Orchestra Auditions for the 2013-2014 school year (posted 5/21/2013)

Students have been assigned placements for the orchestra program next year. These placements were sent home in a letter yesterday and I have asked students to return the bottom of the letter by Wednesday 5/22. Some students who were placed in chamber orchestra may want to audition for the Philharmonia orchestra. The audition excerpts are posted here, a signup sheet will be placed in the orchestra room, and auditions will begin on May 28th.

Band Auditions for 2013-2014 school year (posted 5/14/2013)

Next year we will be returning to a band schedule consisting of one seventh- and eighth-grade Symphonic Band and one sixth- and seventh-grade Concert Band.  Due to the limitations of the rehearsal space this will require auditions for students interested in continuing in band who are currently in sixth and seventh grade.  While every attempt will be made to allow as many students as possible to participate there will be some students who will be placed on a waiting list for possible openings.

This is an excellent time for you to have a conversation with your daughter or son about playing with the band next year.  It will be important for all students to make a commitment to excellence in performance, attitude, and personal responsibility.  Please make sure that your child is willing to do this before they sign up for an audition.

Auditions will consist of the following concert major scales; F, Bb, Eb, and Ab, and the chromatic scale.  All woodwinds and percussionists should prepare scales for two octaves, brass for one octave but two octaves where possible.  All current students have been trained in the proper scale pattern and will be evaluated on the musical elements of tone, intonation, rhythmic and pitch accuracy, technique, and musicality. 

Additionally, percussionists will perform the March from pages 43-44 in the Roy Burns Elementary Book at a tempo of quarter note = 120, and wind players will perform the Etude # 58 in the Hal Leonard Advanced Band Method at a tempo of quarter note = 120.   Again, evaluation will be on the musical elements of tone, intonation, rhythmic and pitch accuracy, technique, and musicality.

Students will sign up for a specific 10-minute time during which they will perform the audition.  These will take place beginning the week of May 28.

Flute/Oboe | Bassoon | Clarinet | Bass Clarinet | Alto Saxophone | Tenor Saxophone | Baritone Saxophone | Trumpet | Horn |Trombone | Euphonium | Tuba

 

New Music for Symphonic Band and Symphonic Wind Ensemble (posted 4/9/13)

New music has been posted for period two and period three bands. Students can access them by clicking on the "Bands" link at the top of this page, then navigating to his or her particular group. If you've forgotten your username or password, email Dr. Roberts.

Elementary Solo and Ensemble Festival @ EMMS is April 13th! (posted 3/28/13)

The twelfth annual Howard County Elementary Solo and Ensemble Festival will be held at Ellicott Mills on Saturday, April13th. We need lots of parent and student volunteer help in order to ensure that the festival runs smoothly for the 900 students and their parents who will be in the building that day. CLICK HERE to download the volunteer form. We need help after school on April 12th to set up the rooms in the building to be performance spaces, student help all day on Saturday to go from room to room, and parent help all day Saturday to help with the concession sales. Email Dr. Roberts or Mr. Denne if you have questions.

Fourth Quarter Playing Charts (posted 3/27/13)

The playing chart for the fourth quarter can be found by clicking on the link above. Please note that the first week on the chart, since it occurs during spring break, will be counted as extra credit.

Hershey Park Field Trip (posted 3/13/13)

Students from the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Philharmonia Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, and Chorale will be participating in our annual Hershey Park field trip on June 1st. Click here to download a copy of the permission slip.

Orchestra Festival Preview Concert - March 14th at Howard HS (posted 3/7/13)

Click here for the schedule of the concert and the timeline for each orchestra. We will need some parent volunteers, so please contact Mr. Denne if you are able to help.

Middle School Orchestra Assessments (posted 2/28/13)

The Howard County Middle School Orchestra Assessments will be held on March 18 and 19 at Oakland MillsHigh School. Both the Philharmonia Orchestra (period six) and the Chamber Orchestra (period seven) will be performing at this event. The Chamber Orchestra will perform on Tuesday, March 19th, at 3:00 PM and the Philharmonia Orchestra will perform on Tuesday, March 19th, at 4:25 PM.This is a mandatory event for all students in these two groups. Admission is free and open to the public.

Permission slips and health forms were sent home with students on the 6th. If you need another copy you can click on the link below to obtain one.

Orchestra permission slip and health form.

Middle School Band Assessments (posted 2/19/13)

The Howard County Middle School Band Assessments will be held on March 21 and 22 at Reservoir High School. Both the Symphonic Band (period two) and the Symphonic Wind Ensemble (period three) will be performing at this event. The Symphonic Wind Ensemble will perform on Thursday, March 21st, at 7:30 PM and the Symphonic Band will perform on Friday, March 22nd, at 5:00 PM.This is a mandatory event for all students in these two groups. Admission is free and open to the public.

