Please see the Home Page for a May Update and what to do with instruments for the summer.
Friday, May 8, 2020
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Band Update: Week of April 27
"Lunch with the Band Director" Zoom meeting Thursday, April 30 from 12:15-12:45pm. Check your email/text/Google Classroom for information.
The 4/4 Rhythm Activity in Sightreading Factory is the recommended online assignment for the week. When finished, mark the assignment as complete in Google Classroom. This week's optional written assignment is to create a UIL/Spring Concert Program. Instructions are posted in Google Classroom.
Students with instruments at home should make every effort to pass-off their scales in Flipgrid by May 24. This ensures that they will be prepared for 7th grade band.
Please complete THIS FORM by May 3.
Only two more weeks of assignments. All school instruction will end on May 15. Students will be allowed to pick up items that were left at the middle school on Monday and Tuesday, May 18-19. More information about that will be posted soon.
Thank you to everyone that participated in the band fundraiser. You will be notified when the items arrive for pick-up. That's all the news for now! Stay safe!
The 4/4 Rhythm Activity in Sightreading Factory is the recommended online assignment for the week. When finished, mark the assignment as complete in Google Classroom. This week's optional written assignment is to create a UIL/Spring Concert Program. Instructions are posted in Google Classroom.
Students with instruments at home should make every effort to pass-off their scales in Flipgrid by May 24. This ensures that they will be prepared for 7th grade band.
Please complete THIS FORM by May 3.
Only two more weeks of assignments. All school instruction will end on May 15. Students will be allowed to pick up items that were left at the middle school on Monday and Tuesday, May 18-19. More information about that will be posted soon.
Thank you to everyone that participated in the band fundraiser. You will be notified when the items arrive for pick-up. That's all the news for now! Stay safe!
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Band Update: Week of April 20
Assignments for this week are posted in Google Classroom and also on our website.
Many of you are submitting work through Google Classroom. Here are some things about Google Classroom that I think may be helpful to you:
1. After you complete an assignment (google quiz, flipgrid video, etc.), you need to "Turn In" the assignment in Google Classroom. That notifies me that you did something, and it is only after you "Turn In" that I will then know to check for your work. This especially goes for assignments from previous weeks.
That being said...
2. Only "Turn In" assignments that you actually do! Remember, you don't have to do every assignment that is posted; you just have to complete one activity a week. It takes up a lot of my time trying to research if you actually did the assignment.
3. Please do not turn in old assignments from the 1st 4 six weeks, unless you are passing off your major scales. Old Stuff is marked "Old Stuff," and you do not need to do it.
4. Be sure to attach work to your assignments if you created a document or video on your own. I missed seeing a happy birthday video because the student did not attach the video nor did they turn in the assignment. I just happened to stumble across it 9 days later in a Google Drive folder.
5. Once the assignment is graded and returned to you, do not send it back to me.
6. Finally, email or leave a comment for me if you have any questions. I am getting between 50-100 emails a day. I am doing my best to make sure I don't miss anything. If I happen to miss yours, please just send me another email. I promise you that it is not intentional.
We are all doing our best with this new situation. Though we are away from school, this is not a break from school. You are still expected to do your work. I am working from home at least 8 hours a day.
I miss making music with all of you. I hope you all are doing well.
Many of you are submitting work through Google Classroom. Here are some things about Google Classroom that I think may be helpful to you:
1. After you complete an assignment (google quiz, flipgrid video, etc.), you need to "Turn In" the assignment in Google Classroom. That notifies me that you did something, and it is only after you "Turn In" that I will then know to check for your work. This especially goes for assignments from previous weeks.
That being said...
2. Only "Turn In" assignments that you actually do! Remember, you don't have to do every assignment that is posted; you just have to complete one activity a week. It takes up a lot of my time trying to research if you actually did the assignment.
3. Please do not turn in old assignments from the 1st 4 six weeks, unless you are passing off your major scales. Old Stuff is marked "Old Stuff," and you do not need to do it.
4. Be sure to attach work to your assignments if you created a document or video on your own. I missed seeing a happy birthday video because the student did not attach the video nor did they turn in the assignment. I just happened to stumble across it 9 days later in a Google Drive folder.
5. Once the assignment is graded and returned to you, do not send it back to me.
6. Finally, email or leave a comment for me if you have any questions. I am getting between 50-100 emails a day. I am doing my best to make sure I don't miss anything. If I happen to miss yours, please just send me another email. I promise you that it is not intentional.
We are all doing our best with this new situation. Though we are away from school, this is not a break from school. You are still expected to do your work. I am working from home at least 8 hours a day.
I miss making music with all of you. I hope you all are doing well.
Monday, April 13, 2020
School Song Recording Project
We are trying to create a recording of the School Song
featuring band students from all over the district. We want to feature this
recording during the district-wide staff meeting on Friday morning.
The sheet music for instruments can be found HERE.
The click track to play along with can be found HERE.
