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All Concert Band and Wind Ensemble students have a playing assignment, which is due at their next lesson (after break).  You should hear your student practicing at home.

Thank you so much for your support!  Enjoy the break and happy practicing !!!

Want to learn some great moves to get you ready for our Swing Dance?  Starting Tuesday 2/2, dance instructor Bill Kline will be leading a series of Swing Dance classes.  Open to all ages, no partner required.   

Please contact Mrs. Kluga with any questions and looking forward to a fun concert & community event!

The students and Mrs. Kluga are very excited to perform our music for you!  And, incase 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 about 10 stunning swing dance moves which Mrs. Kluga hopes they will use at our event!  (All they have to do now is get up the courage to ask someone to dance 🙂

Also, this Thursday 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 the students. 

Please be aware that the Swing Dance Snow Date is Saturday 2/13.

What: Valentine’s Swing Dance Concert

When: Saturday 2/6

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.

WHEN TO ARRIVE:

• Jazz Band – arrive by 5:30 for our sound check.
• Students interested in participating in the dance lesson – please arrive at 6:30pm.
• Students NOT interested in participating in the dance lesson, please arrive no later than 7:30pm.

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.

SWING ERA ATTIRE ENCOURAGED (For both adults and students!)

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

SWING CONCERT DRESS FOR STUDENTS

In lieu of the usual concert black, Swing Era attire is encouraged!  Here 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. 

PARENT AND STUDENT HELP NEEDED!

STUDENTS:

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

1. After school every day (M-F) this week from 1:30 – 3:00 to help craft our decorations. 
2. Decorate the gym on Saturday 2/6 from 10:00am – 4:00pm. 
3. CLEAN UP after the dance 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!

PARENTS:

Please visit http://donate.yhsbands.com/swingdance to donate a food item, or to help chaperone. 

Questions?  Please contact (Band Aid Core Helper) Margaret Serafin ([email protected]) or Mrs. Kluga.

On Tuesday, February 23^rd, the YCSD Band Program will hold it’s 4^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.  I 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 Ms. Kluga.

Band midterms will take place during your student’s lesson the week of (1/25-29).  Students will receive a short playing assignment that they will practice at home and then perform for me individually. Ms. Kluga will review this entire process with the students in class.  

You should hear your student practicing at home. Students are always welcome to practice during their free periods or after school.  If your student would like extra help, Ms. Kluga am available by appointment.

Concert Band students – your Hershey payment is due Friday 1/29.  All CB students received their personal account information last week.  A reminder that the Hershey trip is Saturday 5/21/16.  PARENTS, we are still in need of 4 chaperones for this trip.  E-mail me if you are interested.

Wind Ensemble students – your NYC trip information will be available soon.  A reminder that the NYC trip is Sat. 5/14 – Mon. 5/16.

Many thanks to the 25 students who attended our social outing this Saturday, it was a fun way to spend time together!  Special thanks to our Wind Ensemble President, Abby Ferri for organizing!

If you are able to, please donate to our upcoming Swing Dance here.

On Saturday 2/6 at 7:00pm the YHS Gym will be transformed into a 1940’s Night Club, complete with bandstand, dance-floor, linen-clad tables and as much Valentine’s Day ambience as we can muster.  The YHS Concert Band, Jazz Band, and Wind Ensemble will perform Swing Era music for your dancing and listening pleasure!  Light refreshments will be served. Swing Era attire encouraged.  Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for non-band students and senior citizens.  The evening will begin at 7:00 with a one-hour swing dance lesson by a professional dance studio.  Live music (provided by your students!) and dancing 8-10:30pm.

THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO THE ENTIRE YORKTOWN COMMUNITY.  IT IS NOT JUST A DANCE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS!  PLEASE INVITE YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!  LAST YEAR WE HAD OVER 300 PEOPLE (Ages 2 years to 90 years!) ATTEND.

PARENT HELP NEEDED

As usual, many parent volunteers will be needed to make this evening a success. Look for an e-mail in the coming week from (Band Aid Core Helper) Margaret Serafin letting you know how you can help.

RAFFLE ITEMS & BASKETS NEEDED

As part of our Swing Dance, we hold a really amazing raffle.  Each year we ask families/local businesses for prize donation items, which are then organized into themed baskets.  

Interested in helping with the raffle?  Here is how:

• 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 to school by Fri. 1/29.
• Do you know a business that may be interested in donating a prize? Attached is a letter to area businesses inviting them to donate items to our raffle, or help sponsor our event through a monetary donation.  In return, we are offering advertising space both at the event and in our concert program.  If you have contact with a local business, or would like to help secure raffle items, please contact B.A.C.H. Kathleen Brawitsch ([email protected]).

You should hear your student practicing at home. Students are always welcome to practice during their free periods or after school.  If your student would like extra help, Mrs. Kluga am available by appointment.

Our Wind Ensemble President, Abby Ferri, has arranged for a band social outing at JV Lanes.  (Thanks Abby!).  On Saturday 1/16, from 1-2pm, all YHS Band students are invited for an afternoon of bowling fun!  The $18 fee includes shoe rental, games, and pizza.  There is a sign up sheet in the band room.  Please have your student sign up and bring in $13 cash in advance by Wednesday 1/13.

ARE STUNNING!  The yearbook photographer captured every ensemble, and there are so many great candid shots of individual students and small groups, many of which are frame-worthy. Visit www.yhsbands.com, and click on “Pictures,” then “2015-2016 Pictures”, and finally “Winter Concert 15-16.”  Enjoy!

All students were sent home with their new music for our next concert.  To help guide their practice, professional recordings are now available on Dashboard.  Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Band music are all posted.  Happy practicing!