Haines Music Department

We have two big concerts coming up soon.  To get your FREE tickets for these concerts please click on the following links.

For the February 12th Jazz Concert (involving the Jazz Lab and Jazz Ensemble) with Tito Carrillo please click on:

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/266784961

For the February 19th Band Concert (featuring the 7th grade band, 8th grade band and the St. Charles North High School Wind Ensemble) please click on:

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/266766907

The 8th grade band will be going on a field trip to St. Charles North High School on Friday February 6 to have a clinic on the music we are preparing for the February 19th Concert. We will be leaving after 2nd hour traveling to North High school and working with Mr. Wis and Mr. Stombres on our music. We will also have a time to have our 8th graders work with the students in the Wind Ensemble - the top band at North. We will return to Haines during 6th hour and eat at Haines. The students will be writting a reflection paper of what they learned at the clinic. To cover the cost of the buses we are asking for a check of $4.00 made out to Haines Middle School. Please click here for the permission slip. Please print out, sign and return the permission slip to Mr. Swenson.

I want to first say that I am sorry the 7th and 8th grade students did not get a chance to perform for the school today because of our snow day. If you didn’t get a chance to get your instrument, the school will be open Monday, Tuesday and Friday each week during the break. That is on December 22,23,26 and December 29,30 and January 2.

For all Band students please remember that just after break the quarter tests will be due. For 6th and 8th graders this includes the scales we have been playing as well as song from the method book. The 7th graders have scales as well as a line or two from one of your recent rhythm sheets. 6th graders have the notespellers (lessons 7-13)coming due on Friday, January 16th.

PLease remember that if you would like to play a solo or in an ensemble, the solo and ensemble festival permission slip and money is due on Friday January 9th. The festival itself will be Friday March 20th at St. Charles North High School.

Jazz Ensemble members please take time to practice on all of the music we have been working on as we have a number of performances when we return - Tuesday January 13 at the Tri-cities Jazz Coffeehouse, Thursday January 22 Faculty vs 8th grade basketball game, Saturday January 24- IWU Jazz Festival in Bloomington, IL.

Even with all of these things coming up in January, I wish you all a safe, fun and restful break.
Sincerely
Mr. Swenson

Students recieved the information packet regarding the District’s Solo and Ensemble Festival for Band and Orchestra today. The Festival is Friday, March 20, 2009 at St. Charles North High School. Please click here for the letter and here for the permission slip.

The fall band concerts are coming on Thursday November 20th at Haines. The 6th grade bands will play at 6:30 ( call at 6 pm) and the 7th and 8th grade bands will perform at 8 ( call at 7:30 pm). The concerts will be in the gym at Haines. Dress for the concerts is black pants, shoes and socks and white shirts. Guys shirts should be shirts with collars. Ties are optional.

Also for trumpet players who play in the 6th grade 4B band should purchase a straight mute for the song “Court Festival”. 8th grade should make sure they have a straight mute for the song “Ancient Voices”. All trumpet players should own a straight mute as you will need it sooner or later. The Quinlan and Fabish website said a Humes and Berg straight mute is $12.95. Please call your music store and purchase a mute as soon as you can if you don’t already own one. Please contact us soon if this is not a possibility for your family.

First I want to congratulate the students who went to the IMEA auditions last Saturday. We had 13 students try out and 7 students were named to the Jazz and concert band groups from the 8th grade Band. WAY TO GO!!!! Keep up the great work!

The quarter test is coming due in two weeks. This would include Concert D,G,C,F,Bb,Eb,Ab,Db, and Gb major scales, chromatic scale and #3 in Book III.

This has been an outstanding start to the year with this 6th grade band. I wanted to point out that we have some important assignments coming due soon. The notespeller Lessons 1-6 are coming due on Friday, October 24. I am impressed with how many students have already turned them in. We are grading those and handing them back as soon as we can so that the kids can correct them, if needed.

Also, the Quarter Playing Test will be played at lesson times the week of October 20-24. It is worth 25% of their quarter grade so it is very important that the students are prepared. The test is the Bb major scale ( two octaves for flutes, clarinets, tenor sax and percussion), Bb chromatic scale, and #13 in the book.

Finally, I am impressed with how many students have been working the Advanced Playing Levels. We have a number of kids finished with level I and a couple done with Level II. WAY TO GO !!!!!!!!!!

We started sectionals this week with our 7th and 8th grade band students. Sectionals occur for a full period, once every other week on a rotating schedule. Today we had 8th grade clarinets and saxophones 2nd hour and 7th grade flute and clarinets during 3rd hour. Tomorrow we have 8th grade trumpets and horns during 7th hour and 7th grade saxophones and trumpets during 8th hour. If someone needs to miss a sectional we encourage them to make it up before or after school as soon as they can so they don’t fall behind in the assignments.

We have 14 students auditioning for IMEA this year from band. The auditions at Grainger Middle School in Aurora are coming up on October 4th. There is a $5.00 per audition fee that is due soon. Please click here for a pdf version of the information letter.

I was disappointed that the football game at North didn’t work out this year. Due to the schedule, we do not have the opportunity to reschedule it. The lyres and flip folders you bought will be used next year. So please hang on to them.

Books- We are going to start using the Accent on Achievement book III. If you haven’t done so please call your music dealer to order the book. Full Staff and MECA should also have these books in stock.

Scale test - Just a note that we are finishing up our scale review test this week. The test is due by Friday, September 19.