The music program is responding in a unique way to the concerns surrounding the spread of infections.  The majority of us play wind instruments.  Wind instruments are not inherently dangerous when it comes to the spread of infections, but there is an increased possibility from other day-to-day activities simply due to the fact that we breathe hot moist air into our instruments.  Our instruments tend to act as a barrier to the spread of illness, but they also collect whatever we breathe into it.  So this blog will give you resources on how to clean your instrument.

Did you know: After you get sick with a respiratory illness like a cold or influenza, you should replace your toothbrush once you're healthy again?
The same is true for anything porous that goes into our mouths.  This includes clarinet or saxophone reeds.  Drumsticks should also be replaced, as they can carry whatever ended up on your hands.  Mouthpieces of all instruments should be washed daily anyway, so that is not likely to be an issue.

Your instrument should be washed in some way on a daily basis.  For brass, clarinet and saxophone players, you can simply rinse out your mouthpieces on a daily basis, and that is usually good enough.  For clarinets, saxophone and flute players, you should swab your instruments daily as well.  Here are a few YouTube videos that can walk you through those processes.

Full, proper cleanings don't need to happen on a weekly basis, but should be somewhat more frequent than an average teenager considers.  Considering the most recent events, now is as good of a time as any.
For flutes, clarinets, and saxophones, this process isn't too challenging.  You do not bathe the instruments, and rather simply use cloths, but the manner in which you do so is also important, so that while you are cleaning, you don't accidentally cause damage.  Here are some videos that can help out with this (the information in the flute video is good for clarinet and saxophone players, the bari sax players get their own video though).

For Brass players, the process is a little more involved.  It includes using a bathtub.  In my opinion, a reasonable time frame for this type of maintenance on brass instruments is everytime there is a longer school break, such as during Christmas, Teachers' Convention, Easter, and Summer Holidays.  I might recommend due to current events, however, that now is a really good time to do this too.  The trumpet video also applies well to tubas and baritones.

The easiest answer: Call Long & McQuade or order online at www.long-mcquade.com.  If you call Long & McQuade, you can ask for the Band Department and order your reeds, cleaning supplies, or anything else, and ask them to deliver it either directly to your house (shipping charges may apply) or directly to the school (shipping charges would not apply, but it may take up to 3 weeks).  Alternatively, you can order online and have them ship it directly to your house.  Either way, you don't have to go into the store, but if you'd rather, I've also provided the address here.

• Option 1: Go to www.long-mcquade.com and order your supplies for delivery.
• Option 2: Call (403) 244-5555, ask for the Band Department, and place your order by phone with your credit card, asking them either to deliver it to your house or to Notre Dame Collegiate (make sure you say specifically to Joel Windsor in High River at Notre Dame Collegiate, there are a lot of schools with similar names out there).
• Option 3: Go to Long & McQuade at 225 58 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2H 0N8 and make your purchase in person.

Cleaning your instrument actually improves your sound quality, and therefore you sense of success.  Properly maintaining your instrument will also help it last longer, and require costly repairs less often.  Whether you are concerned about illness or not, a clean instrument is always the best way forward.

Dear Parents of Students in the Notre Dame Collegiate Music Program,
I write to inform you of the cancellation of all planned music trips, including all excursions to Airdrie, Lethbridge, and the already cancelled Toronto trip.  This decision comes as a result of the Alberta Chief Medical Officer's instructions to adopt aggressive new public health measures to prevent continued spread of the coronavirus known as COVID-19.
These aggressive measures include the cancellation of all events involving 250 people or more.  Although none of the events we have registered with have cancelled as of yet, we are cancelling our participation with the full knowledge that there will in fact be more than 250 each of the festival venues we anticipated performing at. Even soloists, who would normally be performing in classes with lower attendance, will be doing so in facilities that may be attended by other events, and so we can see no guarantee of meeting this and other criteria as set by Alberta Health.
Therefore out of an abundance of caution, we are cancelling each and every off-site music education activity.  We are sorry for the disappointment you feel, as we feel similarly.  We are instead exploring other opportunities for similar music educational opportunities without the risk to health and safety, but cannot guarantee anything at this point.
Please understand that our office staff will be working on reimbursing families in due course.  Music activities are not the only activities that have been cancelled, and it may take some time for office staff to process refunds.  If you paid using SchoolCashOnline, your refund will be processed faster, and will be returned to your method of payment.  If you did not pay by SchoolCashOnline, please do not come into the school to collect your refund until you have been informed that your refund has been processed.  Students will not be given refund monies directly.
We apologize for this inconvenience.  Please adhere to the medical safety protocol as has been distributed to you through Alberta Health and the school, and stay safe.
Contrapuntally yours,
​​​​​​​Joel Windsor

