Wednesday blues

Hey band,

There are a couple things that you all need to know before the morning. We are kicked out of our band room once again so we will be meeting in the Old Gym. Due to this fact it will be difficult to meet and rehearse. I will still need your full attention. We will be discussing the end of year itinerary and I will discuss expectations for eighth grade students who are moving up to the high school. I look forward to seeing you all in the morning. Have a great night.

Mr. V

We are back!!

Good morning band,

I hope that you all had a great weekend. The sub. report from Friday was good. I had a few students that did not act correctly the whole time. That comes to a disappointment to me. The trip to Kansas City went well. We vistited a huge mall that contained two stories of stores, played at the center of Independence Missouri, visited the Truman Library, rode several roller coasters at Worlds of Fun, and went to the Kansas City Zoo. This was a great trip for the Lavaa High School band and the band program as a whole. Future successful trips depend upon all of you middle school students. After this year the seniors will graduate and all eighth graders will move up to the high school band. The skill level upon our band depends upon you all. I will see you today and we will start working on solo and ensemble music.

Mr. V

High School Band Trip

Hey band,

Great job adjusting to testing schedules this week we achieved many of our weekly goals. This weekend the High School band is traveling to Kansas City for their band trip and I will be traveling with them so I will not be able to blog unless I find wireless. If I find wireless I will keep you up to date with the trip. There will be a substitute for school today. I expect you all to act right. Have a great weekend and I will see you Monday. We will start on Solo and Ensemble so please bring instruments and be prepared to start playing.

Mr. V

Concert

hey folks,

Great job on the concert last night. I have never had so many great comments from the audience members. All our hard work has paid off and if feels great. I will try to have a video and pictures up on blogger if I can figure it out. The upcoming assignments that we will have in class will be band camp music and Solo and Ensemble music. I hope you all have a great night. Excellent job band.

Mr. V

Pictures and media

I am hoping to have a media option for viewing within the next two weeks. This will include pictures of the band and video of our concerts. Solo and ensemble will also be an option for viewing.

Mr. V

Weekly Reflection

This week was a great one. I am extremely happy with the progress that we have made not just this week but the whole year. Each section has shown great improvement based on the four main assessment area's: balance, precision, tone quality, and intonation. So this is it. The Spring Concert is Monday night. All efforts through out the year have led us to this point. Let us all show our parents what we are all capable of. That would include my parents also. I have invited them to the concert and am planning on them to show up. Following the concert we will not have a reception. Lets play our best and have some fun. Have a great weekend and I will see you all on Monday.

Mr. V

Wednesday Reflection

Hey band,

Today's rehearsal put a huge smile on my face. Tuning was great on all three pieces, intonation has improved and I am really enjoying the changes that we made at the end of The Tempest. Speaking of the changes, I think that today's performance was the first time that I have ever had goose bumps when listening to a Middle School band. Great job band. Please keep in mind that all leftover dues to the band are due. Jazz band is doing a great job and is always open to all Middle and High School students. I am extremely proud of all of you. Keep up the good work.

Mr. V

Monday assessment

Monday was a good day of rehearsal. Court Festival is a great song to work on tuning and intonation. As we started to play we had several tuning problems but they soon were fixed. Great job. Tomorrow we will be playing the march and Court Festival, and if we have time we will also review The Tempest. I hope you all have a great night and continue to work hard. I will see you all in the afternoon.

Mr. V

Sectionals

There will be not sectionals this week. Enjoy sleeping in and have a great week.

Mr. V

A New Week

hey folks,

I hope that your weekend went well and we are all ready to start rehearsing again. On Monday we will be rehearsing in the gym. This will last through to Thursday. The High school is using the Fine Arts Building to host the testing. Due to time restraints we will be playing our contest music for our spring concert. Be ready to start rehearsing hard. This week will fly by. See you all in the afternoon.

Mr. V

Good Luck

I would like to wish you all good luck on the standardized testing that will be administered to all of you this week. I will be one of the teachers that will be assisting with the test and will be extremely occupied. We will more than likely not meet this week. Next Monday will be the start to a long week of learning and rehearsing. Once again good luck and I will see you all next week.

