Grade 7, 8 and 9 Band students have been invited to perform in a short concert at Bluefield High School on Tuesday, November 8th at 7:00 p.m.! More details will follow, but please note the date. Parents, guardians and friends of the students are welcome to attend. Grade 8 and 9 students have been asked to check to make sure that their uniforms still fit, and new students are asked to see me this week to pick up a band uniform. Orders for grade 7 white t-shirts and vests will be placed this week. If they don’t arrive in time for this early fall concert, grade 7 students will be asked to wear black pants and a solid colour t-shirt.

Band fees are due by November 25th. Band fees are used to cover the cost of band supplies (reeds, valve oil, cork and slide grease, white shirts for uniforms, etc.). If paying by cheque, cash or e-transfer, please indicate that the $25 is for band fees. The address for etransfers is eastwiltshire@edu.pe.ca Please ensure to indicate student name, homeroom and reason for payment.

EWS bands will be launching our fall fundraising campaign (Recipes in a Jar) this week, and this year all proceeds of this campaign will go toward the extra-curricular components of the music program (trips, buses, ice cream, etc.). If there are any parents, guardians, or grandparents out there that might have time to volunteer to help count orders at the end of the campaign, please send me an e-mail at ampeters@edu.pe.ca. I will post more details about the fundraiser by Wednesday.

Rehearsals this week:

Tuesday, Oct. 25: Grade 7 Band (7:45-8:45)

Wednesday, Oct. 26: Grade 8 AM Band (7:45-8:45)

A Jazz Band meeting will also be held during the lunch break on Wednesday (12:35 pm). Instruments are not required as this will be an information meeting only. Students who have had at least one full year of playing experience on their instrument are invited to attend.

Thursday, Oct. 27: Grade 9 AM Band (7:45-8:45)

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the PD days next week, the early morning band schedule for next week will be adjusted as follows:

Monday, Oct. 31: Grade 9 Band (7:45-8:45) Costumes are welcome!

Tuesday, November 1st: Grade 7 AM Band (7:45-8:45)

Wednesday, November 2nd: Grade 8 AM Band (7:45-8:45)

Thursday, November 3rd: PEITF Convention

Friday, November 4th: PEITF Convention

Tuesday, Oct. 18: Grade 7 Band (7:45-8:45)

Wednesday, Oct. 19: Grade 8 AM Band (7:45-8:45)

Thursday, Oct. 20: Grade 9 AM Band (7:45-8:45)

Students are asked to be in the band room by 7:45 on early morning band days. Thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Please note the early morning band schedule for next week.

Grade 7 early morning band will be held on a Friday (Oct. 14th) for next week only. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Beginning on October 18th, grade 7 rehearsals will be held every Tuesday.

Grade 7 students are asked to be in the band room ready to play at 7:45 a.m. on early am band days. The grade 7 door to the school will be open at 7:35 a.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 12: Grade 8 AM Band

Thursday, Oct. 13: Grade 9 AM Band

Friday, Oct. 14: Grade 7 AM Band

Grade 9 early morning band will go ahead tomorrow. Please send me an e-mail if your child is unable to attend.

We haven’t had an opportunity to have a Jazz Band meeting yet, so I’m going to postpone the start date to later in the month. I will post a notice here on the band blog, and I will let the students know when we are ready to begin Jazz Band rehearsals.

I know it’s been a difficult couple of weeks, so please continue to take care, and just let me know if there is anything I can do to help and support students.

Hi everyone,

I hope that you are all making out ok after the storm. We still don’t have power where I live, and, as far as I know, the school does not yet have power either. Please check the PSB site for accurate updates about the status of schools for next week: https://psb.edu.pe.ca/hurricane-fiona-updates

There was a death in our family in Ontario, so I will be away from Monday, October 3rd to Wednesday, October 5th. Early morning band is canceled for Grade 7’s on Tuesday, and for Grade 8’s on Wednesday. I expect to be back for Grade 9 early morning band on Thursday.

Please take care, and just let me know if there is anything I can do to help or support your students when they return to school.

I will be in the band room this evening, and I would be happy to see anyone who would like to come in for a general information session about the band program.

During the session, I will be presenting the following slide show. If you aren’t able to stop by this evening, please take a few minutes to review it when you can. Thank you!

Meet the Staff: Band Program

The first two early morning band rehearsals of the year (grade 8 yesterday and grade 9 today) are in the books, and both bands are starting to make some nice sounding music already. Thank you to everyone who had to set their alarm clock a little bit earlier this week!

