WAYLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL BANDS

(Click here to go to the soundfiles for practicing)

What a great concert! I was so pleased with everyone. Thanks for all of your kind wishes, too. Wayland has been a wonderful place to spend 32 years of my career.

BUT... all is not over yet! We have the Memorial Day Parade (Concert Band & Symphonic Band) and Symphonic Band is playing at Faneuil Hall on June 1, some of our winds and percussion are playing in the Orchestra Concert (May 31) and...

Jazz Band has several performances left, including MAJE this Thursday (May 17). Permission Slip with info and Itinerary

Two more special rehearsals & one special event coming up

• All Concert Band & Symphonic Band members - after school marching rehearsal. This will be the only time we will have all 100+ of us together before the parade and it is crucial to get us on the same foot and looking sharp! Wednesday, May 16, 1:20-2:20, rain or shine. Please, if at all possible, rearrange your usual after school committments so that you can be there. It makes a difference.
• All Symphonic Band members on the Faneuil Hall Trip - we will have an after school mini-concert run-through of all of our Faneuil Hall pieces on Tuesday, May 29, 2:30-3:45. (No jazz band that day). Please try to be there as the rest of our rehearsals are catch as catch can with trips and marching going on as well! This will be the primary rehearsal to get us ready! Parents, family & friends are invited to come listen! Our run through will begin at about 2:45 and we will be playing all the pieces we've done all year!
• Stage Band Celebratory Breakfast Thursday, May 17. Arrive around 7AM

Orchestra Winds & Percussion schedule

Workshops are over for they year, although there is one more makeup, Friday, May 18 after school.

Symphonic Band plays at Faneuil Hall Marketplace on Friday, June 1!! More details soon. Hope you can join us for a while if you work downtown.

The Jazz Band / Stage Band rehearsal schedule is posted - they are on the band calendar this year, as are all concert dates and such (And what letter day it is!). Concert dates are summarized on the concert dates page. (which is now updated for this year!)

DATE CHANGE -- BAND AWARDS BREAKFAST has been moved to Wednesday morning, June 13 (instead of June 6). All band families invited! Please come celebrate this great year. Breakfast is served at 6:30(AM), the jazz band will play while you munch, then about 6:50 we will move to awards. We will be all wrapped up by 7:45, at which time students will go to classes and parents off to their work days. More info to follow as we get closer. (The change is made on the band calendar)

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A new grading policy for band is in effect - students have choices of how serious to be about taking part in band and can work toward a Pass, Fail or "A/A-" (hopefully no one will work toward a "fail"... <grin>). Follow the link for more info.

Soundfiles for the fall pieces are now posted so you can listen to them and even play along as you get the music learned.

The Official Band Calendar! "Oh my gosh!!! When is the spring concert??" or "This darn changing middle school schedule; when are rehearsals this week?" Check this calendar for all things band (and the letter days)! Let me know if there are errors or omissions. The calendar includes Stage Band & Jazz Band auditions as well as the concerts for all bands.

Did you know we have a page specially for student music compositions?  Check it out!  There are several new ones posted.  Rachel has a couple more and Allen H has a collaboration with Evan H and Dan H.   Do YOU have any compositions that should be here????  Send them to me!

Private lessons for your child just got easier!  The Wayland School Community Programs has created a private lesson program for our MS & HS students (vocal, strings, winds & percussion).  All lessons are at the high school, starting in the fall.   Follow the link for more info.

PARENTS ... The BAND MANUAL is posted so you can always refer to it for info.

 PERCUSSIONISTS....  Do you imagine yourself really wailing on your instruments?  Check out Vic Firth's education site: http://www.vicfirth.com/education/ for online lessons and demonstrations.  There is a section on rudiments, http://www.vicfirth.com/education/rudiments.html to see and hear the rudiments performed and for instruction and help in learning to play them properly. There is also a game to help you learn the note names and where they are on the mallet keyboard http://www.vicfirth.com/education/keyboard/speednotegame.html.  And, there are loads of technique lessons & demonstration videos for snare drum, mallet percussion, drumset, auxiliary instruments, timpani, etc.  Check it out!

