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Hello All,
We are almost done with the 2020 Band Placement Auditions. I will send the results out later this week via email and Schoology! Continue to monitor the Denison ISD website on a daily basis for updates: www.denisonisd.net. Distance Learning for the 6th Six Weeks The first four weeks of Distance Learning assignments have been uploaded to Schoology and are available on the band website. This week, we will be using SmartMusic for the Week 6.3 Assignment. To use the software, you will need to create an online account and join the Touch of Gold Marching Band class by using our code: 6MLTQ-7AWHA. (Some students may already have an account from middle school.) The full instructions on how to create an account are posted on Schoology on the Touch of Gold Marching Band group. If your student is not able to create a SmartMusic account, they can also access .pdf’s of various solo options in the Schoology Resources. We highly encourage students to continue to watch the free online master class videos from our private lesson staff and play their instrument each day! Instrument and Supply Return The Week 6.4 Assignment is for students to return any and all school-owned equipment and clean out their locker. Students will enter through the band hall doors, which will be propped open. One of the band directors will be there, as we will only let 1-2 students in at a time in order to maintain social distancing. Students should remain 6-10 feet apart at all times. If you are turning in a school owned instrument, please clean out any trash from the case prior to returning. If you had a school owned mouthpiece, BERP, mallets, etc. you must turn it in during one of our open band hall hours. If you are not available during your assigned time, please contact Mrs. Lewis. Open Band Hall Hours Upperclassmen and ALL color guard: Tuesday, 5/5 from 11 am - 3 pm Underclassmen: Wednesday, 5/6 from 11 am - 3 pm Band Calendars - Second Order By popular request, we ordered a second batch of the 2020-2021 Band Calendars! If you are interested in purchasing one for $15, please let me know via email. Band Banquet - Pictures Needed! I will be discussing with the Denison ISD Administration the best way to safely hold the banquet. I will send out any updates regarding this via email. However, we are moving forward with planning the End of Year Video and Senior SlideShow! Please share any pictures that you have from this past year that you would like to be included in the End of Year video! We will try to include as many as we can! I have created a Dropbox that you can put pictures in directly: https://www.dropbox.com/request/2idgVRk5zQ5y9i2umA2D Upcoming Events
Thanks so much for your continued support Hello All,
Based on Governor Gregg Abbott's April 17, 2020 message, Denison ISD will be extending our school closure for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. Students will continue receiving at-home instruction during this closure and specifically, Denison High School students will continue to receive assignments via Schoology. Meal delivery will continue using established procedures and locations will continue as well until further notice. Continue to monitor the Denison ISD website on a daily basis for updates: www.denisonisd.net. Distance Learning for the 6th Six Weeks The first three weeks of Distance Learning assignments have been uploaded to Schoology and are available on the band website. The Week 6.2 Assignment is also the 2020 Band Placement Audition. Looking ahead, we will begin using SmartMusic for the Week 6.3 Assignment. To use the software, you will need to create an online account and join the Touch of Gold Marching Band class by using our code: 6MLTQ-7AWHA. (Some students may already have an account from middle school.) The full instructions on how to create an account are posted on Schoology on the Touch of Gold Marching Band group. We highly encourage students to continue to watch the free online master class videos from our private lesson staff and play their instrument each day! 2020 - 2021 DHS Band Placement Auditions Due to the continued school closure, the 2020 - 2021 Band Placement auditions will be conducted entirely online this week. The recording assignment for week 6.2 will also serve as your Band Placement audition. ALL students need to fill out this Google survey, regardless of if they are doing band next year: https://forms.gle/ppPzC2zsLAFVDuaQ8 We hope to have results emailed and posted by May 1st. 2020 Marching Show Announcement The 2020 Marching Show will be announced this week on Thursday via Facebook, Schoology and email. Stay tuned! 2020- 2021 DHS Band Leadership Information Thank you to the many students who applied for the Student Leadership team! We are almost done watching all of these video auditions, and will contact the handful of drum major candidates who are invited to interview this week. Band Calendars - Second Order By popular request, we ordered a second batch of the 2020-2021 Band Calendars! If you are interested in purchasing one for $15, please let me know via email. Band Banquet - Pictures Needed! I will be discussing with the Denison ISD Administration the best way to safely hold the banquet. I will send out any updates regarding this via email. However, we are moving forward with planning the End of Year Video and Senior SlideShow! Please share any pictures that you have from this past year that you would like to be included in the End of Year video! We will try to include as many as we can! I have created a Dropbox that you can put pictures in directly: https://www.dropbox.com/request/2idgVRk5zQ5y9i2umA2D Updates to the Spring 2020 Band Calendar I have updated the CHARMS calendar to reflect the continued school closure through the end of the school year. The following events in April and May have been adjusted: Percussion & Band Auditions Have been moved to an online format Spring Concert Cancelled TSSEC Trip to Austin Cancelled Upcoming Events
Happy Easter!
