Good afternoon MSMS Band
I just got home from the AMEA Conference in Birmingham. I’ve had some time to reflect on Thursday’s performance and the more I think about it, the better it gets!
Just some takeaways from Thursday evening:
- I think it is safe to say that our concert had the highest attendance of any concert/clinic at the Conference. I attended concerts, clinics, and the keynote speaker on Friday and the attendance for those events were not as well attended as ours. They were still bringing in chairs for folks to sit in the back during our second song of the concert.
- From Thursday evening through Saturday morning, I can’t begin to tell you how many people came up to me to tell me how much they enjoyed the band and how impressed they were with the performance. I think our kids performance really motivated a lot of band directors. Those directors will now go back to their school refreshed and renewed to teach their own band classes. That’s a big reason for attending the conference as a Music Educator. I’m super glad that we were able to impact so many people.
- Parents who were able to make the trip to Birmingham – Thank you! It was wonderful seeing SO many of you there for the concert. Our time slot definitely helped out so many could make the trip as it was after normal working hours. It can be tough to attend a concert in the middle of the day on a weekday. I know it made for a long day and a late evening. Thank you again for coming!
- Most importantly, the band played great. Really great! It’s been over 20 years since MSMS has been at this conference. I think it’s safe to say that the kids’ performance left people wanting more and caused them to recognize that there are hard working kids in the MSMS Band program. The reputation of Muscle Shoals Bands is a good one. It was further reinforced on Thursday evening.
It was a great day. Just wonderful!
Thank you, band. Well done! We are SO proud!
We have been working towards this performance for a LONG time!
Now we get to start working on the next thing.
For our 7th/8th grade band members, the next big thing is Music Performance Assessment.
Here’s upcoming dates to remember:
January 24 – Jazz Band Rehearsal @ 7:15 a.m.
January 26 – Jazz Band Rehearsal @ 7:15 a.m.
January 28 – All State Auditions at MSHS
February 7 – Shoals Area Honor Band Auditions at MSMS
February 10/11 – ABA District 3 Honor Band @ Russellville High School
February 17 – MSMS Black History Month School Program (Jazz Band)
March 7/8/9 – Music Performance Assessment @ UNA (7th/8th Grade Band will play on one of the days)
March 10/11- Shoals Area Honor Band @ Florence High School
All State Auditions are coming up this Saturday, January 28 @ MSHS. I will be staying after school Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday until 4:30 p.m. to work on the final preparations with the kids auditioning for All State. The tryout week for these students has arrived!
6th Grade Band – We need to keep working on our pass offs! Continue working on your lines. You can pass them off to Mr. Seay, Mrs. Hood, Mr. O ‘ Bryant, or Mr. Mashburn (our student intern).
New music for 7th/8th grade starting next week!
Seay everyone on Monday!
