Course Syllabus

 

WELCOME to the 2022-2023 WELLESLEY HIGH SCHOOL WIND ENSEMBLE

WHS_Wind_Ensemble_Mechanics-1.jpg

 

PERFORMANCE CALENDAR:
Band_Jazz_Performance Calendar_22-23.pdf 

 

JOIN THE WIND ENSEMBLE REMIND APP:
https://www.remind.com/join/3fa9d9

 

PRINT PEP BAND PARTS:
WOODWINDS/BRASS - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lq4NSQ-9hd6CD0mSsnX1ykwZrom4uaRM?usp=sharing

PERCUSSION - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MX1-wboY8ug-R7VyThZgvMNOnRkb_XT5?usp=sharing


ORDER FLIP FOLDER & LYRE from Amazon:

FLIP FOLDER - https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000P8DQS0/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new

LYRE - each lyre is different depending on your instrument. Flute, oboe, bassoon and percussion do not use a lyre. To find your lyre, go on Amazon.com and search for "Lyre for 'your instrument'". For example, "Lyre for clarinet" or "Lyre for alto saxophone." Be specific and investigate which option will fit your specific instrument. Not sure? Ask me, or an upperclassmen section mate!

 

Director, Mr. Steven Scott • Intensives: Christopher Bertolini, Lily Burnham, Matt Baldinger, Will Bonnette, Michael Bueker, River Craciun, Zachary Dupont, Max Goldenson, Aaron Lai, Isabelle Lee, Jeffrey Li, Ryan McClennen, Sebastian Papa, Darren Shi

Last Year’s Highlights: Pep Band performances at home football games & two town parades • Graduation and Memorial Day Services performances • Districts & All-State  • Back to LIVE performances for all ensembles! • 2:00 Jazz Band Gold Medal at MAJE Jazz Festival and State Finals performance • WHS Wind Ensemble Gold Medal at MICCA Band Festival & Mechanics Hall performance • 1:00 & 2:00 Jazz Bands Fall and Spring Concerts • Concert Band & Wind Ensemble Fall, Spring and Step-Up performances ... and much more!

 

 

Rehearsal Participation Expectations
The Wellesley High School Wind Ensemble performs exciting, challenging, demanding, and intellectually stimulating concert music at a refined level. In a student's four years in the WHS Wind Ensemble, (s)he will perform many of the great works in the standard repertoire and new literature for wind band. This requires strong musicianship and technique, efficient use of rehearsal time, focus and maturity, combined with spirit, dedication, and pride on the parts of WHS Wind Ensemble-members. All members are part of a unified team and should see themselves as leaders who can help shape an inspiring experience.

Some specific expectations for rehearsals include:
• Students are in bandroom before the bell and ready to play before the downbeat 2 minutes after the bell. Reed players especially need to move it to be ready. Please check the board and put music in rehearsal order as noted.

• Students are prepared with their instrument, mutes, music, and a PENCIL. Effective practice and progress as a musician are also critical. See GRADING.

• Once the rehearsal has started, rehearsal demeanor is maintained. Look to the Senior Intensives, section leaders, your own sense of pride and your aspirations for the group to dictate what this should be for the group of which you want to be a part.

• Students are actively engaged in the rehearsal. This includes being ready to play as soon as the stick is raised, putting forth effective effort to achieve the musical goal that is set, marking parts whenever a mistake is made, and helping others when needed. Moreover, think critically about what the musical goal is or should be. How can you help your section or the band achieve this? Remember that music is beautiful and exciting! Savor the goosebumps!

• Maintaining the bandroom and equipment. This includes putting folders and instruments away in the instrument lockers, taking great care with school owned instruments and equipment, and leaving the bandroom neat. NO FOOD OR DRINK IS ALLOWED ANYWHERE IN THE BANDROOM. Water is ok—please place bottles in recycling!

 

Lessons

All Jazz Band and Wind Ensemble members should be taking weekly private lessons.  Information about our IVEP Lessons can be found here:
https://wellesleyps.org/performingarts/ivep/

 

Districts & All-State

We are part of the MMEA Eastern District.

