Winter Concert UPDATED Info!

Please see the links below for UPDATED information about the Winter Concert on Monday, 12/16!

HERE IS THE INFO SHEET
HERE IS THE ITINERARY

Due to a facilities conflict caused by the ice days, we will no longer have the dessert reception. We are disappointed that we cannot have it, but there is simply no space at the school that night that can accommodate it.

Concert Band Member of the week 12/2 Robbie B.

Band Winter Concert Info

Good morning,

Our Boles Band Cluster Winter Concert is on Monday, December 16th. I will send out a more detailed itinerary later (we still have some details to work out), but I have attached general information about the concert.

We will have a dessert reception in the cafeteria after the conclusion of the performances. Below is information from our Band Boosters:

Following the Christmas concert Monday, December 16, we will be having a dessert reception.  The band boosters are providing punch and we would like each family to bring a "finger food" dessert such as cookies, cupcakes, or brownies.  We will not have serving utensils or eating cutlery.  Homemade is always a favorite but store bought won't be turned away!  Thank you for your participation.  If you have any questions, please email me.

Thank you,

Martha Kinney

marthamouse114@yahoo.com

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Meredith DeMaagd

Formal Uniform Reminder (7th and 8th graders)

Our first "formal" performance is coming up in less than two weeks! That means it is time to make sure that you have gathered the attire required for our formal uniform. Below is an excerpt from p. 11 of the band handbook; please let me know if you have any questions.

FORMAL PERFORMANCE ATTIRE 

* Men's style white collared dress shirt (necessary for the bowtie) 

* Black dress pants (full length; plain black; no pinstripes; no skirts) 

* Black closed toe shoes 

* Black socks or nylons. Must be long enough cover all skin when seated. 

* Bowtie (provided by school, $8 if lost or broken) 

* Vest (provided by school, $20 if lost) 

* Accessories should be minimal. Stud earrings only. Necklaces should be hidden. Hair accessories 

must be black.

Concert Band Member of the Week 11/18

Austin P.

Article in the Arlington Citizen-Journal

There is an article in today's edition of the Arlington Citizen-Journal about the changes to beginning band, and it features pictures from last Friday's Boles Symphonic Band rehearsal!

Here's one of the pictures the photographer snapped:

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL ARTICLE

Concert Band Member of the Week 11/11/13

Victoria M.

Beginning Band for 2014-2015

Boles Band Cluster Family,

You may have heard that AISD made a major announcement this week -- starting next school year (2014-2015), band will start in 7th grade instead of 6th grade. As parents of the band community, I want to make sure you are well-informed about this change (even if your youngest child is already in the band).

Visit this link for the official AISD communication about this decision: http://www.aisd.net/AISD/Portals/95/temp/Beginning Band.pdf

I want you all to know that Mrs. Parker and I support beginning band in 7th grade. Please visit the link for the full reasoning behind it, but we are in favor for two main reasons:

1. Students will have beginning band in like-instrument classes every day. This means that instead of seeing us every other day (I am also calling Moore's schedule "every other day" because 20 minutes isn't long enough to accomplish much, as the kids will tell you), with at least four instruments in the class, they will see us every day with only other students that play their instrument. This translates to having a trumpet class every day, a flute class every day ... you get the idea. The most successful districts in the state use this model.

2. Right now the Martin Band cluster is spread across TEN campuses. Next year, we will be on THREE campuses .... with the same staff. We will be able to utilize the high school directors in a much more meaningful way when they have two feeder campuses to visit instead of nine. This means that your kids have more band directors that they see on a regular basis, and that is a good thing!

We are going to cherish this last year of 6th grade band at Corey, Moore, and Wood, and our current sixth graders should take pride in being the last band students from their elementary schools. We will keep you informed as we build our schedule at Boles for next year. If you have any questions about this, please ask either Mrs. Parker or myself directly and we will answer to the best of our ability. As you can imagine, we don't have all of the answers at this point, but rest assured that we are working through all of the unknowns to build the best possible band program for our students.

One thing I do know is this: if you know any current sixth graders who missed out on beginning band for whatever reason this year, you should encourage them to start next year!!

Concert Band Members of the Week!

Week of October 28 - Jonathan V.

 Week of November 4 - Maddie W.

All-Region Results

Congratulations to our two Boles Band members that earned a placement in the Region 5 Band! This is the highest honor a junior high musician can achieve.

