Author: lbmsband

If you play a school-owned instrument and DID NOT already come pick up your instrument the message below is for you!

Instrument pickup is available for Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band students (incoming 7th and 8th graders) who play bass clarinet, tenor sax, bari sax, french horn, euphonium, and tuba. Please fill out the attached google survey. This will aide the band staff significantly.

You will pull into the car-loop (parking lot off of Cedar Rd), drive through, and stay in your vehicle. The band staff will have your instrument ready and bring it to your car for you! We can only have your instrument ready if you complete the Google Survey.

If the provided times do not work for you, please contact jordan.dolotina@bisd.net to arrange a private pickup time.Thanks!Jordan Dolotina & Camber Comeaux

https://forms.gle/ZjP2ZWUBfnN1UNgYA

My apologies if this does not apply to you.
We have received all of our school-owned instruments back from summer repair/cleaning!
Instrument pickup is available for Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band students (incoming 7th and 8th graders) who play oboe, bass clarinet, tenor sax, bari sax, french horn, euphonium, and tuba.
Please fill out the attached google survey. This will aide the band staff significantly.
You will pull into the car-loop (parking lot off of Cedar Rd), drive through, and stay in your vehicle. The band staff will have your instrument ready and bring it to your car for you! We can only have your instrument ready if you complete the Google Survey.
If the provided times do not work for you, please contact jordan.dolotina@bisd.net to arrange a private pickup time. Thanks!

Jordan Dolotina & Camber Comeaux

Google Survey – Instrument Pickup

https://forms.gle/hhqzudy4YSGqSSrh7

Hey everyone! I’ve been hesitant to give updates before I really got accurate information from above. I still don’t know everything, but I need to share what I do know because y’all are kind of in the dark… I sent out a mass email and I hope it finds you. Summer communication is always difficult with new students and sometimes the emails that I have access to are inaccurate.

1. Summer Band – This event is not postponed; It’s cancelled from the district. There will also not be a performance this year at 6th grade orientation (Bronco Roundup). I am not sure in what capacity that orientation will happen this school year. I believe the administration is trying to figure that out now.
2. Beginning Band students – The plan is to see you all on Sept 8th. You do not need to do anything to prepare yourself for that start except start gathering your instrument and/or supplies. You can find those supply lists on our band website under the supplies and materials link.
3. 7th & 8th graders – We are about a month out from starting back up and I’d like you all to start building up your embouchures and sharpening some of your skills on your instrument before we get back. It’s been awhile since we’ve gotten to do band the way it’s supposed to be done and we all need to get back into shape. Please re-teach yourself your Region Scales (Concert Bb, Eb, Ab, F, C and Chromatic) and start working through your Ed Sueta beginner book #1 & #2 if you still have them. Use this as a review. 7th graders – many of you did not finish your scales and none of you finished the book. Just do your best; review what you learned and what you remember. 8th graders – You can also play through the Hal Leonard Intermediate Band Method (orange book) to sharpen up. All of you can also work on whatever you enjoy practicing as well! We just need your muscle memory and face muscles to return to where they were before COVID shut down the whole country…
4. We are SUPPOSED to be getting our instruments back from summer cleaning on Wednesday of next week! Once we have those instruments back inside our building I will send out an email inviting students who play oboe/bassoon/bass clarinet/tenor sax/bari sax/french horn/euphonium/tuba to come pick up an instrument so that you have something to practice. We sent everything that was played on last year for cleaning. This has taken much longer than normal to get instruments back, but I have to think it’s because we’ve sent so much more this summer than normal.
5. Thank you for your patience with everything. Students – I miss you… I want to have y’all in class and make music with you. I love my job and I love spending my days teaching MS kids. It’s been a whirlwind and I want to have you back in the building. We are getting a bunch of students that are transferred from another school because of the MS re-zoning. We are starting over 100 beginners that are coming from the elementary schools. I genuinely cannot wait to meet you! I want to provide you with a safe and supportive musical learning environment where you enjoy to come every day. I know that this whole thing has been discouraging. You don’t sign up for band to play by yourself. Stay strong and be patient. We’ll have our time together as a band soon and I can’t wait until then!

PS – if you’re on facebook please ‘like’ Lake Belton MS Band and you will get updates on your wall.

Sincerely,
Jordan Dolotina

I am very sorry to inform the LBMS Band family that we will NOT be holding our usual MS Summer Band this year due to safety concerns regarding the COVID-19 virus.

Please stay plugged in through the facebook page (Lake Belton MS Band) and the band website for announcements and reminders for beginning the school year in band!

We are awaiting district and campus level guidance before we move forward with further planning in regards to Summer Band at LBMS. We will post updates here and to our facebook page (Lake Belton MS Band). Thank you for your patience and your understanding during the unprecedented times.

Tentative dates for Summer Band are scheduled for July 27 – August 4.

The following information pertains only to 8th graders joining the Belton HS March 100, and is from Shannon Gill, Director of Bands:

We, the band staff, in accordance with recommendations from Administration, have decided not to hold video auditions this semester for band placement for next school year.  Instead, we will place students in the bands that we feel are the best fit for each individual based on assessments and observations we have made throughout the school year. Directors will give counselors their recommendations in the next couple of weeks for band/guard placement for the school year 2020-2021.  We will, however, hold auditions again in December for placement in bands for the Spring Semester of 2021, so some schedule changes may need to occur.  A few reasons for this:

1. A new timeline for band placement results has recently been communicated.  We need to get results to counselors about 4 weeks earlier than we had planned previously. 
2. We had originally planned on live auditions including a sightreading component which is not possible at this time.  Video auditions are often not the best for auditions AND there is no way to ensure equitability amongst students in regards to video quality, accessibility of internet, practice time-some students are not able to practice as much as others at this time due to increased challenges such as taking care of siblings, working, etc.
3. Some students may not have their instrument and/or it may not be in good repair and repair shops are not open at this time (to my knowledge).

We are also trying to lessen the stress and overwhelming aspects of this pandemic for our students and parents.  An audition is stressful enough in normal times.  IN REGARDS TO 8^TH GRADERS COMING TO BHS OR NEW TECH IN THE FALL OF 2020:  We will make placements based on Middle School Director recommendation and what band the students are currently in at their middle school.  If a student is in the top (most advanced) band at their middle school, they will be placed in the BHS 3^rd Band – Symphonic Band.  If a student is in the 2^nd or 3^rd band at their middle school, they will be placed in the BHS 4^th Band – Concert Band.  We know most of you have already registered but we will send our list to counselors in a couple of weeks with the new recommendations.  Please remember these results are only TEMPORARY and we will re-audition ALL students in December to ensure proper placement in the Spring semester.  The curriculum for ALL band students in the Fall is centered around the Fall marching show so band placement in the Fall is not as much of a concern as it will be in the Spring when we prepare for Concert & Sightreading Contest.  Please email Shannon.gill@bisd.net with any questions or concerns.  Thank you! Please remember that these results are not permanent and we will audition EVERYONE again in December provided we return to school as planned for the Fall.  Schedule changes are always a possibility if we discover an issue with a student’s placement and we have been able to make changes at several points in the semester when needed. 

Please look at the information about beginner band solo & ensemble, which is Tuesday, January 28, 2020.

December 3 @ 7:00 All band students will be playing the Christmas music they have been working very diligently to prepare.