Mr. Howell's Music Page

2010-04-13T06:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome Back!

I hope you all had a wonderful spring break. We now enter that rigorous few weeks time before the concert in which we prepare our students for what lies ahead. The next few weeks will consist of review and cleaning of the band pieces they have learned in order to be fully prepared to put on our concert in May. We have an exciting concert planned which I am sure you will enjoy.

Music enrichment classes our slowly going to be coming to a close as well. Fourth and fifth grades will be wrapping up their recorder unit and moving on to more singing experience. Second grade will be moving on from their unit on cannons, while third will be wrapping up after finishing up with "Dona Nobis Pacem"

I look forward to the last few weeks of school and hope that your children have truly had a great experience this year not only in band, but in music class.

Yours in Music,
Michael Howell
Band Director/Music Enrichment

2010-03-01T05:43:00.000-08:00

Well, things have been rather hectic around here because of the snow. I am happy to report, however, that the bands and general music classes have been doing just fine. We have 5 students participating in this years Kent County Honors Band. The first rehearsal is March 8, with the others being the 22, 26, and 27. The concert is on Saturday, March 27, 2010 at Lake Forest High School at 7pm. The PCA Select Ensemble will also be participating in the Junior High Band Festival at Caesar Rodney High School on March 31, 2010.

On the band end of things, there have been many great strides made. We are playing through some very rewarding music which the students have taken a great liking towards. It looks to be a very good concert which I am sure both parents and students alike will enjoy.

On the general music side of things, the students have been continuing their study of recorders in 4th and 5th grade, while those in 2nd and 3rd have been learning/reviewing musical rounds.

All in all, things have been going well in the Providence Creek Academy Band Department, and I look forward to seeing how the rest of the year will pan out.

Yours in Music,
Michael Howell

2010-01-04T06:08:00.001-08:00

Welcome Back!

I hope you all had a wonderful break. Now it is time to get back into the groove of things and look toward the spring. We had a very successful concert on the 17th and I have no doubt that we will repeat that success coming up in May for our spring concert. With the new year comes new feelings as well as new approaches to things. I will be trying some new approaches to the music as well as with working with the students to see if it helps them connect more with what they are doing. If the students do not get anything out of what they are participating in, then there really is no point. I would rather them take something away from what they have accomplished, rather than going at it blindly and with no feeling. Here is to a great spring season!

2009-10-16T07:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween Everyone!

It's been a great start to the year for everything with both band and general music. 2nd Grade has learned Who's That Tapping at the Window?, A-B-A, and Barnyard Song in which they sing about different barnyard animals and have to cycle backwards through the list each time. 3rd Grade has learned Penobscot Song of Greeting, Skip to my Lou, and they are starting to learn Are You Sleeping. 4th Grade has learned the PCA Alma Mater, Drill Ye Tarriers, and they are starting to learn America the Beautiful. 5th Grade has learned Simple Gifts, Red River Valley, and they are starting to learn When Johnny Comes Marching Home. Overall it has been a great experience for them and they seem to really enjoy it.

In the band world of things, we are doing quite well. Each band now has four selections they are playing. Some of the students whom are in both ensembles are playing 8 selections in total. We arlready have our couple of favorites as usual, and the students are really enjoying playing together. It looks like it will be a great concert. The biggest help so far has been the practice cards. Students are taking responsibility for their practicing and it is showing. Thank you to you the parents for helping push them in this area.

Below you will find a link to the lesson schedule. There is also a link on the main virtual classroom page for if anyone has "lost" their schedule.

Band Schedule

2009-09-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

WELCOME BACK!!!

It is a new year and a new start for all of us. I am very excited about what is in store for not only the band program but the general music portion of what I will be doing here at PCA. There are a few changes this year to the band program, all of which I feel will benefit not only the program, but more importantly the students. These include: being graded, playing tests, practice cards, higher student expectations. What I mean by higher expectations is the students will be expected to walk me through their music and I will simply help them along. This will allow them to have better command of their musical knowledge. For general music, Miss Waldron and myself have collaborated to make this year's music class duo more of extensions to one another. This will help the students to get the most possible out of their music experience. I look forward to a great year.

2009-06-02T10:48:00.003-07:00

Hello all,
Well, it's been a couple months and a lot has happened in that time. I want to thank all the help and support of the parents without whom this band would not happen. The concert went exceedingly well. I was very pleased with how the students did, as well as their support of the other groups. Now, we are on the eve of graduation, and some of the band has one more performance left. This year, we will be losing 11 8th graders. Fortunately, we are gaining quite a few 6th graders next year coming up from 5th grade, as well as a couple 7th graders, however, the 8th graders will sorely be missed. They have all done a lot for this band, and I could not be more proud of them all. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication over the past few years for this band, and especially from me for the past 2 years. It has been a true pleasure. Enjoy your summer and good luck with high school.
As for the band next year, we have a lot of exciting things going on. For one, we will be moving to the new building, with a brand new band room and stage/auditorium. I look forward with much anticipation as to what we will be able to accomplish. I wish everyone a safe and happy summer, and I will see you all in September!

