Williams Elementary in the paper

Hello here is a link to a feature of the Williams Elementary Chorus and Band. On Tuesday, December 17, 2013, the band and chorus caroled for our business partners at the school. There was a picture in Wednesday's local section. Hope you enjoy.


http://bcove.me/yhz1j62y

Grant Funded

I have great news to share:

I posted a grant for drums on DonorsChoose.org and it was fully funded. We will receive 3 drums in addition to the ones we were able to purchase through the Zumbathon in October. Thank you to Kia Motors and individual donors.

Thank you

Thank you to everyone that made the concert a success. We had a really great turn out and the kids had a great time. We will have a couple of more concerts this year and I look forward to working with you on those as well. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, and Happy Holidays. Be safe and we will see you in January.

Winter Concert

It's getting to be that time again. The holiday concert is going to be December 12 at 6:00pm. As usual, your help will be appreciated that day if you are available. The songs and lyrics are available on the music website's podcast page and can be downloaded or played from the site. Here is the plan:

Go to https://sites.google.com/a/gm.sbac.edu/wildcat-music/podcasts  or just click on the podcast link on this page for the songs

K-Snow Cow 

1st-Santa's Workshop

2nd- A very Berry Song

3rd-has a recorder feature that I will work on in class with them. I will make copies for students to practice at home. 

4th-A Song for Hanukkah

5th-Mr. Frosty Winter

The band and chorus will also feature in this show as well. The band will play in the middle and the chorus will close out the show.

 

I am going to send out hard copies of the lyrics next week. 

Jazz Band Performance

Hello,

Just wanted to invite you all to a jazz band performance featuring the GCJB. It is an 18 piece big band that I direct outside of school. We also have a vocalist. We are playing at Sweet Dreams Ice Cream for their Fall Chocolate Night event this Sunday, Nov. 10, at the corner of University and NW 34th St. behind Grandy's. The music will start at 4:00pm. Come by and buy some ice cream and see your teacher play.

Donors Choose Grant

Hello parents, teachers, and students,

I wanted to update everyone on some of the grants I have pursued for the music department at Williams. The monies pursued are being used to replace or update the equipment in the music room.

A while ago, I started a donorschoose.org grant for a classroom set of drums. I just wanted to repost the link. Please share it with neighbors and friends and on social media outlets. We are halfway to our goal thanks to Kia Motors. Any small contribution helps.

http://www.donorschoose.org/project/drums-make-the-world-go-pound/1076037/


Secondly, I wrote a grant for the Alachua County Education Foundation. I am happy to report that we received $600 for five more guitars. The guitars have been ordered and should arrive soon.


Finally, the Zumbathon was a huge success. That was not an official grant but was donation based. We raised $400 for the music department. I have ordered a percussion set for the music classes and that should arrive soon as well. If we receive the donor's choose grant, that will give us a nice supply of instruments.

 Thank you for all of your support

Fun Link

Hello

Here is a link that I found for kids about the history of Halloween. Please enjoy. Feel free to comment.


http://www.timeforkids.com/photos-video/slideshow/halloween-history/17296

Grand Total

Between yesterday's event, pre-sale, and donations: We made a grand total of $400 for Williams Elementary Music Department! Thank you so much! I am looking forward to some of the equipment we can buy for the students!

Zumbathon page

Hello,

We had an awesome time at our Zumbathon Fundraiser. I have added a photo gallery. Click on the Zumbathon Photo page link. We are also on the Gainesville Sun:


http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Dato=20131019&Kategori=MULTIMEDIA0301&Lopenr=101909998&Ref=PH&pl=1

Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration

Thanks to the 4th grade classes for an awesome performance today! I will have video up soon.

Zumbathon this Saturday!!

There's still time to get your Zumbathon tickets! See Mr. Thomas in the music room or email thomasmv@gm.sbac.edu to make a reservation. Remember $10 in advance or $15 at the door. If you make a reservation you pay the $10 rate and pay at the door, otherwise it is $15 at the door. Thanks for your help to buy new equipment.

4th Grade Performance

Don't forget:

4th Grade is doing a Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration in the cafeteria on Thursday, October 17 at 8:00am. We will have songs, dances, poetry, and living history. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Zumbathon

Attention Williams Family and Friends:

The Zumbathon to benefit the music department at Williams is taking place this Saturday at the Northwood YMCA on 34th St. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Please support this worthwhile cause. Proceeds will go to buy guitars, hand drums, and other supplies. Thank you in advance for your continued support.

