Essentially Ellington Videos

Essentially Ellington Rehearsal Videos. This is a really cool tool to study the Ellington tunes that we have in Jazz Band. Only Jazz Band students should download this tool, because I think we are only allocated enough accounts for our Jazz Band roster. Go to jalc.org/EE/members and click the Tutti Music Player. Your activation code is 230380.

Breckenridge Band Students Participate in Honors Band

Christina Dayringer

HS Band Publicist

               

The month of November is a busy time for the Breckenridge High School Band. With fundraisers, Rock-A-Thon, and workshops, a few students were selected, either by Mr. Radtke or audition, to go to the Central Michigan Unifersity Honors Band, Tri-Valley Conference Honors Band, and/or the Univeristy of Michigan Flint Honors Band.

                The CMU honors band was November 10th and 11th. Zach Sklener, Austin Kintz, and Parker Schaub all went on the 10th and the 11th and practiced for two days, and performed on Sunday the 11th with other students from around Michigan.

                On November 14th, sixteen students from the high school band were picked by Mr. Radtke to go to St. Charles high school and rehearse with other music students from the Tri-Valley Conference/West and perform for the St. Charles student body and perform that night for parents and friends.

                Coming soon is he U of M Flint Honors Band, on the 20th of November. Zach Sklener, Austin Kintz, Keenan Yates, Parker Schuab, and Chrissy Dayringer will be traveling to Flint for rehearsals and a final performance on the 2nd of December at. For concert location and time please contact one of the members or Joe Radtke at jradtk@edzone.net.

6th Grade Debut Concert

Congrats to the 6th Grade for a very good performance at their first concert. Click here if you would like to hear their concert. 

You can also see pictures here.

Honors Night Wednesday 5/16

Call time is 5:45pm. Starts at 6:00pm with us performing Fanfare and Processional. When we complete our music you will be dismissed.  Dress is semi professional; Polo shirt and nice pants (or something similar). NO JEANS, NO UGLY SHOES.  See you there.

This weeks crazy concert

I have to apologize for the craziness of this week's concert. I was foolishly unaware of the amount of sporting conflicts that this concert created. It is never my intention to create these conflicts and I feel terrible that many of you will have to miss your game. Missing a game is a very stressful event and many of you probably feel like your letting your team down.

I have looked into moving the concert and simply can't find a reasonable solution this time. However, in the future I have decided to try implementing Sunday concerts. I have received a great deal of feed back regarding this idea and would love to hear what you think. Please click this link to fill out a 15 second survey regarding Sunday Concerts.

Your dedication is what is making this band awesome. I am sure that this concert will be the best all year and I am truly looking forward to it. Please except my deepest apologies for the conflicts and I really appreciate your commitment to our program. Please post comments below if you have anything to add.

My Musical Dream

Photo was taken from:
 http://www.vectorportal.com

Music is my passion. Not a moment goes by that it is not on my mind. Through practice, I strive to push myself to greater freedom of musical expression. I am in constant struggle to free myself from technique, so that I can play whatever comes my way with all my focus on the music and never on my physical body.

As a teacher, I dream that my students will be able to perform music without technique getting in their way. This requires a level of dedication rare in today's busy world. With countless distractions sucking away our lives, long term payoffs are often forgotten or cast aside by short term instant gratifications. The great musicians of the past had little to do other than to practice and perform. Many of them hit their mark at a very young age, an age before most of us even thought music was a possibility. Spending even ten minutes practicing is beyond the span of most young musicians' imaginations. So, I dream that we can create something different. We can inspire each other to practice, we can feel the power of music together, and we can raise the level of expectation within our music rehearsals.

Music is not written on a page. Composers only provide us a guide to help us understand what they want. Music only lives in time. It is an expression of humanity. From the moment we are within our mothers, we respond to music. If music is vibration, we are music. Even space creates a Bb many octaves below human hearing. Let's make music. Practice, not just to get it, but to completely understand it.

You may have noticed that my dream does not include classroom management. Simply put, my dream is that the only choice in class is to create the most expressive music that we can. Within that dream, there is no time to waste. Everyone is ready. Everyone is prepared. Everyone is on time. Everyone is focused on the music.  You are ready. You are prepared. You are on time. You are focused on making music.

