Winter Concert Letter

12/9/10

Dear Parents

Thanks for encouraging your child to play music! The students and I are very excited about the upcoming Winter Concert on December 9, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. in the Windsor Middle School Gym. I am writing to let you know some details about the upcoming activities and to ask for your help.

The logistics of the evening are as follows: Beginning Band students will meet in Room K116 at 6:00 p.m. in concert attire: black long pants or skirts a white button down shirt and black shoes. Beginning band members will not take out their instruments until I am in the room. Beginning band students will have reserved seats in the bleachers closest to the performance area. We’re glad that they will be able to enjoy the second half of the concert. Honor Band students will meet in the MPR at 5:45 p.m. We will warm up and tune quickly. Instruments will then be put away and the Honor Band will go to the library to relax and quietly enjoy the computers and books while the Beginning Band performs. I’m grateful to all parents who are able to help supervise the groups as they prepare for the performance.

After the concert, we will need a crew of parents and students to clean up the gym, stack the chairs, move the instruments back to the band room, take down the decorations and get the gym ready for classes the next day. The concert will be about an hour long. If enough people are able to help with the clean up, it will not take too long or keep us out too late.

Attached is a list of Concert Etiquette rules that it is very important for our students to know. Please discuss these with your child. Please indicate that you have read the letter by signing below. (A 50 pt. bonus will be awarded for returning the letter by Friday, December 5!)

Thank you very much for encouraging your child to play in our bands and for supporting music in the Windsor Schools. Studying music is good for them and good for our school! We look forward to performing for you.

Sincerely

Steve Mitchell




_______________________________ _____________________________________________
Parent Signature Parent Name

I can help out by


__________ Serving on the clean up crew


__________ Helping to supervise students at the Concert


__________ Helping to decorate the gym for the Concert ______________________________
phone/email







Here are the Top Ten rules on Concert Etiquette:

1. Refrain from talking during the performance and remind your children that it is important for them to be quiet before and during the performance. If students see their parents talking during a performance they will assume this is appropriate behavior. The students have worked hard to prepare for the performance. They deserve our respectful behavior.

2. Refrain from making extraneous noise during the concert and encourage your child to do the same. A parents calm demeanor will help the children to be calm and quiet. Our goal is to create an atmosphere more like a symphony concert than a rock or pop concert.

3. Turn off cell phones, pagers, pda’s, and watches during the concert.

4. Do not wave to your child while they are on stage. Your sense of decorum will be imitated by the students on stage.

5. Do not take flash photographs or walk down the aisle to shoot video of your child while the students are playing.

6. Do not leave as soon as your child’s portion of the concert is over. Our concerts will be about one hour long. Show your child that you value their performances now, and will continue to do so in the future.

7. Applaud appropriately at the appropriate times.

8. Do not enter or leave the auditorium while a group is playing.

9. Go to the concert expecting the best from your kids both musically and behaviorally. Expectation can boost achievement!

10. Remember that children learn more from what we do, than what we say!!