WINTER PARK BAND Weekly Newsletter
November 28, 2021
THIS WEEK
Band Booster Meeting - all Band parents
Monday, Nov 29, 2021, 07:00 PM
Winter Park High School, Summerfield Road, Winter Park, FL, USA
Winter Guard Showcase Dress Rehearsal
Monday, Nov 29, 2021, 03:00 PM
Winter Park High School, Summerfield Road, Winter Park, FL, USA
SOLO & ENSEMBLE REGISTRATION DUE
Wednesday, Dec 1, 2021, 02:30 PM
Winter Park High School, Summerfield Road, Winter Park, FL, USA
Winter Guard Rehearsal
Thursday, Dec 2, 2021, 02:30 PM
2100 Summerfield Road, Winter Park, FL, USA
Winter Guard Rehearsal
Friday, Dec 3, 2021, 02:30 PM
Winter Park High School, Summerfield Road, Winter Park, FL, USA
Winter Park "Ye Olde Hometown" Christmas Parade
Saturday, Dec 4, 2021, 07:15 AM
Downtown Winter Park, North Park Avenue, Winter Park, FL, USA
Baldwin Park Winter Wonderland Extravaganza Christmas Parade
Saturday, Dec 4, 2021, 05:30 PM
Baldwin Park, Orlando, FL, USA
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From Mr. Clemente
Dear Winter Park Band families,
I hope you all have had a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving break. It's hard to believe we only have 3 more weeks until we are already to Winter Break!
Congratulations to all of our Winter Park Band students who went above and beyond and prepared and performed an audition for this year's All-County Bands and Jazz Ensembles on Monday, November 15 at Lake Nona High School. Out of the WPHS students who auditioned, 21 students were accepted into the All-County Bands and 3 were accepted into the All-County Jazz Ensembles! Please join me in a hearty congratulations of the following students:
All-County 9/10 Concert Band
Emily Strickland (flute, 1st chair), Emily Yeh (flute, 9th chair), Lilah Storch (oboe, 1st chair), Jacob Blaney (oboe, 2nd chair), Jason Stephenson (clarinet, 1st chair), Zachary Rediske (clarinet, 3rd chair), Henry Fu (clarinet, 4th chair), Charlotte Batten (alto saxophone, 4th chair), Benjamin DeLoach (alto saxophone, 5th chair), Charles Davey (trombone, 5th chair), Taylor Ribaric (tuba, 1st chair)
All-County 11/12 Symphonic Band
Shay Stulman (flute, 7th chair), Lily Ioffredo (flute, 10th chair), Mya Bell (clarinet, 11th chair), Curtis Culhane (clarinet, 12th chair), Kaia Leavitt (alto saxophone, 2nd chair), Dylan O'Shea (trumpet, 16th chair), Cole Spencer (f horn, 2nd chair), Kang Muscatello (trombone, 7th chair), Zachary Asarnow (euphonium, 5th chair), Charlie Storch (tuba, 2nd chair)
All-County Jazz Ensemble I
Kang Muscatello (trombone, 4th chair), Jacob Thigpen (piano, 1st chair)
All-County Jazz Ensemble II
Kaia Leavitt (alto saxophone, 2nd chair)
Thank you to the Band Council for planning and hosting the End of Marching Season Potluck at D-Lot on Saturday, 11/13. It was great to see lots of families come together to celebrate the work that went into a great beginning of this school year. Thank you to everyone who brought food and games - what a great event!
The week before break on Thursday, November 18 we welcomed the students in our feeder middle school pattern to WPHS for our annual Night of Jazz. It was so great to get everyone back together again after our Fall Festival of Bands. Additionally, it is astonishing to see the accomplishments of all of the students after what they have endured and persevered through in the past few years. Especially great to see, and especially to hear, are the performances given by students in 7th and 8th grade who have had so many disruptions to their early years of playing their instrument. Some exciting sounds coming into the Winter Park Band in the coming years!
This Wednesday, December 1, is the deadline for students to have their event registered for Solo & Ensemble MPA. Please see below in the Newsletter for detailed information concerning the Solo & Ensemble performance project, and links to the required music list, school library list, and registration form.