Permission slips and health forms were sent home with students today. If you need another copy you can click on the link below to obtain one.

Symphonic Band (period two) permission slip and health form.

Symphonic Wind Ensemble (period three) permission slip and health form.

Third Quarter Playing Chart (posted 1/15/13)

The playing chart for the third quarter is posted on the "Practice/Playing Chart" link above.

Third Quarter Sectional Schedule and Seating Auditions for Bands (posted 1/7/13)

Click on the link above to see the sectional schedule for the third quarter. Seating auditions will be held the week of January 23-25 for Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the week of January 28-February 1 for Symphonic Band, and the week of February 11-14 for Concert Band.

Jazz Band Music Posted (posted 1/4/13)

Go to the Jazz Band link, above, to get to the music page. If you have forgotten your username or password, contact Dr. Roberts.

New Band Music Posted (posted 12/21/12)

New music for all three bands has been posted on each Band's page. Seating audition music for Symphonic Band (period two) will be the third movement of "Nathan Hale Trilogy". Please prepare the first part for your instrument. Percussionists should prepare the snare drum part. Seating audition music for Symphonic Wind Ensemble will be "Among the Clouds". Please prepare the first part for your instrument. Percussionists should prepare the snare drum part.

Seating audition music for Concert Band will be determined after the new year. Concert Band musicians should know that "Procession of the Gladiators" is in G minor and Symphonic Band musicians should know that "The Silver Scepter" is in Eb major for tuning purposes. Please use those tuning notes from the tuning page to check intonation throughout. Contact Dr. Roberts if you have any questions.

Solo and Ensemble Festival (posted 12/5/12)

The middle and high school solo and ensemble festival will be held at Mt. Hebron HS on Saturday, February 2nd. Students interested in participating should return the registration form by December 20th. Click here for the complete information packet and forms.

No Jazz Band Rehearsal on Thursday, November 29. (posted 11/14/12)

Dr. Roberts will be out of the building on this date so there will not be a rehearsal. Check the Jazz Band page for rehearsal dates.

Concert Recordings! (posted 11/14/12)

Click here to listen to recordings of our fall concerts.

Quarter Two Band Assessments (posted 11/5/12)

Performance Assessments will be held each sectional during the second quarter. You will find the exercises listed on the "Bands" link above for your band for each of the four sectionals that you will have during the quarter. Rather than listing the specific week, they are listed in order of performance. (PA-1, PA-2, PA-3, PA-4) If you miss a sectional due to absence or because of a county or state assessment in another class, you will need to contact Dr. Roberts to schedule a make-up time for that assessment. The first assessment will be your second-quarter seating audition. Details about that have been posted below.

CB Seating auditions (posted 11/2/12)

Seating auditions will be held during the first sectional of the second quarter. (See the link above to see when that will be.)

All brasswind and woodwind students should prepare the Hal Leonard Intermediate Band Method exercise on page 4, number 14. Tempo should be quarter note= 152. Make sure that you use a concert Bb from the tuning page for tuning. This will be sounding when the audition is taken so that all students can demonstrate playing in tune.

All percussionists should prepare the warm-up exercise AND Roy Burns Elementary Drum Method exercise on page 19, Summary. Tempo for both of these will be quarter note =120. The metronome will be sounding during the audition so that students can demonstrate playing with the steady beat.

Contact Dr. Roberts if you have any questions.

Second Quarter Playing Chart Posted (10/31/12)

Click on the "Practice/Playing Chart" link above to get your second quarter playing chart.

Fall Concert Information (posted 10/27/12)

Click here for information regarding our fall concerts for all ensembles on November 12th-14th.

National Anthem Posted (posted 10/26/12)

The National Anthem has been posted for each band. Check your band page for details. Contact Dr. Roberts if you need the username and password. New music has also been posted for SWE.

New Sectional Schedule for Winds and Percussion, Second Quarter (posted 10/25/12)

The second quarter sectional schedule has been posted at the link above. Please notice that some sectional groupings have changed for the Symphonic Band and the Symphonic Wind Ensemble.

SB New Music Posted (posted 10/25/12)

New music has been posted for the period two Symphonic Band. This is the seating audition music for the second quarter. Use a concert F for tuning the beginning and the end, a Bb for the middle section. All wind players should prepare the first part for their instrument, that is, a clarinet player would prepare the clarinet 1 part, a horn player, the horn 1 part. Percussionists should prepare the snare drum part.

Tempos are as follows: Maestoso, quarter=80, Allegro, quarter=132, Moderato espressivo, quarter=92, Allegro Marcato, quarter=144, Allegro, quarter=132, Maestoso, quarter=80.

Contact Dr. Roberts is you have any questions.

SWE New Music Posted (posted 10/10/12)

This link contains seating audition music for SWE for second quarter.