2009-03-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

Parents,
Here is the most recent lessons schedule:
March - April

2009-01-07T06:32:00.001-08:00

For Parents and Students,
Here is the newest lesson schedule for January into February:
Lessons

2009-01-05T08:28:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2009! I hope everyone had a wonderful and restful holiday season. Now it is time to get back to the grind and truck our way to the next concert.
As far as the Middle School Band, there is a piece which I have picked to play that will wind up being our Pirates from last year. The parts in and of themselves are fairly easy, it is when we put them together that it will be a daunting task.
For the beginners, we will again get back to some basics to reinforce any notes they may not be too confident on, and will continue going through book 1 of the Essential Elements series.
In Music Enrichment, we will continue to pursue our quest of recorders and will start to have performance quizzes every couple of weeks. This will simply consist of them playing individually for me, and I will judge them on how well they play (sound, how they play, correct notes, no squeaking), and will grade them based on a 12 point rubric. This is a system they are already used to, so there should be no surprises here.
I look forward to what will hopefully be a rewarding spring. If anyone has any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me here at school via email or phone. My email is mhowell@pca.k12.de.us, and my extension here at the school is 137. The email will be the best bet, as I do not always get an opportunity to check on my phone. As always, thank you for all your support.

Yours in Music,
Michael Howell
Band Director
Providence Creek Academy

2008-12-05T09:15:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
I just wanted you to all have a copy of the updated lesson schedule for the remainder of December going into the beginning of January.

Here is the link:
Lesson Schedule

2008-12-02T06:03:00.001-08:00

We have come to the final stretch before the concert!

Merry December to all. We now only have 2 short weeks before the concert, then everything comes down to the wire. The band has been working diligently over the past few weeks to prepare the 3 pieces we have in store for you. There is also a surprise small group which will be performing one extra piece for your enjoyment. The beginners had an interesting rehearsal on November 24 when they all played together. They had their first experience playing together and it actually went rather well. I feel you will all be very pleased by their progress thus far this year.
As for the 4th and 5th grade music enrichment classes, we have finished up with the theory tests, and have finally (especially in their minds) moved on to the recorder. We will most likely be concentrating on recorder for the next couple of months. This way we can get into some of the notes they don't know yet, as well as getting into improvising on recorders.
As you can see, there are many exicting things happening in the next couple of weeks here at PCA. Our concert is on December 17, 2008 at 7pm in the gym. Concert dress is black bottoms (pants, socks, shoes) with white top. Boys are encouraged to wear a tie, while girls may feel free to wear a dress, as long as it is not too busy and stays within the black/white dress code.
I look forward to seeing your reactions to the concert and wish you all a very Happy Holidays!

2008-10-27T08:59:00.001-07:00

Well the year has definitely taken off so far and a lot of exciting things have been happening. The band is off to a great start, playing harder music than they have before. The beginners are all doing just fine, and everyone can play their instruments. I hope to push through to the winter concert and really produce a great product with the students so they can have a wonderful experience from the start.
For those concerned about music enrichment who were not able to look at the letter, all of the students are doing just fine. Their grade at the moment is based off of their citizenship grade. So, as of right now, everyone is passing. We have been preparing the past couple of weeks for a quiz on higher and lower pitches, same and different chords (2 or more notes played at the same time), and simple theory with the staff and accompanying aspects.
All in all, it is shaping up to truly be a wonderful year full of new surprises for all!

Welcome to the 2008-2009 School Year!

2008-09-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome back for a brand new school year. This year especially looks to be very exciting as there are some changes that have been made, as well as some revamping of the program. I am now teaching 4th and 5th grade Music Enrichment, which allows me to introduce the band instruments and then teach recorder. This has also allowed me to not take time during their normal classes to introduce the instruments to them like last year.
For the 6-8th grade combined band, we are starting out from the beginning playing the winter concert music. This is so that both the winter concert and the spring concert will a great experience for them, as well as an opportunity to play better music. They are already progressing very well with it, and it looks like we will be able to put on a wonderful concert.
As for lessons, it is a little different than last year in that they are a lot more flexible. I want to make sure the students know what's going on with their band music, but I also want to make sure they are keeping up with their school work. To this end, I am asking that they come to even just part of the lesson if they have something for another class so that they may at least get any vital information if their is any. This way I can also touch base with them on the music so I can make sure they are keeping up with it easier. I will also be conducting peformance quizzes which will allow me to keep track of their progress during the year and make sure they are practicing.
During band itself, we will be working more this year with balance, blend, and tuning. I want them to experience more of what it is like to consistently play together and blend well. This is when a band has its best sound, and it is already starting to help them. I will be gradually helping them to learn how to hear if they are in tune or not, and will quickly tune them before each class. We will then go through a quick warm-up before we get into the band music. This will allow them to start thinking about all of their balance and blend issues from the get-go, rather than during the main band music.
This is also the time of year for starting beginning band lessons. I have many of the sign up sheets already, and so far have a fairly good amount of 4-8th graders signed up to take lessons. The ones who are signed up are very excited, as am I, and I can't wait to get started with them. My goal for the beginners this year is to reinforce the notes enough with them that they will progress more quickly, and will be able to play more well-known Winter pieces for the Holiday concert. This will make more sense for them, as well as the audience, and allow them to not play three songs that all sound like "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
All in all, it is shaping up to be a very fruitfull and fullfilling year, and I cannot wait to see what the students are capable of. I thank all of you for your continued support with the program. Without your support, the program wouldn't have a basis to start from, as there would be no students. Here's to a great year!

