Thank You, Veteran's

    This morning, the students and staff of Southern Wells Community Schools took part in a program to honor Veteran's.  I am proud of the event put on this morning by our school.  But, that is the easy part!  It's such a simple act to express our appreciation.  What is difficult is the sacrifice that members of our Armed Forces, past and present make to keep us free.  The giving up of family time, sacrificing life, limb, and mental strain and many other acts of self-sacrifice that go into being in the service.  For us as a school to spend some time this morning, on Veteran's Day, to honor their sacrifice, is the least we can do. Raising up citizens to be proud of our country and honoring to those who serve it is one role we are here to serve.  I am proud to be on the staff at a school/community that values and chooses to pay tribute to those who serve and have served in our nation's Armed Forces.  May God bless you!

   

Fundraiser Item Delivery

The Century Resources fund raising items sold by the band are to arrive this Thursday. Students and/or their parents should plan to pick up their items after school in the high school music room.
These are frozen items, so they MUST be picked up by 5:00 PM. Please promptly deliver the items to your customers. Collect the money at that time if you haven't already. And, turn the money in to Mr. Haigh by the end of next week. Thanks to everyone for contributing to a successful sale.

Bluffton Street Fair Booth Raises Thousands

     For the past almost 60 years in September, the SW Music Boosters have operated a food booth during the Bluffton Street Fair.  The booth has sold many food options over the years. Our signature Taco Salad and Chicken Noodle Soup from scratch were big hits again this year.  It takes over 400 man/hours to pull this off.

Booster President, Kelli Schriver and several student helpers.

     We raised over $2500.00 dollars this year to benefit students through the student incentive accounts program. That is a lot of food.  Student accounts will be credited with $5.50 per hour worked. This money is used for students musical supplies, travel expenses, and other expenses incurred with participation.  Click this link to see your family's incentive account balance.


We couldn't do this without a great deal of parent help! Special thanks goes to all of these adults who are too numerous to name here.  The next meeting of the SW Music Boosters will be held next Tuesday, November 11th beginning at 6:30 pm.

posted from Bloggeroid

SOUTHERN WELLS MUSIC BOOSTERS

Monthly Meeting Minutes: October 14, 2014

A meeting of the Southern Wells Music Boosters was called to order at 6:00 PM by president, Kelli Schriver.  Those in attendance included President, Kelli Schriver; Treasurer, Donna Geisel; Secretary, Mike Haigh; Parents, Gene and Christina Epps, Vivian Drennen, and Janetta Grover.  Items on the agenda focused on the Raider Classic show choir competition to held on January 10, 2015.  The following items were discussed in no specific order.

1. Judges Compensation
1. Vocal/Choreo Judges ($500.00)
2. Solo Judge ($150.00)
3. Instrumentals ($150.00)
4. Outstanding Performer (Gift Card)
2. Sound Tech Compensation ($175.00)
3. Schedule Lunch Times for each group
1. Avoids overcrowding in the cafeteria
2. Helps with planning food prep and service help.
4. Cafeteria Menu Items
1. Taco Salads ($5.00)
2. Ham/Cheese Sandwiches ($3.00)
3. Chips ($.75)
4. Hot Dogs ($1.50)
5. Cookies ($.50  3/$1.00)
6. Drinks ($1.50)
1. Pepsi
2. Diet Pepsi
3. Dr. Pepper
4. Mt. Dew
5. Sierra Mist
6. Water
5. Volunteer Positions
1. Several in attendance at the meeting signed up.
2. Brainstormed additional needs and updated Sign up sheet.
3. Need a lot more help, But great start!
4. We will ask Brandon G. to do the programs again.
6. Video Recording of the performances. (3 options)
1. Music students providing amateur recording and DVD recordings
2. Talking to Mr. Burman’s Video Journalism club about the project as a practical learning experience.
3. Contracting with On the Spot Productions for the service.
4. Decided to pursue option b.

7. Entry Fees and Proceeds?
1. Reported on Paid entry fees.  $200.00 per group $25.00 per soloist.
2. Admission at the door will be $10.00 per person.
3. I Have East Noble’s Check.
4. Programs will be available free of charge.