Mr. V

Reminder

This is a reminder to all LMS band students. We will be playing at an academic pep rally today. Please be ready to play at this event with big and bold sounds. As soon as we are finished playing we will leave and return to the band room to rehearse for the spring concert. Have a great day.\

Mr. V

Monday pep rally

Monday the 13Th we will be playing at a academic pep rally. We will try to meet at 1:30 and have instruments out to rehearse by 1:45. We will then walk over to the old gym and perform. Following the beginning of the pep rally, after we finish playing we will return to the band room and rehearse the spring concert. Have a great weekend and I will see you Monday.

Mr. V

High School to perform at Razorback game

The Lavaca Arrow band will be performing at the Razorback baseball game on Friday the 10th. If you are able to make the game or watch it on television you can support your band.

go arrows

Sectionals

We will not meet for sectionals for the remainder of the year unless otherwise noted. The spring concert is approaching but i feel that we should be able to fully prepare for this event during class.

Mr. V

contest results

hey band,

Wow what a day. If for some reason that you have not heard the results of the LMS band contest scores, our band was rated a II in the bid room and a II in sight reading. Excellent job folks and good work. I had several phone calls from directors who heard the performance and enjoyed it immensely. Great job and have a great weekend.

Mr V

Pre-contest weekend

hey band,

Its the weekend before contest and we only have two days of rehearsal left. Please look at all three contest pieces and practice spots that are needed. Everyone is depending upon everybody to be responsible for their own parts. Have a great weekend and we will see you Monday.

Mr. V

I think I can, I think I can

Hey band,

Lets keep pressing our practice routines for the next seven days. We have a lot of catching up to do after yesterdays rehearsal. Today we will working on The Tempest and the Courage March. Lets have a great rehearsal. Have a great day.

Mr. V

Concert Contest

Hey guys and gals,

I have just received a email that has our band scheduled to perform Wednesday the 8Th at the Alma Performing Arts Center. We will meet at seven in the morning to load and double check equipment and we will leave shortly after. Warm up will be at 9:00 am, perform at 9:30 am, and sight read at 10:00 am. We will then return shortly after. Dress for the contest will be concert dress. Men will wear slacks, and shirt and tie. Ladies will wear dress cloths that are of appropriate length, or dress pants. I am extremely excited to show the region the talent that we have in our program. Bring your "A" game and lets have a great concert. Remember, we will be meeting at SEVEN O"CLOCK. DO NOT BE LATE!! Have a great day and I will see you at band.

Mr V

Wednesday's surgery

Hey band,

Writing to let you all know that the surgery went well. Although i am only allowed to eat liquid, I am surviving. I hope that you have all had a great break so far. Keep in mind that when we get back we will be hitting the music hard. Contest will only be a week and a few days after the Monday that we return. Thanks for all your hard work, lets finish the year out working hard. I will see you all on Monday.

Mr. V

Re: lessons during spring break

Hey band,

Sorry that it has taken an extra day to respond. We will not be able to have lessons Wednesday, and Thursday due to surgery that I am having performed. Nothing major, just have to have a tooth surgically extracted. Friday is a possibility, but no promise. I will not be able to play on an actual horn for several weeks. If we can not find a time to meet on Friday then we will just have to stick to the weekly schedule. We will have sectionals the week we return regardless. Hope the rest of your spring break is good. We will hit the ground running when we return to school.

Mr. V

lessons during spring break

Hey band,

Hope all is well as you start your spring break. I will announce a time in the near future that I will be present at the band room. I have several events to attend to during the next several days so I hope to have a final decision by Monday. Hope you all have a good break.

Mr. V

Middle School Jazz

Reminder: The Lavaca Jazz band is open to jr. high and high school band members. We are trucking allong and having a great time. Please feel free to stop by after school on Wednesday and bring a friend.

Mr. V

High School contest

The Lavaca High School band will be performing at 4:00 pm at the Alma Performing Arts Center. This would be a great experience for any Middle School band member and also might be worth some extra credit for those who attend. Have a great night.