Please note that the school closure has been extended through Friday, May 1st. Please continue to monitor the Denison ISD website (www.denisonisd.net) for more information regarding district news and resources. Distance Learning Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Symphony Each of these courses have been updated on Schoology. Students have two assignments for Week 6.1. All students must vote on this year’s SMS Band Beau and SMS Band Sweetheart. A Google Survey has been posted as a quiz in Schoology. All students also have a recording assignment for Week 6.1. Details about this assignment can be found on Schoology. The recording assignment will also be used for Band Placement Auditions for Incoming 8th Grade Students (Current 7th Grade Students). Week 6.1 Assignments are due by this Friday, April 17th at 3:40 PM. Applied Music All Applied Music Composer Project checkpoints have been uploaded to Schoology for submission. Any student who has not yet submitted their project information for review and feedback must do so by 11:59pm on Monday, April 13th. This assignment was originally due on Thursday, April 2nd, so students have received significant extra time for this checkpoint. Submissions posted past this deadline will result in a grade reduction. Any student who has already completed this checkpoint will receive full credit for the assignment in the 6th Six Weeks marking period. The display plan checkpoint for this project is due by 11:59pm on Thursday, April 16th. Students need to submit a detailed and organized explanation of how they plan to display their information. Submissions posted past this deadline will result in a grade reduction. The final product is due by 11:59pm on Thursday, April 23rd. After this time, no more changes will be made to these projects, so the submission on this date needs to represent each student's very best efforts. Submissions posted past this deadline will result in a grade reduction. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask Mr. McCall via Schoology. Jazz Band I, Jazz Band II, Percussion Techniques These classes will not be given any assignments for Distance Learning at this time since they are scheduled during Scott Middle School’s Jacket Homeroom. 2020 – 2021 SMS Band Auditions We will be hosting SMS Band Auditions for the 2020 – 2021 school year this week! The recording assignment in Schoology will be used as a part of the audition for Incoming 8th Grade Students (Current 7th Grade Students). A mandatory Google Survey will also be emailed. We hope to have results emailed and posted by next week. SMS End of Year Video – Pictures Needed If you have any pictures from this school year’s band events that you would like to be included in the 2019 – 2020 SMS Band End of Year Video, please upload them to the following Drop Box. The deadline for picture submission will be this Friday, April 17th. https://www.dropbox.com/request/5zwsav5CCiW6PANXyk42 Supplemental Distance Learning Materials Intermediate and Advanced Master Class Videos and Handouts have been created by our Private Lesson Staff and can be found at https://www.denisonbands.org/distance-learning.html Updated Events The online Charms Calendar will remain out most up to date version of the SMS Band Calendar during this hectic time of rescheduling and canceling events. I have noted below large changes to major events that were scheduled for the remainder of the school year. Sherman Chipotle Spirit Night Fundraiser This event has been canceled and will not be rescheduled. Six Flags This event remains on the calendar as scheduled! Students and Chaperones that had not yet paid their $70 ($50 for Season Pass holders) Trip Fee were removed from the trip, but may be added back upon payment in full of the Trip Fee when we return to school. Upcoming Events · Tuesday, May 5th – Wind Symphony Rehearsal 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM in SMS Band Hall · Thursday, May 14th – Wind Symphony Rehearsal 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM in SMS Band Hall · Saturday, May 16th – Six Flags · Monday, May 18th – SMS Band End of Year Party 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Skateland’s of America in Denison (Optional / $5 Entry) · Tuesday, May 19th – SMS Band Spring Concert 7:00 PM in SMS Eisenhower Auditorium · Thursday, May 21st – Last Day of School / Early Release at 1:30 PM · Thursday, May 21st – Jazz Band I Performance at DHS Band Banquet (Details TBA) · Friday, May 22nd – No School / Teacher Work Day Please feel free to contact us with any questions. Hello,