This coming Saturday, December 4, the "Sound of the Wildcats" will perform in 2 parades in the Winter Park/Orlando area. Saturday morning, the band performs in the "Ye Olde Hometown" Christmas Parade. The Parade begins at 9:00 AM on Park Ave., and the band is right near the beginning of the parade this year. In the evening, the band performs in the Baldwin Park Winter Wonderland Extravaganza Parade. The parade begins at 7:00 PM on New Broad St. Parents: you should be hearing lots of work at home this week on both our parade tune "Santa's Parade" and our upcoming Winter Concert program!
Speaking of upcoming concerts, next week we will hold our annual Winter Band Concert on Thursday, December 9 at 7 PM. This concert, like the Fall Band Concert, features performances by the Freshman Jazz Band, Jazz Ensemble II, Jazz Ensemble I, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Symphony. I am also looking forward to starting a new tradition this year with some audience participation, so warm up those vocal cords!
Also upcoming next week, the Orchestra Winds and Percussion will be performing with the Park Philharmonic and the WPHS Choral program in their annual WinterFest. That performance will take place on Tuesday, December 7 at 7 PM. This concert is a ticketed event, and tickets may be purchased at https://teachtix.com/wphs/winterfest-2021.
Wrapping up next week, the WPHS Color Guard will conclude their semester with their annual Color Guard Winter Showcase on Friday, December 10 at 7 PM. We encourage everyone to come out and watch the performance!
A recent tradition with the Winter Park Band, the "Band-mas" tree is up in the Band room and ready to celebrate the season. Students are encouraged, if they choose, to bring in an ornament on Monday to decorate the tree for the coming 3 weeks. Please remember to put your name on your ornament so you can retrieve it before we leave for Winter Break.
Make it a great week!
Mr. Clemente
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From the Band Booster President, Natalie Storch
Week of November 28, 2021
Hello Band Families.
I hope you had a restful break! Coming up this week, there is a general booster meeting (for all parents/adults interested in band) in the band room at 7pm on Monday, November 29. We will talk about the rest of the year, plans going into next year, the parades, door to door fundraiser, board positions open for next year, etc. We would love to have as many of you attend as possible.
The parades are THIS weekend (can you believe it). Please check the volunteer spots for the parade (Baldwin Park) on Saturday evening—we would love your help. The orchestra winds will be performing at the Winterfest with Park Philharmonic, and the band concert is that same week on 12/9. The following week (12/14) is the orchestra concert, so a lot of fun things ahead.
Please see below from Robyn Fodor regarding DOOR-2-DOOR.
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SOLO & ENSEMBLE
As we continue into the 2nd marking period of the school year, it's time to begin finalizing selections for the annual Solo and Ensemble MPA. As a reminder from our Band Handbook, Solo and Ensemble is a part of our 2nd - 3rd quarter project for all students in the Winter Park Band. This project allows our students to have a performance opportunity where they are able to showcase their individual musicianship and take what they are learning in their Band classes and apply it toward a piece of music of their own choosing. It is my firm belief that preparing a piece for performance either individually or in a small group is one of the most effective ways for our students to add to their musicianship. Students' work performing solos and multiple events for Solo & Ensemble MPA is also taken into consideration with ensemble auditions for the upcoming school year. As the saying goes, a rising tide raises all boats, and when all students work to improve their individual musicianship, the Band program benefits as a whole.
Band students have two performance options to complete the Solo and Ensemble project:
- Option 1: Solo and Ensemble MPA. Solo and Ensemble MPA takes place each year at the beginning of February and is hosted by a school in our district, this year University HS on February 11 and 12. This event is put on by the Florida Bandmasters Association(FBA), and allows students to perform for an adjudicator for a rating. Adjudicators for this event are professors, teachers, and performers from across the state of Florida, and students have the opportunity to receive feedback on their performance from someone who is an expert on their instrument. Students perform either a solo or chamber ensemble piece from the FBA Solo and Ensemble Required Music List, and may perform in up to 4 different events. There is a small assessment fee per event, typically $5.00 - 7.00.
