Welcome families to another wonderful year of music! This message is to provide you with startup information at this time only. More details will be coming to you regarding upcoming events. # In This Message: - [[#After School Band Meeting]] - [[#Instrument Rentals]] - [[#Where to Rent From]] - [[#What to Rent]] - [[#First Assignments]] # After School Band Meeting For any student in any grade level interested in the Woodshedders Jazz Band, Panorama Steel Pans, or the St. Cecilia String Orchestra, we will be having a meeting on **Thursday, September 3 at Lunch** to plan our schedule and instrumentation. Our current goal is to have a Junior Jazz Band (saxophones, trombones, trumpets, rhythm section, Grades 7-9) and a Senior Jazz Band (Grades 10-12 only). Each Jazz Band will have their own after-school rehearsals that will be determined at our meeting. **Students interested in playing a secondary instrument like a saxophone can do so in this ensemble, and secondary instrument rentals are very inexpensive through Notre Dame Collegiate.** Our current goal is also to have Junior (Grade 7-9) and Senior (Grade 10-12) Panorama. Panorama rehearsals will happen on a single day, with Juniors immediately after school and Seniors in the evening. St. Cecilia String Orchestra will remain a single Grade 7-12 ensemble that rehearses immediately after school. # Instrument Rentals This year we will not have an Instrument Rental Night. Instead, all rentals will be happening online. By the end of Wednesday, every student should know exactly what instrument they are going to be playing this year. ## Where to Rent From There are now three options for where to rent from; [Long & McQuade](https://www.long-mcquade.com/?page=rent_school), [St. John's Music](https://rental.stjohnsmusic.com/) or [Notre Dame Collegiate](https://forms.gle/i6KZr8i5QxMuYWbB6). If renting from either Long & McQuade or St. John's Music, please also get the Insurance or Extended Service Plans they offer. Doing so will likely save you $100s in maintenance costs, and will help you ensure that your student always has a working instrument. Instruments ordered online can be delivered directly to the school as long as you make that selection. - If renting from Long & McQuade, choose the Calgary Chinook store as your main location, and choose "deliver to school" or equivalent. - If renting from St. John's Music, choose the Calgary store. The least expensive option is to pick it up at the store. If renting from Notre Dame Collegiate, please note we do not offer insurance plans, and that payment in full is due at the beginning of the year (deadline September 20, 2026). Fees will be charged via SchoolCashOnline. **Online Instrument Rentals should be complete by September 4, 2026**. This will ensure your instruments get to our school such that we can start making music as soon as possible. ## What to Rent - **Flutes** - use Long & McQuade or St. John's Music. Get a Instrument Care kit as well. - **Clarinets** - use Long & McQuade or St. John's Music. Get an Instrument Care kit and reeds (Grade 7s should start with Orange Box 2.5 reeds) as well. - **Bass Clarinets** - try Long & McQuade or St. John's Music first to try to take advantage of their service plans. If that is not affordable, use NDC. You will still need an Instrument Care kit and reeds. - **Alto Saxophones** - use Long & McQuade or St. John's Music. Get an Instrument Care kit and reeds as well. *If playing saxophone in Jazz Band as a secondary instrument, rent through Notre Dame Collegiate instead, it's super cheap.* - **Tenor Saxophones** - try Long & McQuade or St. John's Music first to try to take advantage of their service plans. If that is not affordable, use NDC. You will still need an Instrument Care kit and reeds. - **Baritone Saxophone** - use Notre Dame Collegiate. Your student can complete the rental form at the school. - **French Horns** - use Notre Dame Collegiate. We're less expensive. You will still need to order an Instrument Care kit from either store. - **Trumpets** - use Long & McQuade or St. John's Music. Get a Instrument Care kit as well. - **Trombones** - use Long & McQuade or St. John's Music. Get a Instrument Care kit as well. - **Baritones/Euphoniums** - try Long & McQuade or St. John's Music first to try to take advantage of their service plans. If that is not affordable, use NDC. You will still need an Instrument Care kit. - **Tubas** - use Notre Dame Collegiate. Your student can complete the rental form at the school. - **Violins and Violas** - use Long & McQuade. Also get a Shoulder Rest. If you are particularly small in stature, get a 3/4-size Violin or Viola. Otherwise, try to go for a 4/4 full size instrument instead. - **Cellos** - try Long & McQuade first to try to take advantage of their service plans. If that is not affordable, use NDC. Also get an endpin rest. - **Double Bass** - use Notre Dame Collegiate. We're less expensive. - **Percussion** - students in Concert Bands should have their own drumsticks, yarn mallets, hard plastic mallets, and timpani mallets, along with a mallet bag. These can be purchased at Long & McQuade and St. John's Music. Equipment User fees will be charged through SchoolCashOnline automatically with no rental forms needed. - **Piano and Electronic Equipment** - this includes guitar amplifiers. For this equipment, User fees will be charged through SchoolCashOnline automatically with no rental forms needed. - **Steel Pans** - User fees will be charged through SchoolCashOnline automatically with no rental forms needed. If your student is also a percussionist, you will only see the Steel Pan User fee, and will not also be charged the Percussion User fee. # Google Classroom Join Links If your student hasn't joined the Google Classroom, please help them do so via the links below; - Grade 7 Concert Band - https://classroom.google.com/c/ODc2MzI1ODYxMTAx?cjc=6xfacemy - Grade 8 Concert Band - https://classroom.google.com/c/ODc2MzI4MzczOTcw?cjc=lcxa76vy - Grade 9 Concert Band - https://classroom.google.com/c/ODc2NTA2NTMwNTU5?cjc=hqr7avoo - Instrumental Music 10 - https://classroom.google.com/c/ODc2NDk0ODY4MDc1?cjc=iigzzrre - Instrumental Music 20 - https://classroom.google.com/c/ODc2NDk1ODQwMzg2?cjc=eorspiqk - Instrumental Music 30 - https://classroom.google.com/c/ODc2NDkzNTg3NjEy?cjc=7su642dy Other Google Classroom Links will be sent out for after school groups at a later date. # First Assignments **Grade 7 and 8 students**' first assignments are completed in class, and will be assessments of their ability to detect different elements of music. It will be completed either in Google Classroom or on paper. **Grade 8 through 12 students**' first assignment are review chapters of Breezin' Thru from last year. This will get their brain back into gear for the language of music, and help them start on a high note. Students can all access Breezin' Thru from Google Classroom, and should always log in with their _isidore.redeemer.ab.ca_ accounts. Students are required to achieve a minimum standard of 80% on these assignments. **Grade 9, 10, 11 and 12 students** will also be beginning their written response projects. - Grade 9s will be completing the [[Story Music (even years)|Story Music]] assignment which helps them connect to music in a narrative and emotional way. - Grade 10s will be completing the [[Discussing Music]] assignment where students listen to creativity in music, Fix Windy's Playlist, and let Windy fix their playlist as well. - Grade 11s will need to select a topic for their [[Music Research Project]]. - Grade 12s will be engaging with a podcast called [[20 Pieces that Changed the World]], and will need to listen to at least 2 episodes from that podcast (each episode is 30 minutes long) and respond to the podcast. We get these written assignments out of the way (or at the very least started) while we do not have instruments. Class time is provided for these assignments, but if a class is missed or class time is not used efficiently, students may need to complete these tasks at home. Resources are always available at https://notes.ndcfinearts.ca to help with that. # Thank you for the music Thank you for allowing me to work with you (your students) in music! I'm truly excited about what is to come this year! # Contrapuntally yours, Joel Windsor