Denison ISD will extend the school closure through May 1, 2020. During this time, we will continue to provide in-home learning opportunities for our students. Denison ISD will also continue the meal delivery using the established procedures and locations through May 1, 2020. The second week of Distance Learning assignments are due this evening at 11:59 pm. I have already posted next week’s assignments to Schoology and they will be uploaded to the Distance Learning page of the band website shortly. 2020- 2021 DHS Band Leadership Information Due to the continued school closure, the 2020 - 2021 Leadership Tryouts will be conducted entirely online. The questionnaire and information packet have been posted on Schoology and the band website. The paperwork must be submitted to me via email by April 9th at 11:59 PM. You can email me your completed paperwork at [email protected]. Teacher Evaluation surveys will be conducted via Google Forms. Following the paperwork deadline, I will contact all leadership applicants with information on the teaching portion of the audition. All leadership applicants will complete a teaching audition via recorded video submission. We will not have a conducting video audition for drum major candidates since I will not be able to teach you to conduct prior to the audition. Students selected to serve as Drum Majors for 2020-2021 will learn to conduct over the summer. 2020 - 2021 DHS Band Placement Auditions Due to the continued school closure, the 2020 - 2021 Band Placement auditions will be conducted entirely online. I will send a separate email with more information to all current 8-11th graders. Band Calendars - Second Order By popular request, we ordered a second batch of the 2020-2021 Band Calendars! If you are interested in purchasing one for $15, please let me know via email. Band Banquet Pictures and Song Suggestion We are moving forward with planning the Band Banquet, including the End of Year Video and Senior SlideShow! First, if you are a senior, please fill out the following survey: https://forms.gle/1ExZPxdMKp996Ka17 Second, please share any pictures that you have from this past year that you would like to be included in the End of Year video! We will try to include as many as we can! I have created a Dropbox that you can put pictures in directly: https://www.dropbox.com/request/2idgVRk5zQ5y9i2umA2D Lastly, this year the Band Banquet is also going to be a Dance with a DJ! We will have our typical dinner and awards presentation first, followed by a dance. The DJ has asked that we suggest some songs for the playlist. Please submit your suggestions here: https://forms.gle/4D2wCE1tuLF1e8ua6 (Songs must be appropriate, or they will not be considered.) Updates to the Spring 2020 Band Calendar I have updated the CHARMS calendar to reflect the continued school closure through the end of April. The following events in April have been adjusted: Leadership Auditions Have been moved to an online format Band Auditions Have been moved to an online format Wind Ensemble Contest, April 25th Cancelled Jazz Concert, May 1st Cancelled; we will perform at the joint DISD Band Concert at the end of May instead. Spring Concert, May 8th Cancelled; we will perform at the joint DISD Band Concert at the end of May instead. TSSEC Trip to Austin Cancelled; Denison ISD has halted all student travel at this time. Finances I have updated CHARMS to waive private lesson fees for those students who are not participating in online lessons during the school closure. I have also issued refunds for events that areno longer occurring, such as the Texoma Solo and Ensemble contest. The most recent statements have been emailed out and reflect these changes. Upcoming Events
Distance Learning (Essential Elements Interactive)
Essential Elements Interactive® is an online resource that will help make playing music more fun. There are a few steps to get you started with EEi. Follow these simple steps and you will be up and running with EEi in no time. Activate your account: Go to www.essentialelementsinteractive.com Step 1: Click on Students logo and click Enroll in Your Class Step 2: Copy and paste the School Code: BMcDanielIBand38 Enter Student ID: D______ Step 3: Create your Username and Password* (For future reference, write it down on a piece of paper) Step 4: Agree to terms and enter your EEi Student Activation Code. After you create your account, you will use your username and password to log-in from that point forward. (If your book does not have an EEi Activation Code, click the “I have an older book…” check box.) Grades When you log in to Essential Elements Interactive, you will see a tab called "My Assignments" in the middle of the screen. That tells you what song number to practice. Then, click on "Music Studio" in the upper right hand corner, and it will show a complete song list. You can pick the number for the song. From there, it will show you both the music, as well as different backing tracks you can play along with! These assignments are not required to be recorded or submitted for a grade. However, the students need to complete their practice logs on this website because they will be graded. If a student would like to continue their progress on their Band Karate Sheets they can submit a recording of their song in the “Music Studio” tab. Our main goal during this extended closure is to keep students actively playing their instruments. We do not wish to burden or overwhelm any family or individual. All students should have their instrument and band binder. Please contact me immediately if you do not have one of these items. I hope this email finds you and your family doing well! As you are aware, Denison ISD will be closed until at least Monday, April 6. By Wednesday, April 1, the district administration will reassess the data to determine whether it is safe for students and staff to return to campus. A decision will be communicated that afternoon regarding whether schools will be re-opened on Monday, April 6.
