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Pearson Middle School

Band Parent Meeting

Tuesday, August 15

6:00pm

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Our Philosophy

Teaching students the skills they need to feel successful in band, in their other classes, and in life!

Cultivate good humans.

Give students a place to feel safe, make friends, and have fun!

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The Band Staff and How to Contact Us

Mrs. Black

Symphonic Band

Beginner Woodwind Classes (Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet, Saxophone)

Email: blackmj@friscoisd.org

Office Phone #: 469-633-4470

Mr. Jenson

Concert Band

Beginner Brass Classes (Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba)

Email: jensonm@friscoisd.org

Office Phone # 469-633-4455 ext. 74472

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The Band Staff and How to Contact Us

Mr. Baldwin

Beginner Percussion Class

Email: baldwins@friscoisd.org

Ms. Magee

Concert and Symphonic Band Percussion

Email: mageee@friscoisd.org

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Communication Avenues

Weekly Band Newsletter - main form of communication
Band Website: https://www.pearsonband.com/
Email and Phone: Monday-Friday 7:55-4:15. Please allow 24 business hours for reply.

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These slides are viewable at: bit.ly/pmsbandparentmeeting

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These slides are viewable at: bit.ly/pmsbandparentmeeting

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Beginner Band Class

No previous music background required!
Classes are divided into like instruments and taught in a smaller setting.
Private lessons are encouraged for all Beginning Band members!
Students will have four concerts during the school year (two in the fall, two in the spring) and are expected to participate in the Beginner Solo Festival in the Spring. They will have a limited number of rehearsals as a full band throughout the year and are indicated on the band calendar.

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Concert and Symphonic Band Class

Focus is on learning how to play as an ensemble - 44-57 students in the class!
Private lessons are encouraged for individual improvement!
Weekly sectional
More performance opportunities. Please check the band calendar and communicate early if a conflict arises. All performances are required and graded.

Middle school night with the HS bands
One 8th grade Football performance
Fall Concert
All-Region (students who are selected via audition)
Winter Concert
Fine Arts Tour
Solo Contest
Pre-UIL
UIL
Spring Concert

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Band Handbook

The Band Handbook outlines all of the nuts and bolts of the Pearson Band - if you have a question about how we do something - the answer is probably in the handbook!

It includes:

Contact information

Rehearsal and performance attendance policies

Class descriptions

Course objectives

Program procedures and policies

Discipline policy

Academic Eligibility Information

Practice routine

Private lessons information

School-owned instrument policies

Band Fees

Uniform requirements

Field trip requirements

Communication

Instrument repair and maintenance

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These slides are viewable at: bit.ly/pmsbandparentmeeting

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Practicing

Learning an instrument is a skill. Daily, consistent practice

at a set time will help students be successful. 30 minutes

per day, six days per week. This helps students build good

practice habits.

How can you help your student? Listen to them practice (they should be using a metronome). Ask them to teach you what they’re learning and to perform for you.

Is that what your band director taught you to do?

Visit http://practicingguide.weebly.com for some great tips and strategies regarding practicing for students and parents!

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Band is a Performance-Based

Class: Mistakes, Working through Failure, and Motivation

We are ALL going to make mistakes - even the band directors!

Our job is to encourage them when they fail and give them the tools they need to try again and succeed.

Motivation vs. Habits

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Build discipline and resiliency.

Band is a performance-based class. They are learning skills, practicing those skills, and performing those skills in class every day. With this comes mistakes and failure. From day one, we talk to our students about mistakes - they will make mistakes and we, the band directors, will make mistakes. It is important to control our reaction to those mistakes and it is important to learn from our mistakes. If we do this in a positive way, we will learn from them and improve.

With mistakes comes failure - maybe your student tries to pass off something and isn’t successful or they have a playing quiz and are unhappy with their performance. Our job is to encourage them when they fail and give them to tools they need to try again and succeed. As parents, you can help us by reinforcing this at home and encouraging them to keep working and try again when they fail. All of our students learn at different speeds and experience success at different times. We will give them the opportunities to show that success and celebrate them when they achieve it.

It is important that they learn how to make mistakes and work through failure in 6th grade BEFORE going to high school.

Playing an instrument is incredibly fun and rewarding, but it is also hard work! Right now, they’re super excited and CANNOT WAIT to start playing their instrument. There may be a time during the school year when that excitement wanes and they lack the motivation to practice. If they have built good practice habits and they are in the routine of practicing, they will continue to improve even if the motivation is lacking. I can give you an example of this in my personal life: I wake up very early every morning so I can work out before school starts. Sometimes when I tell people this, they make some comment about how motivated I am, which makes me laugh. I promise you that I have absolutely no motivation in the moment to exercise at 4:30am - I do so because it is the result of years of cultivating and building that habit so I can feel successful and achieve my personal goals.

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Private Lessons

Private lessons individualized, one-on-one instruction with an expert in your instrument. Lessons are for EVERYONE!

During band class (23 minutes) and before or after school (30 minutes)
$23 per lesson
Scholarships are available!
Lessons are scheduled on a "first-come-first- serve" basis with the lessons teacher.
They fill up FAST! Sign up ASAP!
All private lessons teachers are degreed professionals who have been vetted and approved by the Pearson Band staff and Frisco ISD.

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Instruments

We will teach your student how to correctly handle their instrument and maintain it to prevent damage. We will remind them in class. They need to do these things at home.
Things happen! If an instrument needs to be repaired, don’t panic! The student should bring it to us first.
Do not try to fix instruments at home! There are countless times that parents and students who mean well cause more harm and more expense than the original repair. Avoid using ANY household tools or materials to clean or lubricate your instrument. WD-40 and motor oil are not designed for instruments.
School-owned instruments - the school covers the cost of normal wear and tear. Beyond that is the student’s responsibility.
DO NOT give your woodwind instrument a bath!

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Band Fees

The Pearson Band has a campus budget from Frisco ISD that covers instructional items. This includes music, instruments, equipment, and some supplies.

The Pearson Band Parent Association assists the Pearson Band through fundraising efforts. This covers items such as private lesson scholarships, administrative costs (website, PTO Manager, PO Box), clinicians, and the Instrument petting zoo.

The band fees outlined below cover costs associated with the specific ensemble and the individual musician. This includes consumables (band t-shirt, band binder, pencil pouch, pencils, food, snacks and drinks throughout the year), beginner solo contest fee, competition entry fees, and masterclasses.

Every effort has been made to keep the band fees as low as possible! In fact, the Pearson Band has some of the lowest band fees in Frisco ISD!

Beginner Band: $45

Concert Band: $55

Symphonic Band: $75

If paying the band fee presents your family with a financial hardship, please contact Mrs. Black at blackmj@friscoisd.org. We want every student who is interested in Band to be able to participate in this activity, no matter what!

Please note that social events throughout the year will have separate costs. These will be communicated to you as the events occur.

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Action Items

1. Read through the Band Handbook

2. Fill out the 2023-2024 Pearson Band Information Form. If you have multiple kids in the Pearson Band, you will need to fill out a separate form for each student. The form is due on Friday August 18 so we can order tshirts!

3. Pay the band fee on Cheddar Up. If you have multiple kids in the Pearson Band, you will need to make a separate transaction for each student. Payment is due September 15.

4. If your student is using a school-owned instrument, you will receive an email from Pearson Middle School to make the payment on Online School Fees. This is not set up yet - thank you for your patience!!

You're done!!

Please complete these items by Tuesday August 22.

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Thank you so much for attending this evening’s meeting!

We are so excited to teach your student this year!!

These slides are viewable at: bit.ly/pmsbandparentmeeting