May 2022

Calendar of Events at a Glance

Please be sure these dates are on your family Calendar

Advanced Band

• Thursday, May 12th @ Oakmont High School
• Thursday, May 19th @ Eich Middle School
• Saturday, May 21st @ Spring Trip Festival
• Thursday, May 26th @ Eich Promotion Ceremony

Intermediate Band

• Thursday, May 19th @ Eich Middle School
• Saturday, May 21st @ Spring Trip Festival
• Thursday, May 26th @ Eich Promotion Ceremony

Choir

• Thursday, May 12th @ Oakmont High School
• Thursday, May 19th @ Eich Middle School

Guitar

• Thursday, May 19th @ Eich Middle School

The Details

Thursday May 12th - Oakmont Concert: Advanced Band and Choir

Who: Advanced Band and Choir

What: Oakmont Collaboration Concert

Where: Oakmont Theater

Wear: Eich Music Shirts and pants (no shorts)

When: Thursday, May 12th

Call Time: 5:30pm in the Oakmont theater

Concert Time: 7:00pm

• This collaboration concert is a chance for our 8th graders to connect with their future music teachers and fellow musicians. Each group will perform independently and then we will combine for a mass performance. 
• There is a cost for admission at Oakmont concerts. $10 General Admission, $5 Adults (We will be playing/singing the same music at our Eich concert the next week)

Thursday May 19th - Eich Spring Concert: Everyone

Who: Band, Choir, Guitar

What: Spring Concert

Where: Eich Gym

Wear: Eich Music Shirts and pants (no shorts)

When: Thursday, May 19th

Call Time: 6:30pm

Concert Time: 7:00pm

• Our final concert of the year will feature all of our performing arts groups including, Band, Choir, Guitar, and Ballroom Dance. 
• There is no cost to attend the concert. We will take donation at the door!
• There is an opportunity for families to purchase reserved seats. The seats will be $10. Order forms will go home with students next week. Reserved seats are folding chairs on the floor of the gym with you family's name on them. The number of reserved seats are limited and will be filled on a first come, first served basis. I make every attempt to seat you in a location that is in front of your student for optimal viewing. 

Saturday May 21st - Band Festival and Spring Trip

Who: Intermediate and Advanced Bands

What: Festival and Six Flags

Where: Vanden High School, Fairfield and Six Flags Valejo

Wear: Eich Music Shirts and pants (no shorts)

When: Saturday, May 21st

Call Time: 9:00am in the Eich music room

Return Time: 9:30pm

Permission slips along with the final details of the trip will be sent home with students next week.

Please send in payments as soon as possible

Thursday May 26th - Promotion: Bands

Who: Intermediate and Advanced Bands

What: Promotion Ceremony

Where: Eich field

Wear: Eich Music Shirts and pants (no shorts)

Call Time: 9:00am in the Eich music room

Performance: 10:00am

The Intermediate Bands will provide music for the Promotion Ceremony. Advanced Band will join us for the performance of the National Anthem.

Recent Performances

Bands at the River Cats

Guitar at Festival

Click here to watch the performance

Book Return

Band and Guitar books will be returned to the library on Friday, May 13th. If you do not return your book you will be charged for the cost of the replacement copy. Replacements generally cost between $15-20. 

Instrument Return

All school owned instrument will be returned the last week of school for summer maintenance and repairs. 

Guitar: Wednesday, May 25th

Bands: Thursday, May 26 following the Promotion Ceremony

March 2022

Calendar of Events

Check our the bar on the right for an updated list if events for each performance group ------->

**The Oakmont Joint Band Concert has been moved to May 12th (from April 7th)

Bands @ the Sacramento River Cats: April 24th, 2022

All Band students have the opportunity to participate in this event!