WILSON P. is 5th chair Trumpet in the Concert Band!
GREG T. is 1st chair Alto Sax in the Symphonic Band! That means that Greg had the best alto sax audition out of all of the alto saxophone players in Arlington ISD, Birdville ISD, and Mansfield ISD!

They will both get to perform with the All-Region Band at the Willie Pigg auditorium in Mansfield on Saturday, December 7th.

I am so proud of everybody that auditioned for All-City and All-Region!

All-Region Phase 1 Results

CONGRATS to the 9 Boles Bulldogs that advanced from Phase 1 to Phase 2. We had more students advance to Phase 2 than any other junior high in AISD!

Clarinet - Courtney S.
Clarinet - Vidal. R
Alto Sax - Greg T.
Trumpet - Wilson P.
Trumpet - Kyle T.
Trumpet - Keller H.
Horn - Emmi T.
Percussion - Nik T.
Percussion - Eric H.

They get to compete for a spot in the All-Region Band on Saturday at North Richland Middle School, along with everyone who has a single phased audition.

I'd also like to give a shoutout to two 7th graders who were close to making Phase 2. Ben F. (Clarinet) missed advancing by only 5 chairs (out of a LOT of Clarinets!!) and Hunter T. (Trumpet) missed advancing by only TWO chairs! Great job, guys. The future is bright at Boles JH.

I will have full results to share in the morning, hopefully. :)

All-Region Audition Info

Here is the information All-Region auditions next week. Most Symphonic Band members are going to this audition. Please read the handout and let us know if you have any questions.

HANDOUT

Map to Juan Seguin

Map to North Richland MS

Concert Band Member of The Week

Week of October 21: Ryley W!

Boles vs. Young Football POSTPONED

 BREAKING NEWS -- The Boles vs. Young football game has been postponed to Tuesday, November 5th. The itinerary will remain the same for Tuesday as it would have been for today. 

TODAY AFTER SCHOOL we will have a brief Spirit Band rehearsal until 5:00 PM. 

I will be in San Antonio on Tuesday the 5th (my husband's band, Southwest High School in Fort Worth, advanced to the 4A State Marching Contest and they perform in the AlamoDome at 2:30 PM that day!), so Mrs. Parker will need a few parent volunteers to help her with that game. Email her if you can help: jparker3@aisd.net

All-City Results

We had a very successful evening at the AISD All-City auditions! The Boles Band had 25 students earn a spot in the All-City Band, which is the most of any junior high in AISD.

GREAT WORK, BULLDOGS!

Instrument - Name (Chair)

Flute - Anna N. (5)

Oboe - Elizabeth B. (2)

Clarinet - Courtney S. (2)

Clarinet - Zak S. (4)

Clarinet - Vidal R. (9)

Clarinet - Ben F. (13)

Bass Clarinet - Carmen D. (2)

Alto Sax - Greg T. (2)

Tenor Sax - Barry B. (Alt)

Bari Sax - Micah K. (1)
Bari Sax - Will S. (Alt)

Trumpet - Wilson P. (2)

Trumpet - Kyle T. (6)

Trumpet - Hunter T. (8)

Trumpet - Keller H. (9)

Trumpet - Zach K. (10)

French Horn - Emmi T. (5)

Trombone - Chase C. (8)

Euphonium - Dylan P. (3)

Euphonum - Chase B. (4)

Euphonium - Ryan L. (5)

Tuba - Rahman J. (6)

Percussion - Nik T. (4)

Percussion - Eric H. (6)

Percussion - Anna M. (7)

Interesting Factoid #1: All five students that earned 2nd chair were mere points away from being 1st chair (in some cases only 1 or 2 points out of 350!). 

Interesting Factiod #2: ALL of the Symphonic Band Trumpets and Euphoniums made the All-City Band. That's pretty cool.

Everybody is a better musician as a result of preparing for this audition, and that is more important than individual chair placements. Auditions like this are good time to do some self reflection. Did you give your all to the process? If you can say that you worked your hardest and did the best you could with the time you were given, then you should count the audition as a success regardless of your chair. If not, what can you do differently the next time you have a long term project like this? How can you plan better and practice smarter?

Less than two weeks until All-Region. LET'S DO THIS THING.

All-City Auditions are TONIGHT!

