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This page updated, May 3rd, 2010
Welcome to the Kealing Middle School Band website!
Take the tour by clicking on any of the items listed on the left. Our goal is to keep parents and students, as well as our education colleagues, informed about our band activities. Let us know if there is any way we can make this website more useful to you. Your comments and suggestions will help us to keep you better informed.
Some documents require Adobe Acrobat Reader for proper viewing. Download it for free by clicking this icon:
Click here to listen to the KMS Fight Song
New Beginner Supplies List for Fall 2010
Visit the New Recruits page or the Downloads page for our most up-to-date supply lists for all beginning instruments.
Our Highest Honor Yet
The Kealing Middle School Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Mark
Gurgel, has been invited to perform a concert at the 64th Annual Midwest
Clinic; An International Band & Orchestra Conference, held in Chicago
in December, 2010.
The Midwest Clinic exists for educational purposes exclusively; to
raise the standards of music education; to develop new teaching techniques;
to disseminate to school music teachers, directors and supervisors
and others interested in music education, information to assist in
their professional work; to examine, analyze and appraise literature
dealing with music; to hold clinics, lectures and demonstrations for
the betterment of music education; and in general to assist teachers
and others interested in music education in better pursuing their profession.
All 50 states will be represented in attendance, as well as representatives
from more than 30 countries.
The Kealing students worked very hard in preparing a recording of two
selections as part of the application. Pictures of the ensemble were
taken, and a DVD of the performance was also produced. All were sent
to Chicago in early March for the Midwest Committee to review.
Mark Gurgel received the e-mail invitation on April 1.
For more information about the Midwest Clinic, visit http://www.midwestclinic.org/about/
Congratulations to Our Outstanding Musicians
These students earned membership in the TMEA Region 18 All-Region Bands and participated in the All-Region Band Festival hosted at Hendrickson High School (Pflugerville ISD) in December.
We are proud to recognize:
Kate Newton - Flute
Vandana Garg - Flute
Laura Phillips - Clarinet
Christian Diaz - Bass Clarinet
Mutahir Ahmad - Bass Clarinet
Clarissa Leight - Bass Clarinet
Keivaun Waugh - Alto Sax
Brett Gramman - Alto Sax
Sophia Galewsky - Tenor Sax
Henry Benschoter - Baritone Sax
Janet Wagner - French Horn
Ravi Govind - Trumpet
Nicholas Fu - Trombone (1st Chair overall!)
Scotty Stevens, Euphonium
Wesley Hutcheson - Tuba
Get Vital Band Events, Dates and More on CHARMS
Go to www.charmsmusic.com and type in "kealingmsband"
Be sure to bookmark Charmsmusic.com for easy access in the future.
Need more details?
Log on to www.charmsmusic.com
Locate the “PARENT/STUDENT LOGIN” section of the web page.
Login to your child’s program account using the following login:
KealingMSBand
This will bring up the main parent page. This will allow you to look at your
child’s program calendar, event list, handouts and SmartMusic files.
Clicking on an event on the calendar brings up the details for that event,
such as times, attendance requirements and equipment/uniform necessities. Clicking
on “event list” puts all of the calendar information in a list
form for easy printing.
When you enter your child’s ID NUMBER, ______________ another more detailed
screen appears with even more options to view your student’s locker and
combination, music assignments, trip account records, forms turned in and practice
reports. Enter your child’s ID FIRST – then you may create your
own, unique password by clicking on the “keys.”
Two areas in which you can help the director maintain
his/her records:
Student information form – if the director has allowed
it, you may help make changes to your child’s student information
page (such as updating phone numbers and email addresses if they
change) to help the teacher communicate with you more effectively.
Most importantly, the parent page assists both you and the teacher to communicate
with each other.
Check Your E-Mail Addresses for Accuracy...
Many e-mails are getting returned to the directors because of incorrect or outdated addresses. Parents, please check your contact information on the CHARMS site. We need accurate e-mail addresses, as virtually all of our communication is done via e-mail. Don't be left out due to outdated contact information.
Please help us communicate with you! Thanks!
...and Check Your Junk Mail Folder and Spam Blocker
KMS Band e-mails may not be getting through to you if you have a spam filter that rejects them. Please check your settings and preferences to allow KMS Band news and information to go where it is intended. In some cases, all you have to do is add the directors' e-mail addresses to your address book.
Beginning Band '09-'10: Your Calendar for the Year Here
Click here to view important dates and events.
Fundraising Strengthens Our Band Program
During our periodic fundraising campaigns, some families prefer to make a cash donation to the Kealing Band activity account or an individual trip account. That's okay! Our individual profit goal for most fundraisers is about $50 per band student. We accept cash donations or checks payable to "Kealing Band". Thanks for supporting your child's music education.
About the GoArts Campaign in Texas
The GoArts campaign is sponsored by the Texas Music Educators Association in conjunction with the Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education, a coalition of more than 25 organizations whose mission is to promote fine arts in our Texas schools.
The GoArts campaign advocates for education policies, primarily at the state level, that ensure all Texas students have opportunities to study music, art, theater, and dance. Visit goarts.org for the latest updates. Sign up to receive email alerts and information that will help you be a more active and effective supporter of music and fine arts education.
An ongoing discussion at the state level about standardized high school GPA guidelines is whether to include Fine Arts courses as "academic". There are Texas legislators and others who follow this line of reasoning: fine arts is music, music is band, bands play at football games, so therefore band, like football, is extra-curricular.
Make your opinion known to our Texas legislators through GoArts.
Click the URL to visit goarts.org
Private Lessons Are for Enrichment
Our private lesson staff has been busy setting up their schedules to meet with students who want to enrich their musical talents. Private lessons are recommended for everyone, not just to those in need of remedial help. Every effort is being made to work around block scheduling, with its alternate days pattern, to permit lessons during class time. The KMS Band directors feel that the individual benefits of private instruction are so great that we will gladly excuse a student from the group for thirty minutes to receive 100% attention from a private lesson teacher.
Click here to download a private lesson application.
Weekly Practice Planners
All band students are expected to maintain weekly practice planners that are due on the first class meeting day of the week. Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band students have the option of turning in a paper copy or submitting their report on line at CharmsMusic.com.
Parents, one of the best ways you can support your child's music education is to monitor and enforce regular practice and sign the practice report for grading every Sunday before the report is due.
The minimum practice expectations are twenty minutes per day and five days per week. Keep in mind that "the more you practice, the luckier you get."
2010-2011 School Year Calendar Now Available