Author: lbmsband

Band Family, 

Unfortunately, I do not have much of an update for the concert venue.  I have however included a warm-up/report time that you should take note of. 

Plan A is experiencing multiple hiccups with the architect and the company providing BISD with the lighting plot for the LBHS Performing Arts Center.  The stage still does not have lights.  The timeline is getting very short.  Once BISD receives the lighting plot there will be a Belton crew that hangs the lights, and then we have to receive training on how to operate the stage lights, the house lights, and the microphone.  The BISD Director of Fine Arts believes that we will know whether this can all happen in time for our Holiday Concert by Tuesday.  

Plan B is the LBMS Gym.  I am holding off on using the gym as a last resort because I strongly believe it is a significantly inferior concert venue. From a musical standpoint, it’s very boomy and hard to hear.  I also have a seating capacity concern for audience members. 

In either case we’ll use the following schedule: 

Beginner Band:

Warm-up/Report time: 6:00pm

Performance: 6:30 – 6:50pm

**please exit the facility immediately after your students’ performance is complete.

Symphonic Band:

Warm-up/Report time: 6:45pm

Symphonic Audience Enter venue: 7:00pm

Performance: 7:15 – 7:35pm

**please exit the venue immediately following your students’ performance.

Wind Ensemble:

Warm-up/Report time: 7:30pm

Wind Ensemble Audience enter the venue: 7:45pm

Performance: 8:00 – 8:25pm

Belton ISD is operating at a capacity limit for live performances.  For this concert, we ask that you only attend the performance for your student.  The two breaks will be to allow for all audience members to clear the facility between each band and allow the next group time to enter and be seated. 

I will be sending out further procedural instructions regarding social distancing, designated entrance and exit procedures, and any other logistics when I get confirmation on which venue we will be using for our Holiday Concert. 

Thank you for your understanding!  It has been a very difficult year to navigate with so many changes to our normal operating procedures.  We are very excited for our band students to have an opportunity to perform for a live audience!  We will make the best of the circumstances keeping safety of all students and spectators in mind.  

Recently, members of the Lake Belton Middle School Band competed in the TMEA All-Region Auditions. This was done in a virtual format with students recording 3 scales and 2 musical studies they have been preparing since July for the competition. These were then judged anonymously and each student was ranked along with all other band students from all of the middle schools in Belton, Bryan, and College Station.

LBMS entered 38 students and placed 28 in the Region Band! The contest took almost 50% of the entries for Region placement. LBMS placed 74% of our entered students; way over the average! LBMS placed the highest number of students at the contest; against stiff competition from really good band programs.

That is a huge accomplishment!

Please help me congratulate the following students:

Flute
Madison Weaver – 4th chair

Oboe
Emilio Gonzazles – 3rd chair

Clarinet
Cahaya Lane – 1st chair
Lizzie McCready – 5th chair
Maggie Johnson – 10th chair
Nevaeh Rodriguez – 14th chair

Bass Clarinet
Ryan Sudduth – 2nd chair

Alto Saxophone
Pate Palomino – 3rd chair
Evan Eckert – 4th chair

Tenor Saxophone
Mia Garza – 2nd chair

Trumpet
Colin Andermann – 6th chair
Rennison Ling – 10th chair
Gabe Vacula – 11th chair
Jacob Walters – 16th chair

French Horn
Lauren Stefek – 4th chair
Isabel Matthews – 5th chair
Brayden Mellon – 8th chair
Natalie Van Cleave – 11th chair

Trombone
Julian Walker – 5th chair

Euphonium
Joseph Doney – 1st chair
Michael Cook – 4th chair
Dominic Valdez – 6th chair

Tuba
Noah Santos – 1st chair
Brock Winkler – 3rd chair

Percussion
Abigail Hajovsky – 5th chair
Jayden Bautista – 7th chair
Olivia Cromwell – 12th chair
Patrick Hart – 15th chair

Band Parents,

I would like to share the information I have for the Holiday Concert on Dec 1.  The plan is to have the concert at the LBHS Performing Arts Center.  This will be a beautiful new venue for our students and I THINK we will be the first performance ever on that stage!  I’m very excited about this, but there is a bit of a hiccup…. The stage currently does not have lights.  We can’t have a concert without stage lighting.  It will be Nov. 11 before I find out for certain if the venue is available for use.

Plan B will be to use the LBMS Gym for our Dec. 1 Holiday Concert.

In either case we’ll use the following schedule:

Beginner Band  6:30 – 6:50pm

Break  6:50 – 7:15pm

Symphonic Band  7:15 – 7:35pm

Break  7:35 – 8:00pm

Wind Ensemble  8:00 – 8:25pm

Belton ISD is operating at a capacity limit for live performances.  For this concert, we ask that you only attend the performance for your student.  The two breaks will be to allow for all audience members to clear the facility between each band and allow the next group time to enter and be seated.
I will be sending out further procedural instructions regarding social distancing, designated entrance and exit procedures, and any other logistics when I get confirmation on which venue we will be using for our Holiday Concert.
Thank you for your understanding!  It has been a very difficult year to navigate with so many changes to our normal operating procedures.  We are very excited for our band students to have an opportunity to perform for a live audience!  We will make the best of the circumstances keeping safety of all students and spectators in mind.  

Parents and students,

The live fundraiser event on October 14^th has been rescheduled to 3:30-4:30pm to pair easier with the early release schedule.

This event was put on a Wednesday afternoon to avoid conflicts with 7/8^th grade football and volleyball games.  We scheduled this event before we knew the early release schedule.  The idea was to hold students who participated in the fundraiser after school and go straight into the event once the building cleared.  With a 2:45pm release time on Wednesdays there would be an hour and a half between release and the original 4:15 start time.

The rep from Fan-Pledge let me know this morning that he could move the live event up to 3:30pm and I accepted his offer.  Please make this change in your personal calendars.

The live event is strictly for students that participate in the fundraiser by loading contacts into the fan-pledge system this week.  They can stay on campus after release and we will keep them supervised until the 3:30pm event begins.

Thanks!

Jordan Dolotina

Camber Comeaux

The 6th Grade Sit-In Concert, scheduled for Oct. 22, has been cancelled.   Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Belton ISD is cancelling Fine Arts indoor performances through the end of October.  Please take this event off of your personal calendars.  We will be meeting as a Fine Arts team tomorrow to discuss other Fall performances.  Ms. Comeaux and I are working on an alternate Beginner concert that we can hold virtually.  I will communicate those details as we come up with them.  Thanks! Jordan Dolotina

These are the locker assignments for the Symphonic Band. Students WILL PLAY on the first day of class. The directors will be available in the mornings to help students find their lockers.