Monday, October 29, 2012

October 29- November 2

Sorry this is a day late... was watching as the Giants steamrolled the Tigers this weekend...

Congratulations to all the ensembles that performed last week!  We had a great turnout and a great concert.  I'm pleased at the early progress that all three of the groups are making this year.  Also, thanks to the generous support of families, we collected over $400 in donations as well.

Jazz Band will be participating in the West Valley Jazz Festival next Friday, November 2.  We need parent drivers who can be with us throughout the day- 18 students plus our gear.  If you are able to drive, contact me ASAP.  All volunteer drivers must have the SJUSD Driver forms on file with the school office current this school year.  Let me know if you have questions about these forms.  All students will go to first period, then meet in my room at the beginning of second and get dressed to perform.  We will be at Castillero from 9-11 for recruitment to interact with their band students.  We'll go to lunch at the food court at Oakridge  then go to West Valley for the festival.  We'll be back at Pioneer by about 3:00.

We will begin our fall fundraiser this week, again this year with the We Care Coffee Company.  This time, we will not only do a grab bags, but also online sales.  Students can do either or both.  The Grab Bag fundraiser is where a family gets an assortment of coffee, cookies & cocoa to sell.  These items are all custom roasted and custom labeled for Pioneer Music and are the highest quality.  The Gourmet Grab Bag contains 6 (12 oz.) bags of coffee, 2 bags (2 lbs.) of chocolate chip cookie mix and 2 bags of hot cocoa mix.  These items sell for $13 each and bring in $130.  Of that, each student earns $50 profit.  The Mini Grab Bag contains 2 bags of coffee and 2 bags of cocoa. Items sell for $13 and bring in $52.  Of that, $20 is credited to the student.  Because the food items are fresh roasted and ground, students who wish to participate must return this informational form, indicating how many Grab Bags they would like.  The Grab Bag forms are due next Friday 11/9 for delivery the first week of December- in time for holiday parties and gifts!  Custom assortments of specific coffee/ cocoa are also possible if you let me know in advance.  Online sales are easy to promote through facebook or you can email this link.

Join us for our next Dinner Partner night next Thursday, November 8 at The Sandwich Mill on Kooser next to Chuck-E-Cheese.  The Sandwich Mill has supported our programs in the past and continues to support not just Pioneer but other local schools as well.  No flier is needed- just mention Pioneer!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

October 22-26

Our Fall Concert is Wednesday at 7:00 in the PAC.  This free concert will feature our Jazz Band, Wind Ensemble and String Orchestra as well as special guests the Castillero Jazz Band and Chamber Orchestra.  We've been making some great music this year and you won't want to miss out!  This is a great opportunity for us to put on display the things which make Pioneer so great- and our music ensembles and parent support are outstanding!  Let's show our guests what a great opportunity they have here!  Get more concert info and invite your family and friends with our facebook event pageCall times for each ensemble are as follows-
String Orchestra 6:15
Wind Ensemble 6:20
Jazz Band 6:30
Students should get their instruments and put them in the PAC in the case.  All students will watch the performance, unless there isn't enough space, in which case, Orchestra will wait in the classroom until they go on stage to save room for the audience.

Homecoming Football is this Friday.  Pep Band students are reminded that they are to wear blue jeans and their pep band polo shirt.  The only thing performers may wear over their polo is their band jacket. Students may, however, wear a solid color long sleeved shirt that is blue, black, grey or white.  I have a few extra jackets for sale for $40 each.

Jazz Band will be participating in the West Valley Jazz Festival next Friday, November 2.  The plan is to visit Castillero in the morning, have lunch on the way over to the college and participate in the festival after lunch.  We should be back to Pioneer by about 3:30.  We parent drivers who can be with us throughout the day- 18 students plus our gear.  If you are able to drive, contact me ASAP.  All volunteer drivers must have the SJUSD Driver forms on file with the school office current this school year.  Let me know if you have questions about these forms.  Final schedule TBD.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

October 15-19

Booster Club meeting this Wednesday at 7:30pm in my classroom.  For the first few minutes we will cover old business and general information.  The bulk of this meeting will focus on planning for the Band & Orchestra Benefit concerts in February.  Make sure you attend as we will lay our our plans for successful events!

