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We had fun! Thank you to the students and parents who were able to attend! It was great to spend time together outside on such a beautiful day.

Usually the start of our year together is full of social activities like the Ice Cream Social, many Pep Band performances, and the Tag Sale.

Our annual apple picking trip to Wilken’s has also been a YHS Band tradition for over a decade.  Because Wilken’s is outside, and families can observe social distancing and wear masks, this is still a viable event.

For those interested/comfortable, Ms. Kluga will be at Wilken’s with her family this Sunday at 10am. If your student, and an adult chaperone, would like to join me – we will meet at the large haybale stack just outside the bakery.

All social distancing and masking rules are required – if you plan to attend, please review Wilken’s COVID-19 protocols here: http://wilkensfarm.com/

Students must be accompanied by an adult chaperone. Everyone is responsible for paying for their own picking.  Please RSVP by filling out this Google Form.  

If this is something that is comfortable for your family, Ms. Kluga would love to spend a few hours with you!

If you are interested in being a part of this year’s YHS Jazz Band, please fill out this Google form. Audition information TBA.

By registering on our website, each student will also gain access to their personalized YHS Band Dashboard.  This is our main information platform where students can find a variety of tools to help them be successful, including: a list of posted homework assignments, homework documents, practice aids specific to their instrument, professional recordings of our music, class documents, lesson calendars, and more.  This truly awesome service was built by our head webmaster, Joe Menduni (YHS Band, Class of 2014). Thank you, Joe!

All students received a copy of the YHS Band Handbook via their YHS Band Dashboard.  If you haven’t already, please review it with your students, fill out the information on the last page, and upload the signed page to our Google Classroom.

To give our freshmen a sense of what our program is about, and tell you how much band means to them, our very dedicated Band Officers have created a welcome video. Many thanks to these enthusiastic student leaders! You can watch it here:

The September lesson calendar and list of student lesson groups can be found on Dashboard.  If you have questions about this important part of your student’s grade in band, please review the YHS Band Handbook or contact Ms. Kluga.

In the handbook, please find the list of musical accessories your student will need to be successful in band. Please have your student bring these accessories to their band lesson next week. All students will need a pencil in class every day.

Parents, Ms. Kluga will miss seeing and meeting you all in person for our annual Back to School Night! Instead, please take 5 minutes to watch this video overview of what your student’s experience in band will look this year. Handouts are also attached.

The First Nighters is a parent group whose mission is to support our YCSD Performing Arts programs. Each year they invite parents to help their cause. Some of their initiatives include:

§     Advocating for and supporting the arts programs in all schools.

§     Purchasing supplies for the arts programs in all schools.

§     Providing yearly scholarships to outstanding seniors.

§     Honoring all Performing Arts seniors

The First Nighters annual information letter is attached.  Please consider becoming a sponsor. 

Congratulations to our awesome class of 2020 band students! It has been an honor to be your teacher for four years – Ms. Kluga’s love and best wishes to all as you begin your next adventures in life!

What a wonderful celebration of our seniors! Thank you to the students and families who were able to attend our virtual performance and sharing session. It was heart-warming to see so many alumni faces on the call, and hear their advice and good wishes for our class of 2020!

View the video on the YHS Band YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqNcQ2ZVVdA

Thank you to our YHS Alumni team for their creativity, planning, and hours of work editing the audio and video aspects of the presentation: Abby Ferri (’16), Maddy Ferri (’18), Katie McKeown (’15), and Kaitlyn Nuebel (‘18).

Thank you to our YHS Senior team for their help: Kristen Ferguson, Abbey Milhaven, Connor Townes, Christian Varela, and Jack-Henry Whalen.

Special shout-out of thanks to Abbey Milhaven for being the mastermind behind this idea back in October! Thank you for your vision of bringing together our extended Band Family, and for realizing that this event could take on a new form and become another sliver-lining of our distance learning experience.