welcome to the washington middle school Band website!

This website is where I will be posting all updates regarding band at WMS.

Any questions can be emailed to Mr. Gardner at ngardner@washington.k12.ia.us

Update #7 - 10.17.25

It's crazy that the first term is almost over! All three bands have been making amazing progress so far! Keep up the great work! Our first concert is next week - here is some information:

7th & 8th Grade Band Concert - October 23rd

The first band concert of the year is next week! This is a required event for students and acts as our summative assessment for the quarter. Here are some details:

Where: Washington High School Auditorium. Drop off your child at the main entrance of the high school. Students will follow signs to the high school band room. 

When: October 23 @ 6:30 PM - Choir starts at 7:30 PM

Price: Free! But free will donations are always accepted!

What to Wear: For band concerts, our formal attire will consist primarily of black and white. This is closer to the standard for high school concerts and will also help our band look great.

Shoes: Black dress shoes (not sneakers). If that is not possible, the preference, in order, is 1) black sneakers, 2) gray shoes, 3) the nicest shoes you have.

Socks or hose/leggings: Must be black. Socks should be calf length.

Pants: Black dress pants. If that is not possible, you may wear gray pants.

Shirts: White button up, long sleeve, or white blouse.

Optional Accessories: Suit jackets, ties, belts, dresses, skirts, and accessories should be black when possible. Dresses and skirts should be mid-calf or longer.

Call Time: 5:50 PM for 8th Grade, 6:10 PM for 7th Grade

SEIBA Honor Band

As a reminder, students that are planning on auditioning for the SEIBA Honor Band need to bring $5 to me ASAP. Students should currently be practicing for these auditions. Emails have also been sent to all parents & students planning on auditioning. 

Jazz Band

Information will be emailed out to families tomorrow for students who signed up for jazz band. Please be on the lookout for that as it will have all the rehearsals/performance dates for the entire season

Have any questions? Please reach out to me and I'll do my best to get them answered in a timely manner.

Update #6 - 3.27.25

Mt. Pleasant Honor - Saturday, April 5

Students & families who are attending this honor band received an email from me yesterday about detailed information. Please refer back to that email.

7/8 Large Group - West Liberty High School - Wednesday, April 23

7th & 8th grade band students will be travelling to West Liberty High School during the school day to perform for judges and will receive a clinic from a guest clinician as well as a rating. Students are actively preparing for this performance. This will be a required/graded event for students. Dress will be the same as all of our other concerts.

SEIBA Elementary Honor Band - Saturday, April 26

Select students should be working on their music in preparation for this day. This will be an all day event that will take place at Iowa City West High School. Parents, please plan on coming to the concert and taking your student home. More information will come as the date approaches.

Pella Tulip Time - Thursday, May 1 (NEW DATE)

This event is for 7th & 8th grade students only. Originally, this event was scheduled for Friday, May 2. The new date is Thursday, May 1. Students will be missing most of school that day.

Parents - I am in need of at least 8 chaperones. If you are interested in chaperoning with the band, please let me know. Each chaperone will be responsible for about 5-6 students.

Several more emails will be coming about this as the date approaches.

Middle School Band Concert - Wednesday, May 7 @ 6:00 PM (NEW DATE)

Due to the National Archery Tournament and a number of students participating in it, this concert has been rescheduled to May 7. Please double check your calendars and make sure that this is updated. This is the final performance for the year and it's vital that every student attends.

Update #5 - 1.12.25

On Saturday, January 11, 12 WMS band students traveled to Fairfield High School to audition for the Southeast Iowa Bandmasters Association (SEIBA) Honor Band. After a long day, five students were accepted for this prestigious event! Congratulations to the following students who were accepted:

Nathan Hay - 7th Grade - Alto Sax

Lovella Peiffer - 7th Grade - Clarinet

Brooklyn Charlier - 8th Grade - Clarinet

Caleb Wise - 8th Grade - Trombone

Zak Abozena - 8th Grade - Tuba

The honor band will take place on January 25 at the Voxman School of Music at the University of Iowa. 

Additionally, Zak Abozena was selected to perform at the All-Iowa 8th Grade Honor Band as part of the Iowa Bandmasters Association (IBA) Conference in May in Des Moines. This band is composed of the top 8th grade band students from around the state of Iowa. Caleb Wise was also selected as an alternate for the All-Iowa 8th Grade Honor Band. 

Congratulations to all the students who auditioned and to those that were selected!

Update #4 - 1.3.25

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a restful and relaxing break. I'm looking forward to seeing all the students back at school on Monday! We are jumping right back in with it being concert week, so I wanted to share some reminders as well as new information about events/dates. Please make sure you read everything and let me know if you have any questions.

6-8 Band & Choir Concert - January 9

Here are the details for our concert next Thursday. As a reminder, this is a required, graded performance for our students. Band students are also required to stay for the entire band concert. You may stay for the choir concert if you wish.

Where: Washington High School Auditorium. Drop off your child at the main auditorium entrance of the high school. Students will follow signs to the high school band room. 

