Scaling New Heights!

Last week was a milestone for the Junior High Concert Band - they finished the 12th Major Scale! Each week we learned one scale and called it the "scale of the week." They have done such a great job on these - usually it takes much longer for the band to achieve this - way to go!!!

Community Spirit

Our community held its annual holiday kick-off celebration tonight, known as "Razzle Dazzle." As part of the experience, we provided strolling musicians for the Chamber of Commerce. Students rehearsed themselves and then strolled up and down Main Street playing in front and inside businesses. They sounded great! The surprise group of the day was the Razzle Dazzle Drum Corp; a group of junior high percussionists who moved up and down the street playing "Jingle Bells" and "Good King Wencelas." I really appreciate students who give of their time to help the community and help the Department of Music! They will be rewarded with band bucks for their efforts. The phrase is "razzle dazzle."

Seeking Excellence

Tuesday was the start of the second quarter. It seems hard to believe. I began each rehearsal by telling the band members it was one of my favorite days as everyone was an "A" student today! I also implored them to "seek opportunities for excellence" in everything that they do - musical and non-musical.

Each moment of rehearsal is important. Focus is essential to productivity. I told the students that I was re-evaluating my organization because I was feeling a little "scattered" in my prep work. When I am inefficient I am not the best instructor I can be. I am not serving my students like I should. I am trying to get them to understand the importance of everything we do - every note, every nuance. We have improved our tuning process and are instituting a new "individual warm-up" activity at the beginning of each rehearsal. My goal: to get the members focused, warmed up, and reacquainted with the music for that rehearsal. So far, so good. My rehearsal technique will also start to vary as I hone in on spots that have not received enough individual attention.

In the end, opportunities for excellence exist daily in our lives. We can either choose to seek them and grow, or ignore them and plateau. The word is "excellence".

On the Road

Today we are on the road from Minnesota State University-Mankato where these five Madelia Concert Band members are participating in the 11th and 12th grade Honor Band Festival. From left: Allison (trumpet), Luis (percussion), Jena (flute), Dan (alto saxophone), and Jessica (flute). Dan is in the honor jazz ensemble and everyone else is in the honor band. Both groups sound fantastic so far! We have a concert at 3:30 p.m. today.