Consent Forms for All Airdrie-Based Trips are Due March 6, 2020
Transportation provided by Good Company Travel (56-passenger Coach).
$80 Fee. Accommodations at Super 8 Airdrie.  Breakfast provided.  Evening activities provided.
Minimum of 4 female chaperones and one male chaperone required.
Trips and Performances are a part of musical life in Concert Band.  Grade 7s get their first experience this month by performing at the Airdrie Rotary Festival of the Performing Arts.  While on the trip we will also visit Studio Bell in Calgary, as well as have some downtime.
We need chaperones.  We are not permitted to do a trip without adequate supervision, and this is something Mr. Windsor takes seriously.  If you are able to chaperone, please contact him directly at jwindsor@redeemer.ab.ca.
Students should pack their uniform (white no-logo undershirt, black pants, black socks, black shoes), dress-code appropriate nightwear, and swimwear (should they choose to go swimming), and cash for a dinner and a lunch (options are Wendy's, Tim Horton's, Smitty's and similar).  They should also have their instrument, their sheet music, and a pencil or three.
March 24 Itinerary

• Students depart Notre Dame Collegiate immediately after school
• 5:00 PM - Arrive in Airdrie, check into hotel, walk to dinner.
• 7:00 PM - Walk to Genesis Place for access to the pool.
• 9:00 PM - All back at the hotel
• 10:00 PM - Liturgy and Lights Out

​March 25 Itinerary

• 7:30 AM - Wakeup call and check out
• 8:30 AM - Drive to Bert Church High School, listen to first groups.
• 9:30 AM - Warmup
• 10:05 AM - Performance
• 10:30 AM - Workshop with Adjudicator
• 11:00 AM - Listen to one other group
• 11:15 AM - Depart for Lunch in Airdrie
• 11:45 AM - Depart Airdrie for Studio Bell
• 12:15 PM - Arrive at Studio Bell, self-guided tour
• 2:15 PM - Arrive at the Polaris Centre for the Performing Arts, 261051 Wagon Wheel View #8, Rocky View County, AB.  Warmup and Listening to other groups.
• ​3:00 PM - Arrive at Notre Dame Collegiate, catch regular busses back home.

We are still awaiting final details.  Please check back regularly for those announcements when they come.

As discussed previously, no further details have been fully finalized at this point, awaiting information from the Festival organizers.  Please check the blog post dedicated to the Senior Trip for any further information.

Two weeks ago the permission forms were sent home for Toronto, with an expected deadline of being turned in by January 31.  Understanding that sometimes paperwork gets lost in the bowels of backpacks, I am extending it to February 6.  Please have such paperwork turned in by that date.

In the event you cannot find such paperwork, please find it attached here.

• For students who are under the age of 18 at time of travel
• For students who are over the age of 18 at time of travel

The exact schedule of the individual events during the excursion remain fluid, and will not be able to be confirmed beyond the dates until early April.  However the final dates of April 30-May 3, 2020 are absolute.

Due to severe family circumstances, I have been unable to prepare the February 14 event.  As a result, this event is postponed to an unspecified date.  Once that date can be confirmed, we will be sharing it.
It should be noted that this event was supposed to be a student-led initiative, however I have been tasked with it.  Students will need to take over certain aspects of this event for it to succeed.  Simple tasks are easily delegated, but students need to approach Mr. Windsor to find out what those tasks are.

Curriculum continues to be delivered.  As part of curriculum, the WindSync brass ensemble coming to High River will be working with our Senior High Students during the last bit of Block 2 and through Block 3 on Friday, February 7, 2020.  The focus of this mini-workshop will be their List B pieces, preparing them fully, and solo performances on the whole.  All students need to have their List B pieces prepared for this activity.  Students will be called down to the music room at the appropriate time during Block 2 in order to be prepared for the workshop.

Students need to ensure they are meeting curricular expectations.  This includes List A and List B piece Responding Assignments and Recordings, and Breezin' Thru Theory, both of which can be completed at home.  Some of this work is already approached in classtime, but should be completed at home if not done during the assigned class time.  Students are aware of which chapters are assigned to them and which pieces are assigned to them, and can use both Charms and Powerschool to see what they need to address.

