|
RCS Music Notes from Mrs. O’Neil – 2009-10
BAND – Grades
4-12
Mrs. O’Neil is very happy to be teaching the
band students in grades 4-12 this year at RCS!
Listed below are some things band students and
parents may wish to know.
Rome Catholic Jr/Sr Band (grades 7-12):
Jr/Sr Band will begin meeting during the school
day according to the academic class schedule.
Course expectations, the 09-10 concert schedule
and a lesson schedule will be distributed to
band students within the first week of school.
Students will receive small group lessons once
per week for a 40-minute period during the
school day. Students will come out of classes
for lessons; lessons will be scheduled on a
rotating basis so that students do not
repeatedly miss the same class. The Jr/Sr Band
will perform on concerts in November, December,
March and May. These concerts are listed on the
school calendar. Students will receive many
reminders of these dates as the year progresses.
RCS Elementary Band (Grades 5-6):
Elementary students who have already begun the
study of an instrument are members of the RCS
Elementary Band. Band will meet during the
school day for rehearsals (time/day, TBA).
Elementary Band students will also receive small
group lessons one day per week for a half-hour
each time, scheduled on a rotating basis
throughout the day. The Elementary Band will
perform on concerts in November, December, March
and May. These concerts are listed on the school
calendar. Students will receive many reminders
of these dates as the year progresses.
RCS Beginner Band (Grades 4-6): Students
who have not yet started an instrument are
welcome to sign up for Beginner Band. Last
spring, all then-third graders (current fourth
graders) had an opportunity to try out a number
of band instruments, including flute, clarinet,
alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone and snare
drum. Those students will receive a letter and
information packet within the first two weeks of
school regarding the next steps in joining band.
New students in grade 4 and any interested
students in grades 5 and 6 will have an
opportunity to talk with Mrs. O’Neil about
joining band, and a chance to try out
instruments as time permits, during the first
few weeks of school. Small group lessons for all
grade 4-6 beginners will begin during the week
of September 28; a lesson schedule will be given
to students prior to that date. Grade 4
instrumental students will play together as a
group throughout the year, and Beginner Band
will perform on concerts in February and May.
Older beginners (grades 5/6) will be able to
perform with the Beginner Band as long as they’d
like to, then “move up” to the RCS Elementary
Band when they feel confident in doing so.
A NEW ENSEMBLE HAS FORMED AT RCS!! The
Rome Catholic Jazz-Rock Ensemble has formed this
summer. Jazz-Rock Ensemble (J-RE) is open to any
current member of the 7-12 Jr/Sr Band. All
instruments are welcome. J-RE will be performing
on concerts in November, December and April. New
members are welcome and no previous jazz
experience is necessary. The group is currently
re-arranging its rehearsal schedule to
accommodate as many players as possible during
the busy fall sports season. Interested students
should contact me, Mrs. O’Neil, directly for
more info.
ATTENTION NON-BAND STUDENTS IN GRADES 7-12
– it’s not too late to start the study of a
musical instrument. I’m happy to talk with any
student interested in beginning (or going back
to!) a band instrument. Arrangements for
instruments and lessons will be made on a
case-by-case basis for students in these grades,
so please contact me for more info if you have
an interest.
ALL STUDENTS AND PARENTS - Please note
that students CAN participate in both band AND
chorus at RCS.
General Music – Grades Preschool, PreK and K-3
Mrs. O’Neil is once again happy to be teaching
our youngest musicians at RCS! Below is a brief
summary of our general music classes for grades
preschool-3.
Students in preschool and preK at RCS
receive general music instruction twice per week
for fifteen minutes each time. The students are
engaged in singing, moving, listening,
performing, playing of instruments and a variety
of other age-appropriate music-learning
activities.
Students in Kindergarten through Grade 3
receive general music instruction twice per week
for thirty minutes each time. Students in these
grades also participate in a variety of
music-learning activities as listed above. As
students progress through the grades, a greater
emphasis is placed on music reading and
pre-reading skills. Third grade students learn
to read and play notes on the staff using the
recorder, (these are supplied by RCS for use
during music class), and perform on the recorder
2-3 times per year.
All preschool, preK and K-3 students participate
in school concerts in November, December and
May. In addition, grades 1, 2, and 3 will each
present a mini-musical during the month of
February or March (please see school calendar
for exact date and time).
|