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 (Veteran’s Day) at 6:30 PM in the HS Music Room.  The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 PM with a motion by Vivian Drennen and seconded by Donna Geisel.  Meeting minutes respectfully submitted by Mike Haigh, secretary.

Fall Concert Success

     The Fall concert held on Monday, October 6th was viewed by many as a success.  Mr. Haigh is proud of all the groups for their part in the program.  The program opened with the Junior High Choir that sang 3 songs for the audience.  Standing in the Light of Love, Stuck Like Glue, and Eye of the Tiger were the three songs.  Soloists included Mallory Aker and Grace Dunmoyer.  The next group to perform as the Junior High Band.  They performed On Top of Old Smokey, An American Folk Tune Adventure, and Jefferson County Overture.  The HS Choir performed Alice's Theme and Higher Love.  Soloists included Jami Ballenger, Sarah Booher, Jamie Howell, and Isaac Stults.
     Several people were key to a successful evening.  Thanks to everyone who had a part in the music program! Thank you boosters, Kelli Schriver, Janetta Grover, and Donna Geisel for the cookies and punch before the concert. Thanks to the 7th period study hall and the custodians for setting up the chairs for us. Thank you Brooke Gephart for running off the programs and folding them. Thanks Jean Hughes for the help with setting up sound with me after school. Thanks HS Choir sopranos (You were inspired tonight). Thanks Ben Shaffer for stepping up in Vanessa's absence. Thanks HS percussion section for being flexible in making Hawaii Five-O work. Thanks Ryan Steiner for warming up the Jr. High Choir and for your help on Fridays as our accompanist. Thanks Chad Yencer for encouraging me with your comments after the program. And, thanks to everyone who stuck around afterwards to clean up! The night custodial staff really appreciated it. This post is getting really long, so just let me finish by saying it was a real team effort!!! WE DID GREAT!  The next performance by the music department will be at the Veteran's Day Program on November 11th.

Fall Concert - October 6th

Come spend an evening with the SW Jr/Sr Music Department as we put on a Fall Concert this coming Monday evening, October 6th.  Light refreshments will begin at 6:30 as the students report for warm ups in the Music Room.  The concert featuring the Jr High Choir, Jr. High Band, HS Choir, and the HS Band will begin at 7:00 PM.  The program should last about an hour and will take place in the high school cafetorium. Information relating to performance dress, warm up times, and performance repertoire was discussed with the students during class.  They may access the document outlining all of the information on their Google Drive.  Mr. Haigh looks forward to seeing everyone there!

Happy 50th Birthday, Mr. Haigh

     Wow!  What a day!  This past Friday was my 50th birthday.  I couldn't have asked for a better celebration of it than with my Wife, Peggy, my daughter Vanessa,  and all the students of my classes here at Southern Wells HS.  It started with the decorations put up by Peggy and Vanessa for my arrival at school in the morning.  That gesture of love to recognize my birthday started it off right! From there it just got crazier...
     Third Period I was greeted by several of my seniors with a wheelchair for me to sit in while I ate a cake prepared by Damian Walden.  We worked for a bit on Hawaii Five-O and the Bluffton School Song.  The first "donut day" ensued while we listened to Pep Band Music and watched some YouTube videos of The Ohio State Marching Band.  "Band Geeks" doesn't begin to describe that celebration!  Hey, be proud of who you are is what I think.
     Fourth Period I was kicked out of my room while some members of the HS Choir further decorated my room with tombstones that had many RIP messages on them.
     Fifth Period, HS Choir began with attendance and some warm ups led by accompanist and alumni Ryan Steiner, while I sat in the wheelchair graciously provided by the Band.  As we were getting ready to practice one of our songs for the Fall Concert on October 6th, A couple of freshman choir members sprayed Silly String on me.  I felt like an ice cream sundae as they gave me "hair."
     It is days like Friday that remind me what makes the teaching profession unique!  It is not all about data, testing, and achievement scores.  Those things are important in their place when it can play a role in improving the education our students receive.  I believe it is important to remember that we are human beings that are difficult to measure with data.  Friday was a reminder of what makes school memorable for us all.  Developing relationships with students and their families.  Celebrating good times and sad times with those individuals.  And, being there for each other in it all!  Thanks again everyone for honoring me with your special attention.

