2011/2012 PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Friday Night Football Game: (Date TBA - 3:30 pm to 9:30 pm)- Concert Band, Intermediate Band and selected Percussion students will travel by bus to Granada Hills High School after school to rehearse and perform our National Anthem (Star Spangled Banner) with the GHHS Band during their Friday night football game. Parent volunteers are needed for logistics and supervision.  This performance will not take place with out a lot of parent help so please sign up if you are available to volunteer for this event. We will send a flyer home that will outline each these trips in more detail along with a returnable permission slip. (Possible request, $5.00 for cost of pizza and beverage)

Veteran’s Day Performance: Thursday, November 10, 2011 - Concert Band has the priviledge of performing at our school’s assembly honoring our country’s veterans. Veterans from local and surrounding areas along with veterans from the LA Veterans Hospital are invited to attend. This program has become a tradition for our school under the coordination of one of our finest teachers here at Lawrence, Mr. Bruce Troe. Concert Band parents wanting to attend, please send a note to me a week prior to the program.

Friday Night Football Game: (Date TBA - 3:30 pm to 9:30 pm) - Concert Band, Intermediate Band and selected Percussion students will stay after school, eat pizza then walk to Chatsworth High School, arriving shortly after 4:00 p.m. We will practice marching and rehearse music. We will perform the Star Spangled Banner with the CHS Band and Nobel Middle School at the beginning of the football game, around 7:00 p.m. We will watch the CHS Band perform their competition field show during half time, and then walk back to Lawrence. Students will receive more information and a returnable permission slip along with a request for parent volunteers/chaperones.

Pre-Festival Clinic: With all hope, during school hours, we will invite a professional music educator to spend the day at Lawrence with each of our bands. He will evaluate our festival music preparation and provide insightful suggestions for group and individual improvement.

SCSBOA Festival: This is a “district level” Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association, band and orchestra festival.  At this festival, each performing group is evaluated and given a rating by each of the four judges. Each of our bands will be scheduled throughout the day to accommodate a two-hour festival format involving warm-up, performance, clinic and sight-reading. Participating band members may need to arrive at LMS before 7:15 a.m. for a 7:30 a.m. departure.  More details, trip permission slips and instructions will follow. (Parent volunteers/chaperones are needed for this event.)

Disneyland Workshop:  To be determined - (8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.) – This trip involves eligible Intermediate Band students and possibly selected, eligible beginning band students. Disneyland’s instrumental music workshop offers a professional recording studio experience.  Students will sight read, rehearse and record music from current Disney films. After the workshop, students will put their instruments away, eat lunch, and then enter Disneyland for the remainder of the day. (Additional trip information to follow) 

Disneyland, Concert Band Performance: To be determined - (8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.) – Depending upon our audition DVD and Disneyland’s performance schedule, Concert Band will travel to Disneyland, perform inside the park and spend the remainder of the day experiencing the professional entertainment of Disneyland. (Additional trip information to follow)

Trip eligibility: Eligibility for the trips listed above involves several factors.  The first consideration is ensemble balance.  A proportional number of players in each section are needed to communicate the harmonic texture of the music.  Second, eligible students must consistently demonstrate model citizenship in classroom rehearsal in order to represent our band, school and community outside the rehearsal.  Thirdly, eligible students must demonstrate quality musicianship through regular practice and thoughtful preparation of our music. Lastly, eligible students must remain in good academic standing maintaining at minimum, a 2.0 grade point average in order to participate in non-curricular trips.

Mini-Festival: Students in the LMS instrumental music program will be placed into small ensemble groups of 4, 5 or 6 musicians.  Each group will receive music intended for their particular instrumentation.  Students will be responsible for learning their individual part through personal practice and group rehearsal.  Rehearsals will occasionally take place under the supervision of the band director during class time prior to our spring concert. The small ensemble groups will rehearse each school day after our spring concert prior to their festival performance.  Students are encouraged to arrange nutrition break, lunchtime or after school rehearsals on their own.  We will hire one or two professional music educators as judges for this festival.  They will provide insightful comments for each group along with a performance rating similar to the rating system used at SCSBOA or LAUSD festivals. (Superior, Excellent, Good etc.)  Our band club’s students officers will be involved in scheduling, organizing and running the festival prior to and throughout the day of the festival.  Some parent volunteers may be needed for this event however, all parents are encouraged to their child’s performance

Other Possible Events:  I am continually collaborating with band directors and professional musicians seeking potential opportunities to support the educational mission of the instrumental music program and to provide enriching opportunities for our band students.  I am currently working on collaborative events with Van Nuys High School, Hamilton High School, (LAUSD’s Performing Arts Academy) and California State University Northridge for Brass Ensemble, Woodwind Ensemble and Concert Band centered events.  More information will follow concerning these potential opportunities.

Factors determining our ability to schedule extra events are:

1. Progress and maturity of our band students. 

2. Support of our school community and administration.

3. Support of parents willing to volunteer.  

4. Available financial resources.

Lawrence Middle School Band Booster Club (LMSBBC): (Meetings TBA) All band parents are welcome to attend general membership meetings focusing on various aspects of the LMS music program:  concerts, clinics, festivals, fundraising, trips and various related topics. Your encouragement, support and participation are important to the success of your child’s music experience.

Band Parent Involvement:  We are hoping to collect information from parents/guardians who are interested, willing and able to serve this year’s band program.  We need volunteers, coordinators and committee chairpersons for the logistical support of events, trips, fundraising and concerts.  If you are able to help meet some of these needs please contact Laura Nixholm, the LMSBBC president at (www.lmsbbc.org).  With all hope, you will be richly rewarded for your donation of time and talent.