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Hello YHS Band Parents and Students,
It was so nice to meet/see so many of you at Back to School Night! Read on for your weekly update from the YHS Band Room:
APPLE PICKING TRIP TO WILKEN’S FARM
This morning many of our YHS Band students attended a fun apple picking trip to Wilken’s! Students enjoyed apple picking, a tractor ride, the corn maze, cider and donuts, and made priceless bandtastic memories. Many thanks to Band Officers Selma Lyons and Jayden Capello who helped organize our trip. Thank you also to band parents Ms. Rindone, Mr. Meyers, and Ms. McGill for their help making things run smoothly.
YHS BAND MEMBER SOUNDS TAPS AT 9/11 MEMORIAL
Ichiro Iizuka (’26) and Owen Griffiths (’29) were honored to perform at the Shrub Oak 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony. Thank you both for your beautiful musical tribute. Never Forget.
EVENTS THIS WEEK:
GUIDED PRACTICE SESSIONS
Guided practice sessions are offered weekly and hosted by our upperclassmen band members (thank you!). Students who lead or attend a session receive 1 point of extra credit. Sessions are held period 9, unless noted otherwise. I am also always available for help by appointment.
| Monday 9/15 | |
| Tuesday 9/16 | Clarinet, Trumpet, Percussion |
| Wednesday 9/17 | Jazz Band Auditions 1:40-3:00pm |
| Thursday 9/18 | Trombone |
| Friday 9/19 | Flute, Bugle Calls |
JAZZ BAND AUDITIONS – Wednesday 9/17
Auditions will take place from 1:40 – 3:00. Requirements and sign-ups are available in the Band room. Weekly rehearsals will begin Thursday 9/25, 6:50-8:30pm. Returning Jazz Band students do not need to audition.
PEP BAND PERFORMANCE – Friday 9/19 – Report at 5:15pm in the Band Room
Bring yourinstrument and charged cell phone. Wear your YHS Band polo. Music and Snacks will be provided. The football game will run from 6:30-9:00pm. We are playing Somers.
YHS BAND HANDBOOK – PLEASE SIGN AND RETURN
Was presented in class this week. Please review this document with your students and return the signed final page to me via Google Classroom. Please pay special attention to our calendar of events. The handbook is attached if you need a copy.
TAG SALE – Saturday 10/18
Our annual Music Boosters Tag Sale is a fun fundraiser and community building event! Please save your stuff to donate. Our sale is Saturday 10/18 from 9am-2pm at YHS. We will be accepting donations on Friday 10/17 from 2:30-7pm. Tell your friends and neighbors! Parent and student volunteers are needed to make this event a success. Look for an e-mail this week to find out how you can help.
SEPTEMBER LESSON SCHEDULE
Is attached. Please note, I made a mistake on the one I sent last week (my apologies!). This one has the corrections. Thanks!
PARENT NIGHT FLYERS & INFO
For those who were unable to attend, here are links to my presentation.
Videos of Chamber Performances (Featuring the WE Students)
LOCAL MUSIC OPPORTUNITIES
Are attached FYI
Thanks for reading! Have a great week!
Musically Yours,
Ms. Kluga
Emily Kluga
Band Director
Yorktown High School
2727 Crompond Rd.
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
(914) 243-8050 x.22249
X and Instagram: @MsKluga and @yhsbands
Opportunities for lessons and ensembles at Hoff Barthelson Music School
https://www.westchesteryouthwinds.org/
Hello YHS Band Parents and Students,
Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year! Each week, I will send an e-mail to keep you informed of YHS Band events. Please feel free to e-mail me back with questions. I am so very excited to work with your students!
Here are some reminders as we get set up for our year:
SUPPORT THE FIRST NIGHTERS!
As the Huskers are to YHS athletics, the First Nighters are to our Performing Arts programs. Their sponsorship form and spirit-wear info are attached. Please consider joining, volunteering, and purchasing some awesome merch!
If you are receiving this e-mail, thank you for registering at www.yhsbands.com. This is my primary method of communication for e-mail updates (for families), and lesson/event text reminders (for students). Please be sure to respond “OK” to the set-up verifications (phone and e-mail), as they may have ended up in your spam folder.
FYI – the phone number your student will receive my text messages from is: 914-685-5464
Our band tech is provided by the very hard work of student webmasters Devin Robinson (’26), Miles Fallon (’27), Amy Cross (’28), and head webmaster Joe Menduni (YHS class of 2014). Thanks guys!
PARENT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
You will also receive periodic e-mails from our Band Aid Core Helpers (BACH) parent organization ([email protected]) informing you of ways that you can volunteer at our events. If you are interested, there are many ways you can be involved!
MUSICAL ACCESSORIES
Please see the attached list of musical accessories needed to be successful in Band. Accessories are due this week.
FRESHMAN WELCOME DAY
Many thanks to our awesome team of student leaders for hosting this annual event! Our freshmen students were welcomed to their first day at YHS with snacks, tech help, and plenty of smiles.
PEP BAND THANKS!
Great job to our YHS Band students for their enthusiastic musical support at Friday’s home opener! We love being part of the Husker Family! Special shout out to our trumpet and snare drum quartet for beautifully performing our National Anthem.
Thank you to the parents who so generously sent in snacks for our Pep Band to enjoy – they were very appreciated!
TAG SALE FUNDRAISER
Our annual Music Boosters Tag Sale is a fun fundraiser and community building event! Please save your stuff to donate. Our sale is Saturday 10/18 from 9am-2pm at YHS. We will be accepting donations on Friday 10/17 from 2:30-7pm. Tell your friends and neighbors! Parent and student volunteers are needed to make this event a success. Look for an e-mail in the coming weeks to find out how you can help.