August Booster Meeting

The August meeting of the Southern Wells Music Boosters was held on Tuesday night, August 12th.  Those in attendance were Janetta Grover, Kelli Schriver, Donna Geisel, Peggy Haigh, Mike Haigh, and Vivian Drennan.

Called to order at 6:35 pm.

Minutes of last meeting were read.

Treasurer's report:  Booth rent paid.  Insurance premium paid.  Incentive account: No change.

Vivian Drennen inquired as to text messages about meetings and music related information.  Mr. Haigh shared the Remind program with her and the others in attendance.

Pop prices discussed.  It was decided that we should continue to be the "bargain" of the fair.  Our 24oz bottles may be a bit large for most of our dining customers, but for those looking for a bottle of pop, it is the perhaps the best deal/ounce there.

The options for a ham supplier (with the closing of Heyerly's Market) were discussed.  Vivian Drennen offered to order this year's from Ossian Meat Packing Co. in Ossian.

A discussion ensued related to the band's dress and appearance in the Street Fair Parades.  It was recognized that though the matching black polos and the requirement for students to wear khaki pants look nice.  The issue however was the group embarrassment that occurs when one or more students are allowed to break code and wear flip flops or sandals while marching.  Mr. Haigh expressed his general agreement, but short of not letting them perform it is difficult to avoid the "tacky" appearance some individuals may choose the night of the performance. Most of the time this is simply about not knowing it's NOT ok.  Upon further discussion, it was agreed that as we prepare during class, attention be paid to individuals who are tempted in the direction of inappropriate marching footwear.  Mr. Haigh noted that students should be aware now of class days that we are going outside to practice marching since the adoption of weekly lesson planning posted online on each class' webpage. They should either have the suitable footwear for that day or lose participation.  Mr. Haigh thanked the parent for bringing up the point.

Mike will send out a reminder that the Street Fair booth is coming up September 16-20th.  We will need workers, lots of them, to work shifts in the booth.  A form is available online for submitting your availability. Paper copies will be available to students during their classes.

The next meeting of the Southern Wells Music Boosters will be held at its regular standing date of the second Tuesday of the month, September 12th at 6:30 pm.

Meeting adjourned at 8:05 pm.

5 down 175 to Go!

Believe me when I say that I am not counting down the days out of a desire to get the year over! I am counting the days with the feeling of "This is already day five!"  Here a couple of reflections I have as we have finished week one.

• I can only control me. 
• And,  ... Maybe one point is enough.

By changing things that I do and say, other people will change in response. So, I shouldn't try to change other people. I have enough to do working on myself.  We are all in this together and the synergy of the whole group is perfect. We were created unique and rather than deny that we should embrace it. Everyone brings something useful to a group if we are looking for it.  Even when something "negative" occurs, my faith tells me that God will make something better from it.   I want to always stay aware that.

Next, let me say thanks to those of you who have given me encouragement either privately or in class. It means more to me than you know!

Everyone in the music department, the music boosters, the school, and the community is affected by what we do. I want to always stay mindful of ripples. This past summer I spent a few, too few, days on a lake visiting friends from Kokomo including my eldest son, David, who I haven't seen a lot this past year. All three of my kids have a ripple effect on my life much like the splash that occurs in a pool when someone does a cannonball or when a ski boat pulls a tube across it's wake.  You either crash or ride it to a thrilling conclusion.  Either way it is an adventure.  I have 3 kids that God has blessed me and my awesome wife, Peggy with. But I also have many other kids that I am blessed with through school like Helke from Germany. Helke was an exchange student a couple of years ago. She has come back for a visit. She is a ripple from across the globe! You, my students, are my future ripples. How far will you stretch?  Will it be a crash or a thrilling adventure?

posted from Bloggeroid

Welcome Back!!

