Music Theory - The nuts and bolts of music

Last week, the 7th & 8th grade bands began learning a little bit about music theory. Music theory is basically learning about the elements of music and how they are used to create music. In layman's terms, music theory studies the nuts and bolts of how music is put together.

Last week, we began learning (or reviewing) half steps and whole steps. Click this link for an online tutorial on half steps and whole steps. This link actual came from a great theory website called Ricci Adams' musictheory.net. It is a great resource, and it provides everything you need to know about music theory. Check it out!

Week of January 12-16

This week's schedule is a little bit altered because Mr. Roberts and Mr. Phillips will be headed to the Ohio Music Education Association State Conference in Columbus after school on Thursday. We will bring back lots of new music and new ideas for making our band better!

Monday
Percussion Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-4 pm

Tuesday
Jazz Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-3:30 pm
Steel Band Rehearsal, 3:30-5 pm

Wednesday
Percussion Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-4 pm

Thursday
NO Jazz Ensemble Rehearsal

Have a great week!

Week of January 5-9

Well, it is back to school today! Here is the schedule for the week:

Monday
Percussion Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-4 pm

Tuesday
Jazz Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-3:30 pm
Steel Band, 3:30-5 pm

Wednesday
Percussion Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-4 pm

Thursday
Jazz Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-3:30 pm

Friday
None

Have a great beginning to 2009!

Jazz Ensemble Schedule - January 2009

This is for all of the Jazz Ensemble people out there. Here is the Jazz Ensemble schedule for the month of January. As you can see, there is one Thursday that we will not rehearse. Please mark you calendars!

Tues. Jan. 6 - Rehearsal - 2:45-3:30 pm
Thurs. Jan. 8 - Rehearsal - 2:45-3:30 pm

Tues. Jan. 13 - Rehearsal - 2:45-3:30 pm
Thurs. Jan. 15 - NO REHEARSAL

Tues. Jan. 20 - Rehearsal - 2:45-3:30 pm
Thurs. Jan. 22 - Rehearsal - 2:45-3:30 pm

Tues. Jan. 27 - Rehearsal - 2:45-3:30 pm
Thurs. Jan. 29 - Rehearsal - 2:45-3:30 pm

I will put out the February schedule as we approach the end of January! Thanks!

Christmas Vacation 2008

Well, believe it or not, Christmas Vacation is coming to an end, and school is just around the corner! I hope that all of you had a great vacation and got lots of rest! I know I will certainly miss sleeping in everyday!

I had a great vacation, spending time with my wife and son. We played a lot of games, especially on the Wii. Between my wife, my son, and I, we got a bunch of new Wii games for Christmas!

One of the new games we got was actually music related, called Wii Music. It is a really fun game, unlike any other music game out there. Unlike Guitar Hero or Rock Band, there are no set patterns you HAVE to play during the game, allowing you to make up the music as you go. You can pick which instruments you want to play, and then you can make up your own rhythms and make the music your own. We had a blast with this game, and even Colin could make some great music. You can record your musical creations and create music videos. Here are some pictures of Colin and I jamming!

See all of you in couple days! Enjoy your last few days of freedom! Leave a comment to let us know what you did on your vacation!