Good Bye September!

Reminders:
- T-shirt forms are now due.   T-shirt orders will be placed this week.   If you have not already done so, please e-mail us the size of t-shirt your child would like
- Grade 8 Retreat forms are now due.
- Instrument loan forms are now due. 

Congratulations!
Congratulations to all Junior Winds students who participated in the Friday night Retreat night.

This Week:

In Grade 6 Band
This week Grade 6's continued to work on the fundamentals of using air, proper posture, and playing position.   We have begun to introduce more music reading.   As well, we began experimenting with the fourth and fifth notes of our concert Bb scale.  

Students were asked to practice:
1.  Page 7 in their blue book (if this is easy, they may move on)
2.  Asked to "experiment" with new notes.  (Fingering charts were found on P. 55. Some students were curious about discovering new notes and so used this to find a few more new notes.)
3.   Find a "fun fact" about their instrument.  (At the front of our book is a very brief history of our instrument.)
4.  If students wanted to they could practice a song for fun.   This week's song was Star Wars.  


In Grade 7 Band
We continued to work on developing our sense of internal pulse.   We also worked on 3/4 time and continued to work on our breathing.   The Grade 7's are making big improvements each week. 


This week Grade 7's were asked to Practice"
1.   From our Orange Book - p.3
2.   Clouds - measure 46 to the end
3.   All of Daybreak  


In Grade 8 Band
We are starting to work on shaping phrases in our pieces.  We have most of the notes and rhythms learned in Canticum and A Quiet Song so now it's time to take it to the next level.  This includes determining breathing points, adding dynamics, balancing to the melody.

Most students have finished testing the circle of fourths for memory.  Everyone did quite good (even if they just memorized it 5 minutes before playing it!).  We also have most of the U of R clinic permission forms in but are still needing some in.  If it's easier to scan it and email it to me that would be fine.

Have a good weekend!