Radtke

The metronome is your friend

Sometimes we practice and think we have it done, but when we get to ensemble rehearsal we just can't seem to play it. Most of the time this can be remedied by practicing with a metronome. I often tell students that it is like practicing with the band. It does not allow you to take liberties with the tempo. The metronome can make obvious the fact that you  are rushing, dragging, or adding a beat. Practicing with a metronome is easier than ever with the abundance of apps for smart phones, free websites, and cheap metronomes.
Here are a list of my favorites:

Online
1. Metronome Online
2.  BasiTempo for Google Chrome


Android
Mobile Metronome


Hand Held
1. DR Beat
2. Seiko Metronomes

Add your favorites below.

Upgraded Instruments

I have received many questions regarding the benefits of upgrading to a better instrument. It is recommended that students obtain a higher quality instrument before entering high school. There are several reasons for this:

1. Higher quality instruments are more responsive. The valves will be faster, the keys will be quicker, the slide will be faster, they will play more easily. 
2. They are easier to tune. Beginner instruments are made with durability in mind, which is good for someone that runs the risk of dropping it (like beginners often do), but durability doesn't mean that it was built with intonation in mind. 
3. It may have additional keys and valves that will allow the students to extend their range (beginners can't usually play these notes, but HS students need to). Oboes have extra keys, Saxophones may have extra keys, Trombones have a valve attachment, Euphoniums and Tubas have an extra valve.
4. The resale is better. A pro instrument (in excellent condition) can often be sold for only a small loss. 
5. The parts are better. The innards of the instrument are of higher quality and will therefore last longer (less plastic, more metal).
6. They SOUND BETTER. That is why the pro's use them and not the cheaper beginner line of instruments.

There are many options to get a hold of a high quality instrument. Of course you can go to a music store, but you could also call a local university music department and ask if any students are selling instruments. There are also reputable online dealers. I have had some success with both ebay and professional music organization's classifieds sections like the ITA and the ITG. You may have to have have get some minor repairs done, but the savings may be great.  

MS Jazz Band and Music Boosters

There will be no MS Jazz Band this Thursday (4/12) due to a HS Jazz Festival.

There will be a very important music booster meeting on April 17 (the date was changed due to the Talent Show) in the band room at 6:30pm. The boosters will be electing a new president.

Festival Recording

This is a link to find a Recording of us at Festival. 

HS State Solo and Ensemble Event Times

The HS State Solo and Ensemble Times in Okemos have been released. Click here to download a copy.

Collage Final Schedule

We will have the collage concert on Sunday, March 11 at 6 pm in the HS Gym. This seems to be the only time slot with space available within a reasonable time period.

Collage Concert

The Collage concert has been rescheduled due to weather. It will now be held on March 11th at 3pm.

JH Solo and Ensemble Application Due Feb. 8

This springs Junior High Solo and Ensemble is located at Perry High School on April 14. Click here to download a copy of the application or pick one up in the band office. The money and application is due on Feb. 8.

Jazz Dinner tickets due

The early sale tickets for the Jazz Dinner is due tomorrow (2/3).

Jazz Weekend and Dinner Dance

A weekend of Jazz is quickly approaching. Check the band website for details. It is all located on the home page.

Feb. 10 CMU Jazz Festival Featuring Bobby Shew

Guest Artist Bobby Shew

Required for all Jazz Band
Leave early Friday and Return at 6:30pm
Performance at 9:10 in Plachta Auditorium
Master Class at 12 Noon with Bobby Shew
See Full Schedule Here
Dress: Blue Jeans and Polos

Evening Concert 8:00 (optional, you must provide your own transportation) Features Bobby Shew with CMU Jazz Lab I. Tickets are already paid for, get them from Mr. Radtke.

Scholarship Opportunities

Kanitz Memorial Scholarship.
Sue Dilts Scholarship

These scholarship are for HS students that are considering attending a music summer camp program such as CMU, Alma Percussion or Blue Lake.  Click on the links for more information.

Jazz Band Final Exam

Jazz Band Final Exam is ready for your review. We will review it together next week to answer your questions. Make sure that you prepare your written portion before you sign up for an exam time. 

Final Exam for Jazz Band