Fruit sale... finish.

If you have not sold fruit or wish you sale more, you still have a little time to do so.

Fruit forms are due on November 9, 2009. Please turn them in to Mr. Libscomb in the career tech building. Be sure to have your money in an envelope with you name clearly marked. Also, check your form to make sure that your name is clearly marked, as well as your band period.

8th grade scales

Students and parents....

We have been working on scales in class daily and have had pass-offs on several of them. Please be sure that scales become something you practice daily. They are very important for what we do. Pass-offs on this will be a major part of your band grade.

Congrats to the THS BAND!

Congratulations to the Talladega High School Band for the GREAT performance and representation of our band programs at the 2009 Prattville "Heart of Dixie" Band Festival. We are very proud of you guys!

Talladega High School Seniors and Drum major.

Congratulations to the Dega Darlins for superior ratings and a 1st place finish.
Congrats to Blake (Drum Major) for his Superior Rating.
And Congratulations to the ENTIRE THS BAND for the Superior Ratings you earned and the 3rd place finish! GREAT JOB GUYS!

ZEJH band members just look at what a great band you will soon be a part of. All of these students started right where you are now. With hard work and determination they are doing great things and so will you!

The importance of practice...

I was watching TV the other night and this segment just randomly came on. Well, I don't guess it was random I am sure it was scheduled, however, I had no clue. So as I watched it I realized what a great video it would be to post on the blog and discuss with the students. With the million tasks that we all have scheduled and the time that it takes, often times we think that practicing is something that can wait or we can pass on for the day. However, no matter the task practice is ALWAYS important. I hope you enjoyed the video.

GREAT JOB!

I must say what a great job the 8th grade band did today at the pep-rally and game. I am so proud of you guys. Not only was the playing very good, but the overall behavior of the group was simply outstanding. As a group you very easily and willingly made this a GREAT day and wonderful memory for you. I am excited to see what the rest of the year brings!

I have not mentioned the great job that you also did this past Friday night at the Pell City game. It too was a great accomplishment for you guys. A night that went very smooth.

I will post pics soon.

friday/saturday

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the ZEJH 8th grade trip with the high school band has been canceled. However the Friday night football game/tailgate party will be an event that we will participate in. We will meet at the ZEJH bandroom on Friday night at 6:00 pm. Typical games end around 10pm. (a phone will be available.)

Students should wear: Black pants, Black socks and Black band shoes with a red shirt.

See you there... it will be a GREAT night of fun!

Ellis Emerald Auditions

Information for Ellis Emerald Auditions will be going out later this week. Several students have shown interested therefore I wanted to update you. I am in the process of finalizing some details and will have that out as soon as possible. I am excited about the upcoming year and the interest that has been shown in this group.

Email

Many times a great way to get in touch with me at school is through email. Several people have sent me emails and been concerned that they did not go through. We have a 'very good' spam filter on our school email system. You may receive a message that indicates the message has been returned, however, the message goes to my spam folder and I receive it. After your first email this should not be a problem. If you continue to have this issue please let me know.

Thanks. Ms. Todd

last minute questions.....

Hi everyone!

I would like to start by saying that I am very proud of the turn out that we had for the instrument show on Tuesday, August 4, 2009. Many parents and students were present for answers to concerns and questions that they have had. I hope that everything was much more clear after you left the meeting.

If you missed the meeting and need to purchase an instrument please contact Gadsden Music at 1-800-264-7228 or call Ms. Todd in the bandroom at Zora Ellis for additional information.

There have been a few questions that keep resurfacing. I will answer these below .... hope this helps.

1.Can I buy an instrument online? You are more than welcome to explore options for instrument purchase. Keep in mind three things as you do this.

• You get what you pay for?
• If you don't recognize the brand there is probably a reason. (If you have questions about brands of instruments please contact Ms. Todd.)
• Check out repair options. (Students will at some point have a repair issue. Local dealers will not work on some instruments. If you have to send an instrument in to an online company and have it repaired it could take a long time to get it fixed; instruction time that your child misses.)

2. How much is a band book? Books can be purchased the first week of school during classtime. Books are $11 for all instruments except percussion which is $16. We use Standard of Excellence (enhanced edition) *checks should be made out to ZEJH

3. When can I pay band fees and how much are they? Band fees are $30.00 and the uniform fee is $60.00. You may pay this at the beginning of school or when the due date approaches. Students will receive an additional handout with this information on the first day of school?

4. Where do I put my instrument on the first day of school? Each band student may put his or her instrument in the bandroom daily upon arriving to school. On the first day however students will report to the lunchroom or Auditorium for a brief assembly. Students should report directly to their area and bring instruments to the bandroom afterwards. More information will be given on the first day of class.

5. What if band is not on my schedule? If band should be on your schedule and is not. Please call the front office at ZEJH and let them know ASAP. If on the first day your schedule is still not correct please let Ms. Todd and your homeroom teacher know. We will take care of this as quickly as possible.

6. When are Ellis Emerald try-outs? Young ladies that are in the band will receive information the first week of school regarding clinic and try-outs, which will be held in August. *in order to audition and join the Ellis Emeralds students must be in the band. For more information regarding this group please visit their blog (click here)

7. Where and how do I purchase reeds? We do not sale individual reeds. Students must purchase an entire box. The cost of Clarinet reeds is $25.00 for a box and Saxophone is $30.00. In the beginning students will go through reeds rather quickly, but as they find out what to do and how to care for them they will last long. Students should have four reeds in their case at all times. I recommend keeping the remainder of the box at home.

I hope you find this information useful. As always, if you have additional questions please contact me via phone or email.

Ms. Todd

Band Camp Pictures!

Hey Guys!

I put together a slide show of bandcamp pics. Apparently it takes FOREVER to upload so getting it on every single blog has been a slight issue. I put it on the Dega Darlin Blog simply because that is the one I clicked on first. Go there and check it out.

Enjoy!