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  • Home
  • Links
    • CURRICULUM
    • Faculty and Staff
    • Fun Facts
    • History
    • Past Programs
  • Blog
  • Students
    • Q1 Marching Band Project
    • Q2 Lesson Project
    • Q3 Solo/Ensemble Project
    • Basketball Pep Band
    • Conducting Competition
    • Indoor Drumline
    • Jazz Bands
    • Lettering
    • Online Learning
    • RESOURCES
    • Rehearsal Plans
  • Parents
    • Charms
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Itineraries
    • Remind
    • Why Music?

NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Basketball Pep Band Schedule 2016-17

11/17/2016

 
Additional Pep Band: Added game on Friday 1/7 vs. Superior
Date
Game Time
Team
Vs.
Friday 12/16
​Cancelled
7:15
BBB
Rice Lake
Tuesday 1/3
7:15
BBB
EC Memorial
Tuesday 1/10
7:15
GBB
River Falls
Friday 1/13
7:15
BBB
EC North
Friday 1/20
7:15
GBB
Hudson
Friday 1/27
5:45
GBB
Menomonie
Friday 1/27
7:30
BBB
Menomonie
Tuesday 1/31
7:15
GBB
Rice Lake
Friday 2/3
7:15
GBB
EC Memorial
Friday 2/14
7:15
BBB
River Falls
Friday 2/17
7:15
GBB
EC North
Tuesday 2/23
7:15
BBB
Hudson

CFHS Band Announcements

11/16/2016

 
A few announcements and reminders about upcoming events:
  • Fruit Fundraiser was kicked off for the band today, November 16. There is a glossy color order form as well as a plain white price sheet that interested students can collect from the band room. 
    • Orders are DUE November 28
    • Fruit is DELIVERED December 14 AND MUST BE PICKED UP ON THAT DAY
    • Payment is DUE December 21.
    • Profit is around 40%.
  • If you ordered a Marching Cardinals jacket or a WSMA State sweatshirt please pick them up in the band office. 
  • Information about the University of Minnesota High School Honor Band is available online.
  • UW-Eau Claire bands have a great concert on Friday night at the Haas Fine Arts building in Eau Claire featuring Dr. Rodney Dorsey from the University of Oregon.
  • We are in the middle of Week 3 of the Quarter 2 Lesson Project. Make sure you are planning ahead and completing your lessons. You may take 1 lesson per week as part of the Project. Don't wait until the last minute.

Band and Grading

11/11/2016

 
Good morning CFHS Band Family:

Brace yourselves for a long email explaining band grading and Infinite Campus. If you aren't concerned, feel free to disregard this e-mail.

I have received several concerned emails about a message that was sent to some of you saying that a student had a failing grade.

To be completely honest, I have no idea who or what sent that e-mail or why it was sent.

As I have mentioned in the past, we use performance rubrics to help students identify where they are currently in their growth as a musician and what actions they can take to further develop and improve. These rubrics have specific feedback, but also "boil things down" to a number. Earning a 4 is an "ADVANCED" performance; 3 is "PROFICIENT" (where we expect most students to be); 2 is to perform at a "DEVELOPING" level; earning a 1 demonstrates "BEGINNING" understanding of a concept.

These rubrics are either returned to students or they are scanned and uploaded to a student-specific "Band Portfolio" folder on the student's @chipfalls.org Google Drive. I am about half done with sharing these folders with students, so if you haven't seen it yet - it's coming. This is something we are rolling out in band grades 6 through 12.

The "problem" comes when we try to enter these scores into Infinite Campus. We all agree that a 3 is to demonstrate proficiency with a standard or concept. A 3 is good. We like 3's. Infinite Campus believes that earning a 3 out or 4 is a 75%.

A student who demonstrated a BEGINNING (1) understanding of the musical concepts on their chair test would receive feedback on what to improve for next time. "Next time" could be either the next chair test, or if a student simply wants to "redo" the current chair test.

