QACHS’s Band Blog

Last night, the Marching Lions Band traveled to Lake Forest High School, in Felton Delaware for their first competition of the season. This was a very exciting time for all of the new members.  We ended up being the only Group 1 Championship Band to perform, so we were awarded first place by default.  However, we got a start on our season with a 71.65.

This week the band will participate in the various Homecoming activities.

The Queen Anne’s County High School Band Group on Facebook is the newest medium in technology for the band program at QACHS. First came the Band Website. Second came the Band Blog. Third was the concession stand Wiki. Fourth was the podcast series “From the Director’s Desk”. Now is the Facebook Group. I hope this will become an active place where everyone past and present can collaborate, stay up to date, and reminisce everything about the band program at QACHS.

There are three things that every good musician should do……

1. Always have a pencil.

2. Have a regular practice schedule.

3. Listen to recordings of artists on their instrument.

In the Spring Edition of the Maryland Music Educator that I just finished reading today, there was an article that talked about ways of improving your program.  One part of the article mentioned playing music by various artists on various instruments while students entered the rehearsal room.  They then provided a list of artists to consider.  I want to share this list so that you can have a reference of who you can listen to.  You can find recordings of just about every one of these individuals on Amazon.com and those listed in BOLD are also available with downloadable mp3 albums.

Flute

Rampal, Galway

Oboe

Elaine Dubois, John Mack, Richard Woodhelms

Bassoon

Laurence Perkins, Benjamin Coelho, Ezequiel Faniguersch

Clarinet

Mitchell Lurie, Richard Stolzman

Saxophone

Harvey Pittel, Marcel Mule, Sighurd Rasher, Arno Borncamp

Trumpet

Allen Vizzutti, Philip Smith, Tommy Stevens, Wynton Marsalis

Horn

Dale Clevenger

Trombone

Christian Lindberg, Eugene Watts

Tuba

Roger Bobo, Sam Pilafian

Percussion

Nexus Percussion Ensemble, Black Earth Percussion Ensemble, Nancy Zeltsman (mallets), Stuart Mars

Ensemble

*U.S. Marine Band or other good service bands*, Canadian Brass, Empire Brass, Eastman Wind Ensemble, Cincinnati Wind Symphony, North Texas State Wind Ensemble, North Texas State Jazz Ensemble.

* We have a growing library of CD’s of the various Military Bands at school that you may check out to take home.  You can also download some individual files from the following websites.*

United States Marine Band

United States Navy Band

United States Army Band

United States Air Force Band

Woodwind/Brasswind is offering FREE SHIPPING on EVERYTHING until the end of the day on APRIL 3, 2009.  So, if you have been thinking about getting some new music accessories, reeds, and such, now is a great time to do so.  Follow the following link: www.wwbw.com.

Here are the selections as we performed them at District Band Festival on March 11, 2009.

True Blue March

Perthshire Majesty

Overture for Winds

I hope you enjoy!

Today, the Freshman Concert Band and the Symphonic Band combined forces as they traveled to Wicomico High School in Salisbury, Maryland for the 2009 Sr. District Band Festival.  The combined band performed three selections on stage and one piece for sight reading.  Of the three selections, one was used as a warm-up and the other two were adjudicated.  The selections were as follows (in performance order).  True Blue March, Perthshire Majesty, and Overture for Winds.  For the stage performance there are three judges adjudicating.  For this portion the band received a “Superior” rating from all three judges.  Next they moved on to the sight reading room where there is one judge adjudicating.  For this they received a rating of “Excellent”.  As a result of the combined scores, the band received an over all rating for the day of “Superior”.  This is the first time the band has earned such a rating since I have been here the past seven years.  A huge “Congratulations” goes out to the 70 members of the combined ensemble for all of their hard work and the outstanding performance that they gave on stage.

After a long break, we were finally able to get Episode 6 of “From the Director’s Desk” posted on the Band Webpage.  You can here it by clicking on the following link:  http://boe.qacps.k12.md.us/qhs/qaband/podcasts/Podcast06030609.mp3

Here is a message that was sent from Jolesch Photography.

We enjoyed photographing your group at the TOB Atlantic Coast Championships 2008. Photographs for this event are now posted online and ready to view on our website, www.jolesch.com.

You can view photos from this event at the following link:

http://www.jolesch.com/temphomepage.aspx?eventid=2366

Let us know if you have any questions or feedback. We are happy to discuss group print orders, special commemorative plaques, and other customized work. Just email us at bands@jolesch.com.

We are only able to provide our service if you make time to have your group photographed. Thanks for your cooperation: we look forward to seeing you at the next event!

Regards,

The Jolesch Team

I want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.

I just want to take a brief moment to share some of the things that I am thankful for within and around the band program at QACHS.

1. The Members of the Band Program.  It is each member that works very hard and dedicates many tireless hours to the program that allows it to be successful.

2. The Parents.  If it were not for the work, dedication, and support that is given to the program by the parents, we would not be able to accomplish the things that we do.

3. The Alumni.  You are the ones that keep coming back and volunteering your time to help train the new members and keep the current members encouraged.  I could not do the job I do alone, so you are a real help in many different capacities.

4. School and Community Support.  The QACHS Band Program has been a very important part of Queen Anne’s County High School and the Community.  It is through the school and community support we receive that allows us to provide such wonderful and wide range of opportunities for our students.

Thank You to all of you!!!

It is a short week this week and there aren’t any rehearsals after school.  However next week will be a different story.  So check back later this week for all of next week’s details for Dress Rehearsal, Winter Concert, and the Centreville Christmas Parade.

This weekend the Marching Lions traveled to Allentown, Pennsylvania to compete in the Atlantic Coast Invitational Championships held at J. Birney Crum Stadium. After avoiding the rain while loading at QACHS, unloading at the stadium, during warm-up, their performance, pictures, and repacking, they got soaked when a great down pouring of rain arrived just as the awards ceremony was beginning.  Everyone was sent to their buses for safety reasons.  Eventually the awards ceremony was able to continue and so they did.  Although the band gave an outstanding performance they placed 8th out of 8 with a very frustrating score of 81.25.  However, Drum Major Rachel C. scored third place for Best Drum Major and the Color Guard also scored third place for Best Auxiliary.  It was a very interesting fall season with weather an all kinds of other things, but we are very proud of all that the Marching Lions Band accomplished in representing Queen Anne’s County High School as the “Pride of the Eastern Shore.”