Tolt Middle School Band Web Log

8th graders Victoria Vergara, and Mike Powers were accepted to this years Honor Band in Yakima.

Congratulations Mike and Victoria

and…a great job to everyone who tried out!

TMS bands will be performing their winter concert on Nov 16th

Begin Band, 7th grade 6th period, and Jazz band will perform at 6pm.

Int. 6th grade, 7th grade 1st period, and 8th grade will perform at the 730 concert.

Volunteers are needed.

WE look forward to performing works by Holst, Vinson, McGinty, and Sonny Rollins… and a few surprises instore as well.

TMS fall concert is Nov 16th.

In class we are working on:

Beg. Band. Selections out of Standard of Excellence. We’ve assessed on Hot Cross Buns and have begun assessing on #41.

We have also begun working on 12 the clock strikes by Rob Grice.

6th grade Int.

We’ve learned and assessed on the Bflat concert scale and are working on Centurian, One Hit Wonders, Bossa Blue, Cango Caves and March Ahead.

7th grade 1st per.

We’ve recently tested on sections of Ahtanum Ridge and are also working on Chant and Tribal Dance and a piece by Anne McGinty called Clouds.

7th grade 6th period- Will begin assessments on Jupiter from “The Planets” by Holst. We are working on Apparitions by Brian Balmages, Largo from Dvorak’s New World Symphony and recently read a James Swearingen piece called Above and Beyond.

8th grade  recently played with CHS and Blue Thunder at the CHS football game!

In class we are working on Into the Storm by Robert W Smith, To realm of endless days by Johnnie Vinson, Bugs by David Shaffer and currently read Highlights from the musical Wicked, by Stephen Schwartz.

TMS concert is Nov 16th

Brad McRae

mcraeb@riverview.wednet.edu

Beginning band is rehearsing a piece called 12 The clock strikes.
6th grade intermediate is working on Centurian, Bossa Blue, One Hit Wonders and March Ahead and we’ve had assessments on the Bflat scale and will be testing on #95 in the book.

7th grade 1st period just finished assessments for Ahtaneum Ridge in their folders and are also working on Chant and Tribal, and a work called Clouds by Anne McGinty.

7th grade 6th period is working on a Brian Balmages piece called Apparitions. They are also playing Jupiter from Holst’s “The Planets”, Largo from Dvorak’s New World Symphony, and a James Swearingen piece called “Above and Beyond”

8th grade in class is working on Into the Storm arranged by Robert W. Smith, Bugs by David Shaffer, To realm of Endless days by Johnnie Vinson and Highlights from the musical ‘Wicked’ by Stephen Schwartz, arranged by Michael Brown.

The fall concert is Nov 16th!

Denise Knoth, a CHS Band parent, took many wonderful photos of the Jazz Band at the Jazz & Java Night. Click below to see them – then click on Jazz & Java – Tolt’s photos are on page 3 through 5. She is generously allowing everyone to download them for free.  Thank you!!   Jazz & Java photos

Since Tolt students are only able to take one elective, band members sometimes regret missing subjects like art and technology.  Join one of these afterschool clubs and you will get both!  Here’s a sampling of clubs often offered at Tolt:

Art Experience – drawing, painting, sculpture

Crafts Experience –  making unique and useful items using various tools and materials

Technology Students Assoc (TSA) – Teacher Mr. Klune

Choir – meets in Choir Room once a week, Teacher Mrs. Hough

Intermediate Orchestra – twice a week before school, Choir Room, Teacher Mrs. Rose

P.S. Did you know that 9th graders get two electives?  One full-year course and one half-year course.  So, band members can enjoy trying other elective subjects at that time.

Click below to watch a 5 minute video about some fascinating instruments:

CBS news report about the new Music Instrument Museum

You can find out more about the museum (and watch their own video) at The Music Instrument Museum.

Tolt has three different music programs going on before or after school (click on the “Contacts/Program” button above to contact a director).

Tolt Jazz Band – twice a week, 7 – 8 am.  Director – Brad McRae; location – Tolt bandroom.

Tolt Intermediate Orchestra – Tues/Thurs, 7 – 8 am, location – Tolt choir room, Director – Darlene Rose, for violin, viola, cello and upright bass (Beginning Orchestra will not be offered this year at Tolt).

Tolt Choir – once a week afterschool, Director Karen Hough; location – Tolt choir room

RHYTHM, our district music boosters, has set up an easy way to help raise money for music groups.  RHYTHM has helped the Tolt band purchase instruments and music stand racks.  They also provide student scholarships for instruments, lessons and honor band costs.  For this fundraising program, you can register your credit cards through EScrip, and participating merchants will donate a certain percentage of your purchases to RHYTHM.  You do not have to pay anything.  (The Tolt PTSA, which also helps our band,  already collects Safeway receipts from purchases made with their club card, so I recommend doing that with the PTSA.)

1. Go to the EScrip website:  http://www.escrip.com/

2. Enter RHYTHM Music as the organization.

3. Select your cards from 3 pages of options.

4. Create a user name and password.

5. You can also help by shopping through EScrip’s online mall (with stores like Amazon.com, LandsEnd, etc.)

Thank you so much for your help!