Save the Date!

7th and 8th Grade Bands Urbandale Middle School

Holiday Play-a-long Sign up by December 7

8th Grade Band Tues, Jan 15

7th Grade Band Thurs, Jan 24

Band concert with the 6th grade band and both UMS jazz bands

7th and 8th Bands Sat, Jan 26

Band summit with the UHS bands – a chance to play, have fun and meet people!

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Instrument Upgrades

Band concert with the UHS bands – a great chance to see what’s coming!

All 7th and 8th grade band students are invited to participate in a holiday “play-a-long” on Wednesday, December 19, after school from 3:15-4:15 p.m. in the UMS band room. We’ll have an opportunity to play some holiday favorites together and have some social time with treats.

Considering an instrument upgrade for your child? Mr. Peterson and the UHS band staff have developed a comprehensive list of suggested models and brands to consider. Feel free to ask questions if you are considering an upgrade and would like some guidance for your child. I would always recommend that a student play on a variety of models before purchasing so they can feel the difference between the instruments and make the best choice for them.

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Performance Time! There are many performances coming up in the

next few months – be sure these dates are marked on your calendar

Concerts in the PAC at 7:00 p.m. The 8th grade band and UHS bands will present a concert on Tuesday, January 15. The 6th grade band, 7th grade band, and UMS jazz bands will present a concert on Thursday, January 24. Our final 7th and 8th grade concert will be held on Thursday, May 23.

Band Summit

SCIBA Large Group Contest

This will be a great opportunity for the middle and high school students to continue to build relationships. 7th and 8th grade students will meet in the PAC at 1:30, and there will be a concert for parents at 5:30 p.m. Please mark your calendars for Saturday, January 26.

All of the UMS bands will travel to Norwalk on Saturday, February 9, for the SCIBA Large Group Contest. 7th and 8th graders should block out the late morning into the afternoon for the trip. Exact times will be coming, but please be sure that you have the day cleared. Everyone is needed for a great performance!

UMS Solo Contest Urbandale Middle School will again host its own solo contest for band students in grades 6-8. The contest will take place at UMS in the morning of Saturday, March 9th. The contest is optional, but every student is invited to participate. There are options for solos, duets, and trios. Sign-up sheets should be returned by Friday, December 14th. Solos will be given out during lessons beginning January 7th.

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What are we working on in the month of December?

During winter break, it’s important for students to keep playing so they can retain what we’ve learned since August. What should they play?

1. Band Music

2. Scales

3. Lesson book material

4. “Fun” music – Disney or pop tunes, holiday music

5. Anything!

Any amount of playing is helpful, and will help to keep lip muscles strong and fingers in shape. Then we can start strong in the new year!

Instrumental Development Record Look for these to come home via email in the next

few weeks

The Instrumental Development Record is a list of skills that all band students should learn. The levels are designed to allow students to move at their own pace and progress naturally.

We would like to see all 7th grade students master half of the advanced beginner level skills, and for 8th grade students to master all of the advanced beginner level skills by May. This will help all students have find success in high school band.

Fresh off of our concert performance on November 19, we are beginning some new band music for our January and February performances. We are working on counting rhythms and learning new time signatures. During lessons the 7th grade students are learning the rest of the first octave of the chromatic scale. The 8th grade students are working to memorize the first octave (or more) of the chromatic scale. Moving forward, we will also be working in band rehearsals on developing consistency in our playing. We want to be able to play accurately every time to have our best performance!

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Looking for some gift ideas for your young musician this holiday season?

1. CDs featuring people playing their instrument (listening to a professional flutist can go a long way toward helping to develop a good flute tone). Or maybe an iTunes gift card with a list of professional musicians they could look up.

2. A new pack of reeds for clarinet or saxophone players. This could save you a trip to the store in January, too.

3. Yamaha Slide Oil for trombone players. It is a great product that will keep the slide moving smoothly.

4. Valve oil and/or Schilke slide grease for trumpet players.

5. A polishing cloth for your child’s instrument.

6. A metronome (or a metronome app for their phone – try Metronome Plus or Tempo Advance).

7. A tuner (or a tuner app for their phone – try Cleartune or Tonal Energy)

8. A new book of “fun” sheet music, maybe some well-known movie theme songs.

9. A t-shirt, tie, jewelry, or other apparel featuring music notes or your child’s instrument.

10. A new soft-sided case, maybe in a fun color with extra zipper pockets.