Mrs. Rhodan's class

This is Mrs. Rhodan's class performing the cumbia. The cumbia is a dance from Colombia. This can be found on the podcast page as well. Enjoy! Rhodan's 4th Grade Cumbia click here

4th grade Materials

The 4th grade Hispanic Heritage Month package is up. Please visit the podcast page for the materials. If there are any issues downloading please let me know. The concert will be October 17 during resource time(8:00am).

Grants

Hello,

We are now participating in two online grants. Please help support the music department by passing along this information to neighbors and social media contacts.

https://www.finditfunditflorida.com/alachua/grant/3456/

http://www.donorschoose.org/project/drums-make-the-world-go-pound/1076037/


The first grant is to help buy 5 guitars for the classes so all students may play guitar during music. The second grant is for buying hand drums that we may use at school. A grant for keyboards will be posted soon.

Sharing this information helps but if you should happen to have an old guitar or an old battery powered keyboard to donate to the school that would help too. 

Thanks for all your support.

Hispanic Heritage Month

We are celebrating Hispanic Heritage month. The students are learning about Spanish speaking countries and their geographical locations. All grade levels are  learning some songs in Spanish as well. 3rd grade and 5th grade are using their songs to help learn recorder and guitar respectively. 4th grade will have a program at the conclusion of Hispanic Heritage Month. Look for more information about the performance soon.

Edmodo Codes

Parents: we are using Edmodo.com. Some of the older students have used it before. We are using it in 3rd-5th grades only. I have created sections just for each class. If you have already set up an account, please log in to Edmodo.com and enter the code for your child's homeroom class only. Maxwell: vwpuz5 Craine: 0u0a0k Gore: wwqljs Angus: pwwrf2 Reed: 3fpcow Sorenson: 0s8do4 Talham: wa7y56 Rhodan: kp8v25 Hughes:bxlvnz Collins: p91sma Crews: sl3xdx Brockman: 5fxyta Sexton: 2w79di Douglas: 8vph97 Ferguson: r2j6an

Welcome to a New School Year

Welcome back everyone! For those of you that are new to our school, welcome. My name is Mr. Thomas. I am excited to be your music teacher here at Williams Elementary. This year we have many educational and fun things planned in music.  K-2 will work on fundamentals of singing and learning rhythms. They will also learn about some basic fundamentals of music such as high and low and fast and slow. 3rd grade will focus on playing recorder, 4th grade will focus on playing piano, and 5th grade will focus on playing guitar. We also have extracurricular activites in music. The Wildcat Chorus is open to students from grades 2nd-5th. The band is open to students in 4th and 5th grade only. We will also have Zumba for the kids in the morning before school starts as well.  I am also integrating more technology into my classroom. 3rd-5th grade students will be given the chance to interact on an educational media site called Edmodo. Students will be given questions about music or performances and will have the opportunity respond. It is similar to Facebook but it is for the classroom and will be moderated by me. We have several performances planned for the year including the Holiday Concert, Black History Celebration, and many others. I look forward to working with you and your children this year. Please feel free to stop by the music room any time if you have any questions or concerns or would like to volunteer.  Sincerely, Mr. Thomas Music Director, Williams Elementary

Concert Opportunity

Atttention 5th Grade Parents and Students

The end of the year is rapidly approaching. We have begun working on the promotion song for the 5th graders. It is entitled The World's Greatest. I am putting a link on the podcast page. The video includes the lyrics and song. Please have your child go over it at least once or twice a week. We will do most of the work in class but due to field trips, some classes may miss music. Practicing at home will be greatly appreciated. Click on the link below. Also, this will be on the podcast page. Thank you for your help.

5th Grade Promotion Song

Testing this week

FCAT testing this week. We will resume normal classes on Friday.

Just a head's up the 5th grade classes will begin working on their promotion song starting next week.

Gainesville Youth Choir Annouces Summer Workshops

Black History Month Celebration

As you are aware, the black history program was postponed until March this year due to testing schedules. Thank you for all of the students and parents that were able to make it out. I felt that it was one of our best programs yet. Also, there is a possibility of a second performance during the day. I will let you know with more details.

Quiz Next Week

Attention all 3rd-5th parents:

We will have a quiz next week in music on the following items:

5th grade-The Three Kings of Blues
4th grade-Thomas A. Dorsey
3rd grade-Scott Joplin


Students will given the chance to retake if they fail. I will send home a notice for them to come and do the make up if you choose to have them do it.