This information has all been sent home in one way or another ... here it is all in one place.

All-City Handout
Boles Phase 1 Times
Audition Room Assignments

Game Day Hype!

We had a great time at the Martin HS rehearsal yesterday afternoon! Mrs. Parker climbed to the top of the band tower during the last run through and captured this video -- it's the Martin Band plus about 110 junior high kids from Boles and Young.

We are going to have fun tonight!

Boles Band @ Martin Band Rehearsal & Varsity Football Game

Next week, the Spirit Band will get to rehearse and perform with the Martin HS Band!

Wednesday: Spirit Band Rehearsal @ Boles, 4:00-5:30
Thursday: Combined Rehearsal @ Martin HS, 3:00-5:00
Friday: Varsity Football @ Cravens Field

Detailed Handout
Directions to Martin
     Detailed view of Martin HS
Directions to Cravens

Concert Band Members of the Week

Great work, you two!

Week of October 7: Alejandro C.

Week of October 15: Hannah R.

Another article about practice

As Symphonic Band members continue to prepare tor All-City and All-Region auditions, we need to beware of preventing unnecessary frustration. We have been covering (and will continue to cover) practice strategies during sectionals and in band class. The following article covers some of the concepts we encourage in class. As a parent, being aware of these strategies can help you guide your band student's practice.

Specifically, this article focuses on the difference between mindless practice and deliberate practice.

A Better Way to Practice

Concert Band Members of the Week!

Congratulations to our Concert Band Members of the Week! Every week Mrs. Parker chooses a Concert Band member to be recognized for their hard work and great attitude during band.

Week of September 17: Trinity S.

Week of September 24: Derrick H.

Week of September 30: DJ O.

"Thank You" Concert & Haunted House

Our annual "Thank You" Concert is tomorrow, Thursday, October 10, 2013. It is a required performance for all Boles Band members in all classes.

Thank You Concert Handout

Also, the Haunted House & Carnival is upon us! Students who chose to participate in the Haunted House should get this handout on Wednesday, but here it is in case it is misplaced.

Final Haunted House Handout

31st Annual Dean Corey Marching Extravaganza!

Dean Corey Band Night is next Tuesday, October 8th at UTA Maverick Stadium (1307 W Mitchell St., Arlington, TX  76019)

HANDOUT FOR SPIRIT BAND MEMBERS

DEAN COREY FLYER

Spirit Band Schedule Change

I want to inform you of a change to our schedule tomorrow. With both Dean Corey (10/8) and the Thank You Concert (10/10) next week, the Spirit Band needs one more rehearsal in order to be fully prepared. Tomorrow, instead of playing at the Boles vs. Workman game, we will be having rehearsal inside until 5:30. I really wanted to play at the game and cheer for our friends who play football (I even considered a hybrid schedule where we could play for half of the game and rehearse for the other half), but the Spirit Band needs the rehearsal and that is the only time we can do it.

The students may walk over to the field for the end of the A team game and/or the B team game after rehearsal if they so choose and it is okay with you. I will not be chaperoning them at the game. :) We will still be playing at the Martin vs. Lamar game on 10/25 and the Boles vs. Young game on 10/30.

I'll have a handout for Dean Corey (10/8) ASAP. We are waiting on a revised schedule from the Fine Arts Office; as soon as I get that, I will send it out to you. I need 4 chaperones for the Dean Corey trip (two for each bus). Email Mrs. DeMaagd if you would like to chaperone.

Article about practicing

This article has made the rounds around my music friends on Facebook recently. It is a great, short read for both parents and students on how to make better use of practice time. Just some food for thought. :)

10 Easy Ways to Optimize Your Music Practice

Remember: Practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes permanent. Only perfect practice makes perfect. Students should practice at home the way they would be expected to if Mrs. DeMaagd or Mrs. Parker was watching.

Shutterfly and Haunted House

First of all, the Spirit Band had their first performance tonight at the A Team football game vs. Bailey and it went very well (for both the band and the football team!)! I am very proud of these kids for the amount of music they have been able to memorize in such a short period of time. We will continue to add music to our Spirit Band repertoire as the season progresses.

One of our Band Booster members, Jean Maxwell, has put together a Shutterfly website where we can share pictures of the band. Only people who have been invited to the album can see the contents, which makes this a safe way for us to share pictures of the band. If you would like an invitation to the Shutterfly page, email Mrs. Maxwell at jmaxmom@yahoo.com.

