Students and parents: it is absolutely ESSENTIAL that homework assignments get completed and passed in weekly. 20% of your quarterly grade is nothing to play with. When the low grade YOU earned comes, don’t complain and say that something was ‘given’ to you. Mr. Gilliard doesn’t GIVE grades. I just write down what you do. Mod 4a – don’t make me have to call you out. 
All that said:
Mods 2a and 4a (7th grade)
Method book: Foundations for Superior Performance, Long Tone 1a, 1b and 1c. (p. 4) Please take the time to learn your fingerings correctly! If you do not put in the work NOW, you will STRUGGLE the remainder of the year.
Finale from Symphony no. 1 - mm. 13-21.
Northwinds Festival mm. 1-23
Scales: Bb Concert Scale (p. 10 of Foundations)
Please review the following concepts: Attack, Sustain, Release. Remember – attack is how we start a note. After that, we need to keep a steady stream of air going to sustain the note. Finally, we stop breathing in order to release the note.
Mod 3a (8th grade)
Method book: Foundations for Superior Performance, Long Tone 1a, 1b and 1c. (p. 4)
Fire Dance: mm. 45-67
Chester Variations: mm. 40-56
Please review the following concepts: Attack, Sustain, Release. Remember – attack is how we start a note. After that, we need to keep a steady stream of air going to sustain the note. Finally, we stop breathing in order to release the note.
Please remember that all sections at the beginning (mm. 1-19) are to be played tenuto so that the ‘sound of one note touches the next’. Same with Fire Dance at mm. 36 and mm. 60.
Scales: Bb, Eb and F major scales
Blank homework logs are located here: PDF | Word.
Percussion (3A only)
Welcome. Let’s get you all busy.
You are required to practice the entire song for Fire Dance and mm. 1-40 of Chester Variations. Three essential parts need to be covered: snare/tom, Bass and Suspended Cymbal.
Rudiments:
Single Stroke roll, played open for 4 measures at 90 BPM and closed at 120 BPM for 8 measures.
Double Stroke Roll, played at 120 BPM for 8 measures.
Flam – played as quarter notes for 8 measures at 90 BPM and for 8 measures at 120 BPM.