*DISTRICTS info can be found at: https://mmeaeasterndistrict.org

*ALL-STATE info can be found under “Auditions” at: http://www.massmea.org

 

Practice

A minimum of 4 hours of individual (home) practice per week is required of all WHS Instrumental Students. Your practice will be assessed and graded through your daily work in class. Find your way to make this effective and fun! Most successful members of this ensemble practice much more than 4 hours per week. Remember, “time on horn” is the reason the pros sound like they do.

 

Sectionals
It is required for Jazz Band and Wind Ensemble sections to hold regular rehearsals outside of school to work on parts together. It is highly recommended for Concert Band sections to plan to do the same. It works!


Concert Attendance Policy
Being a part of an exceptional band takes spirit, dedication, and pride. Every member is a vital part of the unified whole. Band members are expected to participate in ALL public performances. There are only about 10 band performances for the whole year (select groups will add more), but each performance is vital. Plan your homework time and participation in other activities to incorporate these 10 dates. In the case of an urgent family commitment, a note from the student's parents must be presented to Mr. Scott no later than two weeks prior to the event. If a conflict is known well in advance, it is of course expected that it will be brought up and resolved right away, not later. In the case of illness, a parent email should be sent to scotts@wellesleyps.org, as far in advance as possible, or if this is not possible, then a note should be handed in upon return to school. All excused-missed performances must be made up through extra work or responsibilities to be assigned. Unexcused-missed performances may not be made up. Please remember you are joining a team that depends on you for your talent and your positive spirit!

 

Concert Attire

CONCERT ATTIRE band+jazz.pdf 

Please read the CONCERT ATTIRE PDF that details information about ordering students' concert attire. Please go over this info and place your order ASAP to ensure your attire arrives in time to be altered for upcoming concerts. ALL freshmen and new students will need to order all of the detailed attire items for your ensemble (e.g. Concert Band / Wind Ensemble, 1:00 Jazz Band or 2:00 Jazz Band). Upperclassmen should double-check that their attire still fits, but also double-check you have the correct jazz band long silk tie (e.g. 1:00 = red, 2:00 = black). It is 100% OK for students to purchase and wear concert attire that fits their gender identity - please feel free to ask any questions at all. Also note that some items are personally purchased at a store of your choosing (e.g. Jazz Band black dress pants and black dress shirt, black socks, black dress shoes, etc.). Be sure to purchase these items well in advance of our concerts to assure they fit properly.

Great bands look sharp and uniform. Look to the greats for inspiration. Appearance lends a great deal to the musical impact a group has. For all concerts, Wind Ensemble members should wear a personally-owned tuxedo, which includes black tux jacket, black tux pants, black dress shoes and black socks, white long-sleeved collared tux shirt, and black bow tie OR our Band/Orchestra long black formal dress—note that for correct style dress, easiest ordering of tux items and best prices all items should be ordered online from our vendor. For Band Step-Up we wear Band T-Shirts. For the Town Parade and Memorial Day Services, Wind Ensemble members should wear our Band T-Shirts, black pants and black shoes. For all home football games, students should dress comfortably for the weather, but neatly, and wear personally owned red "Wellesley Raiders" hooded Pep Band Jacket purchased from POPS. 1:00 Jazz Band Men purchase a solid red satin tie online, 2:00 Jazz Band Men purchase a solid black satin tie online—and both bands wear a black dress shirt/blouse, black dress pants, black belt, black dress socks and shoes.


Additional Equipment
Everyone needs: a combo lock, a flip folder & lyre (for Pep Band), and metronome & tuner apps for your device.