As many of you know, emails have been challenging over the past month within our school division.  Family constraints have also compounded my communication challenges, and for that I apologize.  While my family challenges have started to decrease, it will take me a few to fully recover my communications.  That being said, some of my recovery has been managing misinformation that has been circulating without my knowledge.  Please refer only to the distributed information, as that is the only information that has been approved for distribution.  This will help me recover my communication much more quickly if we do so.
Thank you once again for your support of your students' musical endeavours.  From here we move forward to a very exciting semester!

Hello all!  Please accept this as an invitation and reminder for our Christmas Concert!

It happens on December 11, 2019 at Notre Dame Collegiate.  Admission is $5 per person at the door (Credit Cards accepted for purchases over $10), and the concert begins at 6:00 PM.

​The Fine Arts Parents Association have asked me to request that every family bring in some baked goods for sale during intermission at our Christmas Concert.  They are requesting families bring in a dozen treats of your choice.  I request that you also bring in a quick note of the ingredients, to ensure food safety.

• Uniforms for every student includes black pants (not tights, jeans or sweatpants, actual pants), black shoes, black socks.  Grade 7s are to wear white shirts with no logos on them (they will be wearing the NDC Music Jackets over top).  All other grades should have white-button-up dress shirts.  Grade 7 Students will need to wear their uniforms to their Block 4 Class on Tuesday, even if they don't have band, to double-check their uniforms.  This will also be for marks.
• Every student is to arrive at the school by 5:30 PM.  Warm-ups and Tune-ups happen at that time.
• Each student is ina performance-based class that requires that they perform.  Therefore their participation is mandatory.
• Every student is expected to remain for the entirety of the performance.  We support a culture of mutual respect and support at NDC, so every student shows that mutual respect by being supportive audience members.
• When students are not on stage, they should be sitting with their families.  While music is being performed, students are expected to adhere to concert etiquette, as discussed in class.  The time for meeting up with friends will be during Intermission and after the concert is done.

​Students are also encouraged to help out with setup and cleanup before and after the concert, and receive community service hours for doing so.

I would also like to inform you of our new Raffle!  It's a Snap Raffle, meaning it will only be taking place for a short period of time ... 9 days!  Each Raffle ticket is $5, and we are selling 500 Tickets.  Proceeds go to support the Senior Wind Symphony's Toronto Trip.  The draw will take place on December 18.  There are 3 prizes;

• First Prize: 6 Terrace Suite Tickets to the Calgary Hitmen's Home Game against the Swift Current Broncos on January 12, 2020 (includes parking pass), prize donated by Western Financial Group.
• Second Prize: An Epiphone Acoustic Guitar donated by Long & McQuade Calgary, with the option to have it signed by all Senior Wind Symphony members.
• Third Prize: Tickets for Two to "An Evening of Valentines", the Valentines Banquet being organized by the Senior Symphonic Winds, including live music, dinner and babysitting service.

AGLC #796866 License #553152

My apologies for the delay on this message.  It has been an exciting startup to the year, but a busy one as well.  I can now fully confirm our after-school music program schedule, which is effective immediately;

Senior Jazz Combo - Monday mornings, 7:00 AM - 8:15 AM (Thursdays on weeks after long weekends)

String Ensemble - Tuesdays after school, 3:30 PM - 4:45 PM

Stage Band - Wednesdays after school, 3:30 PM - 4:45 PM

Steel Pans - Wednesday evenings, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

In the event of conflicts with other after-school activities (sports), our policy is to work with such situations on a one-on-one basis.  Solutions are almost always found, so that the student can still meet both commitments.

A note about supervision: Students cannot remain in the school unsupervised.  Please ensure that your student has a method of getting home (perhaps through carpooling options) or other teacher supervision once their rehearsals are done.

Thank you for participating in our after-school groups!  It is a big year for music already underway, and I am very excited for it!

Hello Grade 7 Families!  I am very excited to see instruments in your students hands today and tomorrow.  This is the start of an exciting musical journey!

Startup Camp is This Friday, all Grade 7 Band students are expected to attend. I have professional musicians coming in to work with your students on Friday, so your students will be staying after school that day.  Later on that night they will be performing in their first-ever Concert Band Performance, just for you!  Students will also receive marks for their participation.

The itinerary is as follows;
12:30 PM - School is out, students will be served Subway lunch.
1:00 PM - Clinics start, all students
2:20 PM - Mini-Recital (professionals perform for the students)
2:45 PM - Second set of Clinics
4:00 PM - Switch to Full Band Rehearsal, first time ever
5:15 PM - Team-building games
5:45 PM - Picasso's Pizza Supper
6:15 PM - Doors open at the school for our family audience members
6:30 PM - Grade 7s perform their first performance ever.
6:45 PM - Cleanup
7:00 PM - Startup Camp is done.

