Dear Music Students and Parents, 

I hope that everybody has had a fun and restful summer and is ready for an exciting year of music making at École Moody Middle School of the Arts! This year, EMMSOTA will have three main performing groups: Jr. Band, Sr. Band, and Choir. There is a possibility that we will also have a Jazz Band that will start later in the school year. 

Please remember that if you sign up for Band and/or Choir you are committing to this group for the entire school year. The joy of making music together as a group is an amazing experience and I encourage students to consider making the commitment! There will be two evening concerts that music students are required to attend: The Winter Concert on Thursday, December 8th and the Year-End Concert on Thursday, June 8th. Please mark these dates on your calendars. 

Choir is open to any student in grades 6-8, no previous singing experience is necessary and all are welcome. Choir students will need to complete and hand in the attached Permission Form. 

Choir rehearsals will start on Friday, September 16th and we will rehearse every Friday morning at 8:00am. Although Choir only rehearses once per week, our rehearsal time is longer because Fridays are a late-start day. 

Jr. Band is for any student in grades 6-8 who wants to learn an instrument and has no playing experience on that instrument. All students in Jr. Band are beginners and we will all learn together from the beginning. Please see the attached Instrument Selection Form which will help narrow down which instrument students will play. Because we can’t have a whole band of saxophone players, there needs to be some give and take when selecting an instrument. Once an instrument has been selected, students will receive a notice with rental information. Please don’t rent an instrument until an instrument has been chosen with Mrs. Reichert. If for financial reasons you are unable to rent an instrument, please contact Mrs. Reichert and something can be arranged, as Moody Middle does own some instruments that can be loaned out for the school year at no cost. Jr. Band students will need to complete and hand in the attached Permission and Instrument Selection forms. 

The Jr. Band rehearsals will start on Tuesday September 27th and we will be rehearsing every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 7:50am. There will be an additional letter about our “Squeak & Squawk” night, which is highly recommended for all Jr. Band members to learn the basics of their instrument. The method book that Jr. Band students will be using this year is called Essential Elements – Book 1, which you can buy through Tapestry Music, or any other music store. 

Sr. Band is open to any student who already has playing experience on an instrument. This will mostly be students in grade 7/8, but can be in any grade if the student already has some playing experience on: flute, clarinet, sax, trumpet, trombone, baritone, or bass guitar. Please note – there is no piano or guitar in concert band at the middle school level. Students going into Sr. Band do not need to hand in an Instrument Selection Form. Please just indicate what instrument you play on the Permission Form. 

The Sr. Band rehearsals will start on Wednesday, September 21 st and we will rehearse every Monday and Wednesday at 7:50am. Sr. Band students will be asked to buy Essential Elements – Book 2 which you can buy through Tapestry Music, or any other music store. 

The Permission Form and Instrument Selection Form are due by Wednesday, September 14th . Students can give their forms to Mrs. Reichert directly, or to their classroom teacher. Students signing up for Jr. Band will find out what instrument they’re playing by Friday, September 16th . 

I am looking forward to a rewarding year of music making. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at the school or by email at mreichert@sd43.bc.ca. There is also a Moody Music website that is updated on a regular basis. Students and parents are encouraged to check it regularly for dates, permission forms, handouts, as well as recordings of songs that we are working on. You can visit the website at http://moodymiddlemusic.weebly.com 

Sincerely, 

Michelle Reichert Band & Choir Director