INSTRUMEN RENTAL RETURNS

If your child is continuing in band next year, he or she should KEEP their instrument over the summer, play it, and have it serviced by Music & Arts Center (704.341.0000) or Tommy Boyd of Charlotte Band Instrument Service (704-573-7319).

If your child is NOT continuing in band next year and you are renting an instrument from Music & Arts Center, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR RETURNING IT TO THE STORE AFTER JUNE 9. Music & Arts Center is located in the Arboretum Shopping Center at the corner of Hwy 51 and Providence Road next to McAllister's Deli.

All questions about Music & Arts Center rental accounts should be directed to Mr. Don Peach at 704.814.3130.

Spring Concert Dates

Monday, May 4 : 6th and 7th grade
Time: 6:30 warm-up / 7:00 performance
Place: gymnasium
Dress: black on bottom, white on top, black shoes


Monday, May 11: 8th grade and Jazz Band
Time: 6:30 warm-up / 7:00 performance
Place: gymnasium
Dress: black on bottom, white on top, black shoes

North Carolina Concert Band Festival Results

Congratulations to Sun Valley musicians on earning SUPERIOR ratings at the North Carolina Bandmasters' Association South Central District middle school concert band festival in March. Preparation for and participation in concert band festival is one of the ultimate challenges in the middle school band curriculum and Sun Valley musicians are to be commended for their performance.

Bands from the surrounding eleven counties participated in this year's concert band festival. Click on the link below to see the results and ratings awarded to this year's participants.

South Central District Middle School Festival Results 2009

Spaghetti Dinner at SVHS

Come support the Sun Valley Band Program on Friday, March 27 by having dinner with the band! The middle and high school jazz ensembles will perform from 5:30-8:00 in the high school cafeteria while spaghetti is served for dinner. Adults pay $7.00 and children age 12 and under pay $3.00 for an all-you-can eat spaghetti dinner complete with drinks, dessert, and live jazz. We look forward to seeing you there!

All-County Honor Band

Congratulations to the following students who were selected to play in the Union County Honor Band:

Hannah H. - flute
Olivia J. - clarinet
Daniel G. - bass clarinet
Ben K. - trumpet
Olivia B. - trumpet
Danielle M. - trombone
Brandon C. - trombone
Rory L. - tuba
Jordan H. - mallet percussion

Summer Music Camps

As you begin to plan your summer vacation, be sure to consider attending a summer music camp in the area. Music camp is one of the best ways to maintain your playing skills during the summer, develop as a musician, and meet new friends. The summer music camps offered in our area usually last one to two weeks and include both day camps and overnight camps.

UNCG SUMMER MUSIC CAMP (July 12-17 AND July 19-24)
The School of Music at UNC Greensboro hosts the largest university based music camp in the nation. This camp emphasizes ensemble performance in band but also incorporates musicianship classes, private and small group lessons, recital performances, as well as the typical recreational camp activities. Students attending this camp stay in dorms on campus and eat at the campus dining facilities. The UNCG Summer Music Camp is very popular among band students at Sun Valley Middle School and many students have been two or more summers. Visit www.smcamp.org or call 1.800.999.2869 for more information about this camp. Early enrollment is STRONGLY encouraged, as space is limited and this camp fills up fast.

COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF THE ARTS JAZZ CAMP (July 6-10)
This NEW week-long day camp takes place in Charlotte and focuses on jazz performance. Students are coached by professional musicans and band directors in the Charlotte area. Online registration begins on February 16, 2009. Visit www.csarts.org/summer.htm for more information.

COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF THE ARTS BAND CAMP (July 13-17)
This week-long day camp takes place in Charlotte and includes ensemble and sectional rehearsals as well as traditional camp recreational activities. Students are coached by professional musicans and band directors in the Charlotte area. Online registration begins on February 16, 2009. Visit www.csarts.org/summer.htm for more information.

All District Honor Band Weekend

2009 Honor Band participants from Sun Valley Middle.


"Louie" von Beethoven visited the honor band this year. He enjoyed moving from section to section listening for exceptional musicians!


Danielle with Louie.


Mr. Rogers added some visual affects to Dr. ROCKenstein. Here, he demonstrates how the trumpets will pretend to "stab" the clarinets during the musical quote from Psycho.


Breakfast time!


Mr. Rogers demonstrating perfect triangle technique.


Mr. Rogers, the 2009 clinician.


Olivia in rehearsal.