Students will be learning valuable skills on how to put their instruments together, take care of their instruments (and your investment), play with great sound, the first most-important notes, and prepare their performance for you, and they will get that instruction from specialists on their instruments in a more one-on-one way.  It is an invaluable experience, and we can thank the Highwood Lions for making it possible for us.

I'm looking forward to seeing you Friday night, and getting this year started with your students!

God bless,
​Joel Windsor

If your student needs a flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone or baritone, you need to contact Long & McQuade to rent such an instrument.

1. Call Long & McQuade at (403) 244-5555.
2. Ask for the Band Department
3. Tell them you want to rent an instrument, and have it sent to Notre Dame Collegiate with Mr. Windsor.

They will walk you through all the rest.

If you are in need of renting a baritone saxophone, bass clarinet or tuba, your student will need to meet with Mr. Windsor on Thursday at lunch.  That will be the last chance to rent from Notre Dame Collegiate this year.

Your student needs their instrument by Monday, September 9.  Please arrange for them to have an instrument by that date.

If your child already has a primary instrument assigned to them for Concert Band, they can have a different instrument rented to them for free from Notre Dame Collegiate.  We take a $50 deposit which you get back if the instrument doesn't need repairs.  The last chance to take advantage of this is on Thursday at lunch hour.
Example: David plays Tuba in Concert Band and has already rented it from NDC, but wants to play in the Stage Band. He works out with Mr. Windsor that Trombone is the best choice for him, so he rents a trombone from NDC for free, with the $50 deposit.​

Online.  Mr. Windsor and Mrs. Hartung are working to see your instrument rental costs posted on SchoolCashOnline, a system you have always been familiar with for school fees.  They should all be posted by Thursday morning September 5, at which point you can pay them online.
Please note: If your fees are not paid for by September 13, or an arrangement has not been made by calling (403) 652-2231, we will need to rescind your rental.  Please pay your fees in a timely fashion.

Students who use NDC equipment without owning it (like the percussion equipment, piano, or amplifiers) pay a "Usage Fee" of $40.  Steel Panners pay a "Usage Fee" of $20 if they aren't already paying for other percussion or electronic equipment.  This usage fee goes towards the cost of maintenance, repairs, and replacements.

Of course, but buyer beware.  If you are buying an instrument online that is less than $300 but says that it is "new", it's a sham, don't waste your money.  If you are buying an instrument from a warehouser like Canadian Tire, Walmart, or Costco, stop, don't waste your money.  If you want to buy used, Mr. Windsor recommends you seek advice from him first, so that you don't buy a lemon.  Mr. Windsor does have access to many instruments that are reasonably priced used instruments (mostly flutes, clarinets and trumpets) ranging from $50 to $250, so feel free to ask him about these options.

Well, your student will definitely need some supplies. You can buy your supplies online from Long & McQuade's website and you can usually get free shipping with their shipping allowance.  Alternatively, you can call the store (403) 244-5555 and buy by phone, asking them to deliver to NDC, but it may take up to 2 weeks to get here.

• Flutes need a polishing cloth.  That's usually it.
• Clarinets and saxophones need cleaning swabs.  You can usually get Clarinet kits from Long & McQuade.  Consider also getting a thumb rest and/or a toothguard.  It just makes life more comfortable.
• Clarinets and saxophones also need reeds.  Grade 7s first box of reeds should be "Rico 2.5 Strength" (the orange box).  Grade 8s will want the "Royal" reeds, and probably the same strength they played last year.  Grade 9s may want to take a half-step up in strength.  Seniors should seriously consider "Reserve" or "Van Doren" reeds, but if you're changing brands, don't change strength.
• All brass instruments will need oil based on the type of instrument they are (valve oil, slide oil or rotor oil), a cleaning brush or snake, and a polishing cloth.  Instrument Care Kits are also available through Long & McQuade.
• Percussionists should have their own drumsticks, medium-soft yarn mallets, timpani mallets and hard plastic mallets.  You may be able to get a deal on a "Mallet Bag" package from Long & McQuade.
• Strings players will need Rosin.

Please just ask.  Remember, I got you.

The year is approaching it's close.  It's been a wonderful year, and a proper Year-In-Review Blog will be coming to you by the end of the week.  In the meantime, we need to properly manage the end of the year activities.

Notre Dame Collegiate continues to grow its music program.  Thank you for your continued support for an amazing music education program!