For those that prefer online shopping, links are provided below! NOTE: There are some slightly cheaper clarinet and saxophone lyres available if you shop around, however, last year we went with the very cheapest we could find online to try to save money and almost immediately had regrets. They broke almost instantly, leaving us to have to order more of a better quality! Flute
Clarinet Saxophone
Trumpet
Trombone
Baritone & Tuba (flip folder only, no lyre needed) Percussion (do not order until you know which instrument you will be on)
Our final Instrument Selection Night for 6th Grade Band will be June 20 at 6:30 pm in the CMS Bandroom. Please park in the back parking lot behind the football field and next to the bandroom. Do not try to enter through the front of the school due to construction on campus. Please DO NOT purchase or rent an instrument until you have attended an Instrument Selection Night and are sure band will be on your schedule! Once you have been matched with your instrument... You can buy or rent instruments at several local music stores or online. It is important to purchase a reputable brand from a reputable instrument dealer to insure your student the most success on the instrument and the least amount of time sending the instrument to the repair shop. It is almost ALWAYS better to buy a quality used instrument or rent one then to buy a brand new instrument “cheap”. Locally we have the Music and Arts stores (formally Alison’s World of Music on Airline Highway and Zeagler’s Music on Florida Blvd). Music and Arts rentals are also now online at www.musicarts.com/rentals/
WHAT TO AVOID:
Supplies
Read on for more information about each instrument... Please mark your calendars for our CMS Band Summer Rehearsals: Monday, July 29 – Friday, Aug 2, 2019 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm CMS Bandroom Sign up here using this google form. These *optional* summer rehearsals are for our rising 7th & 8th Graders and will focus on getting our musicians back into shape after summer break and preparing the football game music. We will also set the drumline for the year so attendance by potential drumline members is highly recommended! It is free to attend these summer rehearsals. Students should of course take some time this summer to keep up on practice! Football music and recordings are all posted on our website under the “Music” tab. I will continue to update it throughout the summer with new tunes: http://www.cmsmustangband.com/music.html Also, summer private lessons are always recommended and encouraged! Students can have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a specialist on their instrument. Instruction can be focused on improving fundamentals, honor band audition music, or just whatever fun new music the student wants to learn! Attached is a list of some of the private instructors available in the area. We have had such a wonderful and successful year for our Mustangs and I can’t wait to see what the 2019-2020 school year will have in store for us! Please let me know if you have any questions over the summer! I will be on vacation for the next two weeks, but after that I will be checking email periodically. -- CMS Recommended Private Instructors List:
Congratulations to our 7th Grade Band on their "Superior" Ratings at the Sr. Hilary Invitational Band and Choir Festival. The 7th graders traveled on Friday to St. Dominic School in New Orleans to perform as the final band on the final day of what has been a series of five days and locations throughout the Greater New Orleans area for this band and chorus festival. The festival features bands and choirs of all age ranges, sizes, and ability levels. The band performed three selections: Plaza de Toros by Michael Story, The Tempest by Robert W. Smith, and Old Time Rock and Roll by George Jackson and Thomas E. Jones III. Two judges rated the band in many different aspects of performance, including tone, intonation, technique, balance, interpretation, musical effect, and other factors (choice of music, discipline, appearance, etc.). Both judges rated the band "Superior" or "1" overall! Congratulations! Thanks so much to St. Dominic School who allowed us to stay after the festival and use the gym for our pizza lunch due to the rain! Thanks so much to our band booster parents who helped to chaperone, move equipment, serve lunch, and pull the trailer. This has been a very busy week of festival performances and we could not have had such a successful week without you! Our Band Boosters are the best!
