• CMS Music Monthly Newsletters  Hearing the News.

     

     

    August 2023:

    Hello to all CMS music parents,

     

    Greetings to all of you from CMS Music Department.  I would like to welcome you to the 2023-2024 school year at Colony Middle School.  For those of you who are new to CMS, this email is the monthly newsletter that I send out near the start of each month to inform you of what is coming up.  So, I want to share some upcoming things with the CMS music department.  Remember, you can get lots of info on my Website (go to CMS home page, click “Activities” and click “Music” or here is my website  https://www.matsuk12.us/domain/9225 ). 

     

     

    1. For the first day of class, STUDENT DO NOT NEED TO BRING ANY INSTRUMENTS.   They just need a pencil, paper and a music folder.  So, please save your arms. 
    2. I have jury duty from Aug. 7-18, so I may have a sub for classes.   Please be aware. 
    3. Guitar class will get syllabus material on the first day of class.  They don’t have any concerts or practice charts (just so you know).
    4. For all the students in Advance Band, Choir (beginning and advance) and Advance Orchestra, if you would like to come in and get your materials, see the room, and meet with Mr. Lambert, here are some open dates to come and get materials before the start of the year (NOTE: I will put a note on my website if I am not at CMS due to Jury duty):
      1. Tuesday, Aug. 1: 9 AM-12PM
      2. Thursday, Aug. 3: 4PM-7:30 PM
      3. Tuesday, Aug. 8: 10:30AM-3PM (as long as I don’t have jury duty)
      4. Wednesday, Aug. 9: 9AM-12 PM (as long as I don’t have jury duty)
    5. CMS Music Open House Parent meeting is Aug. 21 at 7PM at CMS.  It is highly recommended that if you are available, please try to attend (especially new families).   I will be spending time going through the program (grading/expectation/events/etc…) in details and it is a great opportunity to ask questions that have come up since the start of the school year.   
    6. Fall concerts are as follow: Choir and Advance band have a split concert evening on Sept. 18.  Choir call is 6:30PM (6:45PM is concert start) and Advance Band call is 7:15 PM (concert staring at 7:30PM).  Orchestra will have their concert on Oct. 2 with call at 6:30 PM with the concert starting at 7PM.  Dress is Black bottom and white top for all groups.  Please have your students at the school on time so we can start on time.  
    7. The Colony MS Music Booster parent meeting is on Oct. 9 at 7PM on Zoom. Zoom link and agenda will come out later.
    8. 1st quarter Practice Charts will start on Sunday, Aug. 27.  This quarter charts will run from Aug. 27 till Oct. 14 (7 weeks, 245 pts)- Charts are weekly assignments.  Do to the start of year, charts be starting when all groups have material to work on.  They are worth 35 pts each week for 2 hours of practice (and yes they get partial points for charts with 0-119 minutes).  Charts go from Sunday to Saturday every week.  Students turn them in to the “Snoopy” box every week.  They need full name, the date of the week they practiced, times for each day, total time added up and a parent signature.  All of this is needed to be graded.  Students can practice more than 2 hours if they want and put that on another chart if they are going to be gone on another week (like a vacation).  Charts can be turned in up to 2:30 PM on Oct. 18.  I won’t take them past 2:30 PM even if they are sick from school.  They have all quarter to turn in stuff even if they choose to turn it in at the end only. Please be aware that if a student turn them in at the last minute and they are not filled out correctly, they will not be graded and I can’t return them to the student for them to repair them. 
    9. Extra credit is going as well.  If a student attends a concert or arts event, have them bring a ticket or program to me and they will get extra credit.
    10. Fall Musical “The Story of Hansel and Gretel” has mandatory audition practices on Aug. 30 and 31 from 2:30PM-4PM.   Audition is Sept. 1 after school.  We are looking for actors.  If you are interested, info is on my website or talk to me. 
    11. Steel Drum for 8th grade has its first practice on Friday, Aug. 18 from 2:30PM till 4PM.  We need to start early because of the trip this year.    
    12. Jazz band and Jazz choir for advance band/choir students will start the week of Aug. 21.   Jazz band is Tuesday and Thursday mornings, Jazz choir is Wednesday and Friday mornings.  Rehearsals are 6:45 AM till 7:15 AM.   Sign-up is in the band room. 
    13. Tri-M music honor society application are in progress.  This is a group for 6-8 grade band, choir and orchestra students.  It is a leadership group that uses music and the arts to help out our community through community service.  We started to try to back last year and we hope to increase our numbers.  This is for any full year music students who has a 3.0 GPA in music and 2.0 GPA in all other classes.  If you are interested, an application is attached.  It is due to Mr. Lambert by Sept. 11 (with 2 letters of recommendation).

     

     

    It is going to be a busy year.   If you need anything or have questions or concerns, please contact me.  I want to thank you for your time.  

