Kevin Smith, Director of Bands
THIS MENU IS A WORK IN PROGRESS!
Catergory
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Fingering Charts
Flute - 1 | 2 | 3
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Chester Middle School Bands
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Future Band Members
Below is a copy of the recruiting letter to be mailed home this week. To download and print this letter in PDF format, click here.
Each year at this time, students eagerly await their turn to join our band program. The study of music could be one of the most valuable steps in your child’s education. Current research shows that playing an instrument increases brain development and along with developing responsibility, mental discipline, teamwork, and self-esteem, will provide enjoyment while fostering a lifelong appreciation of music and other arts. Our beginning instrumental music classes for next year are now being organized. I had the opportunity to meet with the entire 5th grade and to demonstrate various instruments to them. In order to do our scheduling for the 2009-2010 school year, I need to know whether your child will be enrolled in band. Please indicate below whether or not you want your child to be enrolled in band class for the coming school year, and have your child return the form to his/her homeroom teacher. It is important that this form be returned as quickly as possible.
All instruction is free, and all that is necessary for you to do is obtain an instrument for your child. A good – quality instrument is essential for your child’s success. When school begins in August, I will be working with students in band class to help them decide what instrument is best suited for them. A meeting will be held where our music dealer, Pecknel Music Company, will have representatives on hand to offer their Rental/Purchase plans; I believe a rental plan is advisable. You will receive notification of the time and date of this meeting after the beginning of the new school year.
I hope that you agree with my belief that every child should have the chance to participate in music, to understand it and to appreciate it. The Chester Band Program can afford your child many meaningful, memorable, and rewarding experiences through classroom learning and through performances. Participation in the band is especially helpful for students who are planning to attend college, both for scholarships and the fact that better colleges prefer students who have participated in music and other extracurricular activities in addition to academic courses.
If you have any questions, feel free to call me at 803-377-8192 or email me at ksmith@chester.k12.sc.us. I will also be available between Chester Middle School and Chester Park Schools, after school on June 4th, and all day on June 5th to answer questions personally.
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2009 Spring Concert
The CMS Strings, Chorus, and Band put on a great combined concert this past Thursday. Everyone involved represented this school, district, and band program well. Media from the concert will be posted shortly.
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Recognitions
Congratulations to all of the students who performed in last weekend's Solo and Ensemble Festival in Fort Mill. You represented this organization well. ALL students who attended achieved the highest rating of superior.
Another big thanks goes out to the students who performed at the Chester Arts Council May Porch Party last night. You gladly gave up a Friday night on short notice to provide some great entertainment and music for this event. I have heard many compliments from attendees on how great the music was. Keep up the good work!
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Spring Concert Announcement
You are cordially invited to the annual CMS bands Spring Concert on Thursday, May 7th, at 6:30PM, in the CMS auditorium. This year, we will be performing with the strings and chorus as well. The strings will perform their portion of the concert first, followed by the chorus, the 6th grade band, 7th grade band, and 8th grade band. Speaking from personal experience, it means a lot to your child to have you in the audience supporting them. We have worked hard this semester to put on a great performance. You will not be disappointed.
Band students MUST be in the auditorium, seated as a group, dressed, with instruments, music, and everything else needed for the concert, NO LATER than 6:15PM. Promptness is crucial. 6:15 exactly will be considered late. You must be seated and completely ready at 6:15, and not arriving at 6:15. Attendance will be taken. We will briefly warm up on stage, behind the curtain, just prior to our performance time. I will be staying after school the day of the concert as well in case transportation is an issue.
Since band is a performance geared class, this concert is will be counted as a major test grade. Behavior, promptness, and attendance will all be a factor. Students must also stay for the entire concert, as each group has worked extremely hard and deserves just as big of an audience as the others. Any student who has missed the concert will receive a zero for this major grade, unless I am contacted directly by a parent and given a valid excuse. Students need to wear a white polo or button down shirt (or blouse,) black dress pants (or dress,) dress shoes (preferably black,) and a belt. We will look professional for this event. In addition to looking professional, students will be held to high standards of behavior as well. Any discipline problems will not be tolerated. I am asking for the help of a few parents to help chaperone the group of students in the audience while I’m on stage with another group. Please contact me if you are interested in helping us out. We look forward to seeing you May 7th!
