Welcome to the Noble Middle School Band website
 
  • Congratulations to Heather B. and Garrett B. for making the East-Region Jazz Band! The jazz clinic is February 17-18 at UNCW, and the performance will be February 18.
  • If you are going to Busch Gardens in April, your second payment of $35 was due on Friday, January 13
  • Sixth graders that are new to band next semester will have to wait until the official elective schedule change; you will get your new schedule and begin coming to class in early February. In the meantime, please come in during recess to get started.
  • Congratulations to Amani H. and Teddy R. (bass clarinet), Austin S. and Cameron S. (alto sax), and Jason B., Tommy F., and Ryan T. (French horn)! You will need to get the book for your new instrument, and you may begin playing it on January 24. Come see me during your recess for a head start!
  • Here's what's coming up:
  • January 13 - 2nd payment for Spring Arts Trip due
  • January 24 - Jazz Band meets - all members (old and new) should attend
  • January 25 - NO Tri-M meeting - we will meet in February
  • January 31 - Jazz Band meets
Click below to go directly to information about that specific grade level or area of interest:


For all grades:

  • All students are expected to take their instruments home daily to practice (homework!). 7th & 8th grade band students that pick up their instruments to take home at the end of the school day will receive a good time ticket.
  • All students are encouraged to pick up a chromatic tuner for their instrument. The school's tuners keep breaking. A guitar tuner will not work with your band instrument; make sure you get a chromatic tuner.
  • SmartMusic will be used again this year. If this is your first time on the program, please use your NCWise number as your password. Write your information down so you don't forget it!
    You will be able to get SmartMusic at home for the reduced rate of $36 per year. Parents, click here to access the website and follow the instructions to get the program. It is an amazing program that makes practicing fun and it is HIGHLY recommended!
  • Websites to check out: Try out www.musictheory.net, www.musicracer.com, and music flashcards to test your theory skills.
  • Finale Notepad: This is a composition software that you can download. Click here to download it.


6th Grade: Brass

  • We have written out our warm-up, concert g minor scale
  • We have started working in Opus 3. We will continue with 3.34-3.37 this week, including the Opus 3 Encore activities
  • We have learned B-flat concert scale and will review it
  • We are continuing to learn how to clap and count new rhythms

6th Grade: Woodwinds

  • We continue to learn new notes, and will learn E-flat concert scale soon
  • We have written out our minor scale, and you all did a great job writing it neatly!
  • We have been working in Opus 3. We will finish the Opus 3 Encore activities, and get started on Opus 4
  • We will have a couple of quizzes on time signatures and note/rest math before getting into Opus 4
  • We are continuing to learn how to clap and count new rhythms

Beginning Band students need to get a copy of "Measures of Success" for their specific instrument:

Since we are working mainly out of the book now, you will be lost in class without it!

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7th Grade: Intermediate Band

  • If you haven't already done so, please pick up your own copy of "The Simple Rhythmatician" at Finkelstein's (downtown on Front Street) or at Modern Music (17th Street near NHRMC and Pizza Hut)

Make sure you get the book for your specific instrument, which is listed at the top of the book
  • Students who sign up for MPA should be willing and able to come in during recess and after school to practice the music we're not working on in class
  • We have begun using the white Foundations binders, playing Concert F Around the Band and Articulation Exercises
  • We have learned A-flat Concert Scale and will test on it soon
  • Keep Concert G, Concert C, Concert F, Concert B-flat, and Concert E-flat Major scales under your fingers
  • Come in during recess if you'd like to raise playing test grades, or get extra help on your sheet music
  • You need to get your own copy of the Simple Rhythmatician; there are assignments in the book you will need to turn in for credit!
  • Keep the Star Spangled Banner; we will play it in April for Eagle Society
  • You have received "Sea Song Trilogy" to work on for MPA and the spring concert
  • We will continue working on "Music from Titanic" this week
  • We can't move forward as quickly as we should unless each of you PRACTICE!!
 

 

8th Grade: Percussion Ensemble

  • We have begun working independently of the 8th grade band
  • We will begin each class with clapping and counting rhythms
  • We need to transition quickly so we can get more things done during class
  • We will keep playing all the major scales
  • We are working on MPA music
  • We have begun working on Percussion Ensemble Music, and will get more music when it comes in

 

 
 

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8th Grade

  • We are now playing "Concert F Around the Band" and "Articulation exercises" out of the white binders
  • We are done testing scales!
  • We have chosen the Challenger March to learn for MPA
  • Mystic Dance: m.35-end
  • Sea Song Trilogy: work m.55-end
  • We will begin working on sight-reading this week

 


Percussionists

  • Congratulations to Alex S., Reid C., Danny V., and Zack K. for making the percussion section! You should get a bell kit with practice pad (with mallets and sticks), a stick bag, and "Measures of Success" for Percussion so you can begin playing percussion in class by November 1
  • 8th grade percussionists are now meeting on "A" days. You will get more individualized attention, and we can work on percussion ensemble skills in addition to our concert music

Check out the link below to assist you with your rudiments and technique!

  • Vic Firth's Student Center
    Choose which set of audio or video lessons you want to try! You will need to download Quicktime first, otherwise the videos won't work. Click here or at the bottom of each link from the Vic Firth page

 

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Tri-M Music Honor Society

  • Tri-M will meet on Wednesday, February 22


Jazz Band

  • Jazz Band has begun, and we've had a pretty good start! We still need saxophones and trombones
  • We will meet on Tuesdays after school, 3:45-4:30, and during enrichment when it starts


Parent Volunteers

  • Parents that are interested in volunteering for the band program should e-mail Mrs. Knauf.
  • Volunteer opportunities range from helping out in the classroom on a weekly basis by filing and organizing, to working on the band scrapbook, to helping out as needed by chaperoning trips or supervising students at concerts.

If you are able to come in once every week or so, I need help with the following projects:

  • organizing catalogs, magazines, worksheets and memos into file folders in filing cabinets in the band office
  • keeping a record of receipts on an Excel spreadsheet
  • working on the band scrapbook
  • cataloguing CDs on an Excel spreadsheet

If you would like to help on an "as-needed" basis, the following activities are coming up:

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