 Sound, Tech and Recording Crew page

Be sure my email addresses are in your address book so that your spam programs don't kick out my messages! Home: muffitt@bandnotes.info;   and during the daytime, School: diane_muffitt@wayland.k12.ma.us

FROM LAST YEAR:

Symphonic Band at Faneuil Hall!  Here is a Waycam clip (22 min) of our June 2011 trip to Faneuil Hall.  Jonah Camiel was the cameraman and did the editing.  I think he did a really great job of getting the sense and feel of the day (including the wind!!)

Congratulations to the WMS Jazz Band for earning a Gold Medal Rating at the Central District MAJE Jazz Festival (May 2011).  The young musicians worked hard to play together, to balance, to get the details and to play musically and their hard work paid off!!  Bravo!

What a fun spring concert! A Celebration of Band Music, truly was.  Each group really pushed to reach new abilities.  Check out the pictures from the April 2011 concert.

 The High School WSPN (Wayland Student Press Network) has posted a short piece with Band Fest 2011 pictures, sound and an interview with Mr. Oneschuck (HS Band director).  Check it out. 

 

SOUND FILES

SOUND FILES to listen to and get the feel of the piece and to practice with (it is fun to play with the recording!  Did you know that the pros ALWAYS play along with recordings when there is one available!).  If the soundfile doesn't immediately open, click save, then open QuickTimePlayer or iTunes or WindowsMediaPlayer and try opening it from within one of those programs.  These are MP3s (or MP4s), so you should be able to load them on your MP3 player.

CONCERT BAND:

• Rites a cool piece by the composer of Incantations.
• Shenandoah is an old "chanty", a song that sailors sang to pass the time and also sometimes to keep the rhythm of their work together so that they were able to, for example, all pull the ropes at the same time.
• Liberty Bell March is one of John Philip Sousa's famous marches! We are playing only the 2nd half of it (plus the introduction). The soundfile here is computer generated and has only the basic melody, the low wind part at the dogfight and the percussion. Even thought not complete, it will give you a sense of how to practice it. Notice the dynamics! There is a count-off to get you started: 1 -- 2 -- 1 2 3 4
• WMS Streetbeat - a computer generated version with a count off
• Jam! Here is a fun one! You've gotta count like mad 'cuz it keeps changing up where the beat is! Jam-edited - here it is with our cuts - play along.
• Yankee Clippers - A clipper ship was a very fast (for the times) large sailing ship, built to make fast trips across the Atlantic Ocean from the US to Europe before the time of airplanes.

SYMPHONIC BAND:

• Liberty Bell March is one of John Philip Sousa's famous marches! We are playing only the 2nd half of it (plus the introduction). The soundfile here is computer generated and has only the basic melody, the low wind part at the dogfight and the percussion. Even thought not complete, it will give you a sense of how to practice it. Notice the dynamics! There is a count-off to get you started: 1 -- 2 -- 1 2 3 4
• WMS Streetbeat - a computer generated version with a count off
• Bandorama - for band fest! We will most likely play it a bit slower than what you hear here.
• Tame - A sea voyage: peaceful at first, then a storm comes up! The piece ends with the Navy Hymn, Eternal Father.
• Donegal - Donegal is a very large county in Ireland - way up north, near Northern Ireland and a moor is an open grassy, wet area. This piece has a celtic feel to the music. Those tricky solos (Trumpet 1, Clarinet1 & Bass Clarinet) between 80-95 need lots of counting, but it is also helpful to listen and play along. I've isolated 76-96 so that you can practice with it. Start by listening and following your music. Tap the rhythm of your part, or speak it. When you've done it accurately 3 times, try playing with the recording. The soundfile starts at 76, with the last four measures of the sax solo. Start counting as soon as you can find the beat. 80 starts with sax on beat 1 and flute on beat 2.
• Incantations - two versions here, the first is from Northeast Junior District when I conducted a few years ago.  I love the balance and sound of this version, BUT it was not a very strong percussion section, so there are errors in the rhythms and the gong is particualarly ugly sounding (percussionists, listen to the next version, too). The second version is when I conducted Central Junior District.  The percussion section here is great, but they were too loud (it was balanced correctly for the rehearsal room, but all changed in the concert hall!).  But this is a good one for percussionists to practice with and listen to.  (The winds are not as strong as in the NE version.)
• Ashokan - What a lovely piece. This version was also performed by the Central District Band. The original version is by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason from the CD. I got it from the album, Harvest Home - Music for All Seasons. I recommend you download if from where ever you buy your music. It is LOVELY. It is for fiddle and guitar. Ah... Do you know the history of this piece? Most people think it was written for the Civil War series by Ken Burns. Not so! It was used in the soundtrack, but Mr. Ungar wrote it as a farewell to all the friendships and music from the summer at the Ashokan Fiddle and Dance Camp for adults and families that he runs with Ms Mason! Those of you who have been to camps know how hard it can be to leave! For more info go to, http://www.jayandmolly.com/ashokanfaq.shtml

STAGE BAND

• Rumba (no solo section) PLAY ALONG!- This is a Latin tune, so straight (even) eighth notes, not swing. (full version of Rumba-full with the solo section)
• Joshua - A standard spiritual in a swing form.
• FlipFlopFly - A classic rhythm and blues tunes from the mid 1950s! Have fun!
• Blues in Bb Background track so you can practice improvising in Concert Bb (like we did in rehearsal Dec 19)

JAZZ BAND

• Blue&Sentimental - do down load one of the versions with Count Basie playing and get a sense of the original tune.
• Boiling-Hot tune, eh? Make it swing. Soloing? Practice with the Practice Solo Track (no melodies, just the background)
• BroBill - Nice mellow blues, but it is in Eb! So be sure you are practicing your soloing in the right key!!
• Tequila - Soloing? Use the mixolydian scale that is "B" in the warmup lines at the top of page 1.
• Ain't - (I replaced the soundfile with one that you can upload to your MP3 players.) Written in 1929, this is a Fats Waller tune - he was a great pianist (he started piano when he was 6, and by the time he was 10 he played organ in his father's church - his father was a minister). Find the original played by Fats (his real name was Thomas Waller) and listen to his style - the "stride bass" of his piano playing was his trademark. This demo is being played by the WMS Jazz Band from 2001. What a great sound they get, especially at the beginning! Can we top it??? Maybe so! There are lots of versions of this one to download to your mp3 player - try the Fats Waller version from "Very Best of Fats Waller". I like the way the style keeps changing! Great drum solo!
• Smooth - This piece by Santana is a great Latin rock tune. We don't have a demo of our recording, but there are two YouTube performances to watch. DEFINITELY watch the Santana in Concert that features Rob Thomas (who wrote the tune) singing lead. What a great performance! Carlos Santan is the guy with the red guitar and the hat doing the guitar solos. Hey, trumpets and trombones, notice how they hold their horns straight out!! The second YouTube performanceis by Franklin County HS jazz ensemble . The recording isn't very good and it is hard to hear, but it will give you the idea. Be sure to download "Smooth" by Santana, featuring Rob Thomas so you gave it on your mp3 player.
• Autumn Leaves is a classic tune from 1945; the orginal words were in French and it was called, "Les Feuilles Mortes" (The Dead Leaves). A great jazz lyricist (the one who writes the words), Johnny Mercer, wrote the English lyrics and it became an American hit. The link is to our demo version of the tune. (I've also included a link to a version that is just solo background so you can practice soloing with it - it is computer generated and is not exactly like our version, but it is close enough to be a good practice tool). There are lots of versions for download whereever you get your mp3s. I am particularly fond of the the version by Tony Bennett if you want one with the singing. For a jazz instrumental version, I like the Count Basie version. There are lots of good ones. Great tune.
• GirlFromIpanema - also a classic, this time a Latin tune (Brazilian). Real laid back and smooth, straight eighth notes, mellow bossa nova style. Download one of the classic recordings of it by Stan Getz (tenor sax). Here is a solo background so you can practice soloing - it starts at 41 and goes through the solo into the DS.