Here is also a copy of the Band Schedule for those who have lost theirs or just want a copy:
Schedule

2008-01-02T09:30:00.000-08:00

It has been a while, but here we are at the beginning of a new year, and winding down to the end of the school year.

I would like to start by saying I am very pleased with what the band was able to accomplish at the concert on the 19th. They put alot of hard work into what you witnessed, and it payed off in the end.

Next, I would like to talk about the upcoming time we have left. These next two marking periods are going to be a lot about getting back to basics. I want to focus on improving the overall quality of playing, and the students ability to play. I will also be introducing scales to the students. I feel that this is an integral part in their being able to play with a better overall look at their music.

As far as music goes this time around, I will be trying to focus on doing more 3 or more part pieces. This band has shown me that they are able to pull these kind of pieces together, so I am going to push them to help them achieve something I know they can do.

I look forward to working with you students in the upcoming months, and hope that they look forward to it as well. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to call or email me. My phone number here at school is 302-653-6276 ext 137 and my email is mhowell@pca.k12.de.us.

Yours in Music,
Michael Howell
Band Director
Providence Creek Academy

Nearing the end of the Semester

2007-11-16T04:16:00.000-08:00

We are coming towards the end of the semeseter, and it is almost time for our holiday concert! This program looks to be rather good this year, and I am excited to be a part of this groundbreaking event. I consider this event groundbreaking because this will be the first concert we've had where the band has been rehearsing on a regular basis together. There have been some rough patches here and there, most of the time just because it has been an off day. However, the band is doing quite well, and I couldn't be more happy. It has been such a nice experience to work with this band, as well as the staff, administration, and parents. For those that don't know, the concert will be on Wednesday, December 19 at 7pm in the gym. It will be the beginning lessons, band, and choral concert. The band will be playing 3 pieces which will be named at the concert, and the beginning students will be playing one piece all together to be named at the concert. This is not because I do not know what they are playing, but rather because I would like it to be a surprise. I am truly looking forward to this concert, and hope that all of you are as well. I hope to see you all there, and hope you enjoy the concert as well. Thank you for all of your continued involvement, and I hope to see even more in the near future. May music brighten your life in some way and show you a brighter tomorrow today.

Parent Teacher Conferences

2007-11-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
I will be offering times this Tuesday through Thursday for you to come in, call, or email me to talk about your child if need be. The times will be from 10:30-1:00 and 2:00-2:30. Again, you have the option of coming in during that time, emailing me, or having a phone conference. You can also decide to not have one at all. I will be sending a paper home with your child today, Monday, November 5, 2007 for you to sign and check the option you would like. This is to be returned to me by tomorrow morning so I know who I will need to expect a conference from. I thank you for your cooperation and support.

Yours in Music,
Michael Howell
Band Director
Providence Creek Academy
355 W Duck Creek Rd
Clayton, DE 19938
mhowell@pca.k12.de.us
302-653-6276 x135

Parents Meeting on Sept 27 @7 in the Gym

2007-09-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
For those of you with students wishing to enroll in band lessons, the informational meeting about how to rent an instrument and general information about the band will be on Thursday, September 27 at 7pm in the PCA gymnasium. As I said we will be going over general information, including the instruments, as well as renting instruments. If you have an instrument at home that your child wishes to use, please bring it on this night and either myself or Mr. Mears will take a look at it to make sure it is playing properly. I hope you are all having a wonderful start to the school year, and I look forward to seeing all of you next Thursday.

Yours in Music,
Michael Howell
Band Director
Providence Creek Academy

Welcome to a New Year at PCA

2007-09-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
I would like to welcome you all to a new year here at Providence Creek Academy. I would like to first take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Michael Howell, and I am the new band director. I just recently graduated from West Chester University with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and a concentration in saxophone. I am very excited to be a part of the PCA family now, and look forward to what looks to be a very fulfilling and rewarding year. If any of you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me here at school. My email is mhowell@pca.k12.de.us and my extension is 137.

Yours in Music,
Michael Howell
Band Director
Providence Creek Academy