Black History Music Available

Songs for the black history celebration are up. Click on the podcasts link and you will see the files.

5th-The Blues
4th-All Night, All Day
3rd-will be done in class
2nd-Abiyoyo
1st-Good Morning Blues
K-Chatter with the Angels-in the recording they use "hope to join that band", but keep singing "want to join that band."

Black History Celebration

Hello,

We are doing are Black History Celebration on Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 6:00pm. Each grade level will do a presentation and a song. 2nd grade will do a skit based on the book Abiyoyo. Please plan to join us that evening.


Students need to wear either a red, white, black, green, or yellow polo shirt and jeans. We will line up similar to the Winter Concert in the courtyard. Volunteers are appreciated to help keep the kids in line and make sure they behave themselves while they are waiting.  Thank you for your help.

Music Update: February

This month is Black History Month. We are learning about how civil rights influenced the music industry. Our grade levels are also learning about different styles of music.

5th grade is learning about the 3 Kings of Blues: B.B. King, Albert King, and Freddie King. We are listening to some of their songs and we have played along with one Freddie King's Sweet Home Chicago.

4th grade is learning about gospel music and Thomas A. Dorsey. Thomas A. Dorsey is considered the father of modern gospel music. We listened to examples of traditional and modern gospel music.

3rd Grade is learning about Scott Joplin and rag time music. We listened to Maple Leaf Rag and the Entertainer.

2nd Grade is doing a skit with the book Abiyoyo. We have read the story and we are adding sound effects.

1st grade is learning about the blues as well. They are learning a song called Good Morning Blues. The 1st graders have even been coming up with lyrics for their own blues songs.

Kindergarten has been learning Chatter with the Angels. We have added a variety of movement and we are style emphasizing rhythm and beat.

New Link

I have added a new link. It is called www.allmusic.com. It gives information on artists of all genres. Please use this as a valuable research tool. You'll find it on the links column.

Drum Set

Good Morning,

The music department has recently acquired a drum set. It is a full size set but we need cymbals. Specifically, the high hat, ride cymbal, and crash cymbal. If you have a drum set at home that no one is using would you be willing to donate the cymbals? Please email Mr. Thomas if you'd like to donate.

Extra Credit Opportunity

The Gainesville Community Band is having a concert. If your child would like to have extra credit, please do a 1 page concert review of the performance. Please email Mr. Thomas for more details.

What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!  It’s the . . .

Gainesville Community Band’s annual

Sunday at the Pops Concert

●Please join us on Sunday, February 24, 2 p.m., at

●Santa Fe College Fine Arts Hall Auditorium, 3000 NW 83rd Street (plenty of free parking!).

●Featured artist:  Bill Prince, master of all instruments, playing big band favorites

●Mark your calendar!

GCB’s Sunday at the Pops Concert is a favorite of North Central Florida.  Tickets at the Door, Suggested Donation--$5-$10 per person or $10-$20 per family.

This is what you’ll hear! 

Strike Up the Band			George Gershwin Arranged by Warren Barker
Salute to Ol’ Blue Eyes      Songs Sinatra sang, including: Cole Porter, I’ve Got You Under My Skin Bert Kaempfert, Strangers in the Night Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon, That’s Life Richard Rodgers, The Lady Is A Tramp			Arranged by John Moss
Big Band Signatures      Including the big band sounds of Benny Goodman’s Let’s Dance Les Brown’s Leap Frog Woody Herman’s Woodchopper’s Ball Stan Kenton’s The Peanut Vendor Count Basie’s April In Paris Duke Ellington’s Caravan Glenn Miller’s In The Mood			Arranged by John Higgins
The following selections will feature guest artist Bill Prince
Trumpet Samba			Bill Prince
What A Wonderful World			Bob Thiele & George David Weiss Arranged by Bill Prince
Way Down Yonder in New Orleans			John Turner Layton, Jr. and Henry Creamer Arranged by Bill Prince
Stranger on the Shore	Jack Kitts -Turner, Bassoon		Acker Bilk Arranged by Bill Prince
Tijuana Brass Medley      Including What Now My Love, So What’s New, Spanish Flea, Tijuana Taxi			Herb Alpert Arranged by Bill Prince
Yesterday I Heard the Rain			Armando Manzanero Arranged by William Prince
Benny’s From Heaven			Parody on “Pennies From Heaven” by Arthur Johnston & Johnny Burke Arranged by Bill Prince
Concertino for Jazz and Legit Clarinets	Bess de Farber, Clarinet		Bill Prince
Saints			Arranged by William Prince