     I am more excited than words can express about the opportunity to work with our music students this year! The personnel realignment has re-energized my enthusiasm for teaching  This site will provide essential information and links to resources we will use in our daily classes in Room 201.  The first row of tabs along the top labeled with class period and short course name are for the communication of class related information including weekly plans for each class period as well as Syllabus information, special event calendar, etc.
     The second row of tabs is helpful links to other information about the music department in general.  Rm 201 is the main page where this post and others will appear and on occasion student created posts may appear hear as well.  CALENDAR is the music department calendar and lists all SW music department events of public interest such as concerts, fundraisers, etc.  BOOSTERS is a link to a page all devoted to our parent organization, the SW Music Boosters.  THEORY is a tab devoted to links for learning music theory concepts.  Many of these will be also linked in the weekly lesson plan table on the class pages.  But students may want to work on theory skills not often assigned in the class in which they are enrolled.  They can be found here.  Most of these are powered by musictheory.net. SWCS (Official) is a link to the official site of Southern Wells Community Schools.  SOCIAL is a page devoted to the many social media accounts that the music department has registered.  Some live feeds from twitter and pinterest are found there.  (sorry, but at this time, perhaps ever, you will not be able to view these from school for obvious reasons -self discipline, mine!  Finally, SMARTMUSIC is a tab for a link to the SmartMusic website.  SmartMusic is a program I am using extensively with our students here this year and beyond to assist me in the explanations of musical concepts and modeling sound samples.  It also provides a really cool mechanism for practicing music learned in class and recording oneself for self-evaluation.  It also has an assessment tool that will be implemented down the road as becomes appropriate.  Practice tools include a visual pitch tuner, a metronome, and as mentioned before a recording feature.  There is the basic overview of the SWHS Room 201 tabs.
     While viewing any of the pages described above, the column along the right will be displayed.  As you can see while reading this post, there are Quick Links to frequently used documents and forms.  These are provided there for the quickest access to that information wherever you currently are on the site.  You can scroll down to see additional posts to this blog and to find other information in the sidebar to the right.  I hope you understand that this site is a living document and is alway under construction and improvement.  Suggestions for how to make it easier to navigate are welcome and should be directed to Mr. Haigh.

Music Booster Meeting Minutes

SOUTHERN WELLS MUSIC BOOSTERS

Minutes of the special meeting held on July 29, 2014

Our second meeting of the summer #smrmtg2 occurred on Tues, July 29th. The meeting was called to order at 6:32 by president, Kelli Schriver. Those persons in attendance included director, Mike Haigh,  Janetta Grover, Peggy Haigh, and Kendra Todd.  Jean Hughes was unable to attend because of vacation.

Reading of the last meeting's minutes were referenced by temporary secretary, Mike Haigh via the blog post.

Treasurer Report*:

It was reported that the Music Boosters have balances in checking and savings accounts.  It was noted that reserve funds were adequate to cover Student Incentive Accounts with sufficient start up money available for this year's Bluffton Street Fair Booth.

More Items on the Agenda

Bluffton Street Fair Booth Discussion

A discussion was led by president, Kelli Schriver related to plans to run our annual food concession at the Bluffton Street Fair.  Mike Haigh presented the volunteer sign up sheet via the classroom smartboard.  He has offered to head up the staffing portion of this fundraising event.  It was noted that he is the most logical choice for this task due to his advantageous position with students and their parents.  We discussed the day shift and the profitability of having the booth open from 11:00 am given the challenge to find staff to man the booth during the daytime hours.  It was believed to be "worth it" by those who have worked that shift in the past.  Next, the issue of the late shift was raised by Mr. Haigh.  He believes that the late shift is the most difficult to staff due to the late hour in town.  By the time you leave at 10:00, walk to your car, and make the trip home, it's 11:00. Most parents (and teachers) don't want their students at the fair that late, so they don't sign up for that shift.  After further discussion is was decided to end the late shift at 9:00 pm.  This would allow time for cleanup and would get most people home sooner.  Food service would likely stop about 8:15-8:30 to allow for this.  Friday and Saturday the booth hours would remain later due to it being a non-school night.

