QACHS’s Band Blog

Well, we are down to two full weeks and one partial week that is filled with three half days.  But this week will be busy in its own way with performance assessments for the final exam beginning tomorrow and running through next week, and graduation on Thursday.  We will have dress rehearsal on Wednesday morning.  Below is the schedule for Thursday.

Graduation Details

6:00 PM Report

7:00 PM Graduation

9:00 PM Clean-up instruments, chairs, stands, and uniforms.

Just a quick note to let everyone know that the Final Detials letter for Hershey was put in the mail this morning.  Keep an eye on the mail for this letter as there is an emergency medical form that needs to be filled out and returned before we go.

Monday – Jazz Ensemble will travel to Kent County High School for Part 2 of the Exchange Concert Program.  We will leave from QACHS at 11AM.  Students will report to the band room at the end of second period.  KCHS band will be providing Pizza for lunch.  We should return to QACHS by 3:00PM.  There will be Marching Band after school!

Tuesday – Dress Rehearsal for the Spring Concert will be held during 1st Period.  All students are to report to the Band Room right away 7:40.  We will need everyone to help get the stage set for rehearsal.  There will be Jazz Band rehearsal after school!

Wednesday – The Spring Concert will be at 7:30PM in the John F. Andrews Performing Arts Center.  The Combined Concert Band along with the Marching Band will perform.  Students are to report at 6:45PM to get dressed and ready for warm-up.

Thursday – The 6th Annual QACHS NIght of Jazz will begin at 7:00PM in the QACHS Cafeteria.  It is a Cafe style concert that will have refreshments available.  The students are responsible for the various items.  The Saxes will bring the Baked Goods, the Brass will bring in a bottle of soda, and the rhythm section will bring paper products (plates, napkins, and forks).

Next Wednesday – The Music Awards Ceremony will begin at 7:00PM.

Next Thursday – Sunday – We will be traveling to and participating in the Hersheypark 2 Festival hosted by North American Music Festivals.  We will leave at 2:00PM on Thursday and return about 1:00PM on Sunday.  The final details packet is to go out in the mail tomorrow.

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.

On Wednesday, March 11th, the Concert/Symphonic Bands will be traveling to Wicomico High School in Salisbury, Maryland for the 2009 Sr. District Band Festival.  Below is the schedule that we will follow that day.

Report to the Band Room @ 8:15 AM

Rehearsal @ 8:30 AM

Dress @ 9:00 AM

Yearbook Group Photo @ 9:15 AM

Load equipment @ 9:30 AM

Leave @ 9:45 AM

Arrive @ 11:15 AM

Watch Mardela @ 11:30 AM

LUNCH @ 12:00 PM

Prep @ 12:30 PM

Watch James M. Bennett @ 1:00 PM

Warm-up @ 1:30 PM

Perform @ 2:00 PM

Sight Reading @ 2:30 PM

Pack and Load @ 3:00 PM

Depart @ 3:30 PM

Return @ 5:00 PM

Students will need to pack a lunch for that day.

We will also need 3 or 4 Parent Chaperons to travel with us that day.  Please let Mr. Wright know if you would be available to help out that day.

This coming week will be a very busy one.  Here is what we have going on:

Monday

Marching Band Rehearsal after school.

Tuesday

Concert Dress Rehearsal during 4th Period.  Concert/Symphonic Band members should report to the band room for set up at 12:25 (beginning of D Lunch).  If you eat on D Lunch you need to eat on C Lunch.

Jazz Band Rehearsal after school only until 3:30.

Wednesday

Winter Concert – Students should report at 6:30PM.  Everyone will bring the necessary items (guys = white shirt, black socks, and black shoes, ladies = black shoes) for their Tuxes and Gowns.  The Jazz Band will need to set up their chairs and be ready for warm-up at 6:50PM.  Everyone else will need to be totally ready by 7:00PM.  We will warm up after the Jazz Band’s Performance.

Jazz Band Performance in the Lobby at 7:00PM

Formal Concert in Performing Arts Center at 7:30PM.

DON’T FORGET TO BRING YOUR BAKED GOOD ITEMS FOR THE RECEPTION IN THE LOBBY!

Thursday

Marching Band Rehearsal after school.

Friday

Marching Band Rehearsal after school.

Dinner Break: 4:45PM – 6:00PM

Report: 6:00PM

Dress: 6:00PM – 6:30PM

Warm-up: 6:30PM – 6:45PM

Parade Step Off from QACHS: 6:45PM

The parade will travel through town to the Board of Education.