Friday Video Link (posted 10/5/12)

Here's the link to the video of the metronome synchronizing video that has the link for the scientific explanation too. Enjoy!

32 Metronomes

New Music for Concert Band (posted 9/28/12)

New music has been posted on the Concert Band page. Click on the "Bands" link above, then click on the "Concert Band" link, then enter your user name and password. If you have forgotten your password, email Dr. Roberts.

Jazz Band Page is updated (posted 9/21/12)

Please check the jazz band page for updated dates for rehearsals. For some reason, we had loaded a page from several years ago that had incorrect information on it. Rehearsals will be on Thursdays and will require completing the EMMS intramural form. Students will need to get Dr. Roberts' initials on the form in order to join. Contact Dr. Roberts for more information.

Playing Chart Data Input for Band Students (posted 9/20/2012)

Click here to gain access to an input form for band students. Make sure that you add the required data, click on the week (or weeks) that you want to add playing time, and submit. IMPORTANT: You will need to turn in the parent-signed copy of the playing chart by October 26th to receive any credit for the time that you have input here.

Playing Charts for Bands and Orchestras (posted 9/5/12)

The playing charts where band and orchestra students record home playing time have been posted. You can get yours by clicking on the link above "Practice/Playing Chart". The first week of September will be the first week of recorded time. Orchestra students will turn these in during the first rehearsal of the week. Band students will bring them to their scheduled sectional. All playing charts must be turned into Mr. Denne or Dr. Roberts by October 26th.

Practice Copies for all Bands (posted 8/31/12)

All Bands now have practice copies posted on their respective pages. Click on the"Bands" link above, then on the link for your group. You will need your username and password in order to get the files. If you've forgotten what your username or password is, contact Dr. Roberts.

All-State, GT, and Honors Bands audition music (posted 8/27/12)

Here is a link to study copies of the GT and All-State Band music. A special thanks to Mr. Andy Spang from Folly Quarter Middle School for posting these. All students who are interested much purchase the required material and take that to the GT or All-State audition but you can get started practicing with these now. If you are interested in auditioning for GT (6, 7, and 8 grades) or All-State (7 and 8 grades only) Bands you must register with Dr. Roberts. Packets were handed out to interested students on Friday 8/31. If you stilll need one, please see Dr. Roberts immediately. Forms for GT and Honors Bands are due Friday, September 7th.

SmartMusic is being adopted by the Ellicott Mills Orchestra and Band Program (posted 9/29/11)

The orchestra will be using SmartMusic this year for the first time. This is an option for band students. SmartMusic is a program that allows students access to a plethora of practice opportunities including literature, recording, assignment submission, performance with accompaniment, and many method books. The SmartMusic website - www.smartmusic.com - contains more information about the program and provides a method for downloading the application and purchasing a subscription. The normal subscription price of $36 has been lowered by 15% to $30.60 for Howard County students. Be sure to select Ellicott Mills as your school during the registration process to receive your discount. FYI, the SmartMusic site will encourage you to buy a microphone when you register. This may or may not be necessary depending on your system at home. I have addressed this question as well as others on the EMMS SmartMusic FAQ page. If you have a question that is not answered there or on the SmartMusic website, contact Mr. Denne.

Aspen Family Portal (posted 9/29/11)

Aspen is the new grading/attendance/communication system used by all of the schools in Howard County this year. In addition to the live access to teacher's gradebooks, this system also has the capability to generate email communication between teachers and parents. Although I know that most parents filled out an email address on the emergency card at the beginning of the year, it will take some time to get all of those email addresses entered into the system. We found out on Wednesday that parents have the ability to add their email address to the Aspen database through the family portal. We would sincerely appreciate (as would the data entry clerk) if parents could log in and either make sure the listed email is correct or add the email address if it is missing. Thank you!

Welcome to Music at Ellicott Mills (posted 8/29/11)

If you are reading this, then you have successfully found the place to turn to for information and materials for your child's performing arts group at Ellicott Mills. You can click on the "Required Materials" link on the left to see what materials your child will need this year. The "Calendar" link, again on the left, has a list of concerts that have been scheduled for this year. Please make a note of those on your family calendar. We will be updating that page as we make decisions about which groups will be performing on which nights. By clicking on the "Teachers" link above, you have ready access to your child's teacher by using the email link there.

The Refresh Button (posted 8/29/11)

Your browsers refresh button can be your best friend in making sure that you have the most up to date information on this website. Until we figure out how to automatically refresh pages every time you open them, your browser may load the old image from the cache memory and not display the most recent information. Click refresh often on all pages!

G/T Ensemble information (posted 8/29/11)

G/T ensembles are great opportunities to broaden experiences for the musician who just can't get enough. The middle school G/T orchestra has expanded into two groups, opening up many more opportunities this year. Information about G/T orchestra, band, and chorus can be found by clicking on the links on the left side menu of this page.

 

Thank you!