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Seventh and eighth grade jazz band students chose their favorite section from our concert music and recorded themselves on FlipGrid.  They wrote labels explaining why they chose their piece and what it felt like to have band virtually instead of in person.

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4th Grade students continued to work in their Traditions of Excellence method book.  For our Celebration of Learning, they chose their favorite piece from either our book, Exhibit, or private lessons.  The wrote labels explaining why they chose their piece, what they liked about doing band virtually, and what they missed about having band in person.

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I recorded Amazing Grace because I like the song and melody. I wanted to be challenged by the higher register notes. I liked distance learning band because I got to pick my own song and I got to practice more. I missed having band in person because I get to play in a group and it is very important to play in a group. Band is very fun and I cannot wait to play along with my friends again!

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I chose to record "Trumpet Voluntary" for a military band. I chose it because I wanted to give myself a challenge. I liked not having to bring a heavy case  around the neighborhood. I liked having one person record then you could see them play alone. I liked this because we normally don’t have solos. I didn’t like how we didn't get ensembles every once and awhile. The ensembles are fun because everybody plays in harmony.

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I play the trombone and for the band I played the song "stepping stones" because it's easy, and I think the song is good.With the distance learning I like it because i can do it quick and fast.But i still like having band in person better because i don't get confused and i can ask questions.

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In the band I decided on the trumpet. I chose it due to my brother doing it before me and loving it. What I like about online learning is that I could practice band more than just twice a day because it helps me get better at the trumpet. I miss not being able to see my friends and not being able to see Mrs. McKee.

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The section that I recorded was called "Aura Lee." The reason why I chose it is because we did it for exhibit night, but we didn’t have an exhibit night last quarter. I liked the part when at the start of Band we would be breathing for 4 beats, 8 beats, and 16 beats before we started playing. I liked doing it because while we were breathing at the same time I could start oiling the valves on the trumpet. What I missed about having band class in person was when we would start practicing a new song every class. The reason why I missed it was because when I grow up I could still maybe play the trump

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I performed "Aura Lee," because I thought I was pretty good in class.  I like distance learning because my family can help me with my work when I need it.

I missed getting to see my classmates, teachers, and the experience of the classroom.

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I recorded the song called "Serenity Round," because it was different and a lot of the other ones in the Traditions of Excellence book had.It had low notes and it kept on getting higher and then kept getting lower. Distance learning for band is fun because you can do whatever piece you want.  I miss having band in person because I don't get to see my band teacher my friends in band. and I think it's more fun to have everybody around you to help you get better at your instrument.

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I chose trombone because it seemed like a very good instrument. I’m big and tall. so I thought it would be a good weight. I thought it would be a great instrument to learn and get used to doing the slides. I got a 5 on the trombone in our instrument testing, and it doesn’t feel to heavy carrying it up and down the stairs.Also the trombone is a brass instrument and I like brass.

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5th Grade students continued to work in their Traditions of Excellence method book.  For our Celebration of Learning, they chose their favorite piece from either our book, Exhibit, or private lessons.  The wrote labels explaining why they chose their piece, what they liked about doing band virtually, and what they missed about having band in person.

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I chose the song "Shoo Fly" because it is one of my favorite songs in the book and it sounds really good on the trumpet.

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My favorite part of my traditions of excellence so far is Page. 8 #15 "Rising Rhythms." Because it has one rest note and pretty much very similar notes. Lastly, my writing was neat, and it was very clear what was written down. What I like most about learning band virtually is getting to sit down and understand what I was seeing. I didn't have to rush to get everything done. What I miss most about doing band in person is not getting to see my friends. I enjoy it when I have my friends encouraging me.

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I recorded "Streets Of Laredo" because it was challenging to me, and I wanted to try something I normally wouldn't play. What I liked about virtual learning for band is that you get too choose your own songs and get a bunch more time to practice. But I still want too go back to regular band because you get to play with other people and the songs sound better with multiple instruments.

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I recorded the number 44 and 50 in the Traditions of Excellence because I wanted to challenge myself to do more than one piece of music. I personally did not like anything about distance learning because my internet keeps going in and out. I miss seeing everyone so it is sad.

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I did "Mahnomen Harvest" because I really like that song.

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In December, we unexpectedly lost one of our eighth grade students, Ephrem.  Ephrem was a member of both Concert Band and Jazz Band, playing guitar and percussion.  Ephrem's sister, Amelia, plays clarinet in the Jazz and Concert Band as well.  In January, we commissioned a piece from composer Alyson Stratte in his memory to be played at our Spring Concert. Amelia chose a Russian Orthodox chant from Ephrem's funeral as the foundation of the piece. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit, canceling our concert.

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We began to the work or creating a virtual performance.  We decided to use Soundtrap, something we already had purchased for our Chromebooks.  I made a silent video of myself conducting and shared a blank Soundtrap project with the students in Google Classroom.  Several students recorded themselves in Soundtrap.  For other students, we set up a time for them to play for me in Zoom.  I then used the audio file created after the Zoom meeting.

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I put all their recordings into Soundtrap and spliced them so that everyone is mostly on the same beat with each other.  This was a very difficult task and took about 2 hours per student.  After creating an mp3 of the music, I used my computer's Gamebox program to record my screen as it played "Memory" so we could have video of the score.  I then combined it in iMovie.  All in all the project took:

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35 hours of recording and mixing

5 types of software - Soundtrap, Zoom, iMovie, Gamebox

3 Computers - my home PC with the bigger monitor see the score better, my work PC with Microsoft Word to make the title slides, and my work Mac with iMovie

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The students have worked very hard to honor their fellow band member and friend to create this project.