Parts for all wind instruments are included below as well as
a click track you will need to play along with. You will need to listen to the
click track through headphones on one device while you record yourself playing along
on another device. Record AUDIO only (NO video). It is very important that we don't hear the click track in
your recording, or we won't be able to use it. Since this song is new to 6th grade, or if you don't have your instrument, you may choose to sing the school song. Here are the lyrics: https://www.blancoisd.com/253470_2.
Recordings must be uploaded to Google Classroom (6th Grade) or emailed to Mrs. Conard by Thursday at noon so we have time to mix down the project. This may count as your assignment for the week should you choose to participate. Let's create some school and community spirit!
Recordings must be uploaded to Google Classroom (6th Grade) or emailed to Mrs. Conard by Thursday at noon so we have time to mix down the project. This may count as your assignment for the week should you choose to participate. Let's create some school and community spirit!
The sheet music for instruments can be found HERE.
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Band Update - Week of April 6
Dear 6th Grade Band,
(Sorry...this is a lengthy update, but I need to get this information to you.)
We survived our first week of distance learning! It was great to hear from so many of you! Over 100 students responded to the band survey, and I read each and every response. I also appreciated the Flipgrid videos and Google Classroom comments. I have over 170 students, and I promise I am doing my best to respond to each of you. If you leave me a message and don't hear back from me, then there's a good chance I just didn't see it. Message again!
I can't think of anything better than music to help us forget about the craziness that is going on in the world! I downloaded the acapella app, and I'm having fun playing duets, trios, and quartets with myself!
For this week, continue with the musical activities that are posted on the online learning page or that are in your packets. I have posted a new, fun Flipgrid video assignment. There is a really cool feature in Flipgrid where you can respond to each other's videos with a video reply. I replied to a few of your videos with my own video responses. Try it out! I will be posting my own fun Flipgrid video this week, too!
I am again asking you to fill out a Google form at the end of the week to show me what you've done. A new form will be uploaded every Wednesday from now until we return to school. This week, you will be asked to upload a picture or link to something that you completed for band. You can take a picture of a completed worksheet or weekly practice log, a screenshot of a completed note naming activity, copy the link to a video you watched, etc. If you made a Flipgrid video, then you will not need to upload anything to the form.
You may have noticed "due dates" on posted assignments. This is to keep us all on a schedule and help stay organized. It it okay to turn in something "late." If you miss an assignment one week and cannot go back and do it, just try to complete one the following week. We all must keep making progress while "in school." I will use grades to improve your current grade or replace missing grades from before spring break. No one should worry about their grade in band.
Finally, and most importantly, I hope you are all staying safe and healthy. Keep practicing physical distancing, but stay social with your teachers, friends, and family online or on the phone. Contact me with anything you might need.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Conard
(Sorry...this is a lengthy update, but I need to get this information to you.)
We survived our first week of distance learning! It was great to hear from so many of you! Over 100 students responded to the band survey, and I read each and every response. I also appreciated the Flipgrid videos and Google Classroom comments. I have over 170 students, and I promise I am doing my best to respond to each of you. If you leave me a message and don't hear back from me, then there's a good chance I just didn't see it. Message again!
I can't think of anything better than music to help us forget about the craziness that is going on in the world! I downloaded the acapella app, and I'm having fun playing duets, trios, and quartets with myself!
For this week, continue with the musical activities that are posted on the online learning page or that are in your packets. I have posted a new, fun Flipgrid video assignment. There is a really cool feature in Flipgrid where you can respond to each other's videos with a video reply. I replied to a few of your videos with my own video responses. Try it out! I will be posting my own fun Flipgrid video this week, too!
I am again asking you to fill out a Google form at the end of the week to show me what you've done. A new form will be uploaded every Wednesday from now until we return to school. This week, you will be asked to upload a picture or link to something that you completed for band. You can take a picture of a completed worksheet or weekly practice log, a screenshot of a completed note naming activity, copy the link to a video you watched, etc. If you made a Flipgrid video, then you will not need to upload anything to the form.
You may have noticed "due dates" on posted assignments. This is to keep us all on a schedule and help stay organized. It it okay to turn in something "late." If you miss an assignment one week and cannot go back and do it, just try to complete one the following week. We all must keep making progress while "in school." I will use grades to improve your current grade or replace missing grades from before spring break. No one should worry about their grade in band.
Finally, and most importantly, I hope you are all staying safe and healthy. Keep practicing physical distancing, but stay social with your teachers, friends, and family online or on the phone. Contact me with anything you might need.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Conard
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Update from Mrs. Conard
Dear Band Students and Families,
What a crazy time this is! I hope you are staying healthy and safe inside your homes. While we can't change the situation, we can make the best of it. This is a great opportunity for you to spend time with your family and do things you wouldn't normally get to do while at school. I am enjoying spending time with my husband, cat, and dog, and I am really enjoying getting to play my flute and piano a lot more than usual. Here's a little something I did this week with a few other flutists from all over the world:
I am deeply saddened to announce that the 6th grade band contest in Lytle is cancelled as well as our fun trip that was planned for Main Event. I am also very sad that the 7th and 8th grade trip to Sea World had to be cancelled because the park is closed. If there is a way to reschedule before the end of the school year, we will try. If not, we will make next year's trip even better! As of now, we are still planning for a Spring Band Concert. That date is to be determined. I appreciate all of your hard work that was put in before the break. Let's hope that we can get to perform together as a band once again this school year.
