Friday, September 11, 2009



Dear Piano Parents and Students,

Note!!!!! The concert dates for the year are incorrect. The correct dates are January 28-29, 2010 for the Winter Concerts and April 22-23, 2010 for the Spring Concerts.

Welcome to the Johnston Piano department for the 09-10 school year! I am proud to announce that we have two new staff members in the piano department......Ms. McKelvey(a former Johnston student, yea!) and Mrs. Laurie Conner, (our fabulous award-winning choral director!). I look forward to the best piano year yet!

Students have now received their books in class and are already working hard learning more about piano. Last week, they received practice logs to record their practice at home. Students will not need to record minutes but will instead journal the content, skill/s, technique, music and goal of the week. These forms will be due with parent signature's once each grading period. The current log will be due during class time on October 15/16, 2009.

Piano Handbooks are now available for distribution in the classroom. By Wednesday, all students should have received one. The handbook is also at the end of my schoolnotes for your convenience.

Hopefully all students have their headphones. Please have them bring their headphones to piano class each time. All other materials can be stored in the room.

I am very happy to have your child in the piano department. Thank you for your continued support and please contact me anytime at dgrossco@houstonisd.org for additional assistance or questions.



Please see below for a copy of some of the handbook!

Mrs. Diana Grosscope

Johnston Middle School

Piano Department

Piano Handbook

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a restful summer and I hope you continued to practice your piano! We look forward to seeing all the 7^th and 8^th graders and Mrs. Conner, Ms. McKelvey and I are looking forward to working with the new 6^th graders!

MATERIALS NEEDED

You will need headphones with a 1/4" jack (available at Radio Shack), and a black 1" performance binder. The headphones will be the only item that will need to be brought to the classroom with the student each day. All other materials including piano books will be provided for use at school. Students will be able to “check out” a method book for home practice after the class fee is paid and method books will be assigned beginning on the first full day of your piano class. Please give us a couple of class periods to talk to the students and place them in the correct methodology book. Students who were in the piano lab last year will continue in the same book they were using at the end of the previous year.

PIANO FEE

The fee for piano this year is unchanged at $75. The piano fee covers the cost of repairing pianos; replacing worn out books; piano t-shirts for the students; fees for solo and ensemble contest; providing every student with the appropriate books for school use; and purchasing new music. After paying their fee, students may check out an “at home” practice book to be returned either at the end of the year or when they progress to the next level. You may send the piano fee to your child’s piano teacher during class time or before school at any time, but all fees are due by Friday, September 25, 2009. We will be glad to address financials issues if you will contact us and we can set up a plan that will work for you.

ASSIGNMENTS

The students will study scales, technical finger exercises, method books, solo and duet music for concerts, ensemble pieces with their classmates, and practice theory skills in the computer lab or at home using emusictheory.com. Students in the advanced (Period 1) class will use repertoire from the UIL list in lieu of a method book. Copies of their selections will be made for them, one for school and one for home.

PRACTICE LOGS

We strive to provide your child with a comprehensive piano education. Having your child practice at home is a must for success! Your child will earn their practice log grade by recording the specific pieces, scales and technique they are practicing at home. This can also include theory work on the computer using the above mentioned website. These logs, which will be given to the students during the second week of school, will be due, with parent’s signatures, before the end of each grading cycle. Students will have an assignment sheet each nine weeks and will know what they are working on at all times. Due dates will be posted on the board, on SchoolNotes.com, and will be listed on the sheet. Points will be deducted for turning logs in late.

CONCERTS

Piano students must participate in the Winter and Spring Concerts. These performances will take place during your child’s piano class time and a dress code is required (see below). The dates are as follows:

Winter Piano Concert                                       January 28/29, 2010 (auditorium)

Spring Piano Concert                                        April 22/23, 2010 (auditorium)

The concerts listed above are during your child’s piano class. Concert times are:

Thursdays                                Fridays

1^st/5th               9:00   AM                                1^st/5^th               9:30   AM

2^nd/6^th               11:30 AM                                2^nd/7^th               11:30 AM

3rd/7^th              1:00    PM                                3^rd/7^th               1:00    PM

4th/8^th              2:30    PM                                4^th/8^th               2:30   PM

Some members of the advanced class (Period 1) will perform for the Fall Concert scheduled on October 15, 2009, at 7 PM in the Johnston auditorium. Report time for this concert is 6:30 PM. Dress Attire will be announced closer to concert time.

Students will be selected for the ensemble concert in December based on the repertoire needed for those concerts and parents will be notified.

CONCERT ATTIRE

Casual:

Johnston Piano shirt (students will receive when fee is paid)

        Black slacks

        Black socks

        Black shoes

Formal:

Girls

        Floor length or mid calf skirt or dress of your choice with no split in the skirts or dresses

        Coordinated Pants Ensemble

        Dress shoes

 Boys

        Dress Shirt (tie and coat optional)

        Dark slacks

        Dress shoes

Students will not perform if they are not appropriately dressed. Their grade will be adjusted to reflect the lack of performance.

GRADING

The students’ grade will reflect work done in the following manner:

Daily Class Practice                                          25%

Concerts/Tests                                                 30%

Quizzes/Class Performances                             20%

Reflections/Practice Log                                   10%

Products/Assignment Sheets                             15%

Please feel free to email me using dgrossco@houstonisd.org any time you have any question about piano. Mrs. Conner can be reached by using lconner@houstonisd.org and Ms. McKelvey by using rmckelve@houstonisd.org.

We are very excited about this year!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Diane Grosscope              Ms. Rolethial McKelvey                       Mrs. Laurie Conner