December 17-21

Welcome to the last week of the Fall 2012 Semester! I wish that you all will be as successful on your final exams as you have prepared to be ;)

Only a few quick things to keep in mind this week-

If you have not yet turned in your Spring Tour contract and deposit (Jazz Band, Wind Ensemble & Orchestra), it is now past due. Please turn it in THIS WEEK! We are also looking for more parent chaperones. For more info, click on the Spring Trip 2013 page .

Tickets for the Band & Orchestra Benefit Concert on February 9 are now on sale! More info is on the Band & Orchestra Benefit tab above. VIP Tables are sold out and Reserved Tables are almost sold out, however there are plenty of individual tickets still available for purchase, as well as event DVD's and CD's. Don't forget to sign up for a volunteer shift when you order your tickets!

Live Reviews were due last Friday. Any student who still needs to turn theirs in should do so right away to minimize the late work deduction.

It is my goal to have students' grades nearly complete by the end of this week. I will post on Facebook as each class grades are complete. I plan to upload all class grades on Friday before taking time off for the holiday break. If they aren't, though, remember that I do have until our return in January to make sure everything is both accurate and complete.

From my family to yours, I sincerely wish you peace and joy this holiday season and many blessings in the new year.

December 10-14

Congratulations to all of the student musicians for their wonderful performances last week! If you'd like to order a DVD or CD of either night's performance- click here.

Band & Orchestra Benefit ticket sales are now underway and our VIP Tables are sold out!  As of this writing, we have only a couple of Reserved tables left, so if you are planning to book one, you will want to do the online order soon, or submit the paper form as early as possible.  We have plenty of General Admission seats still available at this point.  The online ticket purchasing process is quick, easy and secure- and you don't have to worry about sending a check with your student which might get misplaced on its way to me. You can also pre-order your DVD and CD with your online order.

Join us Thursday night at Blue Rock BBQ for our next Family Dinner Night! All of the information, including the flier, is available online here.  Our program will earn 20% of your order total from 11am to 9pm- eat some great BBQ and support some outstanding musicians!

Our Spring Music Trip plans are coming along. I have posted quite a bit of information on the Spring Trip 2013 page.  Please read the page- and turn in the Tour 2013 Revised contract- due Friday!

Have you done your Live Review yet? I'll be entering those grades starting this week, but if you still have a performance you need to see, get to it! Beginning Band, Concert Band & Wind Ensemble students can see either the Monday night concert of SJSU Symphonic Band with the Lincoln Wind Ensemble at SJSU at 7:30 or the Saratoga HS Bands concert at Saratoga on Thursday night at 7:30. I'm not aware of any Orchestra or Jazz concerts between now and the Friday due date. If I do find out, I'll let the students know.

Ticket Update

We have sold out of VIP Tables! There are still several reserved tables (for 6) available, and plenty of General Admission seats as well.

Winter Concerts

Congratulation to all student ensembles for their wonderful performances this week!  If you would like to order a DVD or CD of the performance, you may do so online here.  Orders will be delivered before the Christmas Vacation.

Band & Orchestra Benefit Concert

Order your tickets now!  Online ticketing is now open and paper orders may now be turned in.  All of the information is on the Band & Orchestra Benefit tab at the top of the page.  If you are looking to order a VIP or Reserved table, you will want to do that as VIP tables are almost sold out and Reserved tables have also begun selling.  General Admission tickets are available until we reach event capacity.

December 3-7

Winter Concerts this week!!! Wednesday night's performance features Beginning Band, Concert Band and Wind Ensemble.  Thursday night's performance features Orchestra and Jazz Band.  Both concerts begin at 7:00, are about an hour and a quarter and are free.  There will be a professional video made of each performance which will be available for purchase at the door- credit cards are now accepted.  Wednesday night's call times are 6:20 Wind Ensemble, 6:30 Concert Band and 6:40 Beginning Band.  Thursday night's call times are 6:30 Jazz Band and 6:40 Orchestra.

Our Spring Trip plans have been published.  Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band and Orchestra will all participate in a 2 day trip of the bay area April 26-27.  Events include a musical exchange with another high school, a San Francisco Symphony Performance, clinics with the music faculty at Sonoma Sate University and more.  The cost is just $200 for students and $150 for chaperones.  The new tour contract will be released this week.  It is my expectation that ALL students in these ensembles will participate. If there is a financial challenge, I can arrange extra fundraising or scholarship opportunities.  For more complete info as it becomes available, check the "Spring Trip 2013" tab at the top of the page.

We have extra fundraising opportunities for the coffee sale for those who missed out!  You'll be able to check out a Grab Bag or buy individual items at our concerts this week.  Selling a Grab Bag will earn a student $50 account credit, or 25% of the spring trip cost!  For those who did order their Grab Bags, they will arrive either late this week or early next week.

Our next Family Dinner Night is Thursday, December 13 at Blue Rock BBQ.  Get more info and help us promote the event at our facebook page.  When you eat at Blue Rock, they will donate back 20% of your order to our program!

Your Live Review is due next Friday, December 14.  Get more info on the Live Music Page.