I can't wait to meet and get to know all of our incoming 6th graders!  

My preferred method of communication is definitely email.  However, while I will send you school messenger emails to update you on very important events, this website is where you'll consistently be able to find most everything having to do with 6th grade band at LMS.  

For now, here are a couple things that each 6th grade band member can do to make sure that the beginning of their year is successful:

- Make sure to read and sign the Band Handbook.  Most everything you need to know is inside of it.  Following the link at the end and completing the signature page will be our first PRIDE grade.
- If you want extra information on the breakdown of the music standards, outside performance opportunities, and tips to give your kids on how to have a great practice session, be sure to check out the "Important Documents" link on the band homepage.
- Double-check the handbook to see that you have all required materials (black band binder with page savers, Essential Elements Book 1, instrument, school planner/chromebook, and pencil).  This will be our second PRIDE grade and material checks will be done periodically throughout the year.  If you have any trouble getting these materials, just send me an email.
​- Go ahead and write those required rehearsals and concert dates down on the calendar!  There are 3 sets of them over the course of the year.

If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to email me.  
Here's to a great year of music-making!

Avengers Theme
I'm a Believer
Eye of the Tiger
​Shut Up and Dance

The University of Colorado Middle School Ensemble Program is a fantastic extra-curricular group for 6th graders to be involved in.  See below for a description and for links to details.

Each year, the University of Colorado College of Music organizes its Middle School Ensembles program (MSE). This program is open to all middle school instrumentalists (woodwind, brass, percussion, and strings)!  The program is designed for students with at least one full year of prior formal instruction on their instruments.
 
The MSE instrumental groups meet weekly throughout the spring on Wednesday nights from 6-8pm at Platt Middle School in Boulder, beginning January 31, 2018. The MSE program accepts ALL interested students, so if your student is looking for an extra opportunity to perform, please check it out. It is a great chance for your student to perform with other musicians in the area -- the programs culminate with a concert where the students get to showcase all they've learned!
 
For more information for instrumental students, go to this link:
http://music.colorado.edu/mse and check out the brochure below.

Here's the "Happy Friday Video" we watched in class today.  Wouldn't this be amazing to have?

For each concert, I try to choose pieces that compliment each other, but are, in no way, alike.  It always fascinates me to find out which songs speak to which students.  So far, we have a blues piece in which we're working on articulation, swinging eighth notes, walking bass lines, improvisation, and blues scales.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have a contemporary piece in an AB form that is spurring us to discuss contrasting styles, accurately counting rests, layering, balance, and blend.

​Which is your favorite?  Why?