Final MS Band Reflection

First Band Video Blog Post

1) Looking back at your earliest days as a musician in middle school, what are you most surprised by?

I am most surprised at how I actually knew more than I thought I did in my earliest days of band.

2) Comparing your musical ability now to your musical ability then, what are you most proud of?

Over the course of the years in Middle School Band, I am most proud of my growth with the use of articulations and dynamics to emphasise and bring energy/emotion towards the music.

3) Looking back over your days in Middle School Band, what are the highlights?

A few highlights over the years in Middle School Band included playing with the Wind Ensemble this year and the close friendships you gain with your instrument group. Band class has always been fun because of all the friends we end up knowing well over the years and how close you are to your own instrument group.

4) What is your favorite Band piece of all time (here or at any other school or event)

I believe that one of my favourite band pieces that we have played over the years was Captain America.

5) What valuable lesson have you learned in Band that you will take with you into High School as both a person and a musician?

Many valuable lessons have been learned over the course of Middle School Band, but one lesson that I have learned as a musician that will be brought with me to HS is how important it is to practice the music at home because you can't always learn how to play a piece in class as it wastes other band members time, and it doesn't allow you to efficiently grow as a musician. As well as, one lesson I have learned as a person that will be brought to HS is that it is helpful to ask fellow members for help if you misunderstand anything and to stay organised.

6) Gratitude is part of every completed journey and every closed chapter.  What are you most thankful for in your Band experience?

During my Middle School Band experience, I am most thankful for the friendships I have gained that have encouraged me, and helped me grow as a musician and as a person.

Band: Gb Major

Band: B Major

Band: E Major

Band: A Major

Band: Line 175

Band: G Major

Band: D Major

Band: March 2017 Concert Reflection

What are you most proud of from your performance at the concert?

During my performance in the concert, I was most proud of keeping up with all the tempos in each song. Especially when we were playing IV. Gallop with the Wind Ensemble, even though I didn't play all the notes as I would miss the timing, when I did play, I was able to play the correct notes and at the correct timing.

What do you need to work on to improve for the next performance?

What I need to improve on next performance is to accentuate the articulation. As we would play the correct articulation, in the auditorium the articulation isn't as prominent. So, next concert I will improve by putting more power into each of the articulations.

What does our band, as a whole, need to work on to improve for the next concert?

For the next concert, our band as a whole should listen more to each other and look more at the conductor while playing. As a few times in our pieces while performing, we would go off tempo shortly, we didn't listen to each other so there wouldn't be a mixup. As well as, it would help to look at the conductor more often to keep on tempo.

What did you learn from performing in the concert?

From performing in the concert, I have learned how it is important to stay on tempo as a mistake could easily be heard. As well as, when groups share a rest, it is important to really hold the rest so then it will be clearer to the audience that there is a rest. 

What did you learn by watching others perform?

While watching others perform, I learned how it is important to follow and accentuate dynamics so any other important parts and instruments could be heard and emphasised.

What motivation do you have after watching the more experienced players perform?

After watching the other players performed, I am motivated to push myself further with faster tempos and dynamics to grow as a musician.

Band: Dragon

Band: VBP Bounty Hunter Measure 31-end

Band: VBP Captain America 1-30

Band #125

Band #117

BAND: 2016 Music Festival Concert Reflection

What is expected of me as a performer:  

1. What are my responsibilities leading up to the performance, in terms of my own practicing?  

The responsibilities that are contributed leading up to the concert included listening to the music at home and playing along, review the counting, double checking if the correct notes are played, and going to the after school rehearsals.

1. What are my responsibilities on stage during a performance?

My responsibilities on stage during a performance is to make sure I don't talk or make any noises after a song has played, to make sure I follow and look at the conductor, and be prepared for when to play or switch pieces.

1. What will I do differently in preparing for the next concert?

Next concert I will make sure to look up at the conductor more to check timing while playing and to notice when other instruments have important parts. Therefore, it will keep me up to part and know when to quiet down or become louder during a piece.

What is expected of me as an audience member:

1. What do I need to be doing while someone is performing?

While other groups are performing, as an audience member I make sure that I am quiet and if other people are talking I will remind them to keep quiet. As well as, to keep seated in my seat and not moving a lot or getting up.

1. What should I do if people around me are not being good audience members?

Remind them to quiet down or stop what they are doing. If they don't listen, you can ask to get the chaperone to remind them as well.

1. What will I do differently as an audience member for next concert?

Next concert I will make sure to keep my instrument quieter, so if I shift in my seat it won't bang and make a lot of noise.

These are some of the things I learned from Dr. Cross:

With Dr. Cross's lessons, some things I learned included how to listen to other instruments and how it is important to know the people who share the same parts as you. As well as, we learned new breathing techniques and the use of your jaw while playing which could be practiced by singing the pitch of the notes.

I am most proud of playing the high notes in Rites of Tamburo. Sometimes during practices, while playing the high notes in Rites of Tamburo the sound and tone would crack or cut while playing the really high notes. So, I was proud I played them correctly in the concert.

Photo Credits: Mr. Starker(photographer) from https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://drive.google.com/open?id%3D0BwmQH8b5LlBTSlFQUmxTUkhTbzQ&source=gmail&ust=1478661497699000&usg=AFQjCNHQvKbY9CZnA9lxhZQ5DPwe0BKSYA

Band: Line 52

Metronome: 108

BAND: May Concert Reflection

What is one positive comment that you have for the Grade 6 Band? Please be specific. 
All the sixth graders performed really well. They have grown as musicians and sounded really good.

What is one positive comment that you have for the Grade 7 Band? Please be specific.
We all worked together listening to the other instruments play making our musicality better. Also, we had a really good tone.
What is one positive comment that you have for the Grade 8 Band? Please be specific.
All of the eighth graders sounded amazing. The all flowed together as the played and were good audience members.
What are 3 things you are proud of from your performance in the concert?
I am proud how we played and worked really well in 1812 with the eighth grade, considering we didn't play with them much. Secondly, we had a really good tone and didn't play too loud. Lastly, we were good audience members.
What are 3 things you have learned this year in band?
This year in band I have learned not to forget the dynamics in a piece, they are very important. Secondly, I have learned how to listen to the other band members and instruments while playing a piece to fix our volume, tone, musicality, etc. Lastly, I have learned to be a good audience member
What has been your favorite thing about being a member of our band?
My favourite thing about being a band member is being a part of a family where we all work well and enjoy playing together.

BAND: 1812

BAND: Pioneer Songs

Band: March Concert Reflection

1. What are you most proud of from your performance at the concert?
This concert performance I felt proud of being able to hold the high notes because in some pieces there are many high notes in a row that can be hard to reach after a while, and I was able to hold them.
2. What do you need to work on to improve for the next performance?
Next performance one thing I need to work on is looking up more during the pieces to see if I was at the right tempo, because during the concert at times I went a bit too fast. So, I should look up more to check if I am at the right tempo. 3. What does our band, as a whole, need to work on to improve for the next concert?
As our whole band, next concert we need to work on listening to each other, because at times we were just stuck in our music and lost each other at different tempos and different parts of the piece. 4. What did you learn from performing in the concert?
What I learnt from performing this concert is to not stop when you make a mistake, just look at where you group is at and follow the conductor until you know when to start playing again. 5. What did you learn by watching others perform?
What I learnt by watching the other groups perform is how moving yourself to the music and as a group can make you play better in unison and it makes the music flow better.