Sunday, June 2, 2013

June 3-6

The final week of school!!!

Not much left to cover, but here we go-

Would you like a CD/ DVD of our last concert (or any of our concerts over the year)- click here!

Do you need a summer instrument? Students who are enrolled in band or orchestra next year may check out an instrument over the summer time. I'll distribute contracts Monday and Tuesday which must be returned for a student to take an instrument home. If you have questions, let me know.

Graduation is Thursday! All Wind Ensemble students are required to participate and all students moving into Wind Ensemble are invited to perform with us. Call time is 4:15 Thursday, June 6. Please dress in summer formal attire- boys should wear slacks, a dress shirt (collared, button up) and dress shoes, girls should wear something commensurate with the boys- girls who choose to wear a dress or skirt must wear something that is knee length when seated. It could be hot - check the forecast - and we'll be in the sun for about 90 minutes. Students may wear sunglasses, hats, sunscreen, etc. and should bring water. We'll bus to and from PHS, but students whose families are attending the graduation may make arrangements with me to ride with family. Students who must check in a school instrument must do so immediately following the ceremony back at Pioneer. The bus should have us back to Pioneer before about 8pm.

Finals Schedule- My classes will NOT be using the extended finals time. Periods 1 and 3 will begin at 8:25, periods 2, 4 & 6 will end at 12:25. Any student who fails to attend the final will earn a ZERO grade for their final. There are no make ups for the final! Please be with us!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Video Orders

Would you like to order a DVD or CD of one of our Finale Concerts? Click here to order them online. The sooner you order them, the sooner they'll be delivered to the school.

Monday, May 27, 2013

May 28-31

Welcome to the penultimate week of the school year!

What wonderful concerts last week. I'm proud of how well each group did and so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with you over the past three years. I know that we've done much work, but much is yet to do. Remember, making music isn't about any one individual- it's about the story we get to tell together and all that goes into the telling of that story. I am confident that as each of you continue in band or orchestra next year, that making great music will be your ultimate goal. And that you will work well with your peers and new director as you strive for musical excellence.

Finals- Students who have not yet performed for their finals will do so this week. Wind Ensemble students will be working on music for graduation, Jazz Band students will be doing scales and sight reading; Orchestra, Beginning Band and Concert Band students who did not do an audition for me in April will do their audition now as their final. It is my goal to have grades mostly complete by the end of this week. Any student who misses their final next week (or the graduation performance) will get a zero for their final and that will drop their grade. Even though we've done our playing, all students must continue to attend all classes.

Do you need a summer instrument? Students who are enrolled in band or orchestra next year may check out an instrument over the summer time. Ideally, each student will take home the instrument they are currently using. If not, I will be collecting instruments this week after students play their finals and getting them cleaned up for summer storage or summer use. Students must have a signed summer instrument contract to keep an instrument! If you have questions, let me know.

Graduation is next week! All Wind Ensemble students are required to participate and all students moving into Wind Ensemble are invited to perform with us. Call time is 4:15 Thursday, June 6. Please dress in summer formal attire- boys should wear slacks, a dress shirt (collared, button up) and dress shoes, girls should wear something commensurate with the boys- girls who choose to wear a dress or skirt must wear something that is knee length when seated. It will most likely be hot and we'll be in the sun for about 90 minutes. Students may wear sunglasses, hats, sunscreen, etc. and should bring water. We'll bus to and from PHS, but students whose families are attending the graduation may make arrangements with me to ride with family. Students who must check in a school instrument must do so immediately following the ceremony back at Pioneer. The bus should have us back to Pioneer before about 8pm.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

May 20-24

Concert Week!
Finale Concerts are May 22 & 23. Beginning Band, Concert Band and Jazz Band will perform on Wednesday the 22 while Wind Ensemble, String Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra will perform on Thursday May 23. Both concerts are at 7:00 in the PAC and are free admission. Come and hear the culmination of the great work that the students have done this year! Share the facebook event with your friends- Wednesday night -or- Thursday night. Students who would like some extra credit can attend the concert for the night they aren't performing and complete a Live Review. This is NOT a regular live review- those are now past due- this is a small extra credit assignment. Also please note, students are required to attend the entire concert. The concert ends when the final group leaves the stage. Please make plans to arrive early enough to be seated by 7:00 pm and plan to stay for the duration of the program (only about 90 minutes or so each night). Our students have worked hard this year and every student in every ensemble deserves a great audience reception. Thanks for understanding.
Student call times are as follows;
Wednesday evening- Concert Band & Jazz Band 6:30, Beginning Band 6:45
Thursday evening- String Orchestra 6:30 & Wind Ensemble 6:45

With just 10 school days and three days of finals, graduation is fast approaching! All Wind Ensemble students are required to participate and all students moving into Wind Ensemble are invited to perform with us. Call time is 4:15 Thursday, June 6. Please dress in summer formal attire- boys should wear slacks, a dress shirt (collared, button up) and dress shoes, girls should wear something commensurate with the boys- girls who choose to wear a dress or skirt must wear something that is knee length when seated. It will most likely be hot and we'll be in the sun for about 90 minutes. Students may wear sunglasses, hats, sunscreen, etc. and should bring water. We'll bus to and from PHS, but students whose families are attending the graduation may make arrangements with me to ride with family. Students who must check in a school instrument must do so immediately following the ceremony back at Pioneer. The bus should have us back to Pioneer before about 8pm.

Do you need a summer instrument? I'll be making summer instrument contracts for students who are enrolled in band or orchestra for the fall starting after our concerts. Please know that students may use school instruments ONLY if they are returning to the band or orchestra program in the fall! Students MUST return the instrument check out contract in order to borrow a school instrument. If you have questions about this, let me know.

Do you still owe the program money? There are several students who still owe money for various things from the school year. Please make prompt full payment by cash or check to "Pioneer Performing Arts" right away. I'll be letting you know if and what you owe. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

May 13-17

Happy Mother's Day!

Did you get a chance to check out the 2013-2014 ensemble lists? Click here.

Remember that your Live Review is due on Friday! This is an important part of your grade! For concerts this week, click on the Live Music page. If you choose to review a concert that is 5/17-19, I will accept those papers on Monday, 5/20 with no deduction. Otherwise, all Live Reviews must be submitted by Friday!

Finale Concerts are May 22 & 23. Beginning Band, Concert Band and Jazz Band will perform on Wednesday the 22 while Wind Ensemble, String Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra will perform on Thursday May 23. I am sorry about the conflict that some families have with a Castillero concert, but we are unable to reschedule at this time. Both concerts are at 7:00 in the PAC and are free admission. Come and hear the culmination of the great work that the students have done this year!