Brandon in rehearsal.


Daniel in rehearsal.


Ben in rehearsal.

Benny Golson Celebrates a Birthday

Jazz great Benny Golson, famed jazz saxophonist, celebrated his 80th birthday on Saturday night with a concert the Kennedy Center in New York City. Early on, Golson was a member of Dizzy Gillespie's band, and also worked with Lionel Hampton, Art Blakey and Johnny Hodges. As a composer, he's written some of the most memorable songs in jazz, including "I Remember Clifford," "Whisper Not," "Along Came Betty" and "Killer Joe." Our jazz band played "Killer Joe" in 2008.

Click HERE to listen to the NPR radio interview with Golson and some of his recordings.

All-District Honor Band Audition Results

The results from Saturday's All-District Honor Band auditions have been posted on the South Central District Bandmasters' Association website. Click here to go to the SCDBA website. When you visit the website, you will only be able to see a list of students who made the band. Your scores are password protected for privacy reasons and Ms. Craven will share your individual scores with you on Monday.

Congratulations to everyone who auditioned. Preparing for this audition is no easy task and you are to be commended for your efforts!

Special congratulations are extended to the following students who made this year's honor band:
Olivia J. - 2nd chair clarinet
Daniel G. - 1st chair bass clarinet
Ben K. - 8th chair trumpet
Brandon C. - 8th chair trombone
Danielle M. - 9th chair trombone

STEP-UP INSTRUMENTS

The beginner instrument that your student plays at the beginning of the sixth grade year is a well constructed instrument that is made to be durable and relatively inexpensive. These instruments work well when they are maintained properly and handled with care. However, they will only allow the hard working student to progress to a certain level of musicianship because of the materials used in their construction. Therefore, once students have made a commitment to band and have developed some skill on their instrument, it is time to consider moving to a step-up instrument. Think of the beginner instrument as a child’s bike with training wheels and the step-up instrument as a ten speed road bike. Both bicycles will get you from point A to point B, but the ten speed enables you to get there faster with less energy and more savvy.

A step-up instrument will not turn an average musician into a good one, but it will allow a good musician to achieve a new level of musicianship without being held back by the limitations of their beginner instrument. If your student is consistently scoring “A’s” on their playing tests and plans to continue in band for some years, the purchase of a step-up instrument is strongly encouraged.

Yamaha's intermediate series (Yamaha Allegro) is on super-sale through mid-November at Music & Arts Center. Please call Don Peach (704.813.4140) if you are interested in making an appointment to test drive a step-up instrument.

Special Thanks

The Sun Valley Spartan Band wishes to thank carpenter Scott Smith for his craftsmanship, generosity, and dedication this summer while removing our old dilapidated cabinetry and building new instrument storage shelving for the band room. Mr. Smith demolished the old cabinetry and built twenty eight new custom shelving units to house the instruments that seem to be multiplying in our ever growing band program. Our new cabinets would not have been possible without combined funds from last year's Invest-A-Kid fundraiser and Sun Valley Middle School funds that Mrs. Traywick generously agreed to contribute for this project. We are so pleased with our new cabinets and they are put to good use daily.

The Instrument Room also underwent some renovations. After removing a few shelves to allow for storage of larger instruments and applying a fresh coat of paint this storage room looks like new. Special thanks to my next door neighbor who gave up a day or two to help paint as well!

PRACTICING TIPS FOR PARENTS

It is a common misconception that non-musical parents are helpless when it comes to supporting a young musician at home. Please read the tips below to learn more about how you can help your child develop healthy and productive practice habits at home. Home practice is ESSENTIAL to success in the band room and students who do not establish good practice habits at home will quickly fall behind in class.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRACTICING
Music achievement requires effort over a period of time. Rehearsal time in band class is limited, therefore new concepts learned at school can only be developed through personal practice time at home. You can help your child have successful practice sessions by:
+ Providing a quiet place in which your child can practice
+ Remaining nearby during practice times as often as possible
+ Scheduling a consistent daily time for practice (egg timers help monitor practice time)
+ Recording daily practice on the child’s practice journal
+ Praising your child’s efforts and achievements

THE ROLE OF THE PARENT
To give your child the best possible support, you should:
+ Remind your child to bring his or her instrument and music to band class
+ Encourage your child to play for family and friends
+ Offer compliments and encouragement regularly
+ Expose your child to a wide variety of music, including concerts and recitals
+ Encourage your child to talk with you about band class
+ Make sure your child’s instrument is always well maintained
+ Help your child build a personal music library of sheet music and recorded music
+ Get to know your child’s teacher
+ Attend all performances

