About the NR Band The Nolan Ryan Junior High Band began with the founding of the

school in 2008. Since that time the Nolan Ryan Band has made a

commitment to the highest standards of musical learning and

performance. The members of the Nolan Ryan Band compete in

individual and group competitions throughout the year, always

trying to push toward new levels of musical achievement.

Since the opening of the school, Nolan Ryan Band students have

earned over 160 places in All-District and All-Region bands and

over 850 1st division ratings on solos and ensembles. In the past

six years, bands from Nolan Ryan have consistently earned UIL

Sweepstakes, Best In Class, and Overall Outstanding awards at

contests in the Houston area. In 2013, the Nolan Ryan Junior High

Band was named a Commended Winner in the National Wind Band

Honors Mark of Excellence competition, and was also named a

Texas Music Educators Association State Honor Band Finalist, the

first band from Alvin ISD to achieve this prestigious honor.

NR Band General Information

Contact Information Please direct any specific questions about your student’s class

to the teacher of that class.

Mr. Josh Mooney jmooney@alvinisd.net

Director of Bands Beginning Flutes, Trumpets, and

Trombones

Symphonic Band 1

Mr. Freddy Patrick fpatrick@alvinisd.net

Assistant Band Director Beginning Oboes, Bassoons, Horns,

Private Lessons Euphoniums, and Tubas

Symphonic Band 2

Ms. Hannah Colvin hcolvin@alvinisd.net

Assistant Band Director Beginning Clarinets and Saxophones

Practice Logs Symphonic Bands 3 & 4

Chaperones

Mr. Lou Boldrighini lboldrighini@alvinisd.net

Manvel Area Percussion Beginning Percussion

Coordinator Symphonic Bands 1, 2, and 3

Percussion

Band Hall Phone (281) 245-2065

Band Website www.alvinisd.net/domain/1557

Twitter @NRJHBand

Practicing and Commitment Playing a musical instrument requires outside practice time.

Students who do not practice on a regular basis will not achieve

their potential. All students will be required to maintain a practice

log that is signed by their parent/guardian and turned in at the

beginning of every week for a grade.

By participating in band you are making a commitment to the other

members of your class, to your teachers, to your parents, and to

yourself. Band is like a team sport. You must practice consistently

to improve yourself and your band.

Every member of the band is important. If your band is having a

rehearsal or performance, one absent member affects the whole

band. It takes an incredible amount of individual and group work

to create a successful performance.

With very little exception, our performance calendar for the 2014-

15 school year is finalized. Concert preparation begins months in

advance, and missing students adversely impact the group’s

success.

Students missing concerts and contests for vacations or trips are

not excused unless we know several months ahead of the event.

Class Requirements BEGINNING BAND

No previous musical experience is required. Classes are divided

into like-instrument groups for instructional purposes. See the

calendar for required events, rehearsals, and performances.

Students must have:

an approved instrument, all recommended instrumental

accessories, a beginning band book, a music stand, and

some sort of metronome (physical, online, or app).

a black, 3-ring binder with at least 10 plastic sheet

protectors (this can be purchased from the band for $5).

black NR Band polo shirt ($20), full-length khaki dress pants,

and tennis shoes. This is your concert uniform.

SYMPHONIC BANDS 1-4

By audition and director recommendation only. Because of the

musical demands of these groups, members are expected to

exhibit the highest levels of behavioral and academic

responsibility. These bands focus on developing and refining the

physical and mental skills necessary to perform in a group

musical setting.

Students must have:

an approved instrument, all recommended instrumental

accessories, a music stand, and some sort of metronome

(physical, online, or app).

a black, 3-ring binder with at least 10 plastic sheet protectors

(this can be purchased from the band for $5).

a black NR Band polo shirt. This is only required for SB1

and all 8th graders. $20, only if you need a new one.

a white, wing-tipped tuxedo shirt (these will be fitted at

school and purchased for $20), black dress pants, black over

-the-ankle socks, and flat, black, closed-toe dress shoes.

This is your concert uniform.

If you are considering any orthodontic work during the school year, let us know so we can help you schedule around contests and performances. Unless you play percussion, orthodontic work should never be done within a month of a performance.

Grades PARTICIPATION

Participation in band means that you are seated:

1) when class starts,

2) with all required materials,

3) actively engaged for the entire period.

Everyone starts each 9 weeks with a participation grade of

100. If, at the start of any rehearsal, you do not have any of

the following required materials, your participation grade will

be lowered: instrument, music, book, binder, pencil, reeds, or

instrument care products.

REQUIRED REHEARSALS and PERFORMANCES

Unless otherwise stated, all scheduled rehearsals and

performances are graded.

Performances count as at least two test grades. Missing a

required rehearsal or performance may result in a lower chair

or a lower band placement.

OBJECTIVE PASS-OFFS

All performance and written tests given during each nine week

grading period will be “pass-offs.” The purpose of objective

pass-offs is to encourage students to retry a test or written

assignment until they have mastered the concept. Upon the

first unsuccessful attempt at passing off an objective, the

student will receive a grade of 0 for that objective. If, on a

subsequent unsuccessful attempt, they are able to

demonstrate improvement, but not mastery, the grade may be

moved up to a 50 at the teacher’s discretion. Pass-off grades

will remain a 0 or a 50 until the student has mastered the

objective in accordance to the rubric below. Once passed off,

the grade for that objective is a 100. Students have until the

end of the 9 weeks to pass-off each objective.

Students will be required to write down their required

objectives in the spaces provided on back of their practice log.