Also, our Boosters are organizing the band for the Boles Carnival. We will have a room in the haunted house and a booth in the carnival. Students who are interested in helping out should sign up on the sign up sheets at the front of the band hall. We are also having a planning meeting for interested students this Friday, 9/20, right after school in the band hall. Plan on it lasting around half an hour or so. Some of these kids have some great/crazy ideas; I can't wait to see what they come up with!

We will also need some parents to help set up and supervise the students at the event. Set up is on 10/11 and the event is on 10/12 (there was more info in this week's newsletter). Let me know if you'd like to help out.

Boles vs. Bailey Football is TOMORROW

Our first Spirit Band performance is tomorrow, Wednesday, September 18th as our Boles Bulldogs take on the Bailey Rams right here at Boles JH.

In order for the performance to run smoothly, it is crucial that students follow the procedures and expectations outlined in this handout. Email Mrs. DeMaagd or Mrs. Parker if you have any questions about the performance.

CLICK HERE FOR THE HANDOUT

Stock Shares are due on Friday the 13th

Stock Shares need to be turned in tomorrow, Friday the 13th! Please make sure all checks are made out to Boles Band Booster Club.

We thank you for your continued support! 100% of money collected is used for the benefit of our band students.

Spirit Shirts

Now is the time to order your Boles Bulldog Band spirit shirt!

This shirt is required for all 6th grade band students at Corey, Moore, and Wood. It will be our uniform for several performances throughout the year.
6th Grade Order Form

The shirt is not required for 7th and 8th grade students, but it would be great for us all to show our Bulldog Band pride at Boles and around the community. Parents and family members are also encouraged to buy a shirt!
7th/8th Order Form

Please remind your band student that money turned into the band office MUST be signed for. Never leave money in the turn in trays or on one of our desks.

Shirts are $12 each. Order forms and payment are due on Thursday, September 26th.

Why Band is Awesome #1

Obviously, since I chose to become a band director, I think playing music and being in band are great. But did you know that there are many people out there who did NOT choose music as a career and still LOVE playing their instruments? Public school students usually meet more professional music educators than amature musicians who just love to play their horns, but believe me - they are out there.

One of the most common reasons cited for not continuing in a junior high band program is, "I know I'm not going to major in music in college, and I know I will not be pursuing a career in music." My response to that is: SO WHAT?! Playing music in band is very rewarding and a lot of fun, and you don't have to be considering a career in music to enjoy playing your instrument in junior high, high school, college, and beyond!

Case in point: here is a picture of me and some of my friends at our alumni marching band reunion from September 7, 2013.

All of us started beginner band in 5th or 6th grade, and continued playing through junior high, high school, and college. The assumption for most junior high kids is that we must all have majored in music since we played in our college band, and that is just not the case.

Dave majored in civil engineering. He designs safe bridges.
Ali is an elementary music teacher (okay okay, I was friends with a lot of music majors, too).
Megan majored in pre-med and then went to medical school. Now she is a chiropractor.
Tim majored in telecommunications. He is one of the "tech guys" for a company right now, but is working on getting his pilot's license.
Arun majored in mechanical engineering. He is working on improving cars for Ford.
Brian majored in secondary education/social studies. He is a high school history teacher.
And I, obviously, majored in music education and am a band director.

When we graduated from college, life took us our separate ways. Now, once a year we have the opportunity to play together again. This year there were over 250 alumni musicians marching in our alumni band, ranging in age from 22-85, and less than 20% of us have music careers. There are doctors, lawyers, teachers, business people, financial planners, engineers, stay at home moms -- you name it, it's in the band.

My point is, you can enjoy music and play your instrument throughout your entire life, regardless of what profession you choose.

Enjoying making music together with lifelong friends -- it's just one of the reasons why

BAND. IS. AWESOME!!

Symphonic Band Sectional Schedule

HERE IS THE SYMPHONIC BAND SECTIONAL SCHEDULE!

Next week, the Symphonic Band will be beginning our sectionals in preparation for All-City and All-Region Band. Every section has different music, so it is very important that we work on it outside of regular class time. Sectionals are one hour each week, and I have done my best to accommodate everyone's schedules. The linked schedule shows expected arrival times, start times, and end times. Please plan rides in advance so all students can attend. If you are having difficulty providing a ride for your student, please let me know and I can help get you in touch with other parents in that section who may be able to help you out.