Join us at Sutter Health Park on Sunday, April 24th to watch the W.T. Eich Middle School Band perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" ahead of the River Cats game vs the Oklahoma City Dodgers. The band will perform prior to the game, the River Cats will put on awesome in-game events throughout the afternoon, and after the game is the River Cats' 'Kids Run the Bases' event. Seats are limited, so be sure to secure your tickets for a fun afternoon at the ballpark

Details:

• Event Schedule:
• Call time: 12:00pm in the stadium parking lot
• Performance time: 12:45ish
• Game Time: 1:05pm
• Attire: Music T-Shirt and jeans
• Families are responsible for transportation to/from the event
• At least one adult must attend the event to supervise your student
• Everyone attending the event must purchase a ticket to the game, including student performers
• Tickets to the event must be purchased through our personalized event link!
• You can purchase as many tickets as you would like
• You can share the link with friends and family who may also like to attend
• Ticket Options
• Ballpark Seating Map
• Lawn Tickets: $15/each open seating
• Section 102 - Assembly: $24/each 
• Section 104- Senate: $30.50/each
• Section 105 - Governors Club: $40.50/each includes access to club level amenities

How to Sign Up and Purchase Tickets

1. 1. Sign up for the performance by completing the River Cats Sign Up Form
2. 2. Purchase your tickets here Eich Band Ticketing Site 

Spring Trips: Band, Choir and Guitar

We have been given approval to take our spring trip to a music festival and theme park!

All groups will have the opportunity to perform and compete in a Music in the Parks Festival at Vanden High School in  Fairfield. We will perform for judges who will evaluate our skills and give us an overall rating (we are hoping for "superior"), a numeric score and comments. We will also be competing against other schools and hopefully come home with some trophies for our music room!

After our morning performance we will head over to Six Flag Discovery Kingdom for some well deserved fun. 

The cost for this trip is $100/student. This covers our theme park ticket, festival fee, and transportation (school bus). It does not include food or souvenirs. Please reach out if you would like your musician to participate but the cost is a concern.

*Annual Passholders: if you have a valid season pass to Six Flags your trip cost is $60 for the festival and transportation

**If your student will be participating in ONLY the festival your cost is $35 and you iust provide transportation to/from Vanden High School in Fairfield

Payments are due 30 days before the trip 

Choir and Guitar Trip: Saturday, April 30th

• Event Schedule
• Call Time: Approx 7:00am 9:30am @ Eich Parking Lot
• Guitar Warm Up and Performance: 8:25am/8:50am 10:55am/11:20am
• Choir Warm Up and Performance: 9:20am/9:40am 12:00pm/12:20pm
• Arrive at Six Flags: 10:45am, free time 1:00pm free time
• Awards Ceremony:  5:30pm
• Depart Six Flags: Approx 6:00pm 8:30pm
• Return to Eich: Approx 7:15pm 10:00pm
• Payment Due: March 30th or earlier
• Check can be made payable to "Eich Middle School"
• Choir and Guitar Trip Sign Up Form

Advanced and Intermediate Bands Trip: Saturday, May 21st

• Event Schedule
• Call Time: Approx 10:00am @ Eich Parking Lot
• Intermediate Band Warm Up and Performance: 11:45/1210pm
• Advanced Band Warm Up and Performance: 12:35/1:00pm
• Arrive at Six Flags: 2:00pm, free time
• Awards Ceremony:  5:30pm
• Depart Six Flags: Approx 8:00pm
• Return to Eich: Approx 9:30pm
• Payment Due: May 3rd or earlier
• Check can be made payable to "Eich Middle School"
• Band Spring Trip Sign Up Form

Masking Updates

Beginning March 14th masks are no longer required, but still recommended, on campus. 

Students in the music room will continue to be offered musician masks and instrument bell covers however, their usage will also be optional. 

We will continue our other COVID mitigation strategies by leaving doors open and HVAC on for optimal air circulation. 

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. 

Cell Phone Reminders

Cell phones continue to be a distraction in the music room (and all over campus). School policy is that cell phones will be placed in backpacks during class time. If your musician has their cell phone out during rehearsal I will send you an email and be submitting a referral, per school policy. 

As we prepare for our spring performances we need everyone focused and giving their best effort each rehearsal. 