You will notice that the feedback and development levels that are entered into Infinite Campus don't actually translate to a grade. So how should you interpret the numbers you see in Infinite Campus?

4: ADVANCED - above and beyond
3: PROFICIENT - where we expect students to be in the current development as a musician
2: DEVELOPING - nearly to where we expect students to be
1: BEGINNING - still working on understanding and applying the concepts

​This is a little different but should be at least ​somewhat​ familiar to freshmen as what they would have experienced in 8th grade last year.

Sometimes, in order to provide even more specific feedback, we will enter a different number that might be out of 16, or 20. These numbers further help students identify how close they are to being a 2, or a 3, or a 4. Saying "you earned a 2" isn't always as helpful as saying "if you improve this one thing, you are nearly a 3". We are doing our best to convert the artistry and humanity of music into a cold, calculating number for the heartless landscape that is Infinite Campus.

At the end of the day, being a musician is about seeking growth. This is our attempt to give students actual and relevant feedback on their growth as a musician. Rather than giving 100 points for "showing up" to a concert, we are trying to show students their areas of strength and their areas for development. Students who are not satisfied with the rubric rating they earned are welcome to do it over and over again until they demonstrate proficiency and growth. That is what life is all about!

The first time I ran a mile it took me 26 minutes. I was in a second grade and I did not understand the concept. Today I can run one mile in 10 minutes. Is it great compared to kids on the cross country team? No. Is my wife proud of me? Yes, but she thinks I can do better. Does it demonstrate a level of fitness that would satisfy my doctor? Probably not. But it is a snapshot of me, today, in my current state. If I am not satisfied with being a "10-minute mile runner", I will practice and then run it again and see how it goes.

Everything in the band grade book can be improved through practice, running it again, and seeing how it goes. 

If this doesn't make sense to you, I will come up with as many analogies as it takes. Please let me know what I can do to help. Our only goal is to share feedback that will help our students be the best musicians they can be.

MR

You are INVITED!

11/7/2016

 
​THANK YOU for volunteering to help with the various CFMA activities this year – whether through donations of food, items, and/or your time!  We need your involvement to help support the Chi-Hi Music Department!  There is a CFMA Member Meeting this Thursday, November 10th at 7:00 p.m. in the Choir Room.  Among other items, we will be discussing the following upcoming events – Singing in Wisconsin, Torte Theatre (December 4th)  and Chi-Hi’s Got Talent (March 11th).  We hope you are able to attend! 
 
Heather Hunt, CFMA President

Chair Testing is (nearly) complete

11/3/2016

 
CFHS Band Family:

With the exception of the Varsity Band saxophones and a few other stragglers, we are essentially finished with chair testing. I was very impressed by the seriousness with which many of you approached this process. I feel very positive for the direction you want to take this band and the steps you are completing to achieve that goal.

Again, a few clarifications:
  • Chair placements are not a ranking of who is "best". They are not inherently good or bad. It is only a snapshot of your current growth.
  • If you are not satisfied with your musical performance, sign up for a lesson. Practice. Look at your music. Ask for help. You are in control of your own musical growth. I will help you as often as you want.
  • I was surprised at how close the scores are. The performance rubric is a great tool to help you better understand your own performance. Across grade levels and across sections the rubric was very consistent. Use it to help you grow!
  • I am slowly sharing a Google folder with you all individually called "(Your Name) - Band Portfolio". Within that Google folder you will (eventually) find your current and all future chair tests, as well as videos, lesson materials and other resources.

The very first time I ran a mile it took me 26 minutes. I was in second grade and I did not understand the concept. It would not take me 26 minutes today to run a mile (I hope). From second grade to today I have taken a number of snapshots of my running growth - school gym class, a few races here and there, etc. Sometimes I do better, sometimes I do worse, but I am always growing. That is the point of chair testing. To help you identify areas for growth, and areas where you are already successful.

MR

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Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District
Chippewa Falls Senior High School
735 Terrill Street
Chippewa Falls, WI 54729

Forever Cardinal Bound.