Thursday night will be our second dining partner night of the year.  Join us Thursday at Le Bon on Santa Teresa from 5-9 and bring this flier!  Here's their website, and here are some helpful Yelp reviews if you aren't familiar with their food.  Le Bon is located across from Oakridge in the same shopping center as Babies R Us and Mandarin Gourmet, next to the Vitamin Shop.  Get more info and invite your friends with this Facebook event.

Jazz Band- did you turn in your Reno contract and deposit yet?  We need all 18 students and 4 parents to make this event successful.  Saturday, Jazz Band will perform at the Allen at Steinbeck walk-a-thon from 10:30-11:00 am.  Students should wear their casual performing attire and plan to be there by 10:00 to set up.  Friday November 2 is the WVC Jazz Festival.  We are scheduled for an afternoon performance, so I'm working with Mr. Bowman to schedule a recruitment visit to Castillero.

Our Fall Concert is next Wednesday, October 24 at 7:00 in the PAC.  This free concert will feature our Jazz Band, Wind Ensemble and String Orchestra as well as special guests the Castillero Jazz Band and Chamber Orchestra.  We've been making some great music this year and you won't want to miss out!  This is a great opportunity for us to put on display the things which make Pioneer so great- and our music ensembles and parent support are outstanding!  Let's show our guests what a great opportunity they and their student will have here!

Our next football game is Friday, October 26.  There will not be a group dinner as there will be other activities associated with homecoming.  The following game is November 9 and there will be a chili dinner hosted by Christy Hubbard.  If we make playoffs, the first game will be November 16.

All Tuxes will be delivered on Tuesday!  Please make payment of $145 for the complete tux to "Pioneer Performing Arts" if you have not yet done so.  You must take your tuxedo home on Tuesday!  If you have sports or some after school activity, your parent can pick it up after school for you.  If you are unable to do this, contact me so that you can arrange a pick up time on Tuesday.  Please try on your tux and make sure it fits.  Tuxes were measured a bit big so that growing students would be able to wear the tux for more than one season.  If alterations are needed, take it to Selix across from the Pruneyard in Campbell.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

October 8-12

Welcome Back!  I hope you have had a good time during your week off.

Booster Parents- be aware that we'll be having a Big Band & Orchestra Benefit planning meeting soon.  Once the date and time is set, I'll let you know.

Jazz Band will be performing at the Allen-at-Steinbeck walk a thon on Saturday, October 20 from 10:30-11:00 am.  The campus is the same as Castillero, and we will be performing on the outdoor stage just outside the band room.  Half of the band will meet at Pioneer before hand to load our equipment, while half of the band will return and unload.  Call time at Pioneer to load will be 9:30, our performance will end at 11:00 and those doing the unloading should be done at PHS before 12:00.

Also, Jazz Band will be participating in the West Valley Jazz Festival on Friday, November 2.  I hope to visit Castillero in the morning and then go to the festival after that, but will not know the details until I get them from WVC.

Fall Concert- is Wednesday, October 24 at 7:00 in the PAC.  Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band & String Orchestra will be joined by Castillero's Chamber Strings and Jazz Band.  This will be a wonderful joint performance and a great opportunity to welcome the Castillero students and families to Pioneer.  Please encourage your friends and family to arrive early as the concert will begin promptly at 7:00.

There are many performances to go see this month!  Look at the Live Music page and see if you can get to one of the many opportunities.  Remember that your Live Review is due within one week of the concert you attend.

I have posted a Tour 2013 update for Jazz Band.  Please review the details.  I will be posting information for Wind Ensemble and Orchestra as soon as I am able to confirm more details.  I hope to have these quite soon.

Finally, we will begin our next fundraiser soon with the We Care Coffee Company.  Look for a separate blog post later this week with more info.  In the meantime, you can check them out online.