Welcome to Choir!

Class Description: 

In choir this trimester you will learn the language of music (solfege), how to use your voice correctly, and how to sing in an ensemble (group).

Expectations:

Respect the Music: actively participate with your best voice 

Respect the People: quiet when teacher talks, no shaming others for mistakes

Respect the Room: treat chairs, music stands, and sheet music appropriately

Cell Phone Policy

Cell phones are not allowed in the music room. All cell phones must be placed in backpacks at the start of class. There are very limited exceptions to this rule and only with my direct permission (ie. Guitar players are tuning guitars). If a student has a cell phone out without permission they will get a verbal warning. After that I will place the cell phone at the front of the classroom until the end of class and email parents. If the cell phone is out again another day it becomes a major referral to the front office. 

This policy is in line with our campus-wide Eich Cell Phone Policy. 

Week-at-a-Glance

The Week-at-a-Glance (WAG) document is available in Clever and in Otus. The WAG will have the rehearsal goals for the week, links to assignments, sheet music, and audio/video practice tracks. If you are absent it is expected that you will view the WAG and practice the songs listed for 15 minutes and/or complete any assignments. 

Material and Supplies

• Pencil - that's it!

Students will be given a folder to store sheet music and study materials. The folder may be kept in the music room and will be returned at the end of the trimester. 

Grading:

Summative Grades will be based on

• Two Summative performance videos
• Two written tests
• Process Journal final project including performance videos, reflections, and personal assessments. 

Formative Grades will be based on:

• In class participation
• Written warm-ups
• Practice videos 

Final Concert

As part of our final project we will be rehearsing and presenting a choir concert for the end of the trimester. The concert will either be presented as a Facebook live event during class time or prerecorded and emailed out to families 

Masking

Singing uses large volumes of air at increased speeds. It is recommended by the CDPH that masks be worn while singing. CDPH Guidelines, section 16.

February 2022

2022 Music Department Shirt

Calendar of Events

February 18th     End of Trimester

April 7th             Advanced Band @ Oakmont Concert

April 24th           Advanced/Intermediate Bands @ River Cats

May TBD           Spring Trip???

May 19th            Spring Concert @ Eich 

T-Shirt Update

Shirts have been ordered and I just received confirmation that they have shipped. They should arrive by the end of the week and will be handed out in class

If you have not done so already, please send in $5 (cash or check made out to "Eich Middle School")

Thank you to several parents who donated extra money to cover the cost of shirts

I did order a couple of extra shirts so if your size doesn't fit or you didn't submit an order form, we have some options. I won't know what extra sizes are available until after all shirts have been distributed. 

Grades and Assessments

The end of the trimester is coming up in on February 18th.

All classes will have at least one more summative assessment between now and then.

If you are missing any assessments you have until February 18th to submit them. Anything submitted after the 18th will not be graded in time to be included in the upcoming report card. 

Cell Phone Policy

Cell phones are not allowed in the music room. All cell phones must be placed in backpacks at the start of class. There are very limited exceptions to this rule and only with my direct permission (ie. Guitar players are tuning guitars). If a student has a cell phone out without permission they will get a verbal warning. After that I will place the cell phone at the front of the classroom until the end of class and email parents. If the cell phone is out again another day it becomes a major referral to the front office. 

This policy is in line with our campus-wide Eich Cell Phone Policy. 

Spring Trip: TBD

Typically in the spring we take a field trip to Vallejo to perform and compete in a music festival. Then we spend the rest of the day enjoying time at the Six Flags Theme Park. 

The District Office has given me a "maybe" for this event. We would need to use a district bus and they are not currently approving bus requests. However, they are hoping to be able to change that policy soon.

The cost for this trip is usually around $100. 

I am hoping to be able to make a final decision on this event by the end of February. 

Eich Bands @ the River Cats: April 24th

The Eich bands will be performing the National Anthem at the River Cats Baseball game on Sunday, April 24th! All members of the Advanced and Intermediate Bands are invited to participate. All music families are invited to attend. 

