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ASSIGNMENTS for 5/25 – 5/29:

·      Officer Applications for 2020-2021 are attached for interested students.

·      If you are planning to continue in Concert Band or Wind Ensemble next year, please double check with your guidance counselor that it is in your schedule.

·      Looking ahead, we will have a full band zoom meeting on Thursday 6/4 at 1:00pm. Please mark your calendar.

TAPS ACROSS AMERICA

Many thanks to our trumpet students Brian Beaudreault, Michael Benvenga, Dominick Fortuna, and Trevor Griffiths for participating in today’s national sounding of Taps. A photo is attached. So proud of you!

Interestingly, did you know that trumpets (bugles) were integral to the success of military battles? Back before the advent of technology every military unit had a bugler, and the job held a huge responsibility.  Because the trumpet is directional, and can project sound a good distance, buglers were used to command the troops, both on and off the battlefield.  The bugler needed to memorize different fanfares so he could quickly disseminate information; attack, retreat, time to eat, time to wake-up (Reveille) time to sleep (Taps), and more.

For additional information on bugle calls and their history, visit the sites below.

https://www.bands.army.mil/music/buglecalls/

https://www.army.mil/article/160873/bugle_calls_part_of_army_tradition

Also interestingly, today Ms. Kluga’s family visited a cemetery near their home in Shrub Oak – to pay respects to the veterans buried there. We were honored to find the grave of Charles F. Hendee, a bugler with the First Independent Battery, Connecticut Light Artillery during the Civil War. It was such a large honor and responsibility to be a bugler that this title was engraved for the ages on his headstone. A photo is attached.

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OFFICER ELECTIONS FOR 2020-2021

Applications are attached. Interested students please return the application to Ms. Kluga by this Friday 5/29. Additional required meeting dates and times are listed at the bottom of the application. Questions? Contact Ms Kluga.

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GOD BLESS AMERICA PROJECT

Ms. Kluga is so proud of our students for creating this musical distance-learning experience. Although virtual performances will never replace the educational value and magic of live music, she’s so happy we could put something together to honor the significance of this day in our community.  The video is in this week’s email. Please enjoy.

Thank you to local veteran Pat McDonough and the Yorktown American Legion for providing the photos and information about our local war memorials contained in our project.

YORKTOWN AMERICAN LEGION “VIRTUAL” PARADE

Please take 15 minutes out of your Memorial Day to watch this excellent video created by Pat McDonough and members of the Yorktown American Legion. The video takes you on a virtual tour of our local war memorials, with historic details and information skillfully narrated by Mr. McDonough.

TAPS ACROSS AMERICA

In an effort to honor Memorial Day in a socially-distanced way, please consider participating in this National experience.

At 3:00pm on Memorial Day, trumpet players and instrumentalists of all types are invited to step outside their homes and perform Taps for their neighborhood. More details and a link to the music can be found below. If you participate, Ms. Kluga would love to see a photo of you or hear your video. She plans to play Taps from her driveway. Her sister, who is a trumpet player in the Air Force, will be playing Taps from where she is stationed in Illinois.

Details: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-to-participate-in-steve-hartmans-taps-across-america/

Music: https://tapsbugler.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TAPS-MUSIC.jpg

FYI: Trumpet players – if the music is too high for you Taps can be played using any valve combination for all notes (like a lip slur). Try starting on low D (1+3) and using that fingering for all the notes.

DISTANCE LEARNING THIS WEEK:

ASSIGNMENTS for 5/18 – 5/22:

·      Video: Taps – Stories Behind the Sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-zEvRCNJd0

Please take 12 minutes to watch this video about the significance of Taps – featuring the buglers at West Point.

·      God Bless America Project – we will use this week to put the project together.

o   Ms. Kluga will contact you if you need to fix your recording.

o   If you have not yet attended a zoom lesson to learn the music, contact me. Once you have attended your lesson, Ms. Kluga will send you your project link.

o   Information on the project is below.

·      No Sight Reading Factory assignments this week.

ZOOM LESSON MAKE-UPS

If you did not attend this week’s zoom lesson, please contact Ms. Kluga to schedule a make-up. Specific help is listed below:

·      Percussion: ***TIME CHANGE**** Please meet Ms. Kluga for a lesson make-up on Monday 5/18 at 12pm**** She will send you the zoom link on Monday morning. She apologizes for having to move the time.

GOD BLESS AMERICA PROJECTS LINKS HAVE BEEN DELIVERED

If you attended your zoom lesson, Ms. Kluga has sent you a link to start your project. The link already contains recordings from some of our seniors, so you can hear how your part fits. Click on the link to record your part.

Before you record, please read the project directions again – to make sure you understand the steps (they are attached if you need them). Then, click the link Ms. Kluga sent you. You can listen to the senior’s recording first, as you read along with your sheet music, to hear how your part fits. When you are ready, select a square in the project, and record your part.