PRINT THIS LETTER.
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Upcoming Events
Best of luck to the students performing this Saturday at Fort Mill Middle School at the 2009 Solo and Ensemble Festival. I'm sure you all will represent this organization well. Parents should have received an information packet yesterday with important details about the event. Directions can be found here.
We will be performing our annual Spring Band Concert this year with the strings and chorus here at Chester Middle School on Thursday, May 7th, at 6:30PM. Parents and students will be receiving a handout with more information about this shortly. We look forward to seeing you all there as we have worked hard to put on a great event.
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Remembering Gerald
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The Chester Middle School band program lost one of its members on Thursday, March 19, 2009. Gerald Perrigan was a trumpet player in the 8th grade band. He was a hard worker, dedicated student, and always had a smile on his face. He will be truely missed.
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Itenerary for Friday's Playoff Game
AAA Upper State Championship
DW Daniel High School, Clemson, SC
1 p.m – Meet @ CHS – dress in bibbers – load instruments
2 p.m. - Depart CHS
3:45 p.m. – Stop at fast food restaurant in the Greenville, S.C. area
4:45 p.m. – Depart for Daniel High School
6:00 p.m. – Arrive/unload/warm-up
7:30 p.m. – Game time !!! Go Cyclones!!!
10:30 p.m – Depart Daniel and head home
12:30 a.m. – Arrival @ CHS
Reminders:
We are representing our high school and our county so be on your absolute best behavior and leave every place we go better than we found it.
Please make sure you bring money for concessions during the game and please dress warmly.
Be on time and make sure that you have every part to your uniform and instrument as well. We have a tight schedule and it is expected that we follow it so as not to be delayed in getting to the stadium site.
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Christmas Concert Announcement
You are cordially invited to the 2008 Chester Middle/High School Band Christmas Concert. A number of parents and students expressed concerns with the concert being on a Wednesday night, which would conflict with many church programs and functions. Therefore, Mr. Morris and I have rescheduled the concert for Thursday, December 18 at 6PM.
To date the 6th grade band has grown leaps and bounds since first getting their instruments and the 7th and 8th grade band students continue to grow as musicians each day. Thank you for the important support you have offered to this success via your encouraging words and attention to daily practice at home. You simply cannot imagine how important these two factors are in the growth and development of the Chester Middle School Band. You are a key element in our ability to continue at our current positive pace.
We look forward to musically sharing what we have worked on for the past several weeks with the entire community on December 18th at the Chester Middle School auditorium. Remember, you are the most important audience to your child. My personal invitation is extended to you and your entire family to be on hand for this festive occasion. You won’t want to miss this performance, and especially debut performance of or 6th grade band.
I look forward to seeing you at the concert. Dress will be white shirt (button down or polo,) black dress pants, and black shoes. Shirts are to be tucked in at all times when in public view. If you have any questions concerning our band program, please know I am available to discuss them with you. THANK YOU once again for your participation in this important educational experience.
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Cookie Dough Fundraiser
The Chester Middle School Band program will be selling gourmet cookie dough from Wednesday, October 22, to Wednesday, November 5. We are raising money for new school owned instruments, repairs of old ones, new music, and travel. Please see Mr. Smith or a CMS band student to place an order, or you can order online by sending an email to ksmith@chester.k12.sc.us. Please include your name, address, and quantity of each item you would like ordered. Prices and flavors are as follows:
Chocolate Chunk - $ 14.00
Peanut Butter - $ 14.00
Oatmeal Raisin - $ 14.00
Sugar Cookie - $ 14.00
Snickerdoodle - $ 14.00
Macadamia Nut - $ 15.00
Triple Berry - $ 15.00
M&M - $ 15.00
Double Chocolate - $ 15.00
Chocolate Chunk Pecan - $ 15.00
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Each box comes with 48 frozen, pre-formed cookies. Cookies have 0g trans-fat. Thank you for your support!