EVENTS THIS WEEK
Wednesday 9/10: Pep Band Rehearsal – 1:45-3:00pm in the Band Room
Bring your instrument and charged cell phone. Music and snacks will be provided. Late buses are available at 3:30. Join us to play some fun pop music, enjoy snacks (because Band = Food), and enjoy time together.
Thursday 9/11:
· Music Boosters Tag Sale Parent Planning Meeting @ 6pm – For any parents interested in getting involved, please join us!
· YHS Back to School Night @ 7pm – see you there!
Sunday 9/14: Apple Picking at Wilken’s Farm
Our annual Band “spirit” outing; a social opportunity for students to have fun together outside of rehearsal.
Report Time: Meet AT WILKEN’S at 10:00am. Wear your YHS Band polo.
End Time: Approximately 12:00 noon
COST: $17 cash (includes a half-peck of apples, apple cider, 1 cider doughnut, and priceless band memories 🙂
RSVP: Please bring in $17 cash and sign up in the Band Room by Thursday 9/11.
Thank you to WE VP Selma Lyons (‘26) and CB VP Jayden Capello (’27) for organizing this year’s trip!
JAZZ BAND AUDITIONS
Auditions will take place Wednesday 9/17 from 1:40 – 3:00 in the Band room. Requirements and sign-ups will be available in the Band room. Weekly rehearsals will begin Thursday 9/25, 6:50-8:30pm. Returning Jazz Band students do not need to audition.
SEPTEMBER LESSON SCHEDULE
Is attached. Lesson info will be reviewed this week in class.
YOU SHOULD HEAR YOUR STUDENT MAKING MUSIC AT HOME
Building muscle memory, and daily practice habits, are important to your success. The expectation is that students will find time each day to work on assigned skills. Busy students are welcome to use the school practice rooms during a free period, or after school daily until 2:45. Treat practicing your instrument as a musical break in your daily routine!
ATTACHED FLYERS
For your review – some interesting musical opportunities for our students!
THANK YOU!
I know this was a bunch of information, thank you for your time and attention. E-mail me with any questions. I look forward to seeing many of you at our Back-to-School night!
Musically Yours,
Ms. Kluga
Join me as I bring my own family to enjoy this amazing (and free!) West Point concert at Trophy Point park – a gorgeous outdoor venue overlooking the Hudson. Bring a blanket, a picnic, and arrive at least 1.5 hours early to get through security and park. Concert starts at 7:30pm. Check out their website for more details. (https://band.westpoint.edu/events/) E-mail me if you are planning to attend and you’d like to sit with our group – we will have a YHS Band section!
Parents and students, please register at our website. Help us keep you and your family in-the-know regarding all things Band (events, lessons, e-mail updates, etc). We want every student to experience success!
* New YHS Band Students – Go to register.yhsbands.com
* Returning YHS Band Students – login to your YHS Band Dashboard at my.yhsbands.com and confirm/update your information. Your login is the first part of your @yorktown.org address (ex. [email protected] would be “john.smith”). Forgot your password? Change it at login.
Once your registration is complete, students will have access to our sheet music and recordings for Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, and Pep Band. Log in to see what songs we will be rehearsing at our Band Retreat (and this fall in general). Have fun practicing!
Please secure your instrument in time to participate in our 8/26 Band Retreat. Suggested rental companies:
- Music and Arts Centers Bedford Hills (Drop-off service to YCSD) 914-241-0689
- Radovitch and Dean Carmel 845-225-4515
- Ardsley Music Ardsley 914-693-6639
Each company’s policy is available on their website or by phone. Some also offer rent-to-own options.
**For students who play tuba, euphonium, trombone, tenor sax, bari sax, bass clarinet, bassoon,
French horn, or oboe, YHS-owned equipment is available. The rental fee is $150, checks made payable to YCSD. To reserve, please e-mail me your child’s name and instrument.
· Required musical supplies can be purchased online, or at a local music store.
· All YHS Band students are required to own our polo shirt for use at events and performances.
Let’s get ready for our first Varsity Football Pep Band performance of the season! Please join us for two after school rehearsals – where we will play fun pop music, have snacks (because Band = Food), and enjoy time together.
Pep Band Rehearsals: Wednesday 9/3 and Wednesday 9/10, 1:45-3:15pm in the Band Room.
Bring your instrument and charged cell phone. Music and snacks will be provided. Late buses are available at 3:30.
Pep Band Performance #1: Friday 9/5. Report at 4:30pm in the Band Room. Bring your instrument and charged cell phone. Music and Snacks will be provided. The football game will run from 6-9:00pm
As the Huskers are to YHS athletics, the First Nighters is a parent group whose mission is to support our YHS Performing Arts programs. Their sponsorship form is attached. Please consider joining!
Enjoy the long weekend, and I’m so looking forward to seeing all your students back in the Band Room next week 🙂
We will be using some of our class time to study your individual NYSSMA Solo. Please pack headphones for the next 5 weeks. Thanks!
Our music and recordings are posted on Dashboard. Happy practicing!
Please join me before school (from 7:10…or whenever you get off the bus… until the first bell) to practice soloing. Help yourself develop your skills, and a plan for success!
Sessions are held period 9, unless noted otherwise. I am also always available for NYSSMA Solo help (or any help!) by appointment.
| Monday 3/17 | Percussion, Tank Jazz Combo |
| Tuesday 3/18 | Low Brass, Sax, Clarinet |
| Wednesday 3/19 | JB Sax, JB Trumpet |
| Thursday 3/20 | JB Rhythm, JB Trombone |
| Friday 3/21 | Tunisia Jazz Combo |