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The students have worked very hard to honor their fellow band member and friend to create this project.

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For the FlipGrids in band, I chose to record sections from the pieces “How to Train Your Dragon” and “The Bare Necessities.” I chose these sections because they are some of my favorite parts of the music we’re playing in Jazz Band and Concert Band. One nice thing about distance learning in Band is that we can be selective about what we submit because everything is prerecorded, but having Band in person is more fun and you get to play with the whole ensemble.

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For my celebration of learning piece, I chose to play a section of "Crazy Train" because "Crazy Train" is one of my favorite songs we have practiced in a band. I like how we can see each other playing different songs on FlipGrid  since we haven't practiced together since mid March. I think it is pretty cool that we can do that. I miss getting to play together and practice together in class. That is one of my favorite parts about band class.

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6th grade band students chose their favorite section from our concert music and recorded themselves on FlipGrid.  They wrote labels explaining why they chose their piece and what it felt like to have band virtually instead of in person.

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In band class this quarter, it was challenging and fun. For example, we had to record ourselves on FlipGrid playing on our instruments. The recording that I like the most is measure 98 threw 107 of How To Train Your Dragon. I like that FlipGrid the most because it was the most challenging part for me. For me, the best part from distance learning in band class is seeing other classmates 🤬 grids, I do this because I want to see how my other classmates have progressed. Also, for me I miss playing with my classmates and friends together and getting tips from my teacher,  Finally I hope that we will get back together and play as a group soon.

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I recorded measures 54-62 from the song “Hedwig’s theme,” from Harry Potter. The Harry Potter books are really good, and the piece sounds good because it is pretty mysterious. What I liked about distance learning is that I could play whenever I wanted, so I’m more in control. What I don’t like, is I can’t play with the rest of the band, and it sounds so much better with the rest of the band.

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For my Celebration of Learning project, I did "Baby Shark, because it is my favorite piece from this year. I like distance learning in band because I can have more time. The one thing I miss about the band is seeing all of it come together, because it's cool.

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I chose to play the first section of "Hedwig's Theme" because I hadn’t really done it yet, and I like the section. Distance learning was a pain,I liked having band in person because Mrs. McKee could explain where we needed work to get the piece right and it was fun hearing everything together in the end.

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Seventh and eighth grade jazz band students chose their favorite section from our concert music and recorded themselves on FlipGrid.  They wrote labels explaining why they chose their piece and what it felt like to have band virtually instead of in person.

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I recorded measures 41-56 in “Crazy Train” for Jazz Band and measures 63-79 in “How To Train Your Dragon” for Concert Band. I used these two sections because they were my favorite parts to play in our band. . I miss being able to play with everyone as a group all together.

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I chose to record "Hedwig’s Theme" measures one through seventeen. I chose to record those measures because most people will recognize it when they hear it. I enjoy distant learning in band because even though we can’t see each other at school anymore, we can still see each other through FlipGrid. I miss having band in person because we can all practice at home, but we can’t all practice together.

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I recorded “Memory” for the celebration of  learning project. I recorded this for Ephrem because we couldn’t do it in a concert. During distance learning in band I liked the fact that we could record parts of our favorite pieces. I like this because there are some songs I enjoy more than others. What I miss about normal band would be that we can all play together and the song sounds real. I miss this because when I play by myelf I feel like there is something missing.

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I recorded a piece called 3 2 1, and I recorded a section called “GO!” because the music tempo rises very quickly and suddenly. I like fast music and fast notes. I have made a long journey of getting my first book of songs, and learning for my percussion semester. Now I use ¾ of my related arts time for band. I do miss having band in person, because It is good to hear everyone play, and I sometimes need that for the final part of a song.

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During our time in distance learning our band played pieces from home. Some of the sections that I recorded were from our main pieces such as "How to Train your Dragon" and "3, 2, 1."  I chose these pieces because they are fun to play. Although playing at home wasn’t my favorite experience, considering your're alone. I miss playing as a full band because we sound great and complete.

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For my Celebration of Learning FlipGrids, I played "Crazy Train" and "Memory." I played a section from these two pieces because they were my favorite ones from the band. In distance learning, I liked how I was less busy, so I had more time to practice. Distance learning also is harder to do without someone directing you when you are playing.

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I recorded Hot Cross Buns. I recorded that song because the first time I performed with an instrument I played that song. I loved distance learning because I could practice when I wanted at my own pace. I missed in person class because if I was having any trouble Mrs. McKee and my friends would be able to help me a lot easier than through a Zoom meeting.

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I chose Aura Lee because it was the first piece I learned to play. I liked distance learning because I got to choose what piece I had to play.

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I chose this piece because it is my best song and I like it.

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I recorded the first trumpet part of “Memory” because I really like the melody and the song itself holds sentimental value to and to everyone in the band. I really liked the aspect of having our own pacing to the work we do in virtual learning. We get to do how much work we want, and when. However, I miss having band in person since it was a lot easier to contact my friends.

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I recorded on my Flipgrid for the Xylophone in the Percussion section of Memory because I chose the Xylophone. I like that the new distance learning.  Things are easier in band because things are more chill. I miss actually getting to play the xylophone in band class because I enjoyed playing the Xylophone.

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Cameron - I've Just Come Home from Sydney

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Cameron - I've Just Come Home from Sydney