Congratulations to our 6th Grade Beginning Band on their "Superior" Ratings at the Sr. Hilary Invitational Band and Choir Festival. The students traveled on Wednesday to Riverdale Middle School in Jefferson to perform in what has been a series of dates and locations throughout the Greater New Orleans area for this band and chorus festival. The festival features bands and chorus of all age ranges and ability levels. The band performed three selections: Starsplitter Fanfare by Brian Balmages, Ancient Hunters by Sean O'Loughlin, and Hound Dog by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (arranged by Michael Sweeney as performed by Elvis). Two judges gave the band the highest ratings in all areas of adjudication, which include: tone, intonation, technique, balance, interpretation, musical effect, and other factors (choice of music, discipline, appearance, etc.). After the performance the students enjoyed a pizza lunch and social time in a nearby park. Thanks so much to our band booster parents who helped to chaperone, move equipment, serve lunch, and pull the trailer. We could not have had such a successful day without you! CMS is so grateful to have such a large and dedicated group of parents! Out last performance of the year will be our annual Spring Concert on Thursday, May 16 at 6:00 pm for the 6th grade and 7:00 pm for the 7th and 8th grade. Visit the NEWS page for more information on this performance!
Thursday, May 16, 2019 6:00 pm 6th Grade, students report by 5:40 pm 7:00 pm 7th & 8th Grade, students report by 6:40 pm Central Middle School Gym Donations accepted at the door! Uniform: Black dress pants (NO faded black jeans, leggings, or joggers), black belt, TALL black socks, all black shoes, maroon band polo tucked in. Please leave instrument cases in the car or with parents. Only students with large school owned instruments will be allowed in the band room before the concert. Graded performance based on:
Concert Etiquette Our students have been working very hard in their preparation of this concert. So that audience and performers alike can have an enjoyable musical experience, we have also been practicing appropriate concert etiquette in class and hope that our audience will support us in our efforts!
8th Grade Slideshow We are seeking digital photographs documenting our 8th graders’ three-year journey in band for a special slideshow at the end of the concert. Please e-mail high quality photos to [email protected]. Closeups are better! What is the major difference between 6th Grade Band and 7th/8th Grade Band?
In 6th grade you were just learning your instrument. Now that you have many basic skills mastered, we can play a greater variety of music. As you get better, you play better music and you play with better musicians! When will the 7th and 8th Grade Band meet? Band meets during elective block. Sometimes, if necessary, after school full band rehearsals are required. These consist of a handful of rehearsals just before a major performance. We work very closely with the cheer/dance/athletic schedules and coaches to make sure conflicts are worked out. We also help to make sure all our students can find transportation. When do the 7th and 8th Grade Bands perform? Performances include 3-4 home football games, pep rallies, Festival field trips, Pre-Festival, Fall, Winter, Spring Concerts and the Gonzales Christmas Parade. 8th Graders also perform at one EA High School Football Game! Can I do sports, cheer, or dance and still be in Band? Yes! There is NO conflict between band and sports at CMS! These students participate in band activities during class time but after school participate in the sports, cheer, or dance activities. Can I switch instruments? This depends! To avoid slowing the progression of the band program, instrument switches are not typical as we rather students master their first instrument. If a switch is made, it is usually because the student he been unsuccessful or unhappy on their current instrument OR they are fulfilling a new need for the band program. For example, we will be looking to switch students to bassoon, French horn, and bass clarinet. We make these decisions on a case-by-case basis through consultation with the band director. Any switches are contingent upon the student progressing over the summer through private lessons so as not to begin the following school year as a beginner. Please contact Mrs. Codina to discuss this further. Can I “try another elective” and come back to band later? This is highly discouraged. You need to stay the course! Missing a year and coming back is extremely difficult. What about High School credit courses? Band students have the opportunity to take high school credit courses such as Algebra 1 and Health. In high school, band counts as an art elective (required for graduation and TOPS) and simultaneously fulfills PE requirements. Many band students graduate EA top of their class with enough college credits to begin college as a sophomore! What are some other benefits of staying in band for the long term? #BandKidsBestKids Band attracts (and develops) students that value hard work and determination as a member of a team. Studies have shown that students involved in music score higher on standardized tests and stay more engaged in school. College music scholarships are plentiful, even more so that athletic scholarships. For example, LSU offers $1-3,000 a year and ULL will pay student’s housing just to play in the band at football games (not even to major in music)! What is the cost? There is the annual $35.00 band fee, a $20.00 uniform shirt that is used all three years the student in band, and participation in an annual fundraiser to cover other expenses is required. Our 6th and 7th grade bands are currently preparing for their performances at the Sr. Hilary Invitational Band Festival held in New Orleans. This festival hosts schools from all over south Louisiana and has several locations and days. The bands all play three pieces that they have prepared for a panel of judges. The judges will rate the band on each song selection, with a 1 or "Superior" rating being the highest rating. Our students have been working hard to refine their music for these performances so wish them luck!
