Finale Concerts are this week!

Our Finale Concerts will be held on Tuesday, June 3rd and Wednesday June 4th at Howard High School. Both concerts will start at 7 pm and all students are asked to arrive by 6:15 pm in concert dress. On June 3rd, the 6th grade groups will perform. This includes the Concert Band, the Concert Orchestra, and the Concert Choir. On June 4th, the 7th and 8th grade groups will perform. This includes the Symphonic Band, the Chamber Orchestra, the Chorale, and the Symphony Orchestra. We look forward to seeing everyone there. Please plan to stay for the entire concert if it is possible. The last group deserves to have an audience as large as the first group. The concerts should be finished by 8 pm and 8:20 pm respectively.

The last Wind and Percussion sectional schedule for the year can be found by clicking the link above. (5/2/8)

Elementary Solo and Ensemble Festival

Once again, Ellicott Mills Middle School was the host of the Howard County Elementary Solo and Ensemble Festival this past Saturday, April 19th.  We had over 800 scheduled events and, by our estimation, over 2000 students and adults were in and out of the building that day.  This is a fantastic opportunity for young musicians to perform solo pieces in front of an experienced adjudicator for comments.  It’s also been a great way to give our music department a chance to “give something back” in the way of volunteer help and to raise some money for the department.

Thanks to the following student volunteers who worked either Friday afternoon or throughout the day on Saturday:  Olivia Miller, Katrina Alexander, Jorge Maldanado, Ben Weinstein, Megan Lerer, Changhee Kang, Delaney Green, Zach Timberlake, Chris Strem, Seiji Tsushima, Blake Watson, William Pefok, Phillip Nantawasarakul, Tim Lee, David Tessier, Chris Song, Matt Hilbert, Meg Fullarton, Emily Horton, Julia Plants, Mike Krzysko, Cara Massey, Patricia Caromona, Alex Fiackos, Jake Wagman, Paige Durr, Michele Hwang, Dani Campana, Hanna McKown, Christy Tse, Holly Hoang, Agastya Parikh, Kevin Kim, Ted McAllister, John Kim, Pariis Yi, Lucas Cheng, Marisa Penn, Dakota Yi, Amanda Danaher, Ian Abee, Jennifer Baik, Ashley Guchhait, and Hyun An. 

Also thanks to the following parent volunteers who made dontations, or worked either Friday afternoon or throughout the day on Saturday:  Kim Bolton, Lori Campana, Carmen Wagman, Judi Miller, Mary Ann McAllister, Sanncuao Liu, Barbara Tessier, Jean Plants, Denise Fiackos, Donna Dittman, Patrick Green, Ginger Segala, andMs. Viennas..

The Instrumental Music Department earned over $900 from the sale of concessions and t-shirts.  Without the generous donations of time, goods, and money this event would not have been the success that it was.

Thank you to everyone who participated in every way!

Fourth Quarter Playing Charts are available by clicking on the link above (Practice/Playing Chart).

Seating Auditions (3/12/8)

Seating auditions will take place during sectionals the week after spring break (March 25-28). Music for Concert Band and for Symphonic Band members appears on their respective pages. Students should prepare the entire first part for their instrument. Percussionists should prepare the snare drum part. Questions? Email Dr. Roberts!

Practice Copies (3/7/8)

Practice copies for new pieces in both Concert Band and Symphonic Band are available by clicking on the links above. Email Dr. Roberts if you've forgotten your username and password. Remember to use the "refresh" or "reload" button on your browser to ensure that the Band or music page has fully loaded. Depending on the way your computer is configured, it may not automatically load the latest information.

CONCERT UPDATE:

The Festival Concert scheduled for Monday, March 3rd has been changed to 7:00 PM. Students in the symphonic band and chamber orchestra need to arrive at Howard High School by 6:15 to warm up and get everything ready. Please be on time in concert dress.

Band Notes (2/6/08)

The Middle School Band Adjudication (for Symphonic Band) and the Middle School Band Festival (for Concert Band) are rapidly approaching. All band students should be working on their particular parts for this very important assessment performance.

The Adjudication will be held at Hammond High School and the EMMS Symphonic Band will be performing on Wednesday, March 12th, at 8:00 PM. Permission slips have been given to all students and should be returned by Friday, February 15th. The Symphonic Band will perform the adjudication program at our Festival Concert at Howard High School on Monday, March 3rd.

