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The most famous flute player alive – you have heard his musical virtuosity on the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, and many others! The Grammy and world famous flute player presents an evening of classical and Irish music, joined by his wife, the virtuoso flutist, Lady Jeanne Galway, along with pianist Michael McHale. Tickets: $45 premium reserved seats, $25 general seating, $15 students. 7:30 p.m. March 24. First Reformed Church, 18 South Broadway, Nyack, artsrock.org

Auditions for the 2018-2019 Wind Ensemble will take place 4/23 – 4/27 (Monday– Friday).  Students wishing to audition should review the audition information sheet (attached) with you.  If your student is interested in auditioning, I strongly suggest that they also participate in NYSSMA.  The Wind Ensemble audition information sheet/permission slip is attached and is also available in the band room.  FORMS ARE DUE WEDNESDAY 3/28.

Concert Band Students: your Six Flags payment was due on Friday 1/26 (checks made payable to the YHS Music Boosters). All CB students received their personal account information in class.

Wind Ensemble Students: your DC trip payment #2 information was sent home this past week.  If you have questions, we are happy to help.  Please send in your payment by this Friday 2/2, checks made payable to the YHS Music Boosters.

Our next concert performance is Saturday 2/10/18 at 7:00, in the YHS GYM.  This is our 10^th annual Swing Dance and Concert.  All YHS Band students are required to attend.  It is both a concert, and a dance, and everyone is invited! This is a well-attended and fun evening for our entire Yorktown community (last year we had audience members ages 2 – 92!).

What: Valentine’s Swing Dance Concert

When: Saturday 2/10

Time: Dance Lesson 7-8pm / Music and Dancing 8-10:30pm

Where: YHS Gym

Cost: $10 for adults / $5 for students and seniors.  Tickets sold at the door.  YHS Band students are free.

1.     Jazz Band – our sound check is at 5:30. Be early so you can be ready to play at 5:30.

2.     Students interested in participating in the dance lesson – please arrive at 6:30pm.

3.     Students NOT interested in participating in the dance lesson, please arrive no later than 7:30pm.

4.     Upon arrival ALL STUDENTS should place their instruments/cases/coats/etc in their designated warm up room (Rooms TBA).  AT THAT TIME STUDENTS WILL HAVE THEIR HAND STAMPED FOR FREE ENTRANCE INTO THE DANCE.

The students and I are very excited to perform our music for you!  And, in case they haven’t shared, we have all been learning how to swing dance in class one day each week for the past 4 weeks.  ALL YHS band students are now equipped with stunning swing dance moves which I hope they will use at our event!  (All they have to do now is get up the courage to ask someone to dance :).

Also, on Thursday 2/8 during Concert Band and Wind Ensemble, professional swing dance instructors Bill Kline and Katrine Bangsgaard (from Swing and Samba Dance Studio) will be visiting YHS to work with our students.

PARENT HELP NEEDED

Please refer to the e-mail from parent organizer Margaret Serafin ([email protected]) with ways you can sign up to help.

The link for the sign-up form can be found here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0945adad2fa7fe3-yhsband1

As part of our Swing Dance, we hold a really amazing raffle.  Each year we ask families and local businesses for prize donations, which are then organized into themed baskets.  Are you interested in helping with the raffle or donating items?  Read on below and contact parent raffle coordinator Anne McKeown ([email protected]).

1. Each year we have a “grand prize.” Is there anyone in our current YHS Band Family that has a connection that could be used? Some ideas (grand prize, and otherwise) from our raffle committee are:
2. Tickets to concerts or sporting events
3. A weekend away at a timeshare
4. Personal chef for an evening dinner party
5. College essay help / tutoring help
6. Any other business offering or idea

2. If you do have a business contact that would be willing to support our event, a letter is attached (on official YHS Band letterhead) outlining the donation process.

3. Do you have wicker gift baskets you are not using?  Our raffle committee would love to use them!  They will fill and wrap the baskets with prize items.  Please send baskets into school by Friday 2/2.

4. The raffle committee is looking for  these “filler” items for the baskets.

• Boxes of tea
• Honey with a swizzle stick
• Salad accessories
• Postage Stamps
• Coffee
• Pillar candles
• Coffee mugs
• Travel mugs
• Valentine accessories/candy etc.
• Popcorn kernels or bags of popcorn
• Jewelry tree(s)
• Car accessories (air freshener, iPhone holders,  deicer, snow brush etc)
• YHS “swag” to go with graduation tickets
• Gourmet popcorn
• ice cream accessories (scoops, bowls, sprinkles etc.)

