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2007-2008 Season
August 28, 2007 Milford Junior High School Band Students and Parents, As the MJHS Band concert season approaches I would like to welcome all MJHS band students to another exciting year in the world of instrumental music. MJHS band students will have a variety of performance opportunities throughout the school year. Last year's MJHS band had a very busy and successful year. We had numerous students chosen for the Land of Grant Honor Band and the District XIV Honor Band, and I was very pleased with our concert performances. The culmination of our year was the outstanding performance by the Milford Junior High School Seventh Grade Band at the 2007 Ohio Music Education Association District XIV Concert Band Contest. The MJHS Band was awarded a superior rating, the highest rating possible, following their performance. This wonderful accomplishment is a further display of the very fine students involved in the Milford Band Program. Last year was a very exciting year - I expect much of the same this school year. I would like to welcome the Seventh Grade Band members to MJHS. As most students have probably already noticed, the demand and expectations of band members increases dramatically in the seventh grade year. Seventh Grade Band members will continue to expand their musical knowledge and performance skills. We will fine tune many aspects of their performance, which will lead to a more mature sounding ensemble. Seventh Grade Band members will have many new performance opportunities which I hope most students will take advantage of during the school year. The performance skills of our Eighth Grade Band will continue to progress throughout the school year. Rehearsal and home practice demands will intensify as we prepare the Eighth Grade Band members for high school level music. Private lessons would be a wonderful supplement to the band program in order to assist Eighth Grade Band members in their preparation for high school level music. To ease the transition into the high school band we have planned a few activities which will provide the eighth grade students a chance to mingle with the high school band students. We hope to relieve as many anxieties as possible before the eighth graders move on to the high school band. We have included in this packet the 2008 MHS Marching Band Camp dates. Please review these dates and mark your calendar. The Milford High School Band is recognized as one of the top high school bands in the tri-state area - we look forward to having the Eighth Grade Band members in the high school band next year! One of the most valuable opportunities we offer our band students is our private lesson program. Any successful band program has a large percentage of their students involved in a private lesson program. This is an opportunity for the student to work individually with a professional musician of their particular instrument. We have one of the finest private lesson programs in the Cincinnati area. Most of our private instructors are from the world-reknowned University of Cincinnati College - Conservatory of Music. Many of our instructors perform regularly with professional bands and orchestras. And as an added bonus, the instructors will teach their lessons at Milford High School and/or Milford Jr. High School instead of making you travel to their homes for lessons. If there are financial concerns, students can apply money from band booster sponsored fundraising events toward private lesson fees. Please consult milfordbandboosters.org for more information. I hope the majority of band students at the Junior High will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. For more information, please see the attached sheet. An item of great importance I would like to explain is my grading policy. Grades will be derived from participation and effort , weekly practice charts (which must be signed by a parent/guardian), quizzes and tests. Home practice is a vital ingredient for students to be successful in all of these areas. Students should be practicing 30-45 minutes per day at home in order to make necessary progress. In order to earn an "A" on their weekly practice charts the students must compile a total of two hours or more of practice per week. Please refer to the practice chart guideline sheet, which is attached to this letter. Tests and quizzes will be used for chair placement and grading purposes. The participation and effort grade is derived from a few different responsibilities. This includes the student arriving to class prepared with their instrument and music. If a student's instrument is being repaired I must have a note from a parent/guardian in order for the student to be excused from that class. This also includes how well the student has prepared the assigned music for each particular day, his/her effort while in class and concert attendance. Every student has a crucial role in our organization and we work diligently to prepare for our concerts. I have included a list of concert dates at the close of this letter. Please put these dates on your calendar now! Only very extreme emergencies will be excused from a concert performance and this notification should be submitted as far before the concert as possible. Students need to plan on attending all concerts. Parents and students are strongly encouraged to use edline as a method to stay updated on band grades, and to check milfordbandboosters.org for updated and various information regarding the Milford band program. Concert attire will be the following: Boys will wear a plain white long-sleeved dress shirt with a solid black tie, black dress pants, black socks and black dress shoes. Girls will wear a plain white dress shirt or blouse, a black skirt (knee-length or longer) or black dress pants, and black dress shoes. Jeans and tennis shoes are not proper concert attire and are not acceptable. Our performances are very special events, therefore I expect band members to dress appropriately for our concerts as described above. I am looking forward to another exciting and rewarding year with the MJHS Band. I am confident that those students who become involved and work enthusiastically will find band a truly rewarding and enjoyable experience. Sincerely, Paul Schrameck 2007-2008 Dates for the MJHS Band
* Required performances for all 7th and 8th Grade Band members |
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Milford Band Boosters,
P.O. Box 204,
Milford, OH 45150-0204
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