The Festival will be held at River Hill High School and the EMMS Concert Band will be performing on Wednesday, April 16th, at 8:00 PM. Permission slips for this event will be sent home by Friday, February 15th.

The new Wind and Percussion sectional schedule is available here or by clicking the link above. (1/25/08)

Third Quarter Playing Chart is available here. Please print out a copy and begin recording your playing time for the third quarter. Please remember to bring it in each first school day of the week following the week that you have completed. Late charts have a 10% per week grade deduction. (1/16/08)

Winter Concert Update: Winter Concerts will be held on January 8th and 9th at EMMS. Both concerts will start at 7:30, with students needing to arrive at EMMS in concert dress by 6:45. On the 8th, the Concert Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, and 6th grade Concert Choir will perform in the cafetorium. The Symphonic Band and Concert Band will perform on the 9th in the gymnasium. (12/11/07)

The Wind and Percussion Sectional schedule for the next six weeks is available by clicking on the "Wind and Percussion Sectionals" link above. (12/5/07)

The Wind and Percussion sectional schedule has been modified for next week because of the schedule change on December 5th. (11/30/07)

 

	12/3	12/4	12/5	12/6	12/7
Time	B	W	B	W	B
8:40-9:20	CB Trumpet	CB Low Brass	SB Saxophone		CB Flute
9:20-9:59			7th Percussion
10:02-10:45	CB Horn	CB Percussion	SB Low Brass		CB Clarinet
10:45-11:28
1:40-2:25	SB Flute	SB Clarinet	CB Saxophone		SB Horn
2:25-3:10	8th Percussion	All Double Reed			SB Trumpet

 

Research Study: Mr. Denne is conducting a research study with the students in orchestra. Visit the research study home page for more information and instructions. Download the consent forms and turn them in to participate in the study: Student Letter | Parent Letter (11/3/07)

The Second Quarter Playing Chart is now available. Download here: 2nd Quarter Playing Chart (10/29/07)

The new WInd and Percussion and Orchestra Sectional Schedules can be found by clicking on the tab above. (10/19/07)

Symphonic and Concert Band Seating Auditions (10/19/07)

Seat placement auditions for both the Concert and Symphonic Bands will take place during the regularly scheduled sectionals for the week of November 5th. Audition music can be found on the Concert Band and Symphonic Band pages. The exact portions and key centers are listed below. If you have any questions please see Dr. Roberts or contact him by email.

Concert Band

flute: "Silver Bay Festival", measures 1-21, concert Eb; clarinet: "Silver Bay Festival", 1st clarinet part, measures 1-21, concert Eb; alto sax: "Excalibur", measures 31-46, concert Eb, trumpet: "Silver Bay Festival", 1st trumpet part, measures 1-21, concert Eb; horn: "Excalibur", measures 31-46, concert Eb; trombone: "Excalibur", measures 23-30, concert Eb; snare drum: "Silver Bay Festival", measures 1-13.

Symphonic Band

flute: "Gatwick's Galumph" from "Three Songs from Sussex", pickup to measure 65-end, concert F; clarinet:"Gatwick's Galumph" from "Three Songs from Sussex", 1st clarinet part, pickup to measure 65-end, concert F; alto sax: "Gatwick's Galumph" from "Three Songs from Sussex",1st alto part, pickup to measure 65-end, concert F; trumpet: "Gatwick's Galumph" from "Three Songs from Sussex", 1st trumpet part, pickup to measure 65-end, concert F; tenor sax: "Gatwick's Galumph" from "Three Songs from Sussex", pickup to measure 65-end, concert F; horn: "Gatwick's Galumph" from "Three Songs from Sussex", 1st horn part, pickup to measure 65-end, concert F; trombone: "Gatwick's Galumph" from "Three Songs from Sussex", pickup to measure 9-measure 36, concert G minor; snare drum: "Gatwick's Galumph" from "Three Songs from Sussex", pickup to measure 65-end.

Fall Concert Update (10/15/07)

Fall concerts will be held next week at Howard High School. Parents/guardians of all performing arts students (those in band, choir, or orchestra) need to make sure that you have your child's concert clothes in time for our October 23rd (for seventh- and eighth-grade groups) and October 24th (for our sixth-grade groups) concerts. Students will need black pants (no skirts or dresses), white front-buttoning shirts, black socks, and dress shoes (no tennis shoes, please!) Check out the "Concerts" tab at the top of this page for exact information. Both concerts will begin at 7:30 PM. Students should arrive at 6:45 PM.