HONORS WIND ENSEMBLE

• Ghost Fleet - This piece tells a story about the decommissioned fleet of warships that are ancored in the James River (Virginia) and left there to rust and rot. The music represents the "spirits" of these ships as composer imagines the ghostly fleet breaking free, returning to the high seas and former days of glory. Watch out for dynamics and the details!

 

Continuing Announcements

PRACTICE:
Student need to practice at home; just playing at school is not enough to even keep up, let alone progress! The best students practice a 30-60 a day. I think a minimum for making good progress is 20 minutes 6 days a week. BUT... we all get too busy sometimes and have to cut it short - that is a given. On really busy days I recommend the young musician play for 5 minutes and spend some time on a really tough spot. That way, even when too busy some work gets done and progress is made.  If your child is keeping practice charts, new practice record sheets are available in the band room or printed from the website

Thinking about private lessons? It is a GREAT idea for all students! Advanced students, behind students and average students all benefit. Follow the link for a list of teachers in the area. In 99% of cases, middle school students should be working with an adult and not with one of the high school tutors. Talk to me if you are unsure...

If you know of other great teachers that should be on the list - let me know. By the time students are in middle school, they should be studying with an adult teacher who really knows how to teach and knows pitfalls to watch for and knows ways to help solve problems. Our high school tutor program is fantastic for motivating the young player, but in middle school, it is time to move to an adult. Email/call me if you have questions.

Looking to purchase some music? Good music stores are hard to find these days and I, personally, really miss being able to walk into a store and browse for things.. There are a couple of really good on-line stores -- Sheet Music Plus and JW Pepper are two of them. If you access Sheet Music Plus through this link, I get an 8% rebate from your purchase, which I will be putting into our instrument fund* at school. I haven't used Sheet Music Plus enough to personally know that it is a good source, but it was recommended by MENC (our music teachers national association), so I have trust in the site. JW Pepper is where I purchase our band music.

*What is the instrument fund? I used this fund for many things: to purchase a percussion instrument or music that we need midyear after the budget money is gone, to purchase an instrument we need, but can't afford in the budget (our new drumset, a piccolo...), to purchase the year-end awards, to give a deserving student a scholarship for private lessons for the summer, to purchase supplies for the digital recording team's work, and to fund other things that come up. This year, I hope to purchase a trophy case for our awards and pictures; we used to have one, but it got literally covered up by wall board as the new theatre was being built!

Interesting Info or Links

GMajorMusicTheory.org is a great place to get free sheet music at a variety of levels for both piano and guitar!  Check it out!!

Here is a link to a pretty cool flute podcast of flute duets from the Voxman duet book 1.  He plays both parts together and just the flute 2 part so you can play along. (David Summer - summersong.net)

Cool!  An online metronome and a bit about how to use a metronome in your practice.  Go to: http://www.metronomeonline.com/

MusicTheory.net - this site helps you learn almost everything there is to know about reading music! Need help learning to read the note names? Want to learn more about advanced chords? Want to learn to compose with minor scales? It's all here for you

WGBH has a wonderful webpage demonstrating five instruments from Japan; you can click on their pictures individually to hear the sound, or put more than one together to create a larger composition. Try starting with one or two and adding others after a few measures, then deleting some, etc. See what you come up with! While looking at instruments and music from other countries, check out our pages on "Music From Where?" It includes Chinese music, traditional Jewish music & Klezmer, Latin American Music and music from India.