- Option 2: Solo and Ensemble Recital Option. For students who choose not to perform at the Solo and Ensemble MPA put on by FBA, those students will perform as part of our Solo and Ensemble Recital at school. This year, that recital will take place in the Band Room on Wednesday, February 5, beginning at 1:30 PM. Students must select a piece from the FBA Solo and Ensemble Required Music List, and the performances will be adjudicated by both Mr. Smith and Mr. Clemente.
The next step is choosing which option you prefer and what piece(s) you will perform. Start looking at solo literature, consult your private lesson teacher, and/or get your chamber ensemble together and committed to performing as a group. Once you are prepared to register for either Solo and Ensemble MPA or the Solo and Ensemble Recital Option, follow the links below. If a student chooses to play a solo, they are responsible for providing a piano accompanist. If you are in search of an accompanist, please consult this list of piano accompanists on the Band website.
Links to all forms/lists below can be found at: http://www.winterparkhsband.com/solo--ensemble.html
Winter Park Solo and Ensemble Library
Solo and Ensemble Music Purchase Request
- Due no later than 12/1/21
Solo and Ensemble MPA Registration
- Due no later than 12/1/21
Solo and Ensemble Recital Option sign-up
- Due no later than 12/1/21
Students should have a close, if not final idea of what they would like to perform at Solo & Ensemble before we leave for the Thanksgiving break. If a student plans on performing a solo that has piano accompaniment, that student should secure an accompanist before or during the Thanksgiving break.
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DOOR-2-DOOR FUNDRAISER
DOOR-2-DOOR - our biggest and most important fundraiser of the year is coming in early February and the day will arrive faster than we’d all like to think. If you haven’t signed up to drive, please do so this week, if possible. For every driver that signs up I need 3 things:
- Copy of drivers license
- Copy of insurance card that will be valid at time of D2D. If it’s renewing between now and February, wait to send me the updated info.
- A screenshot of your active and approved Additions status.
If you’re not Additions approved yet, but would like to drive, go ahead and get that approval right away at: https://www.ocps.net/departments/community_resources_/a_d_ditions_school_volunteers
It may seem like there’s plenty of time, but I need to have this information collected over Winter Break and we will all be so busy with the holidays, it’s helpful if you can sign up and send me the info as soon as possible.
Thank you for all you do!
Robyn Fodor
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Pride of the Wildcats - Winter Park Band Fleet Vehicle Support and Improvement
We are very proud of our Operations side of the Winter Park Band. We have a dedicated group of parents that take the Winter Park Band & Color Guard to all their events. However, without the use of the large tractor trailer that transports our equipment to and from each marching band event and the small trailer for color guard the task would be next to impossible.
Through the years, the operations group has made many changes to the trailers to improve the functionality for the Winter Park Band. Historically, all of the monies have been raised through private contributions of a select groups of parents and through the Alumni Foundation. Because of this the need of a full fundraiser event to deflect the cost of the band operations was never really until now.
In effort to maintain our large trailer’s top-notch condition, we are planning to do some MAJOR repairs and improvements to the trailer that is now in its 15th year of service for WPHS band. Additionally, we need to either replace (preferable) the small trailer or make it road worthy again.
Some of the items on our list of improvements are costly, including:
- Repairing some minor damage to larger trailer
- Repainting the lower section of the large trailer
- Rewrapping the upper section of the large trailer
- Replace wheel bearings on front axle
- Moving the back stairway to the back of the trailer
- Replacing or repairing the small trailer
- And other improvements to keep our kids and volunteers safe.
Since we are re-wrapping the large trailer, we will be selling sponsor spots on the larger trailer to defray the cost. There are 10 spots that are available for $1,000 each and the entire front of the trailer for $5,000. These opportunities are a great way to support the Winter Park Band and they are also tax deductible.
Please contact Keith Gavin at kgavin@sscands.com for further information on donations or to provide the goods or services to the improvements that are so desperately needed.
We will be also seeking volunteers to help at a Trailer Work- Days throughout the month of January. We will be repairing minor body damage, painting the trailer and removing the old logos. Please contact Keith Gavin @ kgavin@sscands.com if you can assist.
