Dear Seward Elementary Parents,

Welcome to the 2012-2013 school year! I’d like to introduce myself as the new music teacher for the Seward schools.  I recently moved here from Portland, OR, and am loving Seward thus far. I am so excited to be a part of this community and become more familiar with you and your students.

This year, band will be set up a little different than in the past.  Beginning band will meet in the morning from 7:50-8:20 Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  Advanced band (students with a year or more of band, or who have taken private lessons), will meet Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 7:50-8:20.  As you probably noticed, this means the two groups will meet together on Wednesday to go over joint repertoire and to provide advanced students with teaching opportunities, and younger students with models

Advanced Band will begin Wednesday, August 29th at 7:50.  On that same night, we will have an Instrument Open House for beginning band students (students with no instrumental experience), at 7pm in the Elementary Music Room.  As in the past, students will rent their instruments and buy their method books through the Horn Doctor at Alaska Music & Sound in Anchorage.  Beginning Band students will use the Standard of Excellence, Book 1.  Advanced Band students will be working out of the Standard of Excellence, Book 2.  Both can be purchased through at Alaska Music & Sound. Please talk to me if your child wants to be in band, but financial difficulties are preventing him/her from participating.

I’d also like to explain how your student’s grading works.  There is a district-wide initiative to grade PE and music solely on participation.  I have included the rubric on the next page.  While I will be going over this in class, it would be greatly appreciated if you could review this scale with your children.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me through the information below

Best,

Breighley Sexton

K-12 Seward Music Teacher

BSexton@kpbsd.k12.ak.us

Phone: 907.224.3356