG and follow on twitter @clarkband this summer!!