THINGS TO AVOID
Many band parents fall into bad traps while meaning to do well. Be forewarned and avoid the following:
+ Using practice as a punishment
+ Insisting that your child play for others when he or she does not want to
+ Ridiculing or making fun of mistakes or less-than-perfect playing
+ Apologizing to others for your child’s weak performances

Children lose interest in things on a regular basis, sometimes as quickly as they became interested in the first place. Gratification is not always instant with instrumental music, therefore parents will need to encourage and enforce practice through good times and bad. Your role as a parent is to remain ACTIVELY involved in your child’s music study. Success for band students depends on dedication. Please encourage your child in every way possible.

Union Symphony Junior Guild

The Union Symphony Society in Monroe is looking for middle school musicians to join the JUNIOR SYMPHONY GUILD, which is a student led organization for musicians in grades 7-12.
Members of the JUNIOR SYMPHONY GUILD volunteer at performances of the Union Symphony Orchestra by serving as ushers and performing chamber music before performances. In addition to working with the Union Symphony, students in the Junior Guild will have several opporutnities to attend concerts and performances together in the greater Charlotte area.

The Junior Guild meets every Wednesday from 4:30-5:30 in the choir room at First Presbyterian Church in Monroe. I strongly encourage 7th and 8th graders to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity for young musicians!

Instrument Rental

All band students are required to provide their own instrument in order to participate in the band program at Sun Valley Middle School. There are a number of fine instrument providers in the Charlotte area, but I recommend MUSIC & ARTS CENTER. When you make rental arrangements, please tell the vendor that your student will be attending Sun Valley Middle School. You do NOT need to purchase a band book for your child before school starts. All band method books will be purchased through the school. I highly recommend Gemmeinhardt flutes, Yamaha or Selmer clarinets, Bach or Yamaha trumpets, and Bach or Yamaha trombones. Please email Don Peach at Music & Arts Center with further questions about instrument rental at dpeach@musicarts.com or by phone 704.813.4140. Mr. Peach is our educational representative and he handles matters concerning financing, instrument repair, and choosing the best quality instrument for your child.

BAND SUPPLY LIST (all grades)

1. BLACK 3-ring binder that has a HARD back, two inside pockets and a ½” spine - PLEASE do not substitute a 1” binder for the ½” spine. Although the 1” size is more common, you won’t need one that large and it will weigh down your book bag and music stand. Binders with a ½” spine can be purchased at Staples, Office Depot, Office Max, and in the band store at SVMS.

2. Zippered pencil pouch with 3 holes that can be fastened inside the binder

3. 2-3 pencils to store inside the pencil pouch (NO PENS PLEASE)

4. 20 plastic page protectors that will fasten inside the binder and hold sheet music

5. An instrument and mouthpiece in WORKING order – All band students in Union County are required to provide their own instrument. I encourage beginners to rent rather than purchase their instrument. If you have not yet rented an instrument for your child please contact MUSIC AND ARTS CENTER at the Arboretum Shopping Center (704.341.0000). If you are a 7^th or 8^th grader who plays a specialty instrument, you are reminded that you must provide the mouthpiece.

6. Accessories for using and cleaning your instrument

Flute – cleaning rod, cleaning cloth

Clarinet/Bass Clarinet – Vandoren reeds (size 2.5, 3, 3.5), reed case, cork grease, cleaning swab

Saxophone - Vandoren reeds (size 2.5, 3, 3.5), reed case, cork grease, cleaning swab

Trumpet – valve oil, tuning slide grease, old washcloth, mouthpiece brush, cleaning snake

Trombone – slide oil, tuning slide grease, old washcloth, mouthpiece brush, cleaning snake

Baritone/Tuba – valve oil, tuning slice grease, old washcloth, mouthpiece brush

Percussion – 1 pair snare sticks, 1 pair hard mallets

Items 1-4 can be purchased at most retailers who sell school supplies or in the band store at SVMS. All of your instrument and instrument accessory needs can be met at Music and Arts Center in the Arboretum Shopping Center (704.341.0000). Most instrument accessories are also sold in the band store at SVMS.

The only currency accepted in the band store is the Band Debit Card, which can be purchased for $10.00 cash or check from Ms. Craven. The band store will be open during the Open House events that are held prior to the first day of school.