Old Business

Mr. Haigh reported that the preliminary form for approval of hosting "Raider Classic" has been submitted. As soon as he gets the approval, more serious steps will be taken related to the planning of the event.  Mike also reported that he has interest from someone he met at a conference this summer to judge one of our Captions.

He also reported that the rough draft calendar of events presented at the last meeting has been filled in with specific dates and can now be viewed on the SW Music Department Google Calendar by anyone with a swraiders.com domain email.  See swraidermusic.blogspot.com to link to that calendar.

From the floor

A discussion was brought up related to showchoir.  Mr. Haigh was made aware that there are some choir members who would like for him to consider re-forming the showchoir.  He expressed the intent to get his feet wet with being "choir director" for awhile before committing the resources of time and personnel to the endeavor.  But, he is not opposed to talking further with interested parties.  Mike also feels that the choir class should devote full time and attention to the singing aspects of choir (not choreography).  Those students who have the desire to sing, but not dance, have in the past been left out.  It was generally agreed that showchoir can be a very beneficial activity for students.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:55 pm.

Respectfully submitted by

Mike Haigh, Music Booster Secretary (temporary)

*Treasurer submitted report via phone.

posted from Bloggeroid

Summer Booster Meeting Held

Music Boosters Meeting Summary - July 8, 2014
Our first summer meeting of the Southern Wells Music Boosters was held this past Tuesday evening. Thanks Kelli Schriver for hosting this one at your house. In attendance were Kelli Schriver, President, Tom Simmons, Peggy Haigh, Leisha Coronado, and Mike Haigh.

Several items were discussed related to the change in choir directors at the Jr./Sr. High School. A rough outline of booster events and music performances was shared. Most events from past years will continue with the exception of the Solo/Ensemble contest that will be discontinued at least for this year.

A discussion ensued related to the hosting of a show-choir competition. Mr. Haigh feels that this can be a great learning experience for the kids in the music program. From planning to communication, organization, event hosting and implementing the plan. Mr. Haigh wants to involve the students in almost all aspects of the project. Aside from the learning benefits of such a large project, the proceeds generated can range in the thousands of dollars. The day of the event, however it is necessary to have a lot of parent involvement for the planning to come to successful fruition.

Those in attendance decided that Mr. Haigh should begin the initial steps to planning "Raider Classic 2015," including receiving school board approval for the fund-raising project. Mr. Haigh upon receiving approval, will begin to line up judges for the contest and begin the planning process with leading members of the choir.

It was reported by Mr. Haigh that numbers in the HS choir are up due in large part to the involvement of the freshman class.  Most of the HS band is returning with enrollment numbers level over the past couple of years.

A short discussion relating to the Bluffton Street Fair booth was held with a decision to discuss it more thoroughly at the next meeting to be held on the 29th. Kelli Schriver will begin the groundwork and ordering process for this long tradition called the Street Fair Food Booth. It was also noted that within the first few days of school, a general parent meeting should be held to outline the year and solicit the help of all parents to assist in the plethora of activities surrounding the 2014-15 music department & Music Booster calendar.

The next meeting is scheduled for July 29th beginning at 6:30 pm. at the school.

posted from Bloggeroid

I Love a Good Hug!

      What is your favorite means of communication. Personally, I like the hug. A hug says, "I love you and value you as a person!" Hanging out and talking or playing Euchre is fun too. But what I am talking about is the challenge we all face when it comes to really having information "received" by those we are trying to communicate with!
In this day and age with all the distractions we are faced with getting in the way, it is both easier and harder than ever to communicate. We have so many more means to send a message than at anytime in history.  Yet, I believe communication is as poor as ever.
     As a teacher, repetition is one possible goal. I hope to write clearly and concisely and then use as many means as possible to get the message in front of people. Blog the message. Next, Post to Facebook, Tweet it on Twitter, Pin it on Pinterest, Check it in on Foursquare or Yelp!,+1 it on Google+ and Post it on Instagram.  Of course there is texting and the good "old-fashioned" phone call.  Then if we do get the message delivered, is it understood the way we meant it? That is the ultimate question.  I suppose when we are misunderstood the best way to communicate, "I'm sorry," is with a big hug!