Families will provide their own transportation for this event. No busses. 

Do not buy tickets on your own! We will have a dedicated ticket site for purchasing tickets. 

More info is coming out soon but here are the basic details:

Call Time: approx. 12:00pm

Performance: approx. 1:00pm

Attire: Music T-Shirt/Jeans

Eich Advanced Band @ Oakmont HS: April 7th

The Advanced Band will be performing a concert with the Oakmont Band and Fresno State Wind Ensemble on Thursday, April 7th in the Oakmont Theater. We will perform on our own and then combine with Oakmont for one piece. This is a great way for us to make connections with our future bandmates and have the opportunity to work with the new Oakmont Director, Ms. Mello. 

More info is coming out soon but here are the basic details:

Call Time: TBD (maybe as early as 5:00pm)

Performance: 7:00pm-9:00pm

Attire: Music T-Shirt/Jeans

8th Grade Band Families

In order to help bridge the gap from middle to high school, I would like to get you in contact with your future high school band director, no matter which high school you are planning to attend! 

If you would like to receive communications from your next band director, you can complete the form found below. This will give me permission to share your email so that you can begin to get information about upcoming events including summer band camps, fall schedules, and parent/student info meetings. 

High School Band Contact Form

January 2022

 Spring Performance Calendar

The spring is usually a very busy performance time for us. This year we have a couple of events on the calendar and a few more that I am tentatively working on. I am hoping that we will continue to be allowed to return to more of our "regular" activities. 

Scheduled Events

IB Information Night

Tuesday, January 25th, 6-8pm Eich Music Room: Per 1 Advanced Band and Per 4 Choir only

Spring Concert

Thursday, May 19th, 6-8pm Eich: All Yearlong Classes 

**Date and time subject to change based on current COVID guidelines

Potential Events

Oakmont Collaboration Concert

TBD: Bands and Choir

Eich Music Night with the Rivercats

TBD April or May, Rivercats Stadium, ???

Cap Section Honor Choir

TBD March or April, Sacramento State: Select Choir Students

Cap Section Honor Band

TBD May, Roseville Areas High School, Select Band Students

Spring Trip: Six Flags

TBD: All Yearlong Classes (Band, Choir, Guitar)

**Subject to District Guidelines and Approvals

Class Materials

Reeds for Clarinet, Saxophone, Oboe, Bassoon

The instruments listed above require reeds to play. I have exhausted my school supply and am asking families to please supply their musician with reeds. Reeds can be purchased from any of our local music stores or many online retailers. Musicians should have at least 2 working reeds at all times. When you purchase reeds you need to specify the instrument and the size/strength of reed. 

ie. Eb Alto Saxophone, Size 3

Clarinets and Saxophones: Size 3

Oboe/Bassoon: Medium Soft

Recommended Brands: Rico, Vandoren

Sheet Protectors

The best way to keep our music organized and safe is with a binder and sheet protectors. Most students, especially in choir, are running low on the sheet protectors. Please check with your musician to see if they need more.

Grades

The mid-trimester progress reports will be out next week, January 14th. Since we had the concert in December we don't have any summative grades at this time. Your musicians will be getting the two learning behavior grades. 

Masking

Just before winter break our musician masks were delivered. We will begin using these in all band classes. The masks are specially designed to be worn while playing an instrument. They have an overlapping design that allows a musician to "open" the center of the mask and place their instrument mouthpiece on their face. When the mouthpiece if removed, the flaps closed back up. This eliminates the need to pull masks down while playing and provides more consistent coverage. 
The district is providing ONE  mask per musician. If you lose your mask, you are responsible for replacing it. Musicians will not be allowed to play without an approved musician. mask. 
Here is the link to the mask we will be using. Any mask with a similar structure will be an acceptable replacement. 

Our procedures are in line with the current CDPH Guidelines, section 16.