Here are directions to the High School from the EMMS parking lot. Turn left from the parking lot and continue down Route 103 until you get to the light at Route 104. So south (right) on 104 across Route 100 and go west (right) on Route 108. The school will be on your right. Park in the first lot and go in the dorrs on the far right of the front of the school. These will lead you directly to the auditorium. Students should proceed down the hallway straight ahead. The choir room is directly ahead and the band and orchestra rooms are down the hall to the right and then make a left.

Practice copies of The Star-Spangled Banner for Concert Band are available here! If you have forgotten your username and password you can email Dr. Roberts. (10/15/07)

Jazz Band practice copies are also available. Click here! If you have forgotten your username and password you can email Dr. Roberts. (10/15/07)

The Wind and Percussion schedule has been modified for this week. (10/15/07)

	10/15	10/16	10/17	10/18	10/19
Time	B	W	B	W
8:40-9:20		CB Low Brass	CB Sax and Trumpet	CB Flute
					MSTA
10:02-10:45		CB Percussion	SB Low Brass	CB Clarinet
10:45-11:30			CB Horn		Convention
1:40-2:25		SB Clarinet	SB Sax and Flute	SB Horn
2:25-3:10		All Double Reed	SB Percussion	SB Trumpet

 

Concert Band practice copies are now available. Click here! You will need a username and password to access this page. If you have forgotten them please contact Dr. Roberts. (9/25/07)

Practice copies for Alleluia are now available. Grades have also been posted for sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students in band. Click on the "Grading" tab at the top of this page, insert your last name and the password that you sent with your information sheet and the current grade sheet will pop up. (9/21/07)

Get your orchestra practice copies online for the Chamber Orchestra. Email Mr. Denne if you need the username and password. (9/17/07)

Required Materials for Orchestra members have been posted. Please bring the required materials to your sectional class every week. (9/14/07)

(9/14/07) Practice copies of music are now available for Symphonic Band members. Go to the Symphonic Band page to get to the link.

All-State Audition Information has now been posted. The deadline is Sept. 28th for applications. (9/12/07)

(9/7/07) Click on the "Orchestra Sectionals" link above to download and print the first orchestra sectional schedule of the year. Orchestra sectionals will begin on September 10. All students will have their lesson materials and books assigned at that time.

(9/5/07) Click on the "Wind and Percussion Sectionals" link above to download and print the first wind and percussion sectional schedule of the year. Wind and percussion sectionals will begin on September 10. All students should have their lesson materials and books by then.

Playing Charts are now available online on the Practice/Playing Chart page. (9/5/07)

Welcome Back! (8/24/07)

We are very excited about starting the new year at EMMS. This website is our primary means of communication with parents and students in the EMMS music program. Explore the links on this site, and watch for changes as the year progresses. This home page consists of the site links and this announcement section, presented in the style of a blog. New announcements will be added at the top of the section with the date attached so you can keep up with what is going on and what has changed on the website. Each ensemble has a page that contains information pertinent to that ensemble, and the links for those ensembles are on the top of every page. Symhonic Band and Chamber Orchestra are 7th and 8th grade groups while Concert Band and Concert Orchestra are 6th grade groups. Both choirs are currently served by one page. One section of the website that is unique to EMMS is our Tuning Page. This page provides reference pitches that students will use in a variety of exercises.

Calendar Updates

Concert dates will be posted on the calendar soon. For band and orchestra students, the sectional schedule link is on the top of the page. Back to school night is September 27th, and the annual meeting for music parents starts at 6:30 pm before the rest of the back to school night activities. By default, the calendar shows one week at a time. There is a preferences icon on the bottom left of the calendar that allows you to change the default setting to view one month at a time instead.

The Refresh Button

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

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.

Music Department News

  In a continuing effort to save our paper and copy resources for music, we are asking that parents of all performing arts students, that is all students in band, choir, and orchestra, after reviewing the information, print out, complete, and return the Parent/Student information sheet to your child’s director as soon as possible and no later than Friday, September 7, 2007.  Click here for your copy.

Thanks to all of the families and friends who made monetary contributions to the Music Department for the 2005-2006 school year.  With your generous support we were able to purchase new portable recording equipment, upgrade our website server and software, and purchase two piano dollies for the department pianos.  We spent every bit of the $2000 dollars generated by donations and fund-raising activities.

Thank you!