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A Few Updates and Reminders
CMS Band Night for the 7th and 8th grade will be this Friday, October 3rd at the Chester High School stadium. Call time will be 6:30PM. Signed permission slips are due no later than Wednesday.
Permission Slip and Information.
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Two Weeks Down
Two weeks ago, I handed out a rather large packet to students that included several sheets of very important information to be filled out at home and returned by the student the following day. I have not received this information from a number of students. Please note that your child's grade will be affected starting Wednesday for each day he or she does not bring in this information. These sheets can also be downloaded from the Student Portal section of this website.
The 6th grade band has been learning some fundamentals of music, and a bit about the different instruments that are offered in band. On Wednesday we learned about woodwind instruments, on Thursday we learned about the brass family, and on Friday, we learned all about the wide variety of percussion instruments. We will be having a short quiz on Tuesday on some basic information we've been learning the first two weeks. We will be working out of the beginner theory book just as soon as they arrive from the company, once the work order clears the district office.
Don't forget the beginner band parent meeting on Thursday night from 5-7PM. Many students have been asking me about instrument prices, and which instruments are available from the school, etc. All of these questions will be answered at the meeting. If you cannot attend the meeting, I will be giving out handouts in the near future.
The 7th and 8th grade bands have been playing out of the book 1 method book the past few classes. Hopefully, the rest of the books should arrive tomorrow (September 2) first thing in the morning, so we can begin our normal class routine. For the 7th and 8th grade band, each student will have his or her own method book, and theory book. We will use these daily in our fundamental routine. We will also be looking at concert music for the winter concert, other concert music to be used as a teaching aid, pep-band music, and other things. I will also be incorporating a set scale, articulation, technique, and chorale routine into each class as a set warmup/fundamental study each day very soon.
Here is a list of basic supply costs for items your child may need:
Clarinet reeds: $1.50
Alto Sax reeds: $2.00
Tenor Sax reeds: $2.50
Bass Clarinet reeds: $2.50
Theory Book 1 (6th and 7th Grade:) $12.00
Theory Book 2 (8th Grade:) $12.00
Essential Elements 2000, book 1 (6th and 7th Grade:) $8.00 (6th graders will get this on Sept. 16th when you get your instruments.)
Essential Elements 2000, book 1 Percussion: $16.00
Essential Elements 2000, book 2: $8.00
Essential Elements 2000, book 2 Percussion: $16.00
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Beginner Band Parent Nights
We will be having an informative meeting for all beginner band parents to discuss obtaining an instrument on Thursday, September 4th, from 5-7PM at the CMS Bandroom. Your child will receive his or her instrument and set up a rental plan from Pecknel Music on Tuesday, September 16th, from 5-7PM at the CMS Bandroom. The format will be drop-in for both nights. You are not asked to stay the entire time.
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Welcome Back! (or welcome to CMS!)
After speaking with over 100 parents and students during registration this past week, I can tell it's going to be a great new school year. I have worked very hard these past few weeks getting everything just right for day one. Your child will be receiving a handout the first day of school if you did not receive one at registration. It is also available to download here. You will be getting MUCH more information on Monday, August 25, however that information should be posted on the website later on this week. I know you will have many questions, especially if you are a beginner band student or parent. I can be reached via email anytime here. I currently do not have voice mail on my office phone. There will be a beginner band parent meeting on Thursday, September 4, from 5-7PM in the CMS bandroom.
Also MAJOR update to the calendar page just now. I added lots more events, and downloadable/printable calendars for each month, for the entire school year.
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Quick Website Update
I've updated the links page with a lot of great band and music resources, which will benefit both the middle and high school band student. I will continue to add even more as the year progresses, so continue to check that page routinely.
Students: You will receive your password for the student portal section of this website soon.
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New Website Launched
Welcome to the new Chester Middle and Chester High School bands website. The goal of this website is to showcase the band program to the parents, school, and community, as well as serve as a resource for band announcements, upcoming performances, fundraisers, etc.
We also hope both parents and students check this page on a daily basis for important announcements.
Students:
You will soon be able to login and download band forms and handouts in the student portal section. During the next few days, please look for any mistakes or omissions I may have made. Also, email me any comments or suggestions you may have about this website.
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