Band fees ($25) are now being collected and are due by November 30th. Band fees can be paid by e-transfer, cheque or cash.  Please send cash or cheques in an envelope or zipolock bag clearly labeled with the student’s name and homeroom class. E-transfers can be sent to eastwiltshire@edu.pe.ca. Please provide the student’s name, class, and reason for payment for e-transfers. Thank you!

Copies of the November rehearsal schedule will be available in the band room tomorrow.

You may also click the link below to download the schedule.

Thank you!

Hi everyone!

Plans are now underway for a virtual Remembrance Day assembly which will be shared with students and staff at East Wiltshire on Tuesday, November 10th.

The grade 9 band students have been rehearsing for this event for the past few weeks, and they will be performing three pieces of music during the presentation.

We are tentatively planning to rehearse these pieces together as a full band (9AG and 9D) in the gym during early morning band on Thursday, October 29th. All of the current public health guidelines will be followed.

We hope to record the music in the gym (students will be asked to wear full band uniforms) on Friday, October 30th during early morning band and first period; this part of the plan will be confirmed by Tuesday,.

If your child cannot attend early morning band on Thursday and/or Friday this week, please send me an email to let me know.

Thank you for your support,

Alison Peters

I will be attending an important meeting here at the school at 8:00 am tomorrow so early morning band is cancelled for 9AG.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

The 2020-21 school year is off to a great start in the band area!

Please review the slideshow below for information about the 2020-21 band program. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

2020-21 Meet the Teacher

Band Rehearsals

I just received permission from the PSB to begin early morning band.

Students attending early morning band practices must still adhere to physical distancing guidelines.  Therefore, we will rehearse by class or by instrument sections this fall in order to keep the numbers in the band room low. As with regular classes, students are expected to hand sanitize as they enter the band room and are asked to wear masks when they are out of their assigned seats.

We are hoping to be able to share the music we are working on during this reporting period in small concert settings or through recordings later in the term. Details will be provided as they become available.

Students are asked to be in the band room ready to play at 7:45 a.m. on early am band days. The main doors to the school will be open at 7:35 a.m.

Please click on the link below for a PDF copy of the early morning band rehearsal schedule for October. I will provide a hard copy to all students as well. We will begin with grade 7 flute class tomorrow morning. I apologize for the short notice. Please send me an e-mail at ampeters@edu.pe.ca if your child will not be able to attend tomorrow’s session.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ETxnAFVVP5YMpQRKoJjfQ6Jv_G3NmXsx/view?usp=sharing

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

Grade 7 students will be taking home their instruments for the first time this week. Before being allowed to take the instruments home, students will watch a video on proper assembly and handling of their instrument (these videos are also posted in Google Classroom for future reference). They will also have sectional lessons with me to review instrument specific instructions in class.

It is very important that the students handle the instruments with care and review the instructions for care and assembly at home before playing. In addition to the videos, there are also detailed instructions in their red band books.

Students have been reminded that nobody else is permitted to play the school instruments that have been assigned to them, and that they should keep the instrument in the case with the latches closed when they are not practicing.

Taking the instrument home for the first time is exciting! Please ask your child to show you his or her instrument and encourage them tell you what they have learned about it so far. Any help you can provide in reinforcing with them the importance of handling the instruments with care would be greatly appreciated!

Students are beginning to play their instruments in class and it’s great to hear music in the band room again!

I have reviewed with students the importance of not touching or playing any instruments other than the one assigned to them for the year. I have also stressed the importance of cleaning their instruments regularly at home this year following these general guidelines:

https://www.nfhs.org/media/3812235/covid-19-instrument-cleaning-guidelines.pdf

Please don’t hesitate to contact me at ampeters@edu.pe.ca if you have any questions or concerns.

It’s been a long time, and I am looking forward to another great year with the East Wiltshire band students!  

While this year will definitely be different from any school year any of us have experienced before, I am excited about the return to school, and I am looking forward to having the opportunity to make music with the students again.  Music students are creative and resilient, and I am confident that we will be able to work together to make the music program enjoyable and rewarding this year.

Please find below the most recent news from the band department:

Band classes

Students will attend 2 or 3 sixty minute band classes during the 6 day cycle depending on their grade level.  We will not be having rehearsals with full concert bands at this time due to space constraints. We will work on appropriate music (band repertoire, music for small ensembles and/or solo repertoire) to achieve curriculum outcomes during class time.  I understand that many students have not been playing their instruments regularly during the time we have been away from school and that’s ok!  I ask only that students come back to the band program with a willingness to give their best effort, and a desire to make a positive contribution to this year’s band ensembles.  We will all get back into the routine of playing and practicing together.

Early Morning Band Rehearsals

As per current provincial guidelines for school reopening, all extra-curricular activities, including band rehearsals and band activities outside of the regular school day, are paused for now. We will begin early morning extra-curricular band classes (most likely retaining the same small class groupings) if and when we are given approval to do so by the Department of Education and Lifelong Learning and the Public Schools Branch. 

Band Performances

At this time, traditional band concerts cannot be held in the school gym.  I will work with the students to brainstorm ideas for sharing the music we are going to be working on with audiences in new ways. 

Instruments

Students will not be permitted to share instruments this year.  Each student will be assigned one instrument and each percussionist will be provided with a basic set of sticks and mallets to be used for the year. I understand that it is challenging for students who play large instruments to make arrangements to take them home to practice, and I know that time for individual practicing is limited during the school day.  If  there are any spare instruments after each band student is assigned a primary instrument, I will do my best to accommodate as many requests for home instruments as possible. 

Cleaning protocols for each instrument will be reviewed with students in September. Students will be asked to adhere to current safety guidelines by not touching other instruments in the band area and by following the current guidelines for cleaning their own instruments.

Band Fees

I will be collecting a $25 band fee from each student again this year to cover the cost of band supplies (reeds, valve oil, slide grease, etc.). Please do not include this fee with the September school fees.  I know that September is an expensive month so I will collect the band fee in November at the end of the first reporting period.  

Communication

Please note that I will not be sending group e-mails throughout the year, as the blog will be the primary source of information for the band program.  Please check the band page regularly for news: https://eastwiltshireschoolband.com/ .  There is also a link to the band blog on the main East Wiltshire School blog (Click on the Band News link at the top of the page).

If you prefer to receive e-mails, please follow the blog by entering your preferred e-mail address on the home page.  You will then receive automatic e-mail notifications whenever new posts are added.

My primary school email address is ampeters@edu.pe.ca  Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I do not check the Google Classroom address (ampeters@cloud.edu.pe.ca) on a daily basis, so please use the primary email address for communication.

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 during their first band class of the year.  

Recommended School Supplies for Band Classes

Students are asked to please bring the following supplies to band classes.

-a pencil

-a ½ inch or 1 inch binder (black)

Optional, but useful:

-personal headphones (these don’t have to be expensive!)

-approx. 10 protective plastic sleeves (for 3 ring binders)

-a music stand to facilitate home practice

Thank you for your support of the music program. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Alison Peters

Check out the details on the Island Rock Camps Facebook page😊