These are the folks who will perform:

Bill Prince: 

Bill’s spectacularly successful concert with the Gainesville Community Band in past years generated numerous audience requests to “Bring him back!”  So here he is.  While most musicians focus on just one instrument, Bill performs professionally on trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone, flute, clarinet, saxophone, piano and string bass.  The list of groups with which he played reads like a Who’s Who of Big Bands--Buddy Rich, Billy Maxted, Xavier Cugat, Ray Anthony, Tex Beneke, Les Elgart, Larry Elgart, Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Les Brown, Pee Wee Hunt, Louis Bellson, and the NORAD Band.  He performed with the Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Jacksonville Symphonies and the American Wind Orchestra.  He has played on more than 50 albums and in every state in the union, Canada, the Far East, Western and Eastern Europe, South Africa, and Central and South America.  Dr. Prince, professor emeritus of music at University of North Florida, is also a noted composer and arranger and has received awards for teaching.  He directed student groups that twice won major national jazz competitions.

Jack Kitts-Turner

Jack played nine years as bassoonist in the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra before joining the University of Florida music faculty in 1966.  In addition to serving as Professor of Bassoon, Jack also played with the UF Woodwind Quintet, was a founding member of the Gainesville Chamber Orchestra and performed with other orchestras throughout Florida.  He established UF’s Early Music program and, after his 2000 retirement from the university, created the Musica Vera Consort, an ensemble that performs Renaissance and Baroque music in costume and using reproductions of period instruments.  Jack is principal bassoonist of the Gainesville Community Band.

Bess de Farber:

Bess studied performance at the University of Southern California, where she was named the most outstanding clarinet graduate.  She has performed extensively throughout Florida, both in person and on television.  In 1996 she was commissioned to create Composing A Heart, a multimedia piece tracing her parents’ emigration to the U.S.  This work has been performed on NPR and at such South Florida venues as the Caldwell Theatre, and the Jewish Museum of Florida.  Ms. de Farber has also served on grant review panels for the Florida Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts and, for ten years, played bagpipe in the City of Dunedin Pipe Band.

Gerald Poe:

is music director of the Gainesville Community Band.  Dr. Poe earned the B.A. degree from Western State College in Colorado, M.M. Ed. from Florida State University and D.M.A. from the University of Colorado. Much in demand as clinician, conductor and performer, Dr. Poe is listed in Who’s Who in American Music, Who’s Who in American Universities and most recently in the 2004 edition of Marquis’s Who’s Who in America. Dr. Poe is active in Florida Music Educators, Music Educators National Conference, Florida Bandmasters Association, and the Association of Concert Bands.

Gainesville Community Band:

Founded in 1974, the GCB has some 80 members, including teachers, professors, scientists, business professionals, students, physicians, contractors, realtors, tradespersons, and retirees. In 1978, the Gainesville City Commission passed a resolution designating GCB as the Official Community Band of Gainesville.  All-volunteer and non-profit, GCB is funded by a diverse group of patrons and sponsors.

For further information on the Gainesville Community Band, see our web site at www.gnvband.org.  Or, contact us at Gainesville Community Band, 2321-A2 NW 41st Street, Gainesville, FL 32606.

First of the year

We are back! The first of the year has gotten off to an excellent start. I have had the pleasure of going to the Florida Music Educators Association state convention in Tampa the first week of January. I learned quite a few things that I am anxious to teach with the students. I am looking forward to team teaching with Mr. E to be able to do a laser light show in music. It's a lesson about sound waves.

I am also pleased to announce that I a music intern for the next 6 weeks or so from the University of Florida. Please welcome Mr. Polatsek.


Just to give you a quick overview of what the grade levels have been doing:

5th: We have learned how to play the 3rd string on guitar. The notes are G and A

4th: We are learning how to play the CDE white keys along with the black keys

3rd: We are learning how to play the C note on recorder and incorporate it with the rest of the notes we have learned so far.

K-2: We are still focusing on rhythm but we are learning a variety of songs that correspond to the rhythms we have learned so far. We have also begun incorporating the Orff instruments and other hand percussion.