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Welcome to the Madelia Bands blogspot page! Here you can find links to recordings, our performance schedule, and stay updated on our progress in band. Stop in often to see what is news in the Madelia band world.

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

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)

Junior High Concert Band

Listening to recordings gives us a goal to work towards, and helps us understand the bigger picture instead of just our own parts.