November News and Reminders

As we head into the second quarter, there is much going on in the Band Room at Holy Spirit.

Our Christmas Concert is just five short weeks away, so please help your student to be diligent with his or her practicing. Individual practice is so important to building upon the work that we do during band rehearsals. The Christmas Concert will be held on December 16th at 6:00pm. As always, the dress rehearsal will be open to the public and will take place at 1:30 on the day of the concert.

Last year, the Varsity Band began a new tradition of giving back to our community through music by Ringing Bells for the Salvation Army. We are planning to do this wonderful activity again this year and will be in need of some parent volunteers to drive the students in groups of five or six to the various sites. We have set a tentative date of December 21st for this activity and times will be announced when the details are finalized. Please contact Mrs. Barnhill if you are interested in volunteering your time to help us to serve our community.

At the beginning of the school year, Varsity Band members received a Band Handbook. Have they taken the time to share this valuable resource with you? This packet contains a great deal of information and everything that middle school students need to know to succeed and earn a great grade in band.

The Spirit Band recently performed for their second and third grade buddies and did a fabulous job. It is always great to share our music with the future musicians of Holy Spirit School.

Does your child have trouble remembering his or her band lesson? Here are a few ways to help them to remember their weekly commitment:

• Write a note in their Assignment Notebook.
• Tape a brightly colored note to their classroom desk with their lesson day and time.
• Give them a friendly reminder before they leave for school.
• Put a note in their lunch if their lesson is in the afternoon.

Make up lessons can be very difficult to schedule. Although I will always try my best to fit in as many make ups as I can, it is always best when we can have lessons at their scheduled time.

Thank you so much for all that you do to support band at Holy Spirit School!

October News

Thank you to all of those who participated in this year's Band Night at Xavier High School. Once again, our students represented Holy Spirit School in a very positive way, sharing our love of music with our Catholic School Community. The theme this year was the music of the 1960's and, as you will see in the pictures, the students did a fantastic job of dressing for the era!

The first-ever Holy Spirit Band Newsletter should arrive in your email inboxes this week. Please let Mrs. Barnhill know if you did not receive this mailing and your email address will be added to the list. This Newsletter will be re-posted on this blog and sent home via email in hopes of keeping the families of band parents well informed on the exciting things that happen in our classroom.

Band Shirt Order Forms will be sent home this week as well. Please return the form and payment to Mrs. Barnhill no later than November 2nd. Returning band students should use this opportunity to make sure that their red band polo is still the appropriate size and re-order only if needed. The cost of the shirts will be $11.40 and all checks must be made payable to Holy Spirit School.

Kimberly Parade

Thank you very much to everyone who helped to make the Kimberly Centennial Parade a wonderful event for the Holy Spirit Varsity Band. Thank you especially to Boldt Construction for donating our Truck and Trailer and to Pete, our fantastic Driver.

**Coming up next for our 7th and 8th Grade Band Members will be Xavier Band Night on October 8th.

Congratulations!

To the Bands and Music Students of Holy Spirit Catholic School. Our Spring Concert was a huge success! All of our hard work was certainly well worth it, as we were able to share some fine music with our friends and families. I hope that you all had a wonderful experience preparing and performing our music and know just how proud I am of each and every one of you. Keep working to be your best!

To our graduating 8th Grade Students. Thank you for all of your hard work and leadership this year. You are a very talented and giving group of young men and women and you will have nothing but the best in your futures. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us. God Bless each one of you!

Spring is Here!

As we continue through fourth quarter, please remain diligent in your practicing routine. 75 Minutes of practice time should be recorded on your practice log and brought to your band lesson each week.

The Spring Concert is approaching Quickly. The Band and Chorus concert will be held on May 13th at 6:00pm in Fuller Hall.