Learning plans have been designed for “in-home” student instruction beginning tomorrow, Monday, March 23rd. By now, a Denison ISD teacher will have contacted your family personally to provide specific details. (I believe it was your 3A teacher.) Continue to monitor the Denison ISD website on a daily basis for updates: www.denisonisd.net DHS Band Distance Learning Plan We have created a new tab of the Denison Band website that specifically addresses Distance Learning. This page will be updated with all the materials your student might need. In addition, all resources and assignments have already been posted to Schoology. Unfortunately, due to the file size restrictions of CHARMS, I cannot attach all the files to this email. Website Link: https://www.denisonbands.org/distance-learning.html However, most simply - your student will have ONE graded assignment per week. This graded assignment is a video/audio recording of their weekly objective. This is a continuation of their weekly objectives that were handed out at the beginning of the six weeks. The objectives forWind Ensemble and Concert Band were handed out to each student at the beginning of the six weeks and have been posted on Schoology. Symphonic Band students will continue their sticker-chart pass off’s on their UIL music, and should aim to finish one piece per week. Percussion has been modified due to the nature of at-home submissions. Their objectives are included in this email and posted on Schoology. However, as you well know, in order to be able to perform the objectives well, your student must practice! If your student says they don’t know what to practice… we have you covered! I have also included a sample practice guide for each band class on the website and Schoology. The most important thing is that your student continues to play their instrument daily! This will ensure that they continue to progress in their music education AND have a creative outlet during the school closure. For each day, the band directors have created a practice routine that includes: Warm Up (5 min) Fundamentals (5-10 min) Music (10 min) Other (10 min) - These include listening activities, sight reading games, etc. At the end of each week, each student will fill out a required Practice Journal: https://forms.gle/6Z2bMAYg2uVuDNVF9 Schoology The main source of communication with your student’s teachers will be through Schoology. We have already been using Schoology quite a bit this year. Each band class has a separate group. Please ensure that your student is in the correct group. TOG Marching Band (ALL students) - 4RRD-JMPG-CPTVG Wind Ensemble - KW6C-9WKS-5XDGD Symphonic Band - 6JMB-XV45-ZC4NW Concert Band - KDMJ-CVC7-5Z9MM The band directors are also available through email and Remind 101. Supplemental Materials The band directors have provided MANY supplemental resources for when your student comes to you saying that they are bored! The links are also posted on Schoology under Resources. I want to highlight a few of these that I am very excited about! Each private lesson teacher has created a FREE lesson available on our YouTube channel! There is both an Intermediate and Advanced lesson available for each instrument. High school students should utilize the Advanced Lesson. We will post weekly videos for each week of the school closure. I will share the links on Schoology to our YouTube channel. By student request, I have created a Band Bingo with various playing challenges! Students who complete a Black-Out of the board can earn prizes. The Band Bingo board is available on Schoology. I came across a very cool app for iPhones called the Monster Musician Reader Game. This is a sight-reading game that you can play along with at home. If you do not have an iPhone there is also a YouTube channel that you can play along with: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnXN4OKVLYRNGoK-pgXOseQ. These activities, and MANY MORE, can be accessed on Schoology under the Group Resources folder! Other District Resources If your student does not have regular access to the Internet, you are able to get all lessons on printed hard copy. To get these, please contact the Denison High School front office at (903)-462-7125. The Main Office at the high school will be open from 9 am - 2 pm daily. In addition, DISD will continue its Yellow Jacket Feeding Program. Beginning Monday, March 23 Beginning Monday, March 23, Denison ISD will continue to serve Grab & Go Meals at the following locations: ScottMiddle School - 1901 S. Mirick Avenue B. McDaniel Intermediate - 400 Lillis Lane Lamar Elementary - 1000 S. Fifth Avenue Terrell Elementary - 230 W. Martin Luther King All Denison ISD students are welcome to