Winter Park Band Notes
November 13, 2016
From Mr. Blackmer
Dear Band Families,
Congratulations on the terrific OCPS All-County Orchestra performances yesterday! In addition to several Winter Park Orchestra students, we were fortunate to have five WP Band students in the wind section, including Gabriel Bornstein, Edun Kalmar, Zachary Noble, Tyler Stephens, and Stuart Thomas! Congrats to everyone!
Best of luck to those students who are auditioning for All-County Band tomorrow at Oak Ridge High School! I've been hearing a lot of hard work and dedicated practicing after school in the Band Room, and I think we'll have a great Winter Park contingent in this year's All-County Band!
I also want to thank everyone for making our second annual "Fall Festival of Bands" such a great success last week! I'd like to especially thank Mr. Eric Mendez and Mr. Brian Sullivan for being amazing teachers and colleagues! We will be welcoming back our Glenridge and Maitland middle school friends for a "Night of Jazz" this coming Thursday at 7 PM! Please join us for performance by the middle school jazz bands, WP Jazz Ensemble II, Freshman Jazz Band, and WP Jazz Ensemble I!
Solo & Ensemble Registration is due this week by Wednesday (see information below)! Please remember that S&E participation in required, and all music decisions need to be made this week! Don't wait until the last minute!
Finally, as you know we are still in football playoff mode. The game is at Showalter and the itinerary can be found below under "This Week," as well as on the Band website. If you can volunteer to chaperone, please go to the Band Calendar and click on the "helping hand" icon for November 18.
All the Best!
Mr. Blackmer
Solo & Ensemble MPA
Registration for Solo & Ensemble MPA is due by this Wednesday, November 16! Visit the Band website for S&E information. Remember that all WP Band students are required to participate in S&E in some form. If you have questions, please direct them to Mr. Blackmer or Mr. Clemente, but don't wait until the last minute to do so!
Like last year, new solo & ensemble music will be purchased through the Band Directors based on students' request. If there is a piece (or several pieces) that a student or collection of students would like to see purchased, they should go to the FBA S&E music list, copy the entire line of information found on that list, including title, composer, FBA number, etc., and e-mail that directly to Mr. Blackmer.
Beethoven & Co. @ Lake Nona HS and Apopka HS
On Monday, November 21, Apopka HS will be hosting Beethoven & Company from 3 PM - 6 PM. This is a great opportunity to acquire music for Solo & Ensemble AND get some of their awesome free pencils!
Like last year, if you tell the Beethoven & Company representative that you are with the Winter Park Band (and show them your school ID), they will bill the music to the school.
Additionally, their website is an outstanding resource for finding and selecting S&E music. If you find something on their site, you can call them and (if they have it in stock) they can bring it on November 10 for you to look at!
Band Composite Pictures
Pictures for the 2016/2017 Band composite will take place on Thursday, November 17 and Friday, November 18 during the school day. Pictures will be in marching uniform tops (or tuxedo tops and dresses for non-marchers).
Chris Gaines, the photographer, will be available before Winter Concert on December 8 to show proofs for those who may be interested in purchasing their own head-shot and/or composite picture.
Join Winter Guard!
The Guard begins their winter season this week with rehearsals from 5 PM - 8:30 PM on Monday, November 14 and Wednesday, November 16 in the Band Room.
Winter Guard is a color guard activity where the Guard prepares and performs an indoor show around the Central Florida area. The Guard will have regular Monday and Wednesday rehearsals from 5 PM - 8:30 PM beginning the week after Thanksgiving break and running through the last week of March (excluding student holidays). No experience required.
Performance Dates:
- January 21 – Rehearsal 9 AM - 4 PM
- January 28 – FFCC Premiere
- February 11 – District S&E
- February 25 – Apopka HS
- March 11 – Lyman HS
- March 18 – Cypress Creek HS
- April 1 – FFCC Championships in Daytona Beach
The “fair share” cost for Winter Guard is $500 per student. That number is subject to change based on how many students join the ensemble, and there will be fundraising opportunities available! The more than join, the lower the cost! For more information, contact Mr. Clemente and talk with current members of the Guard.
Eli Maulfair Eagle Scout Service Project
From Eli Maulfair: "I am in Boy Scouts, and am currently working on my Eagle Scout Service Project. The project I have decided to take on is a sock collection to be donated to the Coalition for the Homeless. I decided on this project when I read in the newspaper that the most needed donation was clean socks. Clean socks are extremely important as they help protect feet from infections, blisters, and the environment. I am seeking any contributions to help reach my goal of 500 pairs of socks. I am collecting new socks via a collection box located in the Band Room, as well as online fundraising. If you are interested in donating, you can either leave clean, unused socks in the box in the Band Room, or you can donate money to my Go Fund Me www.gofundme.com/operationhappyfeet. Go Fund Me is an online service designed to help raise funds. As little as $1 can buy a pair of new socks. You can donate any amount, then I can withdraw it to use for my project. Thank you!"
The donation box will also be in the Auditorium lobby for this Wednesday's Fall Festival of Band concert!