IB Information Night: January 25th, 6pm-8pm

Our IB Information Night is a chance for current 5th grade families and other potential future Eich families to visit our campus and see what we are all about. The Advanced Band and Yearlong Choir groups will be performing throughout the evening. Please add this performance date to your calendar. I will send out more details next week. 

Cap Section Honor Choir and Honor Band

Honor groups are an opportunity for our top musicians to gather with other top musicians from around the Sacramento area, rehearse, and present a concert. These experiences are generally 1-2 days long with intense rehearsals and a culminating concert. This year both Honor Band and Honor Choir will be happening! Details are still limited but I can tell you that the dates are almost finalized and I will share as soon as I can. 

I believe that this year participation will be based on director recommendations and not on student auditions. Musicians interested in participating will need to demonstrate excellent performance and rehearsal skills in the upcoming weeks. 

Air Quality, Quarantine Instructions

 Air Quality

As mentioned in previous blogs, current state COVID guidelines require us to be outside when singing or playing instruments. When the air quality is poor due to smoke, we will not be going outside. Instead we will stay in the music room and work on other aspects of music. Band classes will be working on composing. Choir classes will be learning the ukulele. Guitar class does not need to modify our lesson plans based on weather. 

What do if Quarantined

If your student is quarantined (or out for any reason) they are still expected to keep up with their daily school work. In a music class that means practicing. 

Because music is a skill the develops with repetition, most of what we do in the music room involves rehearsing our current music. We do not have many assignments that are turned in and graded. If your student is absent it is expected that they will practice our current music on their own so they keep pace with the rest of the class. I require 15-20 minutes of practice time/day, that a student is absent. 

Students on "Independent Study" (out for 5 or more days) will be asked to complete a practice log with their practice minutes and goals for each day they are absent. The practice log must be turned in once the student returns to school in order to receive credit for the missed days.  

You can find our rehearsal plan for each day in our week-at-a-glance document (WAG). The WAG can be found on the Classboard of OTUS and contains:

• Our agenda for each day - which pieces of music we are working on that day or other activities
• Resources - links to the sheet music, links to audio practice tracks, slides for lectures notes, links to online websites

If your student plays an instrument and is quarantined, you can reach out to me and I will put the instrument in the front office for you to pick up. If a student plays their instrument during a period of time when they are confirmed to have COVID, we will want to sanitize the instrument before returning to school. Reach out to me and I will provide instructions on how to safely sanitize your specific instrument.

If there is a playing/singing assessment due while a student is quarantined they may choose to take the assessment at home via a video recording in OTUS OR they may choose to wait until they return to school to take the assessment. 

Instruments and Health/Safety

 Mid-August Update

Health Guidelines for Safe Music-Making

Guidelines

Due to the way we use and move air in band and choir, music classes fall under special COVID safety guidelines.  

At Eich we will be following the most up-to-date guidelines for making music. I am working with the District Office and closely following both the state guidelines and the scientific research as it is becoming available. My goal is to keep our bands and choirs making music in the safest manner possible. 

What does that mean for us?

All Band and Choir rehearsals will be:

• Held out doors
• Socially distanced at 3 feet - this is more than what the current guidelines state.

**No masking is required at this time due to us being outdoors

If the guidelines change I will let you know!

Weather

We are working on getting a semi-permanent shade structure for our outdoor classroom. This will allow us to be as comfortable as possible while also protecting equipment. If the weather is too hot, cold, rainy, windy to be outdoors then we will stay inside for the day/class period. While we are inside we will work on our theory and composing. We will not be playing or singing while indoors at this time. 

Resources

If you are interested in the State Guidelines or the Music Aerosol Study you can find links below.