Students should arrive to school in band uniform (maroon band polo tucked in, black dress pants, black belt, tall black socks, all black shoes). Please go to advisory as usual, eat breakfast, etc. We will call you out when it is time to report to the bandroom. There is no cost for this field trip, it has been covered by the fundraised monies from the WFC fundraiser. Students MAY NOT be allowed to participate in the band field trip if they have outstanding fundraiser money/band fees (so please clear these up) or significant referrals/write-ups for discipline issues. Chaperones are welcome and greatly appreciated! Please indicate on the permission form if you are available. There may or may not be room on the bus, so please plan to follow the bus in your own vehicle. **Notes for Chaperones for both Festivals** THANK YOU!!!!!
Congratulations to our beginner 6th grade students who recently were selected and performed in the 2019 Greater Baton Rouge Honor Band sponsored by Zeagler's Music.
Caroline Beck, flute Morgan Vincent, clarinet Todd Aubert, saxophone Alexis Delatte, trumpet Beau Tadlock, trombone Luke Chapman, baritone Blanche Laborde, percussion 22 Central Mustang Band students have been selected for the state-wide Louisiana Bandmasters Association Middle School All-Star Band! To be selected, students must be nominated by their band directors. Points are awarded based on the student's accomplishments (i.e., first chair in school band, district honor band participation, solo & ensemble superior ratings, etc.). From those nominations, LBA selects students based on points from schools are over Louisiana. This is the highest numbers of students Central Middle has had selected! Congratulations! Rylee Brown, 8, Flute Kaylee Stevens, 8, Flute Morgan Cassard, 7, Flute Caymen Tureau, 7, Bassoon Hannah May, 8, Clarinet Cole Hewitt, 7, Clarinet Emily Outlaw, 8, Clarinet Makenzie Waggenspack, 8, Clarinet Quincee Alo, 8, Alto Saxophone Sylena Lafleur, 7, Alto Saxophone Davon Dickerson, 8, Tenor Saxophone Avery Ockman, 8, Trumpet Evelyn Gardner, 8, Trumpet Joshua Harvey-Luter, 7, Trumpet Mary Shows, 8, French Horn Andersen Boxberger, 7, French Horn Martin Garza, 8, Trombone Kaden Armand, 7, Trombone London Greenfield, 8, Baritone Cade Sholar, 8, Percussion Cameron Cardello, 8, Percussion Tanner Stanga, 7, Percussion Students will report to Tioga Junior High School on Monday, June 3rd for rehearsals. The concert will be held on Tuesday, June 4th at 1:00 pm. Please download and read the letters below for more information!
Congratulations to the Central Middle School Band on their Sweepstakes Superior Rated performance last week at the Louisiana Music Educators Association District IV Large Ensemble Assessment held in Zachary, LA.
