Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Z-99 coming to Madelia Bands
Greg and Jillian from the Z-99 morning drive are coming to Madelia Concert Band! Wednesday October 12th, 4th period band students will have a session with the radio hosts, and perform a selection from their athletic band library to be aired on the Morning Drive the next day. Students, brush your teeth and comb your hair, there will be a pictures as well!
Good to be Back!!!
School is back in session and it is good to be back! Here is the music the Junior High Concert Band is working on:
Here's a song for 5th and 6th grade concert band:
Friday, April 15, 2011
Pops Concert
I've been looking forward to this all year! Here's what we are working on for our pops concert.
Madelia Concert Band
As Summer was Just Beginning by Larry Daehn
Hogan's Heroes March by Jerry Fielding
John Williams in Concert Arranged by Paul Lavender
Birdland by Joesef Zawinul
MADJazz
Papa's Got A Brand New Bag by James Brown
Come Sail Away by STYX
When I Fall In Love sung by Nat "King" Cole
Two's A Crowd by Adrian Barnett
Madelia Junior High Concert Band
The Best of Journey Arranged by Paul Murtha
Voodoo Dance by Elliot Del Borgo
Fun Fun Fun by The Beach Boys (beware of car jumpers!)
JazzHawks
Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond
La Bamba by Richie Valens
Monday, April 11, 2011
Introducing: Adrian Barnett!
Adrian Barnett is a doctoral student in jazz performance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is an in demand artist and sought after clinician. He has done seminars in schools across Illinois including Chicago and Bloomington, as well as many appearances in his home state of Minnesota.
For our May 16th pops concert Adrian will be joining the Madelia Concert/Jazz bands on stage. Students will also get a chance to talk about jazz with the soon to be Dr. Barnett on Friday, May 13.
What better way to put on a pops concert than by having a professional musician join us for some fun tunes. When you see Adrian, be sure to congratulate him on winning a Downbeat award this year.
Check out his website www.adrianbarnett.com
Friday, March 18, 2011
Subsection 6 Honor Band
Here are links to the music we will be performing in Subsection 6 honor band. The music will be very challenging. Getting a head start will make sure you give your best performance, stop in to see Mr. Z for extra help. Happy practicing!
A Festival Prelude by Alfred Reed
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine by John Philip Sousa
On A Hymnsong of Philip Bliss by David Holsinger
Coldplay on Stage Arranged by Michael Brown
Monday, March 14, 2011
Junior High Honor Band
The Junior High Honor band music is in! Follow these links to listen online:
Invincible by Robert W. Smith
The Water is Wide by James Swearingen
Mythos by Chris M. Bernotas
Japanese Festival by Quincy Hilliard
Espana Cani by Michael Story
I can't wait to hear these performed by Junior High students from Subsection 6!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Waseca Jazz Festival
Waseca is hosing their 15th annual Jazz festival March 12. One of the things I always look forward to is when schools bring a guest artist to work with students and play with them on the concert. This year Cuban Pianist Nachito Herrera will be joining students on the stage. Other schools performing at the Jazz festival are: Waseca Jazz I and Jazz II, New Prauge, and Loyola. The Southern Minnesota Real Big Band will also perform. I am looking forward to listening to each group!
Check out Nachito at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOz2R4ozFbM
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Smart Music
I am pleased to announce that the Madelia Department of Music now has Smart Music!!! This is a program that allows you to play your instrument with the computer. It also tracks your progress and gives feedback on the performance. Smart music is a great tool for all musicians and I look forward to showing you how to use it!
Learn more at smartmusic.com
Friday, February 18, 2011
Online Resources
There are many great resources online for musicians, and more are being added all of the time! This one I just found has interactive games to test musical concepts such as rhythm, note naming, key signatures etc. I hope you get a chance to explore the possibilities at: http://www.emusictheory.com/practice.html
Monday, February 14, 2011
Preview of Spring
As the weather fluctuated from -20 to 40 last week, I made an emergency trip to the grocery store to pick up charcoal and steaks. As I lit the grill, it really set in that spring is almost here and what a great feeling that is!
Spring is always a busy time, with spring cleaning, starting a new season of sports, concerts and contests. It's easy to get overwhelmed. The important thing is keep the big picture in mind, and try to keep making progress as we go along. Here we go!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Jazz Band Recordings
One of the best ways to get improve your jazz chops is just to listen to more jazz. Here are the current jazz band tunes:
JazzHAWKS:
"Steamroller" Carl Strommen
"The Blues is Loose" Victor Lopez
MADJazz:
"Cool Joe, Mean Joe" arr. Lisa Despain originaly by Benny Golson
"Traces" Sammy Nestico
"Honk" Jeff Jarvis
I got a chance to see Benny Golson at the Eau Claire Jazz Festival. What a great player!
We are playing Cool Joe, and Traces at solo and ensemble contest March 7th.
Monday, January 10, 2011
A Time for Growth
It's hard to believe this year is almost halfway over! As we begin to wrap up second quarter, we look ahead to third quarter. The start of a new semester brings an opportunity to reflect on 1st semester and set goals for the second.
Also, in the weeks before 3rd quarter starts students are able to review their schedules and make changes for the rest of the year. This is the time for students that are considering joining band to step up to the plate and join. We've had an outstanding year so far and would love to increase our music making potential by adding members.
Current band students ask your friends who are former band members about joining. You'll be amazed that adding just a few instruments can make a HUGE difference. Thanks for your help!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Online Recordings
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Recordings are the same way! Sometimes a musical concept may look complicated and difficult on the page. Listening to a quality recording can paint a musical picture of how the composer wanted the piece to sound. Here are some places online to listen to the music we are currently working on in band:
Madelia Concert Band
"River of Life" - (Contest Piece)
"On a Hymnsong of Lowell Mason" -(Contest Piece)
"Journey to Diablo Canyon" full length version
Junior High Concert Band
"Groovee"
Listening to recordings gives us a goal to work towards, and helps us understand the bigger picture instead of just our own parts.
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