I have entered early morning attendance for Wednesday and Thursday in PowerSchool. Please send me an e-mail of there are any corrections that should be made. Also, please review this note which is posted in the description section of the assignment:

Early morning band is marked as an assignment in PowerSchool in order to facilitate good communication and record keeping.  These marks do not directly affect a student’s band grade. Important skill development takes place at these rehearsals, however, and not attending full band practices regularly will have a negative impact on a student’s overall progress in the band program. Students made a commitment to participate in early morning rehearsals when they signed up to be in the EWS band program. Please provide an e-mail or note when students cannot attend for unavoidable reasons and I will mark these as excused absences (exempt). We miss every player who is not playing their part in the morning, so hopefully the commitment to full band rehearsals will continue to be strong throughout the year.

Grade 7 students do not have to bring their instruments to school tomorrow as it is an orientation day. After their first day of school (Wednesday), Grade 7 students are asked to bring their instruments whenever band appears on their daily schedule.

Grade 8 and 9 band students do not need to bring instruments on their first day (Thursday) and they will also bring instruments on scheduled band days beginning on the second day of school.

Welcome Back to Band

I am looking forward to meeting all of the new grade 7 band students this week and to welcoming back the grade 8 and 9 band students!

Here are a few notes to refer to as we begin to get the band program back in full swing:

The school email address that I check on a regular basis is ampeters@edu.pe.ca

Band Blog: Students are always informed and reminded about upcoming band rehearsals and events, and they are responsible for being aware of the band schedule. In order to support students, parents can subscribe to the band blog to receive e-mail notifications about upcoming events, rehearsal schedule, updates, etc. (see pictures below).  The subscribe button is at the bottom of the home screen (scroll way, way down) on a mobile device. Students will also be asked to subscribe to the blog on chrome books during classtime in early September.

Laptop, chrome book, or desktop:

Google classroom is another tool that students will be using again this year to support their learning in the band program.  Every band class will have their own Google Classroom and every student will be given a code to join their classroom.  Assignments, due dates, and learning resources will be posted regularly in Google Classroom. 

Band Rehearsal Schedule (Fall 2022)

Please find below the weekly early morning  band rehearsal schedule for the fall term: 

Mondays, 7:45 a.m.  Jazz Band (First Rehearsal: Monday, October 3rd) 

Tuesdays, 7:45 a.m. Grade 7 early morning band (First rehearsal: Tuesday, Sept. 27th)

Wednesdays, 7:45 a.m. Grade 8 early morning band (First rehearsal: Wednesday, September 14th)

Thursdays, 7:45 a.m. Grade 9 early morning band (First Rehearsal: Thursday, September 15th)

Students are asked to be in the band room ready to play at 7:45 a.m. on early am band days. The doors to the school will be open at 7:30 a.m. Please send me an e-mail if your child is unable to attend a rehearsal so that I can record the absence as excused in PowerSchool. Thank you!

Thank you for your past and future support in providing transportation for your children to early morning band classes!

Band Fees

We will be collecting a $25 band fee from each student again this year to cover the cost of band supplies (reeds, valve oil, cork and slide grease, white shirts for uniforms, etc.). If paying by cheque or e-transfer, please indicate that the $25 is for band fees. I know that September is an expensive month, so the band fee will not be due until November 25th (parent-teacher interviews/the end of the first reporting period). 

Instruments

Students are responsible for the care and maintenance of their instruments throughout the year. Cleaning and maintenance protocols for each instrument will be reviewed with students in September. Students will be asked to adhere to safety guidelines by not touching or playing instruments other than their own, and by following the guidelines for cleaning their own instruments. 

Early Morning Band Cancellation Policy

There may be times when I have to cancel or reschedule extracurricular practices. I will always give you as much notice as I can when this happens.

East Wiltshire School daily announcements can be found here: https://eastwiltshire.edu.pe.ca/announcements

A detailed outline of the early morning band cancellation policy can be found on the blog: https://eastwiltshireschoolband.com/cancellation-policy/

Band Concerts

Participation in band concerts is a highlight of the band experience, and attendance at scheduled performances is a required element of the East Wiltshire band program; please note concert dates as they are provided, and mark them in your calendars. If conflicts arise, please contact me in advance and we will work it out together.

I am looking forward to another great year with the East Wiltshire band students!

It was fantastic to see so many East Wiltshire grade 7, 8, and 9 students making music together at band camp last week. We are off to a great start!

*If you have any more group photos to share, please feel free to send them to me at ampeters@edu.pe.ca