The band spent several months of hard work and practice preparing three concert pieces - Adrenaline Engines by Randall Standridge, Dorian Landscape by Barry Kopetz, and Whale Warriors by Brian Balmages. All three stage judges gave the band superior ratings with perfect sheets, or all A's in every category! They complimented the band on their maturity of sound and the difficulty level of the program they performed. Afterwards, the band was assessed in their ability to sightread music for the first time. For this, the band had eight minutes to study a piece of music that they have never seen before and perform it immediately after. All three sight-reading judges also gave the band superior ratings. The band was the only middle school band in Ascension Parish to receive Superior Ratings from all six judges and only one of six middle school bands in the whole district to receive a "Sweepstakes" trophy. Aside from how well the students performed, these Mustangs represented Central Middle School with pride and maturity. We could not be more proud of these students! Special Thanks to our Band Boosters for helping to chaperone and providing a pizza lunch for the kids. They enjoyed it! Upcoming performances: Spring Concert (All Grade Levels) - May 16, 2019 *rescheduled from original date 7th Grade at Festival - St. Dominic School, New Orleans - May 10, 2019 6th Grade at Festival - Riverdale Middle School, Jefferson - May 8, 2019 Our Sale Starts Now until April 5th! Bars - $1.00 | Caramel and Mint Meltaways - $2.00 | Chocolate Covered Almonds - $2.00 All boxes total $60 each
Each student will be required to sell TWO boxes of chocolate. Each box costs a total of $60.00 for a total of $120 for two boxes. This will benefit all of the band members so we are asking for full participation from everyone in order to make this a success. Opt-out Fee: Students not wishing to sell may choose to pay an opt-out fee of $60.00, due by the end of the fundraiser, April 5th. Students must participate in the fundraiser, or pay the opt-out fee, in order to participate in their grade level trip. Turning in Money
The sale will end on April 5th, at which point all the money and any unsold chocolate will be due. Let us know if you have any questions or concerns. We thank you so much for your support of the Central Middle School Band!
Katie Codina Kayla LaFleur Yvette Froisy Band Director Booster Club President Booster Club Treasurer [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] District IV Large Ensemble Festival – 8th Grade Band Zachary High School Thursday, March 28, 2019 The festival is an opportunity for the band to perform three prepared pieces and sight-reading in front of a panel of judges to receive assessment and feedback. The highest rating a band can receive from a judge is a “1” or “Superior”. Receiving this rating from the entire panel of judges is called a “Sweepstakes”. The students have been working extremely hard to prepare for this event so we are looking forward to a great field trip. We are seeking chaperones! The bus will be a tight fit so anyone wanting to chaperone will need to drive and follow the bus. DRESS: Maroon band polo TUCKED IN THE ENTIRE TIME, black pants with belt loops, black belt, black TALL socks, all black shoes (no joggers, leggings, or tall boots) SCHEDULE:
There is no cost for this field trip, it will be covered by the fundraised monies from the World’s Finest Chocolate fundraiser. Please indicate on the permission form if you are available to chaperone. Email me at [email protected] if you have questions!
Parents,
Congratulations to our 7th & 8th Grade Bands on a wonderful Pre-Festival Performance last week! The judges raved about how mature sounding both our bands were! We received great constructive feedback and are excited to go back into rehearsals and continue to perfect our music for the upcoming festivals! -- ***AN IMPORTANT DATE CHANGE*** Spring Band Concert for all grades has been moved to Thursday, May 16th due to a scheduling conflict with the home athletic schedule. The 6th grade will perform at 6:00 pm and the 7th & 8th Grade will perform at 7:00 pm. -- 8th Grade District Band Rehearsals:
Other Important Dates:
Fundraiser Update: Shipment of the chocolate had been delayed but we should be able to begin by the end of this week! -- Band Booster Meeting Tuesday, April 30 at 6:30 pm in the Band Room – Final meeting and Elections for 2019-2020 school year! -- As always, thanks for your continued support of the Central Middle Band Program! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about any of these upcoming events! I am so pleased to announce that the following students have been selected for the Greater Baton Rouge Honor Band!
Caroline Beck, Flute Morgan Vincent, Clarinet Todd Aubert, Alto Saxophone Alexis Delatte, Trumpet Beau Tadlock, Trombone Luke Chapman, Baritone Blanche Laborde, Melodics We are so proud to have these students represent Central Middle School! Here are the details: The event will be on April 6, 2019 at Sherwood Middle Magnet School in Baton Rouge.