Mr. V

March 18th

Hey guys,

I am extremly excited about our contest concert in April. Todays rehearsal was excelent. We as a band keep improving in all four area's of concentration. I am also excited to see so many of you practicing after school. There were two students who stayed after school yesterday and practiced for about an hour. Not only did this help better the band, the students earned fifty extra band bucks.

Mr. Verrette

Note to Trombone section

The march will require the trombone section practicing the trio. Due to the range of the written parts, practice is a must. Remember, spring break is March 23rd through the 27Th. This will deduct one week of practice before our public performance at the Alma Performing Arts Center. Have a great weekend and I will see you all on Monday.

Mr. V

March 12th

Today's practice session went extremely well. I can hear the music improving everyday. Our first sight reading session went great. We will continue to increase difficulty up until the contest date. The meeting with our flute section went well. Tuning and playing in tone was a key component. Keep up the good work.

Mr. V

flute specialist

Flute players of the Middle School band will be required to attend an afterschool flute clinic with a special guest. This person is an excelent player and musician who will be improving playing techniques. See you all in the morning.

Mr. V

Meeting in old gym

Due to Junior Literacy exams in the Fine Arts Building we will be meeting in the Old Gym for band on Wednesday March 11Th. Please be ready to adjust to environmental conditions. See you at rehearsal. Cherrydale fundraiser orders are also due on March 12th. Have a great night.

Mr. V

Limo Ride

Good evening everybody,

Please keep in mind that the limo on Thursday march the 5Th has a destination of The Marble Slab for all that sold enough cookie dough or were lucky enough to have their name drawn out of the hat. We will leave at 2:00 and arrive back by the end of school. Pick your favorite flavor, and have sweet dreams.

Mr. V

March

Hey everybody,

I want to apologize for not posting in such a long time. On top of having The All-State Convention in Hot Springs for four days, I have been sick and also just found out that I have an old Root Canal that has caused a abscess on the right side of my face. I look like a chipmunk. Not only was this hindering my daily function, it was also painful. Thank you for your patience. We will not have sectionals Monday the second of March for the percussion section. I have an appointment with the oral surgeon. I will be back by band rehearsal. Please be ready to look at Court Festival, and also be ready to sight read some material. Have a great morning.

Mr. Verrette

2/16-2/20

Hey guys,

Thank you for working so hard last week as I was away at Arkansas All-State Band Conference. I heard nothing but positive comments. Please keep in mind that concert contest is right around the corner. Lessons are still every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. Soon there will be audio postings of the challenging parts in each contest song. Keep up the good work.

Morning lesson schedule

Morning lessons have started. Please keep in mind that you are all required to take two private lessons before contest. Each week there are nine slots.

Contest march Intro.

Tuesday's rehearsal went well. The intro and first strand of the march are starting to retain good pitch, and balance. We need to continue to press forward in the march. We will rehearse the second strand and perform as small groups. We will also continue to work on the Tempest with emphasis on articulation. Have a great night.

Band bucks

Please remember that hard work pays off and one way is the earning of band bucks. Band bucks may be earned through extra practice, passing of scales, special performances and excelent attitudes. At the end of the year we will be having a band auction in which you can bid on items such as gift cards, mp3 players, and more. Continue to work hard and earn those band bucks.

Mr. V

Monday, Monday

hey guys,
We are starting to master the playing of concert F. If it is possible we all need to try to start practicing with a tuner. This will give you an estimate of how flat or sharp your tone is on your specific instrument. tomorrow we will be working the Tempest. We will tune and continue to work on pitch for the first half of class, and then we will play the Tempest with the recording and with out the recording. Please concentrate on dynamics and articulations. Have a great night. We will see you at band.

Mr. V

working hard

Students,
I am very impressed by your hard work today. All though half the band was not present due to a basketball game we still managed to make our band better with an excellent rehearsal. Keep up the hard work. Due to Arkansas All-State tryouts I will not be present on Friday the 6Th. Mr Carter will be leading your rehearsal. Please give him the same hard working attitude that has been present.

"Integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we do" (Lavaca band motto)

Mr. V

Welcome Lavaca Middle School Band

Welcome Lavaca Middle School Band students and parents. This blog will be used as a tool to inform you of upcoming events, homework assignments, and will be a link to easier communication.