Parents and students should use this space to keep track of

which objectives they still need to pass off.

SECTIONALS (7th & 8th grade only)

Sectionals are a very important part of large-group instruction. 7th

and 8th grade students will have one before or after school

sectional each week until the end of the school year. During

sectionals, students will receive a grade for attendance, have

opportunities to pass off objectives, and participate in chair tests.

Sectional attendance is required and is crucial for individual

progress as well as the success of the group.

Sectional times will be set in advance for each band and will change

throughout the year with school activities. When determining

sectional schedules, we will try to avoid conflicts with other before

and after school activities. Some conflicts may be unavoidable, and

we will address these on an individual basis.

If you know of a conflict, it is your responsibility to let us know as

soon as you are aware of it so that we can attempt to adjust the

schedule if possible.

LISTENINGS

During region band preparation (SB1), and during UIL preparation

(SB1, 2, & 3), you will have a weekly assigned 10 to 15 minute

listening time. The listening cannot be on the same day as your

sectional. Your weekly listening grade is determined by your

attendance and your preparation of the previous assignment.

PRACTICE LOGS Every week, each member of the NR Band will be required to submit

a signed practice log. Practice log grades are based on the number

of minutes that you

practice

throughout the

week. Practice

logs are always

due on the first day

of the week, but

we will accept

them on the

second day of the

week with a 10

point grade

reduction. After

the second day of

the week, the

practice log grade

is a zero and cannot be made up. No practice logs will be accepted

without a parent or guardian signature. Practice logs with less than

four days of practice will receive a 20 point grade deduction.

If you lose your practice log, you

can get a new one in the band hall.

You can also just print one from the band website!!!

SCHOOL-OWNED INSTRUMENTS

Some of the larger or more expensive instruments are owned

by Alvin ISD. If you are using a school-owned instrument,

there is a yearly fee of $60.00 to help defray the cost of

regular maintenance and cleaning. This does not cover the

cost of major damages or repairs. If you are using a school-

owned instrument, you are responsible for the cost of any

repairs.

Because of the expense of purchasing percussion equipment,

percussion students are exempt from the $60 fee. However,

they are responsible for any damage caused by neglect or

mistreatment of school-owned percussion equipment.

LOCKS and LOCKERS

Because of the number of students in the NRJH Band, many

students will share large lockers. A typical example of this

would be eight trumpet players sharing one very large locker.

We assign lockers based on which class you are in and what

instrument you play. If (and only if) you have your own locker,

you may request a combination lock from us. If you lose your

school-issued lock, the replacement cost is $5. You may not

use a lock on your locker if you are sharing a locker with

someone else. If you would like a lock, you must use a school-

issued lock. For school security reasons, anything else will

be cut off.

School-Owned Instruments and Band Facilities

SCHOOL ENTRY PROCEDURES and PRACTICE ROOMS

Morning sectionals start at 7:00am, but we will check the door one

more time at 7:15am.

You will have to wait until someone in the front office is there to let

you in the building (usually around 8:00am). If you are not on time

to your rehearsal, do not knock on the door to be let in. We start

rehearsal at 7:00am, and will check again at 7:15am. We will not

stop rehearsals to answer the door. Again, if you arrive between 7

and 7:15am, please wait patiently. If you arrive after 7:15am, you

will need to go to the front of the building.

Students needing access to the band hall before school must be at the outside door next to the band hall

(cafeteria side of the building) between 6:45 and 7:00am.

After 7:15am, you will need to go to the front of the school with a Band Pass.

Students are encouraged to use the practice rooms before and after school, but with the following expectations: 1) let the band directors know in advance that you

will be there. 2) be practicing (not getting out your instrument) in

the practice room by 8:15am. 3) leave the room if a private lesson teacher needs to

use it. 4) practice by yourself unless otherwise instructed. 5) leave the band hall if there are no empty rooms. 6) understand that using the practice rooms is a

privilege. If you abuse the privilege, you will be asked to leave.

NR Band Charms Office Update Procedure All Alvin ISD band programs use an online service called Charms, to manage inventory, music, and parent/student contact

information. Charms is a very powerful tool that allows us to quickly and easily contact large or small groups of students.

Because we value our time, your time, and our students’ time, most contact from us will be via email. However, in emer-

gency or short-notice situations, Charms also gives us the ability to send out text messages.

A Couple of Things About Charms

1) We need every student/parent in our band program to log in to the Charms website at least once to update their contact information.

Detailed instructions may be found on the reverse side of this sheet. 2) Please provide as many email addresses as you can. Don’t forget to include the student’s email address! 3) You should expect to receive an email from us about once a week. If

you’ve updated your information, but you’re not receiving emails, check your junk/spam folder. Because we send out emails to large groups of students, sometimes our emails get blocked. If you find our emails in your junk folder, please change your settings so that you can receive our frequent updates!

Step 1 Go to www.charmsoffice.com

Step 2 Click “Enter;” then “Parents/Students/Members.”

Step 5 On this page you will find links

to some very useful tools and information.

Please click on the ‘Student Info’ icon at the

top of the screen or the ‘Update Info’ icon at

the bottom.

To Access Charms

Step 3 Enter “NRBand” as the school code.

Step 4 Enter your school ID# in the ‘Student Area

Password’ blank. If your ID# does not work, let us

know, and we will reset it for you.

Step 6 Complete or update all contact

information. The more information you

provide, the better we’ll be

able to keep you informed.

Step 7 Be sure to click ‘Update’ at the

top of the screen when you are done!!!