posted from Bloggeroid

Summer Booster Meeting - July 8, 2014

This coming Tuesday evening the SW Music Booster's will be holding a Summer organizational meeting to discuss recent changes in music staff alignment. Mr Haigh would like input into how to better coordinate the support of parents. He knows it's there, but would like a more planned approach to organizing it. We always come through at the last minute to provide the manpower for our projects. But "last minute" creates stress on event organizers, Mr. Haigh included. Items on the agenda include:

Welcome
Introduction of Officers
Minutes of last meeting
Treasurer Report
Discussion Topic: How to best manage communication with parents & students.
Presentation of 2014-15 Projects/Performances
Other/Misc.

The meeting will be held at a private residence (Booster President's House).  Please RSVP to Mr. Haigh via text or email mhaigh@swraiders.com that you are coming and he can give you directions to the meeting.  We will begin at 6:30 pm.

posted from Bloggeroid

Major SW Music Department News

     As most of our music patrons know, the past five years has included many changes in terms of music staff assignments. That is history; but we are, I believe about to make a change for the better!  Beginning this fall, Mrs. Hughes will be full time in the elementary music classrooms and Mr. Haigh will be conducting all Jr. Sr. High School music course offerings. This includes bands, piano, and choirs. Mrs. Hughes and I are both very excited about this change.
     I hope to continue many of the choir's activities of the past couple of years while bringing new ideas for our Choral program. I am open to ideas from all of our music students (band, choir, piano) and their parents to make the Jr./Sr. High Music Program something to be proud of.
     Personally I am excited to be learning new things related to vocal music and look forward to narrowing the age range of the students I teach on a daily basis.  I will no doubt miss the big smiles and hugs from the elementary kids when I see them at the Bluffton Wal-Mart (though that will likely continue for awhile).  I will miss directing them all dressed up in their costumes performing "All I Want for Christmas," or "Holiday Moosical" in the annual Christmas program.  I wouldn't trade the past 5 years in the elementary general music classroom because it has been a huge learning experience for me as a music educator.  But, I can't deny that I left many 1st, 2nd, K, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade music classes scratching my head wondering "Why did they do that?"
     Mr. Carter, Mrs. Burgan, and Mrs. Hughes have been very supportive in helping me to understand how to better manage a group of 5-10 yr olds.  I also appreciate their willingness to cover our classes when alternate high school schedules demanded our attention away from the elementary. I would also like to thank Mr. Garrett, Mr. Purcell, Mr. Craig, Mr. Yencer, Mr. Wagner, and Mr. Mann for your support of us as we grew into new teaching assignments over the past five years.  And finally, to all the parents of elementary and HS students for your patience with us through this exciting time.
     To reach me, Mr. Haigh, please email mhaigh@swraiders.com and I will send you my phone number. You can also follow @mpdvkhaigh @raiderforceband and/or @swsingers9120 on Twitter for information as well.  I look forward with excitement to the coming school year!

posted from Bloggeroid

2014 Spring Band Awards Concert

Our annual Spring Band Awards Concert will be held on Monday, May 12th. The concert event will begin at 6:30 pm in the high school cafeteria. Parents and friends are invited to this free concert.

posted from Bloggeroid

Kings Island Final Information

We will be meeting at the bus parking lot at 4:15 AM on Saturday, April 26th.  A copy of the information related to the trip is found here.

Word / Week

Word/Week

To further define the definition, we have a couple of other perhaps unfamiliar words to examine.  Remember that accidentals are the flats, sharps, or naturals that alter a given key signature.  When you see many of these symbols used on several notes in a row, that phrase of music might be said to be "chromatic" in nature, hence merriam-webster's 3.b. frequent use of accidentals.

