Variations Audio

Here is a recording for our "Twinkle Variations" for our concert. Hopefully it will help you practice for next weekend!

Question of the Week

What is your favorite band/musician to listen to? Why? Leave your response in the comments with your initials and instrument.

Rehearsal Recap 11.10.12

This past Saturday we worked mostly on "Symphonic Variants." We made huge progress in one rehearsal!! Saxophones and trumpets, please work on your melody line in the middle of the song. We need to hear it! The "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" variations were due at this rehearsal, and some really creative ones came in. Thanks to all who did one! You will receive 10 award points for your efforts. Next week I will hand out the piece of music based on your variations. I hope to see you all next weekend, ready to work together to make us a better band. Thanks for your contributions to our group!

News and Notes for November 11 Rehearsal

We will be working on Symphonic Variants this weekend! If you have any questions about how to play anything in it, ask your lesson teacher. We will be checking in on band music in the coming weeks in lessons, so use some of your practice time to work on those songs. We will also be working on our "Variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" soon. Your variation sheet needs to be handed in on Saturday at the latest, so that I can work on putting our song together. Have fun and be creative! Some of the ones I have received already have turned out great :) Come ready to play, work hard, and have some fun this weekend!

Rehearsal Recap 10.20.12

In our rehearsal, we again talked about working together, the rules of the rehearsal, and so on. In the music, we worked on keeping the beat together and staying together. We reviewed "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "Fanfare." We also worked our way further into "Symphonic Variants" than we ever have before. Please take some time to practice, write in note names or whatever you need to do to play your music better. Your work makes us a better band! I also handed out a project we are going to work on for the concert. We are going to take the melody of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and write variations on it. If you missed rehearsal and did not receive this sheet, please ask your lesson teacher. Have a great week!

Rehearsal Recap 10.5.12

We started by warming up with "Mary Had a Little Lamb." I handed out a new song, "Fanfare," and we spent a good amount of time on that. We then ended with "Symphonic Variants." We got through 3 sections of that song this week. Progress! Today's rehearsal was a bit challenging in that it took some of us a long time to get ready when it was time to play. Some didn't stop when I did, and some talked while I was giving directions and then did not know what to do. You cannot always control what others do, but you can always control what you do. Make sure you are ready to go, paying attention, and ready to do what is asked. See you in 2 weeks!

Rehearsal Recap 9.22.12

Today we reviewed the 2 rules of the rehearsal:

 1. If the director stands up on the podium, all noise stops. He/she has something important to say or directions to give.

2. Always play with good sound. Loud and obnoxious sounds are not acceptable, unless the music or the director asks for them.

We started by practicing playing the first 5 notes of our instruments up and down.
Flutes, oboes, trombones, baritones, and bells: Bb, C, D, Eb, and F.
Clarinets and trumpets: C, D, E, F, and G.
Saxophones: G, A, B, C, and D.
French horns: F, G, A, Bb, and C

We played "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and discussed how it sounds better when we all stay together and play at the same speed. Mrs. Mayer showed on the screen how the different sections of "Symphonic Variants" fit together.

Parents met with Mr. Amundson in the study hall. Look for more information soon on that meeting if you missed it today!

Rehearsal Recap 9.15.12

Thank you for an excellent first rehearsal! It's going to be a great year making music together. On Saturday we met in the study hall room upstairs, and I handed out 2 pieces of music. "Mary Had a Little Lamb" was the first song we played together and is the starting point for a project we will work on for our first concert. "Symphonic Variants" is the first full length song we will work on for our concert. Next week I'll hand out one more song for the December concert.
Saturday also marked the start of our annual fundraiser. Your lesson teacher will have information packets if you missed band on Saturday. Parents will also receive more information in an email from Mr. Amundson.

Have a great week! Our next rehearsal is 9.22.12 in the KML music room. There will be a parent meeting in the study hall room during your rehearsal, so bring your parents along!

Trivia Question

For the first question of the week, what is your favorite hymn or song to sing in church? Leave your answer, first and last initials, and your instrument in the comments section below. I'll answer first to show you how it works.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Colt Band blog! I will post information about upcoming rehearsals, recaps of past rehearsals, and anything music related. Keep checking back each week. I will also be posting trivia questions that can be answered for points or treats.