We hope this bulletin finds you all doing well! Thank you to all our students that were able to attend our Zoom check-ins last week. It was so nice to see everyone! Our Band Leadership met twice to develop a fun activity for our students to participate in. Please see the details below!

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VIRTUAL TALENT SHOW

Attention all band students! This week the band will be hosting a Virtual Talent Show to help combat the boredom of isolation. Each student is encouraged to submit a video example of a talent or skill that keeps them occupied at home. Talents could include singing, cooking, playing an instrument, or anything unique/interesting. There will be compilation of all the videos released in the next Band Bulletin, along with a Google Form so everyone can vote for their favorites. 

The winner of the Virtual Talent Show will receive a $25.00 Amazon gift card! The Band Officers will be offering other recognition/superlatives as well.

GUIDELINES
1. All videos must be school appropriate.
2. Videos should be approximately 1 minute long. 
3. Videos should be sent to Elise Horvath at horvathe02@bbhcsd.org or via Snapchat or text. 
4. Videos are due on Thursday, April 2nd at 11:59 PM.

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GRADE REPORTING

Directors will be submitting grades for the 3rd grading period by WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1ST. Directors will be inputing grades from last week’s offsite learning over the next two days. All grades are not input quite yet, but any graded assignments that have not been received will be marked as “missing” or with a zero. If a grade is not logged or is not marked “missing” then grading is still in progress. Students and parents should be checking up on Progress Book for any missing assignments.

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OFFSITE LEARNING

Students need to continue checking their school e-mail and Google Classroom daily during the week. All assignments should be submitted through Google Classroom unless otherwise noted. Please make sure you read ALL instructions as we continue adjusting to offsite learning. We received several questions from students this week that were answered when we directed students back to the original assignment post on Google Classroom.

Directors have scheduled the office hours below. This is a timeframe where at least one of us will be available for quick responses to questions via email, Google Classroom, or Zoom video conference.

Monday – 11:30am-2:30pm
Tuesday – 9:00am-11:00am
Wednesday – 9:00am-11:00am
Thursday – 11:30am-2:30pm
Friday – 10:00am-12:00pm

We do not have any large group Zoom meetings scheduled for this week, but students may contact a director to setup an individual Zoom conference at a mutually agreed time.

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HONOR ENSEMBLE AUDITIONS

Audition materials are available for several honor ensembles next school year. Several have deadlines in May, so now is a GREAT time to start working on audition materials. We have many talented students that would be excellent candidates for membership! Please check out the opportunities below:

OMEA All-State Band/Orchestra/Jazz
Cleveland Youth Wind Symphonies
Contemporary Youth Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra

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UPCOMING DATES

  • Monday, 4/6: Disney Rehearsal – CANCELLED
  • Tuesday, 4/7: Band Booster Meeting, 7:00pm – Location TBD
  • Wednesday, 4/29: Wind Ensemble Evening Rehearsal, 6:00pm-8:00pm
  • Wednesday, 5/6: Spring Band Concert, 7:00pm – BBHHS Auditorium
  • 2020 Band Camp (Required)
    • Week 1: July 27-31
    • Week 2: August 3-7

We hope this Band Bulletin finds you all doing well and discovering some silver linings in these unpredictable times. The news of the Disney trip is without a doubt disappointing, but the health and safety of our students is the district’s top priority. Our student leadership will be meeting to discuss ways of keeping our band family engaged and positive during this challenging time. If you need a little laugh, see the video below created by Mikkel Baterina and Jadon Gamboa to promote good instrument hygiene. It’s one of many we’ve received from our students cleaning their instruments!

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GOOGLE CLASSROOM

Thank you to everyone for getting signed up with Google Classroom and being patient as we all navigate this new style of instruction and learning together. Please make sure you continue to check your school e-mail and Google Classroom daily for updates on assignments and deadlines. THURSDAY, MARCH 26TH is the end of the 3rd quarter, so it is imperative that students submit all work by the 11:59pm deadline.

Directors have scheduled the office hours below. This is a timeframe where at least one of us will be available for quick responses to questions via email, Google Classroom, or Zoom video conference.

Monday – 11:35am-2:00pm
Tuesday – 7:45am-10:45am
Wednesday – 7:45am-10:45am
Thursday – 11:35am-2:35pm
Friday – 10:00am-12:00pm

Students may also contact a director to setup an individual Zoom conference at a mutually agreed time.

