Congratulations to Maddy Larsen, Hannah Oberhoffer, and Mary Schlueter on their participation in the Northeast Iowa Bandmasters Association District Honor Band. The students had the opportunity to work with talented guest directors from various educational institutions in the Midwest and played with over two hundred other talented 7th and 8th grade students from the district.
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A new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience by researchers from Northwestern University has found that music lessons have a last effect, even if they don't continue into adulthood. People between the ages of 55 and 76 were able to process sounds, both in quiet and noisy conditions, faster if they took music lessons as a child. Even if the participants had not had lessons for 40 years, the effect was still there! You can read more here. Congratulations to the WDHS marching band on their third place finish at the Bands Across the Prairie competition today. Great work Bobcats! You can hear the band Monday night in the new gym at 7:15. See you there!
The fantastic London Symphony Orchestra has unleashed a new web feature over at www.lso.co.uk. If you have ever wondered what it looks like inside of a professional orchestra, this is the site for you. The LSO Play feature gives viewers a chance to control a number of video screens which contain feeds from cameras within the orchestra. "Bolero" by Maurice Ravel is the musical accompaniment. Even saxophones get to play along! Check it out! Congratulations to the WDHS Band on their 4th place finish in Mt. Pleasant tonight. Great work Bobcats!
In the first days of band, we talked a lot about how our time is used. For example: we have only a few rehearsals left until our first performance (September 7 in Peosta!!!), dealing with shortened periods due to school is letting out early, or whatever it may be. The students and I have also been talking about how we use that time and the role that goal setting plays in our efficiency. We might (or MUST) need to speed up the rate at which we work in order to get things done, but this can lead to poor results. One of the best things we can do to get the most our of our time is to plan for its use. On our first day of class, each student set goals for themselves and for the ensemble. We will use these to guide and evaluate our progress throughout the year. During lessons, students have set up a plan for each week throughout the semester to help them reach their goals. Even if instructional time is lost due to a missed lesson, learning can progress. Practice time can work this way too. Identify areas that need the most attention. Spend more time there. Set a goal for what you hope to accomplish each time you pick up your instrument. Give yourself a target at which to aim. Be sure to make the most of your time by knowing what you want to get out of it. ...and speaking of time, the calendar is updated! Check it out here. One way that students will be able to make up missed lessons this year will be to submit recordings of their work for evaluation and feedback. The easiest way to do this is through a program called Audacity. It is free software that can be downloaded at audacity.sourceforge.net. The software is very easy to use, but to help you get started, I have made a short tutorial video. Good luck and happy recording! Good afternoon everyone!
I hope that you are all having a great summer. It is hard to believe it, but band camp is right around the corner. This year, camp will be held at Drexler Middle & Intermediate School in Farley on July 29 through August 2. A concert and ice cream social will also be held on August 2 at 7 PM. All students are encouraged to attend as much as possible. Even if you can only come to a single rehearsal or can't make the concert, you are welcome! Please enter at the back of the school near the band room. Rehearsal will begin each day at 9 AM and run through noon. There is no cost to attend. Students should bring water and wear tennis shoes so that no one is injured while marching. Lyres to hold music will also be very helpful and can be purchased at any music store for around $15. Concepts taught in rehearsal will include next year's marching music and basic marching technique. We will have music available. During this week, we have the equivalent of several months of rehearsal time, so this is a great way to start off our journey towards excellence! If you are able to attend, please fill out this form: http://dmisband.weebly.com/band-camp-registration.html so that we can plan accordingly. I am excited to see you all again and continue our learning! See you soon! Mr. O |
AuthorMs. Maher teaches 7th and 8th grade music at Drexler Middle & Intermediate School in the Western Dubuque Community School District. Also check out...Archives
December 2015
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