When: Thursday, January 9 @ 6:30 PM - Choir starts at 7:30 PM

Call Time: 5:20 PM for 8th Grade, 5:40 for 7th Grade, 5:50 for 6th Grade

What to Wear: For band concerts, our formal attire will consist primarily of black and white. This is closer to the standard for high school concerts and will also help our band look great.

Shoes: Black dress shoes (not sneakers). If that is not possible, the preference, in order, is 1) black sneakers, 2) gray shoes, 3) the nicest shoes you have.

Socks or hose/leggings: Must be black. Socks should be calf length.

Pants: Black dress pants. If that is not possible, you may wear gray pants.

Shirts: White button up, long sleeve, or white blouse.

Optional Accessories: Suit jackets, ties, belts, dresses, skirts, and accessories should be black when possible. Dresses and skirts should be mid-calf or longer.

SEIBA Honor Band Auditions - Saturday, January 11

Students auditioning for the SEIBA Honor Band will be transported to Fairfield High School on Saturday, January 11. Students will be taking a bus to/from Fairfield. Individual audition time slots have already been shared with students & parents. If accepted, students will be expected to attend the actual honor band itself on Saturday, January 25 at the University of Iowa.

Jazz Band Rehearsal - Monday, January 6

If you are involved in jazz band, please remember that we have rehearsal starting promptly at 7:30 AM. I will be at the door at the main door to let students into the building at 7:20.

Band Calendar Adds - All-School Band Concert (6th Grade) & Solo/Ensemble

At the beginning of the year I had shared that only 7th & 8th grade students would be participating in the all school band concert. I was incorrect about that information and left out the 6th grade band. All 6th grade band students will be expected to perform at this concert.

For those of you that signed up to perform at our solo/ensemble day, I have added that to the calendar as well. That event is Saturday, March 15. It will take place in the morning at WMS. More specific performance times will be shared with students as the date approaches. Family and friends are encouraged to attend and watch. Students who are still in need of a solo will get one within the next week or two.

All dates are reflected on the band calendar.

Schedule Changes - 3rd & 4th Terms

At the start of the third term, all seventh and eighth grade band students will be combined for the remainder of the school year. There are a number of factors that played into this, but it is of benefit to the band students. The Spring time is busy for seventh and eighth grade students as they perform together at both the Pella Tulip Time Festival and the State Large Group event. Students will rehearse daily during periods 4B & 4C. Lunch will take place during 4A.

Sixth grade band students will now have rehearsal during 5th block instead of 6th block. 

Students will also be getting new lesson schedules for 3rd term. Schedules will be shared at the end of the week. 

Update #3 - October 24th - 7/8 Band Concert

Students in 7th and 8th grade have their first concert in October! This is a required event for students and acts as our summative assessment for the quarter. Here are some details:

Where: Washington High School Auditorium. Drop off your child at the main entrance of the high school. Students will follow signs to the high school band room. 

When: October 24 @ 6:30 PM - Choir starts at 7:30 PM

Price: Free! But free will donations are always accepted!

What to Wear: For band concerts, our formal attire will consist primarily of black and white. This is closer to the standard for high school concerts and will also help our band look great.

Shoes: Black dress shoes (not sneakers). If that is not possible, the preference, in order, is 1) black sneakers, 2) gray shoes, 3) the nicest shoes you have.

Socks or hose/leggings: Must be black. Socks should be calf length.

Pants: Black dress pants. If that is not possible, you may wear gray pants.

Shirts: White button up, long sleeve, or white blouse.

Optional Accessories: Suit jackets, ties, belts, dresses, skirts, and accessories should be black when possible. Dresses and skirts should be mid-calf or longer.

Call Time: 5:30 PM for 8th Grade, 6:00 PM for 7th Grade

Update #1

6th Grade Instrument Testing Night - Aug. 19 & 20 - 5 - 7 PM @ WHS

On August 19 & 20 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM, new 6th grade students will be able to test out instruments! This will be taking place in the Washington High School Band Room. It is extremely important that new 6th grade students attend this. Please enter through the main doors and follow signs leading to the band room. 

In order to start thinking about which instrument you would like to play, please watch this 10-minute video of each instrument being demonstrated. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7y75yjilrA

Another email will be sent out to 6th grade students/parents as the date approaches.

WMS Band Parent Night - Aug. 22 - 6:00 - 7:30 PM @ WMS

On August 22 from 6:00 - 6:45 PM, we will be having a 6-8th grade band parent meeting in the middle school auditorium. This meeting will go over a large majority of logistics regarding band as well as an opportunity for me to meet a lot of you!

From 6:45 - 7:30 PM, West Music from Iowa City will be there for new 6th grade band students to purchase/rent instruments as well as receive care kits for their new instruments. 7th & 8th grade students will be able to also purchase lesson books, reeds, valve oil, etc. from West Music at that time. All orders purchased that night will arrive at WMS the following week where I will then distribute them to students.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out! In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your summer and I'll see you soon!