ZOOM CHECK-INS have been scheduled for the ensembles/groups below. These are times where students can join a Zoom meeting to see classmates and give feedback to directors on how the online learning is going for them. Zoom meeting codes will be sent out via Remind.

Jazz Ensemble: Monday, March 23 – 12:00pm
Student Leaders: Monday, March 23 – 1:00pm
Intermediate Band: Tuesday, March 24 – 9:30am
Wind Ensemble: Tuesday, March 24 – 10:00am
Symphonic Band: Tuesday, March 24 – 10:30am

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BUILDING ACCESS & MEDICATION PICKUP – UPDATED 3/23

Due the the Governor’s announcement on Sunday, the BBHHS music wing will only open by appointment as deemed “essential” for students that need to retrieve anything to complete online assignments during the “Stay At Home” order. Contact Mr. Rex individually.

Medication that was turned in for the Disney Trip that is deemed “essential” for students during the Governor’s “Stay At Home” order also be still be picked up from the nurse’s office on Tuesday from 8:00am-10:00am.

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ROYALTON MUSIC HOME DELIVERY

Royalton Music will be offering home delivery for any orders above $50.00. They are also offering online lessons for students as well. More information available on their website.

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MR. JOSEPH BOSOTY MEMORIAL

Calling all former private students of Joseph Bosoty. Mr. Joseph Bosoty was a private clarinet and saxophone teacher who passed away on November 1, 2019. A Memorial Celebration is being organized on May 23, 2020 at 11:00am at Parma Senior High School to remember and celebrate Mr. Bosoty’s legacy. Mr. Bosoty taught and influenced many clarinet and saxophone musicians in the area including BBHHS. Former students are being sought to participate in the Memorial Celebration. More information is available HERE.

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OMEA ALL-STATE HONOR ENSEMBLES

Audition information for the 2021 OMEA All-State Honors Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Orchestra has been posted on the OMEA website. We do have most of the etude books at BBHHS if you need the music. These are challenging excerpts, but we have many BBHHS students who are worthy of auditioning. Please contact Mr. Rex or your private lesson teachers with any questions.

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UPCOMING DATES

  • Wednesday, 3/25: Disney Rehearsal & Uniform Turn-In – CANCELLED
  • Monday, 4/6: Disney Rehearsal – CANCELLED
  • Tuesday, 4/7: Band Booster Meeting, 7:00pm – Location TBD
  • Wednesday, 4/29: Wind Ensemble Evening Rehearsal, 6:00pm-8:00pm
  • Wednesday, 5/6: Spring Band Concert, 7:00pm – BBHHS Auditorium
  • 2020 Band Camp (Required)
    • Week 1: July 27-31
    • Week 2: August 3-7

Dear Band Families,

It is with great sadness that we must announce the cancellation of the Marching Bees trip to Walt Disney World during Spring Break 2020. Unfortunately, due to the recent COVID-19 crisis, which led to the temporary closure of Disney Parks and Resorts around the globe, along with ongoing updates from state and national leaders restricting access to restaurants, stores, tourist locations, etc., it is in the best interest of our students, staff, and chaperones to make this tough decision to cancel.

This biannual visit to Walt Disney World is an event that our students and families look forward to and is a source of pride for our school and community. We know that this decision will be particularly difficult for our Juniors and Seniors, but please understand we waited as long as we could to make the call hoping this pandemic would improve to allow the band to travel as planned. Freshmen and Sophomores will still have the opportunity to travel in 2022.

Great Day! Tours is working with all the vendors to maximize our refund.  The largest cost portion of the tour is the Disney Ticket and food vouchers, which Great Day! Tours has received  confirmation will be refunded. Disney is not sure of the time frame because they are running with a state required minimum staff, so please be patient.  Disney indicated it could take a couple of months. Many of the other suppliers, including the hotel, have already indicated that they will be sending a refund.  You will be refunded via the same method that you used to pay for the trip – check or credit card. All Bee Bucks will also be returned to your Bee Buck account through the Band Boosters.

We understand that this cancellation does not provide our Juniors and Seniors the opportunity to travel with the band, so all Juniors and Seniors will get a refund as determined by Great Day! Tours.  The band is working with Great Day! Tours to see if we can get a reduced price for the future trip in 2022 if families elect not to take a refund at this time for their student and the student will be enrolled in band for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years. All details will be announced when the refund is finalized. 