     

    Sincerely,

    Mr. Lambert

    CMS music

     

     

    Sept. 2023

     

    Hello to all CMS music parents,

     

    Greetings to all of you from CMS Music Department.  September is on us now and I hope you are having a great Labor Day holiday.  Here is what is coming up this month.  Remember, you can get lots of info on my Website (go to CMS home page, click “Activities” and click “Music” or here is my website  https://www.matsuk12.us/domain/9225 ). 

     

     

    1. Fall concerts are coming: Choir and Advance band have a split concert evening on Sept. 18.  Choir call is 6:30PM (6:45PM is concert start) and Advance Band call is 7:15 PM (concert staring at 7:30PM).  Orchestra will have their concert on Oct. 2 with call at 6:30 PM with the concert starting at 7PM.  Dress is Black bottom and white top for all groups.  Please have your students at the school on time so we can start on time.  
    2. The Colony MS Music Booster parent meeting is on Oct. 9 at 7PM on Zoom. Zoom link and agenda will come out on the next newsletter.  The work agenda is on this newsletter.
    3. 1st quarter Practice Charts will start on Sunday, Aug. 27.  This quarter charts will run from Aug. 27 till Oct. 14 (7 weeks, 245 pts)- Charts are weekly assignments.  Do to the start of year charts be starting when all groups have material to work on.  They are worth 35 pts each week for 2 hours of practice (and yes they get partial points for charts with 0-119 minutes).  Charts go from Sunday to Saturday every week.  Students turn them in to the “Snoopy” box every week.  They need full name, the date of the week they practiced, times for each day, total time added up and a parent signature.  All of this needs to be graded.  Students can practice more than 2 hours if they want and put that on another chart if they are going to be gone on another week (like a vacation).  Charts can be turned in up to 2:30 PM on Oct. 18.  I won’t take them past 2:30 PM even if they are sick from school.  They have all quarter to turn in stuff even if they choose to turn it in at the end only. Please be aware that if a student turns them in at the last minute and they are not filled out correctly, they will not be graded, and I can’t return them to the student for them to repair them. 
    4. Extra credit is going as well.  If a student attends a concert or arts event, have them bring a ticket or program to me and they will get extra credit.
    5. Fall Musical “The Story of Hansel and Gretel” has mandatory audition practices on Aug. 30 and 31 from 2:30PM-4PM.   Audition is Sept. 1 after school.  Production starts on Sept. 5 for cast from 2:30-5PM in the band room. 
    6. Steel Drum for 8th grade is on Fridays from 2:30PM till 4PM.   
    7. Tri-M music honor society application is in progress.  This is a group for 6-8 grade band, choir and orchestra students.  It is a leadership group that uses music and the arts to help out our community through community service.  We started to try to go back last year and we hope to increase our numbers.  This is for any full year music students who has a 3.0 GPA in music and 2.0 GPA in all other classes.  If you are interested, an application is attached.  It is due to Mr. Lambert by Sept. 11 (with 2 letters of recommendation).   Application is attached to this email.
    8. Wasilla HS band is trying to put together a “workshop” day for Beginning Band students to get some extra help.  The date is Sept. 9 from 10AM-2PM at WHS.   This has been very helpful for starting up students to get a little bit of one-on-one help with fingerings, reading of notes and other issues.   They also have lunch and will perform a short concert.  Students who attend can get extra credit if they bring back a program or receipt showing they attended.  Cost is $35.  Contact Mr. Tyler Martin at tyler.martin@matsuk12.us .  Ad is attached to this email.
    9. Booster will be having an “email” election as we have to more our officers around to different position.   We will need your “email” response to make this work.  I am aiming for it to occur on the October newsletter.   
    10. For Orchestra people: The Mat-Su Youth Orchestra is starting up on Sept. 11 from 6:30PM-8PM at Iditarod Elementary.   They are looking for intermediate level players.  Cost is $100.00.  You can email Kai West at alaskaiwest@gmail.com and you can go so MSYO.org for more information. Ad is attached to this email.

     

    ALSO: If you were not able to attend the CMS open house meeting on Aug. 21 or you want to double check info to make sure you understood what was shared, I made a video summary of the meeting.  It has been uploaded to your child’s google classroom (the only place where I can put it due to the video file size).   Please take some time and watch it.  It will help you out with this school year.  Thank you.

     

    Oct. 9-7PM parent booster meeting working agenda:          

    1. Welcome/minutes/money
    2. Old Business
      1. Officer situation
      2. Concert update
      3. Silent auction (set-up, help, finding stuff, communication)
      4. Trip update for 7th-8th grade groups.
      5. ???
    3. New Business?

     

     

    It is going to be a busy year.   If you need anything or have questions or concerns, please contact me.  I want to thank you for your time.  

     

    Sincerely,

    Mr. Lambert

    CMS music

     

    Oct. 2023

     

    Hello to all CMS music parents,

     

    Greetings to all of you from CMS Music Department.  October is here and it is starting to turn towards winter.  Here is what is coming up this month.  Remember, you can get lots of info on my Website (go to CMS home page, click “Activities” and click “Music” or here is my website  https://www.matsuk12.us/domain/9225 ). 

