Monday, June 25, 2012

2012 Show Music and Event Reminder

CHS Band Students,
          The show music has been posted to the band website. There is also an MP3 player for you to listen to the show music. You will see it on the upper right. Sheet music is directly below where it says "Documents and Downloads." Each part is now available to view and practice. If you are wondering which part to practice, (example: trumpet 1 or 2) look over each and work on the part you played last year.

****PRACTICE TIPS****

1. USE A METRONOME!!!!!!!
If you do not own one, go to google and type in "online metronome" and you can find one online for free. When working on sections, slow the tempo down. Once you can play it five straight times without error, speed it up a couple of clicks. 

2. Don't get bogged down in one measure you are having trouble with. Go over the entire piece first, that way you can figure out which sections you will need to woodshed. When you played in Concert Assessments you had a sightreading section of the performance. Think of how you looked at the music. You looked over everything and played it straight through without stopping. Follow this example when practicing on your own.

3. Listen to the music and follow along with the written part.

Events Reminder:

TUESDAY, JULY 10: STUDENT LEADERSHIP SEMINAR 2:30pm-4pm
DRUM MAJOR LESSONS 4pm-5pm

THURSDAY JULY 12: STUDENT LEADERSHIP SEMINAR 2:30pm-4pm
DRUM MAJOR LESSONS 4pm-5pm
TUESDAY, JULY 17: STUDENT LEADERSHIP SEMINAR 2:30pm-4pm
DRUM MAJOR AUDITION 4pm-5pm
THURSDAY, JULY 19: STUDENT LEADER SEMINAR 2:30pm-4pm

PRE-CAMP
MONDAY, JULY 23-FRIDAY, JULY 27
9am-1pm

BAND CAMP
MONDAY, JULY 30-FRIDAY, AUGUST 3
9am-6pm

Saturday, June 16, 2012

All Drum Major Audition Candidates

This message is for all students interested in auditioning to be Drum Major of the Central High School Band. As stated on our summer calendar we are beginning Drum Major and Student Leaders training on Tuesday, July 10th from 2:30pm-5pm. All Student Leaders as well as Drum Major candidates are expected to attend the student leader seminar from 2:30pm-4pm. At 4pm our Student Leader candidates will be dismissed and I will have Drum Major conducting training  from 4pm-5pm. If anyone has a scheduling concern for any of our Drum Major training I must be notified by a parent or guardian as soon as possible. I will be emailing more information on topics of your audition to you next week.
The following is something to think about. One part of your audition will be conducting the ballad of our marching show this year entitled "In His Eyes" from the Musical Jeckyll and Hyde. If you have internet access I would recommend going to the following website and start listening to it. To get an audio sample of the ballad navigate your internet browser to the following:

www.msconcepts.com--->on the top left you will see "Productions" hover your mouse over "Productions" and click on "Field Shows"----->you will see a list of shows, hover your mouse over "Select Category"---->select "Broadway"---->click on the word "Jeckyll and Hyde"---->you will see three songs under "Music for Jeckyll and Hyde" the second one is "In His Eyes"---->click on the link next to In His Eyes that says "Listen"---->it should download a recording and play it using your default music player.

All Drum Major candidates will be given a CD copy at our first seminar. This is so you can get a head start. Start thinking about how you can be expressive through conducting this piece. If you have any questions email me at centralwarriorband@gmail.com.


Josh Brown
Director of Bands

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

UPDATED - Important Band Dates and Meeting Times



Tuesday July 10  (Student Leader and Drum Major Candidates Only)

2:30pm-4pm   Student Leadership Training
4pm-5pm         Drum Major Training

Thursday July 12 (Student Leader and Drum Major Candidates Only)
2:30pm-4pm  Student Leadership Training
4pm-5pm        Drum Major Training and Practice Audition

Tuesday July 17 (Student Leader and Drum Major Candidates Only)
2:30pm-3:30pm  Student Leadership Training
3:30pm-5pm       Drum Major Auditions
Thursday July 19 (Student Leader Candidates only) 

2:30pm-5pm  Student Leadership Training and Interview


Monday July 23- Friday July 27 (All Band Members)
9am-1pm Pre-Camp

Monday July 30- Friday Aug.3 (All Band Members)

9am-5pm Band Camp

After Camp Picnic-TBA

*All activities will be at Central High School in the bandroom

*Activities listed as "All Band Members" includes color guard and percussion

*Any questions about this schedule should be directed to Mr. Brown who can be reached via email: centralwarriorband@gmail.com  or office phone: 276-328-9144

Friday, June 8, 2012

Summer 2012 Schedule

The following is a draft of the summer schedule....


CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL BAND
SUMMER SCHEDULE 2012

MONTH OF JUNE
NO REHEARSALS
ENJOY YOUR BREAK

MONTH OF JULY
TUESDAY, JULY 10: STUDENT LEADERSHIP SEMINAR 2:30pm-4pm
DRUM MAJOR LESSONS 4pm-5pm
THURSDAY JULY 12: STUDENT LEADERSHIP SEMINAR 2:30pm-4pm
DRUM MAJOR LESSONS 4pm-5pm
TUESDAY, JULY 17: STUDENT LEADERSHIP SEMINAR 2:30pm-4pm
DRUM MAJOR AUDITION 4pm-5pm
THURSDAY, JULY 19: STUDENT LEADER SEMINAR 2:30pm-4pm

...PERCUSSION MAY HAVE REHEARSALS DURING THIS TIME AS WELL, I WILL GET THAT INFORMATION TO YOU ONCE I HAVE SPOKEN TO OUR INSTRUCTOR

...COLORGUARD SHOULD HAVE A REHEARSAL AND FUNDRAISER SCHEDULE FROM YOUR INSTRUCTOR MS. MADDOX


BAND CAMP
MONDAY, JULY 30-FRIDAY, AUGUST 3
9am-6pm
(more information about camp will come to you)

NORMAL REHEARSAL SCHEDULE
BEGINNING MONDAY, AUGUST 6 WE WILL BEGIN OUR NORMAL REHEARSAL SCHEDULE WHICH WILL BE
MONDAY, TUESDAY & THURSDAY FROM 3:45pm-5:30pm

Central High School 2012 Student Information Form

I have sent an email to everyone with a student information form. It is similar to the form I provided at the first meeting we had. I need all students interested in band to fill this out as soon as possible. I cannot make a final decision on the 2012 show until I know who my band members are. If you did not receive this form please email me at centralwarriorband@gmail.com. Thank you to everyone for being patient while I gather as much information as possible.


New Director of Bands, Mr. Josh Brown


Students and Parents of the Central High School Band,
         
             I wanted to thank everyone who was able to attend our first informal meeting. So far everyone I have met has made me feel very welcome, I cannot express how much this helps me. I am looking forward to working with all of you, I believe this program has many great qualities and I am honored to be a part of it. My plan is to send weekly updates via email with a list of upcoming events. Obviously I am still getting my feet wet with the program so this week you will probably receive several emails of events once I have them nailed down.  If you know of anyone who was not able to attend the first meeting please have them contact me either at centralwarriorband@gmail.com or the bandroom office phone. Over the next few weeks I will be in and out of South Carolina until I get everything moved up here. That being said I may not be in the band office but I will always have access to email. There may be some bugs in my email list (I.E. incorrect spellings) and I may not have everyone on this list yet. If you know anyone who is not getting emails please let me know. Communication is vital for any successful program so it is very important that I have everyone on board.
          I received alot of great information from the student information forms on what you want for your program, I can already tell the dedication level of this band is very high. Students shared some great show ideas ranging from military/patriotic to latin. I am still working on a show design which will take this band to the next level, I am definitely taking your input into consideration. I will get more information on a show concept as soon as I can. If any students think of any other show ideas please pass it along.
STUDENTS:
      This is going to be a great year for our program. Let all of your friends know how good we are going to be, get the word around. Remember that YOU are the best advocate of your program. If you know anyone interested in joining band or if there are students not on this mailing list who should be please let me know.

TUESDAY JUNE 12, 6;30PM

All parents of current or potential band students, we are having a booster club meeting. This is coming up next week, I realize this is short notice but we have several things to go over that are necessary for the success of this program. Please make every effort to attend.

BAND INFORMATION FORM

I am sending out a separate email with an information form for students. This is similar to the information form I used at the first meeting with students last Tuesday. If you were at the meeting please fill out the parts labeled required. This is going to serve as a commitment form for marching band members this year. It is VITAL that I get this form filled out accurately and by every student. Before I can create a marching band show I must know who is going to be there.

STUDENTS AND PARENTS

If you have any questions about anything please do not hesitate to email me or call my office. This coming week I am going to be calling everyone to introduce myself and answer any questions you may have. Be patient, I still may not have all the answers but I will get you the information you need. I look forward to speaking with each of you.

STUDENTS

If you are interested in being a student leader or drum major please email me. I need a list of candidates. Drum major auditions have been rescheduled for July 17, this is included in our summer schedule. The reason for my decision on this later date is so you can have a chance to receive training on leadership and conducting.  If this is a scheduling concern I need to know as soon as possible. I must work with both your schedules and the schedules of the drum major judges. 


Thanks to everyone for being patient while I transition to our program. please email centralwarriorband@gmail.com if you have any questions about anything I have gone over.

Sincerely,

Josh Brown
Director of Bands
Central High School
L.F. Addington Middle School