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 mhlewis@denisonisd.net. 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

1. April 9th - Leadership Applications due via online submission
2. April 29th - Leadership Teaching Audition Video due via online submission
3. May 1st - Drum Major Interviews via Zoom (invited candidates only)
4. May 11th and 12th, 4-6 pm - Percussion Audition Clinics
5. May 19th, 7 pm - Denison ISD Band Concert
6. May 20th - Instrument Check In 
7. May 21st, 6:30 pm - Denison ISD Band Banquet
8. May 23rd - Graduation
9. May 25th - 2021-2021 Instrument Check Out
10. May 26th and 27th - Leadership Camp

Thanks so much for your continued support

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 mhlewis@denisonisd.net. 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!

Meals will be in a sack and available to all DISD students regardless of attendance zones.
Breakfast and Lunch will be served at:
-Scott Middle School
-B.McDaniel Intermediate
-Lamar Elementary
-Terrell Elementary
Breakfast: 7:30-9:30
Lunch: 11:00-1:30