We have many homemade decorations planned for our event and will need lots of help to create them!  All students are invited:

1. To help decorate the gym on Saturday 2/10 from 9:00am – 4:00pm.
2. To CLEAN UP from 10:30-11:30pm.

Sign-up sheets for all above dates and times are available in the band room.  As always, students will receive extra credit for their extra efforts!  Thank you in advance for donating your time to make our event a success for our learning community, and our greater Yorktown Heights community!

Get into the “swing” of things and have fun dressing up in 1940’s garb!

In lieu of the usual concert black, Swing Era attire is encouraged!  Below are some ideas.

Boys 

Usual Concert Attire: Black pants, long sleeved button down black shirt, black shoes, black socks

AND/OR Swing Additions: fedora hats, suspenders, solid color or pin striped shirts, colorful ties, spats, jackets.

Girls

Usual Concert Attire: Black top (appropriate neck-line, no spaghetti straps or sleeveless tops), black skirt or dress (appropriately below the knee), or black pants.

AND/OR Swing Additions: Girls are welcome to wear any color 1940’s style dress as long as it has an appropriate neckline, sleeves, and falls below the knee.  Other ideas are: swing-y skirts, polka dots, pin-curls, a flower in their hair, seamed stockings, saddle shoes, 1940’s style hat and gloves.

Please be aware that the Swing Dance Snow Date is Saturday 2/17.

On Monday, February 26^th at 6:00pm, the YCSD Band Program will hold its 5^th Annual Town-Wide Band Concert (a.k.a. BANDAPALOOZA!) in the YHS Gym.  All band students grades 5-12 will participate.  This is a wonderful experience for all of our students – fostering positive relationships between all levels, and allowing our youngest band students and parents to see the full progression of our band program.

As in years past, due to fire codes and the possibility of exceeding the maximum gym capacity, we ask that YHS band parents and families please not attend this concert as audience members.  We apologize for this and thank you for your understanding.  (If it is any consolation, the YHS Concert Band and Wind Ensemble students will each be performing a selection that you will already have heard at our Swing Dance).  However, we do need parent volunteers.  If you are interested in helping us achieve this intensely logistical feat, we would love your help!  Please e-mail Mrs Kluga.

Our next concert performance is Saturday 2/10/18 at 7:00, in the YHS GYM.  This is our 10^th annual Swing Dance and Concert.  All YHS Band students are required to attend.  It is both a concert, and a dance, and everyone is invited! This is a well-attended and fun evening for our entire Yorktown community (last year we had audience members ages 2 – 92!).

What: Valentine’s Swing Dance Concert

When: Saturday 2/10

Time: Dance Lesson 7-8pm / Music and Dancing 8-10:30pm

Where: YHS Gym

Cost: $10 for adults / $5 for students and seniors.  Tickets sold at the door.  YHS Band students are free.

FLYER ATTACHED!

A flyer advertising our Swing Dance is attached.  Please feel free to post at your place of work, place of worship, or anywhere you think people would be interested.

PARENT HELP NEEDED

As usual, many parent volunteers will be needed to make this evening a success.  Please look for an e-mail from parent organizer Margaret Serafin with ways you can sign up to help.

As part of our Swing Dance, we hold a really amazing raffle.  Each year we ask families and local businesses for prize donations, which are then organized into themed baskets.  Are you interested in helping with the raffle?  Here is how:

1. Each year we have a “grand prize.” For the past bunch of years, a local family very generously donated 4 Knicks tickets – but now that family has graduated and moved on.  Is there anyone in our current YHS Band Family that has a connection that could be used? Some ideas (grand prize, and otherwise) from our raffle committee are:
2. Tickets to concerts or sporting events
3. A weekend away at a timeshare
4. Personal chef for an evening dinner party
5. College essay help / tutoring help
6. Any other business offering or idea

2. If you do have a business contact that would be willing to support our event, a letter is attached (on official YHS Band letterhead) outlining the donation process.

3. Do you have wicker gift baskets you are not using?  Our raffle committee would love to use them!  They will fill and wrap the baskets with prize items.  Please send baskets into school by Friday 2/2.