On a piano, to play chromatically, all the keys next to each other would be utilized.  Playing a chromatic scale starting with middle C would be played with the following white/black key order.  WBWBWWBWBWBWW.  Next time you encounter a piano or other musical keyboard try that pattern out to hear how a chromatic scale sounds.

Definition proved by merriam-webster.com/dictionary.

Kings Island Music Contest Entry

On April 26th several music groups from Southern Wells will be competing in a Music at the Parks Festival Contest. All music students should fill in the form below to reserve a seat on the bus and for their park ticket. Guest family members and friends may make the trip with us.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Extended Day Schedule Effect on Band after School

Dear 6th Grade Band Parents,

       As you all know, the Southern Wells School board voted to make up a portion of our missed school days by adding an hour to each day for the next 30 days. Even though this makes our day long, it still remains necessary for us to have band practice outside of the school day.
       This is our only opportunity to practice as a full ensemble. In consideration of how long our school day has become, I have considered a couple of different options.  Option number one would be to practice for 30 minutes either following school from 4 to 4:30 or before school from 7:30 till 8:00 am.  We would do this each Tuesday of the month rather than only the first and third Tuesday.  The second option would be to simply practice on the first and third Tuesday from 4 pm after school until 5:15 p.m.  I felt that this was probably much too late to have the kids here at school.

 **   So, I have decided to practice 30 minutes after school dismisses at 4:00 on each Tuesday while the extended schedule is in effect.  Please pick up your students at 4:30 PM in the HS Office Parking Lot near the flagpole.  We will be practicing in the HS band room. ****

     While I have your attention, I have another concern about the 6th grade band as related to practice at home. It is normal and expected that our band students hit a sort of wall at this point in their first year of instruction. Success in any activity whether it be playing an instrument or playing on a basketball team or wrestling, requires a certain amount of practice to be a successful member of the group. I am only suggesting that students practice 10 to 15 minutes each night.

     This has been a rough winter to say the least.  But, I hope that you understand the importance of these after school practices!  I appreciate all of your support of the band program here at Southern Wells.

Music Theory Link Page Updated

All music students should be aware that the Music Theory Page has been updated with some additional links to ear training exercises.  These are invaluable for improving your musical ear.  This will help with sight-reading choral literature and in troubleshooting wrong notes as you practice your piano literature.  Check it out by selecting the Music Theory link at the top of this page and scroll down near the bottom under the heading Ear Training

New Instagram Accout Created

The band now has a NEW official social media connection. In addition to our Facebook and Twitter, we have added Instagram to our social lineup. This was at the suggestion of some of the high school band members. Search for it under the same username as our Facebook and Twitter usernames "raiderforceband."
Our communication method of choice will still be Remind101. This is a text message system that keeps everyone's cell number anonymous. Anyone wanting alert messages related to the raiderforce pep band should text @raiderpep to the number (812) 618-3669 to register. During game times you may notice increased text traffic, but my name Mr. Haigh will appear before each message so you will always know who it is from even if my personal number isn't in your phone (that is where the anonymous part comes in). You don't see mine and I don't see yours!
Junior High Band and 6th Grade Band Members have their own Remind 101 groups as well. Junior High should text @jhband13 to the same number. 6th Grade Band members should text @raiderbnd6 for their band related announcements.
Don't have text and would prefer email? See Remind101.com for details about how to do that. The same message can be sent to email instead of or in addition to the text to your phone.

posted from Bloggeroid

Listening Samples - SW Band Library (playlist)

Listening Samples - SW Band Library (playlist) is a YouTube playlist of pieces in our library by a variety of performing ensembles for band members to use as sound reference material.

The Brian Setzer Orchestra - Christmas Extravaganza !!

This is awesome...  Band kids should check this out from home!  You won't be able to watch this from the blog, but will link directly to YouTube for viewing.  Mr. Hunt shared it with me over break.  Even though the music is now out of season, it is a fantastic example of what can be done with the skills you are learning.  Pep Band should check out "Stray Cat Strut" at 00:34:20.  Trombones, there is some AWESOMNESS at about 00:31:30.  Everyone else just ENJOY!