Congratulations to the students who represented CMS in the first ever Solo & Ensemble Recital! We are so proud of you and your performances!
Now it is time to move into our next major preparations – District Festival Assessment performances! This is a two-part performance:
Pre-Festival Concert Tuesday, March 12 at 6:30 pm Students report at 6:10 pm in Band Uniform East Ascension High School New Cafeteria *location change* For this performance we will play the same 3 pieces that we will be playing at the District Festival at the end of March. There will be a panel of judges there to give us feedback so we can continue to grow in our rehearsals for the big performance at District Festival. Students will be able to see the high school bands perform and get some inspiration! -- District IV Large Ensemble Festival Assessment Thursday, March 28 at approx. 10:00 am (TBA) Field trip to Zachary High School Chaperones will be needed This school-day field trip will be our biggest performance of the school year. This is the band at its very best as we compete to see if we can take home superior ratings on stage and in sight-reading. -- After-School Rehearsals 2:30 – 4:00 pm Friday, March 8 Monday, March 11(track will need to coordinate with Ms. Codina and coaches) Tuesday, March 19 (boys trying out for soccer will need to coordinate with Ms. Codina and coaches) Thursday, March 21 Tuesday, March 26 This year we will need to have some after-school rehearsals. There are a few sections of the band that need a few more players in order to cover all the parts necessary to perform at the competitive level that we are accustomed to. We will need to bring up a handful of very talented 7th graders to help fill those gaps. The only way that we can make that work is through some after-school rehearsals. Quite honestly, with how bad the flu and other sicknesses have effected the attendance of our 8th graders on a daily basis, we need the time now more than ever for everyone! I’ve have tried my best to work around track and the other sports (which is why there is a Friday rehearsal, sorry!). In the event that there is a conflict, it is the student’s responsibility to make sure they communicate with both the coach and myself. We are definitely willing to work cases out depending on who is needed more where and split time when necessary. -- Please remember that all rehearsals and performances are mandatory and for a grade. Please communicate with me far in advance if there are any issues that need to be resolved (I.e., student needs a ride, conflicts, etc). I appreciate all of your support and I look forward to seeing how far these students will rise with the very difficult program of music we are preparing for District Festival this year! We have narrowed down the list of our superior rated students to a select few that will perform on the February 26th Solo & Ensemble Recital. We will have a short Booster Meeting starting at 6:30 pm (all invited!!!) in the CMS Cafeteria and the recital will follow directly after and should last approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
2019 Solo & Ensemble Recital Performers
Congratulations to the following students for earning Superior Ratings during our Solo and Ensemble Festival!
It’s Fundraiser Time! Some of the items and events we are raising money for include: Upcoming band trips to festivals (competitions), the remaining amount needed for additional chairs, updating of the music library, new instruments and equipment, repairs on current equipment, and specialized instructors (who pull individuals and small groups on a regular basis).
At the last meeting we talked about changing the items up that we would sell. During this fundraiser you will have the option to sell Chocolate Covered Almonds, Variety Chocolate bars (Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate with Almonds, Chocolate Crisp, or Chocolate Caramel), and/or *new* Variety Box of Chocolate Caramel Whirls, Chocolate Meltaway Mint, Chocolate Covered Raisins. The Fundraiser will start at the beginning of March, Exact date TBA. Each student will be required to sell TWO boxes of chocolate. Each box costs a total of $60.00. We profit $30.00 per box sold. This will benefit all of the band members so we are asking for full participation from everyone in order to make this a success. Opt-out Fee: Students not wishing to sell may choose to pay an opt-out fee of $60.00, due by the end of the fundraiser. Students must participate in the fundraiser, or pay the opt-out fee, in order to participate in their grade level trip. Let us know if you have any questions or concerns. We thank you so much for your support of the Central Middle School Band! Katie Codina Yvette Froisy Kayla Lafleur Band Director Booster Club Treasurer Booster Club President [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] |
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