• Current Guidance from CDPH:
  "During activities when increased exhalation occurs, such as singing, shouting, band, or sports and exercise. Move these activities outdoors or to large, well-ventilated space, when possible." https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/operation-strategy.html
• International Coalition Performing Arts Aerosol Study
  "Outdoors: Outdoors remains the safest space No mitigations needed depending on the level of local and state transmission rates" https://www.nfhs.org/media/4717034/international-coalition-performing-arts-aerosol-study-july-2021-update-final.pdf

Band Instrument Assignments

The kids have been sorted! We have explored the instrument options and the musicians have chosen their top three instruments. With the exception of percussion, students have been assigned to their band instrument. When assigning instruments I kept 3 things in mind:

1. Student preference

2. Balance - we want a varied selection of instruments for our band to sound the best

3. Instrument Inventory and Availability - this is especially a consideration for the larger instruments 

As I mentioned at Back-2-School-Night, some families may need to provide a band instrument. The school has a good selection of the larger instruments to loan to students. However, our smaller instruments are used for the Beginning Band wheel classes. Please chat with your musician to find out what instrument they will be playing and then check the list below for more information

**If your musician is playing an instrument that needs to be rented/purchased and you cannot afford one, please reach out to me. We will come up with options. 

Percussion

As is common, we had too many musicians choose percussion as their top instrument. We have 4 percussion spots and 8 students interested. Tomorrow I will ask those 8 students if any would like to play their 2nd choice. If more than 4 students remain interested we will have an audition. 

**Several of you reached out to let me know that your musician is already taking drum lessons. This will be taken into consideration as well. 

Flutes

Good news, flute is an amazing instrument (some might say, the best). Unfortunate news, we do not have any school flutes left. So if your musician is going to play flute, you will need to rent or purchase one. Rental information is listed below. There are no accessories needed for the flute. 

Clarinets and Alto Saxes

I have a very limited number of clarinets and saxophones left. If you are able to, I would ask that you look into renting an instrument. 

Rental information is listed below. 

Both instruments require reeds to play. They are small pieces of shaved bamboo wood. The school will be able to provide a couple of reeds to get you started. After that, you will need to provide your own. You can purchase reeds at a music store or at online venders like Amazon.

    Reed Info:

        Brand: Rico or Vandoren

        Style: Eb Alto Saxophone OR Bb Clarinet

        Size: 3

    

Trumpets Instruments

I have a very limited number of trumpets left. If you are able to, I would ask that you look into renting an instrument.

Rental information is listed below. There are no accessories needed for the trumpet.

Other

Oboe, Tenor/Bari Sax, F Horn, Trombone, Baritone/Euph, Tuba can all borrow from the school. I will assign your student a school instrument to use for the year. There is a one time suggested donation of $30 to cover maintenance fees. The donation is optional and not required in any way. 

Rental Information

There are many wonderful music stores in the greater Roseville area. They all rent and sell quality instruments and I would recommend any of them. There are a few stores that school regularly does business with and I have listed them below. These are not your only choices, just the ones I have the most personal experience with. 

The Music Yard - online rental form

Located on Lonetree Blvd in Rocklin. Offers a great rent-to-own program. If you complete the rental form online they will deliver the instrument to the school for free(or you may pick it up from the store at any time)!

Tim's Music - online rental form

Located on Fair Oaks Blvd in Carmichael. You can complete the online form and pick up the instrument in-store or pay a $15 delivery fee for drop off at the school. **You DO NOT need any of the additional accessories that are offered. Clarinets and Saxophones may want to purchase the reeds. 

Tague Music - online rental request **Excellent Repair Shop!!!!**

Located on Greenback in Citrus Heights. You can request an instrument online or call to confirm availability. You will need to pick up the instrument in-store. 

Instrument Puchasing

If you choose to purchase an instrument for your musician I highly suggest you do so from an actual music store that specializes in band instruments. 

It is tempting to purchase an instrument from popular online vendors but I do not suggest it. With instruments, you get what you pay for. A low cost instrument will not be able to stand up to the regular playing we will be doing. Often when these lower cost instruments break, our local repair shops will not work on them. They are too fragile to repair. 

Quality band instruments will cost around $300-500 on the low end. If an instrument is advertised for less then that, it may not be worth the investment. 
I am happy to look at any instrument advertisement or link and let you know what I think. I am also happy the give recommendations on brands, models, and vendors. Please reach out if you have questions.