UNION 7 th Grade Band – Percussion Class 4th Hour – 11:13a-12:24p @ UNION HIGH SCHOOL Mr. Pisarra, Percussion Instructor 918-357-7225 /// [email protected] Office: Union High School, Room 1614 www.unionbands.com General Info / Expectations Welcome back to the Band Program at Union, and welcome to a great year of learning and making music on percussion instruments! The band faculty of the Union Public Schools is excited to be teaching the BEST students in the area, and we know that each student will do his/her best to abide by the class/school rules for procedures and behavior, as well as put forth his/her best effort to become the best musician that he/she can be! Grading Grades will be earned based on multiple criteria as follows: 40% daily class participation & bringing all materials to class 25% playing & written tests / quizzes 25% band and percussion class performances / concerts 10% semester final exam Chair Tests A ‘chair’ test is a playing test in which students engage in friendly competition, trying to earn the highest possible score on a given test, and also the highest ‘chair’ in the percussion class. These tests are scheduled occasionally throughout the school year. Performances Performing is a vital component to the musical learning process; most performances will take place outside of regular school hours, and are mandatory. In addition to the two scheduled Union Seventh Grade Band concerts, seventh grade percussionists will also participate in the Union Percussion Spring Showcase Concert in either late April or early May, featuring Union Percussion Students in Grades 6-12. To assemble all elements for this terrific event, two special coordination rehearsals will be held after school during the month of April / early May; exact dates for the concert and coordination rehearsals will be provided as soon as they become available. A few extra after school rehearsals, for Seventh Grade Percussionists only, are likely to also be scheduled as well (with ample advance notice) and will be considered mandatory. Bus transportation from the U67 building to the high school may be available for these after school rehearsals; more info will be forthcoming. Extra Opportunities Students will have the opportunity to participate in two special extra activities this year. All-District Honor Band Auditions are held on Saturday, January 15; Solo and Ensemble Contest will be held on Saturday, March 5. Each of these activities will involve nominal fees, as well as preparation outside of class time. Students planning to audition for the district honor band should plan to be enrolled in private percussion lessons teacher to receive adequate guidance in auditions preparation. Bus transportation from the U67 building to the high school may be available for these after school rehearsals; more info will be forthcoming. Private Lessons Though not required, private percussion lessons are certainly encouraged for every Union percussionist, and may be attained many ways. Our recommended private percussion teacher is Mr. Bryan Snyder; he can be reached at: [email protected] for lesson scheduling. www.UnionBands.com Please plan to make use of this excellent resource! You’ll find info on almost anything you’d need to know. There’s even a section of the website with info about upcoming assignments. In the navigation menu, select ‘students’ / ‘percussion’ / ‘7 th grade percussion’, and browse from there. Also familiarize yourself with the 7 th Grade Band portion of the website by selecting in the navigation menu: ‘students’ / ‘7 th grade band’ .