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Band Calendar
- Band Calendar sync Google/Andriod format: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=winterparkhsband%40gmail.com&ctz=America%2FNew_York
- Band Calendar sync Apple iCal format: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/winterparkhsband%40gmail.com/public/basic.ics
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Saturday, December 4: Winter Park Christmas Parade & Baldwin Park Winter Spark Parade
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Tuesday, December 7: Winterfest (Orchestra Winds and Percussion), 7 PM
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Thursday, December 9: WINTER BAND CONCERT, 7 PM
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Friday, December 10: COLOR GUARD WINTER SHOWCASE, 7 PM
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Monday December 20 - Monday, January 3, 2022: Winter Break
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Wednesday, January 5: Wind Symphony Sectionals, 1:30 - 2:30 PM
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Tuesday, January 11: Incoming Freshman Parent/Student Meeting, 7 - 8 PM
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Tuesday, January 18 - Wednesday, January 19: Jazz Guest Artist Workshop with Prof. Jeff Rupert
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Tuesday, January 25: All-County Band Rehearsal, 6 - 9 PM
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Thursday, January 27: All-County Band Rehearsal, 6 - 9 PM
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Friday, January 28: All-County Band Rehearsal, 8:30 - 4 PM
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Saturday, January 29: All-County Band Sound Checks and Concert
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Saturday, February 5: DOOR-2-DOOR FUNDRAISER, 8 AM - 4 PM, mandatory for all Band students
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Thursday, February 10: District Jazz MPA
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Friday, February 11 - Saturday, February 12: District Solo & Ensemble MPA
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FINANCES AND CUTTIME
Past Due Band Payments:
- Band Registration Fair Share - $25.00 Due 5/4
- Fair Share Payment 1 - $100.00 Due 7/28
- Marching Band Uniform Shoes (if needed) - $35.00 Due 7/28
- Fair Share Payment 2 - $50.00 Due this Wednesday, 9/1
- Jazz Fair Share - $20.00 Due 10/6 (if applies)
- Semester 1 School Instrument Maintenance - $60.00 Due 10/6 (if applies)
Viewing your Student's Financial Account in CutTime:
There is a direct link to CutTime in "Quick Links" on the band website.
To access Cut Time, follow these steps.
- Go to CutTime.net and click “SIGN IN” in the top right-hand corner.
- Enter your Username or Email and Password You are now on your profile, where you can access our calendar and handouts and files. Click “Update Info” tab to input or update contact information. Don’t forget to click “Update” when you are finished.
- Click the “Finances” tab to view financial statements.
2021-2022 FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS SCHEDULE
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PRIVATE LESSONS
Unlike a full band rehearsal experience, studying with a private teacher focuses in on the student’s individual needs. Students who study privately once a week from a professional musician are usually those who excel and find Band more enjoyable. These students frequently earn positions in honor groups like All-State and All-County, and make entry into our more advanced bands like Wind Symphony and Jazz Ensemble I. Some even go on to earn college scholarships, even if they are not majoring in music!
By following the link below, you will find a list of local private teachers. This list is not exhaustive, and there may be other individuals who are not on the list. If you know a private teacher who should be added (or would like to be deleted), please contact Mr. Clemente at michael.clemente@ocps.net.
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Help the Band with Amazon Smile!
Make a difference for Band students with every day purchases! Shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/27-0964817 to generate donations for Winter Park High School Band Alumni Association Inc. Once this charity is selected, always type in Smile.Amazon.com to place orders.
**NEW THIS YEAR!...To enable AmazonSmile on the Amazon mobile app:
- Open the app (sign in) and touch the three horizontal lines in the top left corner. Select "See All Programs" , then select "AmazonSmile".
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WPHS Band Social Media
We've been posting lots of photos our social media platforms, and we will continue to post updates, photos, video, and other media to those pages throughout the year. Follow the Band!
- Facebook: @winterparkhsband
- Instagram: @winterparkhsband
- Twitter: @wphs_bands
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Winter Park High School Band
Email: michael.clemente@ocps.net
Website: www.winterparkhsband.com
Location: 2100 Summerfield Road, Winter Park, FL, USA
Phone: 4076223200
Facebook: www.facebook.com/winterparkhsband