The activities I have put together for you while learning from home are meant to be fun yet educational. You may choose whichever activities sound interesting to you. A good goal is to do 5 activities each week if you can. I don't want you to stress out over this. It can be as simple as practicing your instrument or watching YouTube videos. If you feel this is too much for you to handle at this time, start with 1 activity this week and then aim to do a few more the next week. If you have trouble accessing the online links or notice a particular link is not working, please email me. At the end of each week, you will submit a google form to me so I can see how you are progressing. Assignments can be viewed in the Online Learning Tab.
I miss making music with all of you, and I know you miss band and all your friends, too. We will get through this together. Hope to see you all again very soon. If you need anything (except a hug), please email or text.
Musically,
Danette Conard
#PanthersStayConnected
What a crazy time this is! I hope you are staying healthy and safe inside your homes. While we can't change the situation, we can make the best of it. This is a great opportunity for you to spend time with your family and do things you wouldn't normally get to do while at school. I am enjoying spending time with my husband, cat, and dog, and I am really enjoying getting to play my flute and piano a lot more than usual. Here's a little something I did this week with a few other flutists from all over the world:
I am deeply saddened to announce that the 6th grade band contest in Lytle is cancelled as well as our fun trip that was planned for Main Event. I am also very sad that the 7th and 8th grade trip to Sea World had to be cancelled because the park is closed. If there is a way to reschedule before the end of the school year, we will try. If not, we will make next year's trip even better! As of now, we are still planning for a Spring Band Concert. That date is to be determined. I appreciate all of your hard work that was put in before the break. Let's hope that we can get to perform together as a band once again this school year.
The activities I have put together for you while learning from home are meant to be fun yet educational. You may choose whichever activities sound interesting to you. A good goal is to do 5 activities each week if you can. I don't want you to stress out over this. It can be as simple as practicing your instrument or watching YouTube videos. If you feel this is too much for you to handle at this time, start with 1 activity this week and then aim to do a few more the next week. If you have trouble accessing the online links or notice a particular link is not working, please email me. At the end of each week, you will submit a google form to me so I can see how you are progressing. Assignments can be viewed in the Online Learning Tab.
I miss making music with all of you, and I know you miss band and all your friends, too. We will get through this together. Hope to see you all again very soon. If you need anything (except a hug), please email or text.
Musically,
Danette Conard
#PanthersStayConnected
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
6th Grade Band News - October 2019
6th Grade Band is off to a great start! I am excited for those that returned to band this year, and super excited for all of our new students as well!
The MS Band Hall is open almost every day after school from 3:30-4:30pm for extra practice. Several students have been taking advantage of that, and they are progressing very quickly. Some are even working on the 7th-8th grade All-Region Band music!
Playing tests need to be recorded using Flipgrid app or a cell phone video submitted through Google Classroom. Students have opportunities to record their videos after school, during tutorials, lunch (M, W, F), or at home. Students that do not record their video by the due date will have to play it in class and will be limited to the number of attempts they have to play it correctly. The next playing test is posted in Google Classroom and on Flipgrid.
We are currently preparing for our first performance of the year. The Fall Concert is scheduled for Tuesday, November 5 at 6:30pm at the BMS Gym. This is a required performance for all band students. All band events are posted well in advance on the band calendar. Students cannot wait to show you what all they have learned so far this year!
Finally, students were sent home with T-shirt order forms. Forms need to be returned by Friday, October 11. Money is due by October 25.
If you ever have any questions or concerns, contact one of the band directors.
The MS Band Hall is open almost every day after school from 3:30-4:30pm for extra practice. Several students have been taking advantage of that, and they are progressing very quickly. Some are even working on the 7th-8th grade All-Region Band music!
Playing tests need to be recorded using Flipgrid app or a cell phone video submitted through Google Classroom. Students have opportunities to record their videos after school, during tutorials, lunch (M, W, F), or at home. Students that do not record their video by the due date will have to play it in class and will be limited to the number of attempts they have to play it correctly. The next playing test is posted in Google Classroom and on Flipgrid.
We are currently preparing for our first performance of the year. The Fall Concert is scheduled for Tuesday, November 5 at 6:30pm at the BMS Gym. This is a required performance for all band students. All band events are posted well in advance on the band calendar. Students cannot wait to show you what all they have learned so far this year!
Finally, students were sent home with T-shirt order forms. Forms need to be returned by Friday, October 11. Money is due by October 25.
If you ever have any questions or concerns, contact one of the band directors.
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