Attendance at the sectional will be graded. We will occasionally have playing tests over the music as well. Individual work on this music is an important part of how Symphonic Band students grow as individual musicians during the fall semester.

I am looking forward to getting started with everyone next week! As always, let me know if you have any questions.

Forms & Stock Shares

A lot of information went home last week. Here are some specifics about the forms that need to be turned in. All of them can be found on the website (bolesjhband.blogspot.com) EXCEPT the Medical Release, which can be picked up in the band hall. Every student received a copy of each form last Thursday.

MUST BE SIGNED AND RETURNED

1. Permission to travel - This serves as our field trip permission slip for the entire school year.

2. Handbook Form - This shows that you have received an electronic copy of the handbook and understand what's inside. I can get a hard copy for you if you need one; Mr. Provence asked us not to copy one for each student in an effort to conserve paper.

3. Medical Release - This is a duplicate form and must be notarized. Your band student should have filled out the top two lines. Wait until you are in the notary's office before you fill out the rest. Our principal's secretary, Linda Spradlin, is a notary and she can take care of it for you during school hours. I would like to have notaries available at the Thank You Concert on 10/10. Please let me know if you are a notary and would also be willing to donate your time at that event.

(edit)

STOCK SHARES

Our annual Stock Shares fundraiser is under way! Friends and family can donate to our band in $10 increments. Monday is due to the band office on Friday the 13th (checks made out to Boles Band Booster Club). Need more to sell? We have extras!
(/edit)

OTHER

1. Fall Band Calendar - Please plan ahead to avoid conflicts. You must notify me ASAP if you notice a conflict with an event.

2. AMEP Enrollment - Turn this form in to allow a private lesson teacher to get in touch with you about lessons. 

3. Polo shirt money. Some students have not paid for their polo shirt yet. Not sure if your kid has paid? Follow the instructions on the website to login to Charms. You can see their current balance in the Financial section.

4. Instrument use fees. Students with school-owned instruments have an annual instrument use fee of $150. Many of you have paid this. If you haven't, please send it soon. If you need to split it into payments, let us know and we can make an arrangement.

Our first Spirit Band rehearsal is tomorrow after school! This involved all Symphonic Band members, 8th graders in Concert Band, and Concert Band 7th graders who will enjoy the challenge. Rehearsal will end at 5:45 (it is 15 minutes longer because it is the ONLY Spirit Band rehearsal we will get before our first football game performance!); please plan a ride in advance. 

New Documents Posted

There are two additions to the website today:

1. Printable Fall Band Calendar (subject to change)
2. Permission to Travel Form (everyone must turn this in!)

These documents can be found on the Resource page.

Boles Band - Start of the School Year!

Well, the beginning of the school year is nearly upon us! I wanted to touch base with you all this weekend before you get bombarded with new information on the first day of school.
1. We have a new website (bolesjhband.blogspot.com)! It is much easier for us to update than the one we had been using previously. PDF files are being hosted on Google Drive. I chose Google Drive because there is an option to Print without first having to Download the file. I am open to feedback about how this works for you! It seems like the best option out there but only time will tell. Let me know if you have any issues with it. The new site format will allow me to automatically post group emails (like this one!) in the form of a blog post.
2. Now is the time to enroll in private lessons! I have posted the AMEP Enrollment Form on the website (under the Private Lessons tab) and in Charms. I will also have them available at school. Lesson slots during class time are on a first come, first serve basis. Turn your enrollment form in ASAP to have the best chance of getting the best lesson times (five of you already turned them in!).
3. We will begin our Stock Shares fundraiser on Thursday. Basically, this fundraiser allows you to donate to the band in increments of $10 without having to buy food or trinkets. 100% of the money collected goes into our Band Booster account. Look for the Stock Shares packet to come home with your student on Thursday.
4. I have posted the new Band Handbook on the website (in Resources) and in Charms. Every student will need to turn in the Handbook Signature page by the end of the first week of school. We will have them available at school, too, but feel free to print it out and send it in with your band student.
Enjoy your weekend! As always, let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Mrs. DeMaagd

WELCOME!

Welcome to our Boles Junior High School Band Blogger site. This will be our new "home base" on the web. Stay tuned!