The Wayland Historical Society has a wonderful picture of a Wayland Military Band from around the1890s. With the Society's permission, I have posted this wonderful picture! Check it out!

Looking for music supplies?? See our list of local music stores.
Buying a new instrument?? Don't just buy off the shelf! Get help from your child's private teacher or band director; you don't want to end up with one of the "Band Quitter Models" - see below for more info.

The composer, Morton Subotnick, has created an interesting website with some musical puzzles & beginning composing games. He also has some GREAT composing software - one aimed at ages 5 and up - MAKING MUSIC, and the other for older kids (better for middle school) - MAKING MORE MUSIC. Both treat composing music like finger-painting and make the creative process fun and easy. I hope to have Making More Music on my computer at school soon. http://www.creatingmusic.com/

NUCLEAR WHALES SAXOPHONE ORCHESTRA is an interesting group... on their website they say, "The entire "Family of Saxophones" is featured - the tiny sopranino, the soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass and the rare and monstrous 6'8" contrabass (described by The Los Angeles Times as "...an instrument with the stature of a power forward in the NBA and a pitch that makes a foghorn sound effeminate.") Together they create incredibly innovative music with a rich ensemble sound covering an amazing range of over six octaves." Click on the the contrabass sax below to go to their website (how does anyone have enough air to fill that thing????)

 From the Top. What an awesome radio program and website for young musicians!! I just ran across the website this summer & it has wonderful information for young musicians - especially those who are serious about their art. There are answers to questions you might have, interviews with "pre-collegiate" musicians who have been on the radio program (including Alex Rabin, a former Wayland High School student & an amazing pianist!). The radio program, From the Top, is aired on WGBH Sundays at 6:00. It is performances of pre-collegiate musicians from all over the world and includes some interviews and information about the person and music. Check it out!

Parents - there is also a lot of wonderful info for parents of musicians. You will find music terminology for nonmusical parents of musical kids. You will find questions to lots of other questions you might have like, what age is best for starting an instrument, practicing music vs. sports, supporting advanced musicians, waning interest, etc.

 Finale NotePad is a basic music note writing program for both Macs & Windows and is downloadable. It used to be free, but now it costs $10 or something very minimal (of course they are hoping you will upgrade to one of their other more powerful products at some point.) Coda Music puts out Finale which is the standard in music writing programs - most professional musicians use it. They also have another program called PrintMusic which is more flexible and powerful than NotePad. Then they have the intermediate level, Allegro and the pro, Finale. If you have been wanting to mess around with writing music on your computer, I strongly recommend NotePad.
 Download for Free at: http://www.finalemusic.com/notepad

 

College / University Music Education students, click here...

 

WMS Band Website Purpose  The purpose of this website is so that you, parents & students & the general music lover, can have band information and some general music information just a mouse click away. In this site you will find: pages to help you find a private teacher, a list of upcoming concerts at the middle school, explanations of our band grading system, year end awards requirements, assignments for exams, copies of worksheets and forms the student may have forgotten to bring home, term requirements and other information that hopefully will help you through the year. Much of this information is also in the band manual that you read in the first week of school.  You will also find tons of other information for middle school students, high school students and adult musicians! Specifically, check out the Tidbits section.

As always, I welcome your feedback. Please contact me with thoughts about the site & thoughts of what else we should add, or contact me with any concerns or questions about band this year. Diane Muffitt: muffitt@bandnotes.info

Home & Announcements+++Workshop Schedule+++Jazz Groups Info+++Wind Ensemble Schedule
Practice charts+++Private lesson teachers+++Info for Non-WMS+++Tidbits
Info from WMS Band Manual+++Junior District+++Camps+++Photos
muffitt@bandnotes.info

Wayland Middle School, Wayland, MA