participate in this free breakfast and lunch program. The district will be changing to one service time slot from 10:00 – 12:30 which will allow families to pick up both meals at once. In addition, the district will begin meal delivery to certain areas of town where there are clustered residential areas. Band Calendars - Second Order By popular request, we ordered a second batch of the 2020-2021 Band Calendars! If you are interested in purchasing one for $15, please let me know via email. Spring Trip I have received a few questions regarding a partial refund of the Spring Trip, as we had to leave early due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. I know that the travel company is currently working very hard to reschedule upcoming trips across the country and also work through any potential refunds from trips that were cancelled or cut short. The company is working to reschedule our music festival performance to sometime in May. At this time, I do not have any additional information about the possibility of a partial refund. Once I do get more information, I will share it with you. Cancelled Events I am working to keep the CHARMS calendar up to date with the changes to our spring schedule. All band rehearsals and events during the school closure have been cancelled. Those events that can be rescheduled or moved to an online format (such as the Leadership Information Meeting) will be. We will not try to reschedule the sectionals, full band rehearsals or clinics that we missed due to the school closure at this time. The Chet Baker Educational Jazz Festival for Jazz Band 1 has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled. MA Nationals for our varsity color guard has also been cancelled, as well as the optional trip to watch the WGI Regional in Denton. Lastly, I was informed today by UIL Region 25 that our Concert & Sight Reading Contest scheduled for April 22nd and 23rd has been cancelled. Unfortunately, I do not expect the event to be rescheduled. At this time, we are still planning on participating in the following events this spring: April 25th - Wind Ensemble Music Festival contest in Frisco May 1st - DISD Jazz Concert at THF Park May 8th - DHS Spring Concert May 21st - Band Banquet 2020- 2021 DHS Band Leadership Information I am working on an online version of the Leadership Information meetings. This will be shared on both Schoology and the band website, under the Forms tab (www.denisonbands.org). The paperwork phase of the 2020 - 2021 Leadership Tryouts will be conducted entirely online. I will share the questionnaire and information packet on Schoology and the band website. The paperwork must be submitted to me via email by April 9th at 11:59 PM. You can email me your completed paperwork at [email protected]. Teacher Evaluation surveys will be conducted via Google Forms. Percussion Concert Videos I am working to upload the videos from the DISD Percussion concert to our YouTube channel. You can watch the two high school ensemble performances at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxzGIY6CyII https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwq1U7soAkk Instrument and Binder Pick Up I try to get up to the school every couple of days so that students can continue to pick up their instruments or any other materials they need. If you need to get your instrument, binder, etc. please email me and I will work with you to arrange a time. Lastly, if you have any questions as we transition to Distance Learning, please do not hesitate to ask! As I mentioned previously, the main goal for us is that every student has access to their instrument and continues to play. There will be ONE graded playing assignment each week, as well as a practice journal. Beyond that, the practice guide and supplemental materials included below are provided to help give your student ideas on what to practice, and are not required or graded. Thanks so much for your continued support! Good afternoon!
Due to the current circumstances, we will be utilizing online distance teaching in order to provide students with a continuing education. We have created a new tab on the site titled, "Distance Learning". The tab is being built this weekend and you will soon be able to access the online materials as well as objective sheets, assignments and other materials that make up our new and temporary online curriculum. Please continue to check in for updated announcements and learning materials. A full email containing more details and information as well as the coming week's plan will be sent out posted here later this weekend. Thank you for your continued patience and cooperation! |
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