     

     

    1. Fall concerts are finishing: Orchestra will have their concert on Oct. 2 with call at 6:30 PM with the concert starting at 7PM.  Dress is Black bottom and white top for all groups.  Please have your students at the school on time so we can start on time.   Our next concert will be Nov. 20 for Beginning band, Advance band, Choirs and Orchestra.
    2. The Colony MS Music Booster parent meeting is on Oct. 9 at 7PM on Zoom. Zoom link and agenda will come out on the next newsletter.  The work agenda is on this newsletter.
    3. 1st quarter Practice Charts will start on Sunday, Aug. 27.  This quarter charts will run from Aug. 27 till Oct. 14 (7 weeks, 245 pts)- Charts are weekly assignments.  Do to the start of year charts be starting when all groups have material to work on.  They are worth 35 pts each week for 2 hours of practice (and yes they get partial points for charts with 0-119 minutes).  Charts go from Sunday to Saturday every week.  Students turn them in to the “Snoopy” box every week.  They need full name, the date of the week they practiced, times for each day, total time added up and a parent signature.  All of this needs to be graded.  Students can practice more than 2 hours if they want and put that on another chart if they are going to be gone on another week (like a vacation).  Charts can be turned in up to 2:30 PM on Oct. 18.  I won’t take them past 2:30 PM even if they are sick from school.  They have all quarter to turn in stuff even if they choose to turn it in at the end only. Please be aware that if a student turns them in at the last minute and they are not filled out correctly, they will not be graded, and I can’t return them to the student for them to repair them. 
    4. Extra credit is going as well.  If a student attends a concert or arts event, have them bring a ticket or program to me and they will get extra credit.
    5. Fall Musical “The Story of Hansel and Gretel” and “Barnyard Players” will be performing on Oct. 27 (7PM), Oct. 28 (2PM and 7PM) at CMS ($5 per person-tickets sold at the door, cash or check).  We are also streaming the show on Nov. 4 at 1PM ($7 tickets-sold at http://colonyms.booktix.net ).  An ad is attached.  If you can post one at your work, social media place or community bulletin, we would appreciate the help.
    6. Steel Drum for 8th grade is on Fridays from 2:30PM till 4PM. They will be moving onto some Thursday night in October. 
    7. Tri-M music honor society would like to congratulate the following students for making it in: Matthew Wilson, Josephine Kelley, Betty Schmidt, Alexis Semonin, Macer Allen and Makenzie Barba.  We will have a meeting sometime in Oct. 
    8. The 7th-8th advance band, advance choir and orchestra members have their tour on Dec. 5-6.  We are heading to Glennallen School and Glacier View School to perform.   We also will have a short visit to Wrangell/St. Elias NP.  Permission forms has been sent home (they are also on my website “overview” page, attached to this email).  They are due back to Mr. Lambert by Oct. 18 (by 5PM) with all the forms filled out, plus $44 in cash, check or credit receipt (if you paid through the school credit card system). If you can’t not afford the trip and your child wants to go, please contact me ASAP.  I can help but if I don’t know you need help, I can’t do anything for you. 
    9. Booster will be having an “email” election as we have to more our officers around to different position.   We will need your “email” response to make this work.  I am aiming for it to occur on the November newsletter.   
    10. The Halloween CMS School social is Oct. 31 from 2:30 PM-4PM at CMS.   It is a school dance/carnival for Halloween.  The money raised is to help the steel drum student pay off their trip to Trinidad.  We need some parent volunteers to help out (chaperones).  If you can help, please email me as soon as possible.
    11. Silent Auction fundraiser is Nov. 20.  If you have a business or service that can donate something to it to be auctioned off, please contact me.  The money raised is used to keep equipment functioning and help with student trips.

     

     

    Parent Conferences are Oct. 19.  Due to a preschedule practice for “Barnyard Players”, I am offering conference from 7AM-2:45 PM.   To schedule a conference, go to https://calendly.com/tl07149/  and fill it out (sorry I hope the link works).  If this will not for you, please just email me and I will do a conference at any time (it does not have to be on Oct. 19).

       

    ALSO: If you were not able to attend the CMS open house meeting on Aug. 21 or you want to double check info to make sure you understood what was shared, I made a video summary of the meeting.  It has been uploaded to your child’s google classroom (the only place where I can put it due to the video file size).   Please take some time and watch it.  It will help you out with this school year.  Thank you.

     

    Oct. 9-7PM parent booster meeting working agenda:          

    1. Welcome/minutes/money
    2. Old Business
      1. Officer situation
      2. Concert update
      3. Silent auction (set-up, help, finding stuff, communication)
      4. Trip update for 7th-8th grade groups.
      5. ???
    3. New Business?

     

    TOBIAS LAMBERT is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

     

    Join Zoom Meeting

    https://matsuk12-us.zoom.us/j/84054903457

     

    Meeting ID: 840 5490 3457

     

    I hope you have a wonderful month.   If you need anything or have questions or concerns, please contact me.  I want to thank you for your time.  

     

    Sincerely,

    Mr. Lambert

    CMS music