GET THE FOLLOWING FLIP FOLDER & LYRE FOR YOUR INSTRUMENT
• FLIP FOLDER w/ 8 PAGES (to hold your Pep Band music, be sure it has at least 8 pages):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000P8DQS0/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new

• LYRE (a clip-on music stand for your instrument)
*NOTE that each lyre is different depending on your instrument. Flute, oboe, bassoon and percussion do not use a lyre. To find your lyre, go on Amazon.com and search for "Lyre for 'your instrument'". For example, "Lyre for clarinet" or "Lyre for alto saxophone." Be specific and investigate which option will fit your specific instrument. Not sure? Ask me, or an upperclassmen section mate!

You can also purchase your FLIP FOLDER & LYRE at:
Needham Music & Dance
957 Great Plain Ave, Needham, MA 02492
*Call first to assure they have them in stock and bring your instrument to make sure the lyre fits correctly.

Trumpet and trombone players must own a straight mute (Tom Crown) and a cup mute (Dennis Wick). Jazz plungers for trumpet (4 ½”)  and trombonists (7”), and jazz trumpet players often need a Harmon mute (Jo-Ral Bubble) and a pixie mute (Humes & Berg). Horn players must also own a Humes & Berg mute. **Please get these specific brands/models. Others’ sound will not match.

Percussionists must own a drum key, stick bag and at least 2B sticks. Jazz players should also own brushes and 5A sticks.

Grading
Public Performances - 25%
Please see Concert Attendance Policy. Music is a form of communication and is meant to be shared and celebrated. Public performances represent the culmination of performing arts studies in the manner a final exam does for a science or history class. Students are required to perform at ALL  HOME FOOTBALL GAMES, PARADES, CONCERTS, AND FESTIVALS. Absences from concerts will result in a zero for that event for this portion of the grade.


Daily Preparation and Class Participation - 50%
Please see Rehearsal Participation Expectations. This portion of the student's grade will also include group-assessment activities after recorded rehearsals and concerts. Students will hand in written evaluations of the group's progress done during class in response to recordings of the concerts.


SmartMusic Assignments - 25%
This portion of students' grades will include recorded excerpts from students' band music and other SmartMusic assignments. Students will submit their recorded assignments via the app.


About the Director

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Steven Scott has been teaching instrumental music and music technology at Wellesley High School for the past twenty-five years. Ensembles under Mr. Scott's direction have received state and national recognition—performing at venues including Boston Symphony Hall, Mechanics Hall in Worcester, the Boston Hatch Shell, Fenway Park, Berklee Performance Center, Manhattan School of Music, and at Lincoln Center with master classes from Wynton Marsalis. Ensemble accolades include consistent gold medal ratings at MICCA Concert Band Festivals and MAJE Jazz Festivals, being named a National Finalist for the Charles Mingus High School Competition, and four times a National Finalist in the Essentially Ellington Competition. Mr. Scott has also served as a Teaching Associate at Boston University teaching music technology and instrumental repertoire. He and the WHS Wind Ensemble have been featured performers at the Massachusetts Music Educators Association All-State Conference where Mr. Scott has also been a music technology presenter in the past. Mr. Scott has taken part in a number of music education conferences and has had master conducting classes with Herb Pomeroy and Peter Loel Boonshaft. He earned a B.S. in Music Education from The College of St. Rose in Albany, N.Y. where he was named the Theodore Presser Scholar, and a M.A. in Music Education from the Eastman School of Music where he studied with composers Sidney Hodkinson and Fred Sturm. He is currently completing a second masters degree in Music Production at Berklee College of Music.

Students in the Wellesley Band Program begin instrumental lessons in 4th grade in our after-school Extension Lesson program. All lessons take place at WHS or WMS, and meet for a half-hour once per week. As students progress they join the Wellesley All-Town Band taught by Ms. Julie Verret and Mr. Dave Adams. All-Town Band meets weekly as separate groups in each of our seven elementaries, and then once per month as a full ensemble. At Wellesley Middle School students advance to the 6th, 7th and 8th Grade Bands all of which are also taught by Mr. Adams during the school day. At the end of the 8th grade all students may enroll in the WHS Concert Band and some advanced players are recommended to audition for the Wind Ensemble.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due