Medications that have been turned in for the trip are available at the high school from the clinic. Please email witzkel@bbhcsd.org to arrange a pick-up time.  Information about uniform turn-in will be released at a later date. Please make sure you keep them hung up properly at home.

We have shared with you everything we know at this point, but if you have any questions we will do our best to answer them. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding. BEE well!

Musically Yours,
Mr. Aaron Rex, Ms. Tricia Astey, Mr. John Pasternak

CC: Steven Ast, Principal
Joelle Magyar, Superintendent
Kathleen Drinko, President of Band Boosters

What a crazy week it has been! While none of us anticipated our lives changing this much for the next three weeks, the most important things to remember are to be patient, kind, and flexible. The Band Directors will now have a huge influx of e-mail communication(Mr. Rex’s inbox has doubled in the last 24 hours alone), but will respond as promptly as possible. These are uncharted waters for us all, but this too shall pass and music will help us get through it. Make smart choices, and please do not hesitate to reach out for help whether it be academic or personal. We care about all of our students’ physical and emotional health!

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GOOGLE CLASSROOM

As directed by administration, students will be assigned learning activities via Google Classroom. We hope that you will find your learning activities for band courses a welcome departure from all the screen time of core classes. In general, we will post one to two learning activities a week(some playing and some non-playing). Our goal is to try and keep us on track for our May concert, but also provide some opportunities for students to select learning activities that provide personal interests. All information is available on each course’s Google Classroom page(codes below). If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail us. We will be checking our e-mail about twice a day during the week (morning and afternoon) and also when/if we have a chance on the weekends.

Jazz Ensemble: gfwdimx

Symphonic Band: q74ii4w

Intermediate Band: wjjyg6u

Concert Winds: rq7aopl

Wind Ensemble: z3r4qeh

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DISNEY UPDATE

As you may have seen, Disney World has closed for the rest of March. The CDC is advising social distancing and no gatherings of groups larger than 50 people for the next 8 weeks. The CDC also is predicting the peak of COVID-19 to hit in late April. We are currently working with BBHCSD Administration and Great Day Tours to see what our options are at this point. We want to gather all the latest data from the CDC, BBHCSD Administration, Great Day Tours, and Disney before making any decisions. It is our hope to have answers to your questions by the end of the week. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we consider the best interest of everyone involved.

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PRIVATE LESSONS

With the schools being closed for the next three weeks, private lessons that occurred at BBHHS are not able to occur at the the school during this time. We have been informed that lessons at Royalton Music will continue as scheduled until further notice. Mr. Rex is working with our lesson teachers at BBHHS and other resources to find a solution for those that are wanting to responsibly continue lessons during the time away from school. Please make sure you have been in contact with your lesson teachers about future lessons.

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UPCOMING DATES

  • Friday, 3/20: Jazz Ensemble performance at Ashland University Maplerock Jazz Festival – CANCELLED
  • Saturday, 3/21: MIOSM Pancake Breakfast – CANCELLED
  • Wednesday, 3/25: Disney Rehearsal & Uniform Turn-In – CANCELLED
  • 2020 Band Camp (Required)
    • Week 1: July 27-31
    • Week 2: August 3-7

In response to current events surrounding COVID-19, parents and students should be reminded of important instrument hygiene procedures to prevent the spread of germs and bacteria. These guidelines were gone over with students in class. ALL INSTRUMENTS MUST GO HOME FRIDAY to be cleaned using the guidelines below.

Instrument Hygiene Guidelines & Procedures

Per the orders of Governor DeWine, BBHCSD will be closed for the next three weeks starting Monday, March 16th at 3:30pm. Teachers will be meeting on Monday to plan digital/online activities for students to complete at home to keep the learning process going. We will have more information posted about this next week, but students can expect learning activities to include both playing and non-playing assignments. Music will also be posted on the band website for students that share folders. ALL INSTRUMENTS & MUSIC MUST GO HOME FRIDAY. Percussionists that need to check out a practice pad or bell kit will have the opportunity to do so in class Friday. If you need to make special arrangements for large instruments such as tuba and baritone saxophone, please contact Mr. Rex. We will address shared school instrument concerns with these students in class Friday.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. It is important that we all STAY POSITIVE AND FLEXIBLE as this is new territory for us all. Be well!