A fantastic opportunity for your child to experience a week (or more!) of musical study, surrounded by college level teachers, enthusiastic counselors, and new band friends from other towns, counties, and states! A huge variety of camps are available (both near and far!). An informational handout is attached. Please contact me with questions.
YHS Band seniors – below is information on a $500 scholarship. You do not need to be doing band in college to apply. The application requires a short essay on how your experience has shaped you as a person and how you have used music to help your community. The deadline is March 15th. Here is the link to the application:http://www.pittband.com/kkpsi/scholarship.html (Thank you to YHS Band alumni Kaitlyn Nuebel for letting us know about this scholarship opportunity!)
A few reminders for you as we prepare for BANDAPALOOZA VI this FRIDAY 3/1!
INFO:
* All band students are required to attend.
* Students, please arrive by 6:00pm.
* Please wear nice long black pants, nice black shoes, and your YHS Band polo.
* Please, please, please bring a FOLDING MUSIC STAND if you own one. Put your name on it so we can return it to you.
The YHS Band program hosts this event! A ton of set-up help needed to make this concert a success for all 500+ YCSD Band students. YHS BAND STUDENT HELP IS NEEDED ALL DAY! (What a great way to earn extra-credit points!)
Students, during the school day on Thursday 2/28 and Friday 3/1, please stop by the band room to offer your help with:
Folding and stapling 700 programs
Organizing seating charts
Making posters
Friday 3/1, help is needed to set up and clean up our event!
*Set up: 1:35 – 4:30
*Clean up: 7:30 – 9:00 (Please help!! Even 10 minutes stacking chairs/stands while you wait for the traffic to clear will be a great help!)
With everyone’s help, Bandapalooza VI will be an inspiring musical experience! Thank you so much, as always, for your amazing support – we are very grateful for the support of our parents, the support of the administration, and all the hard work involved to make this event (and all of our events) happen for our students! Thank you all!
On Friday, March 1st, the YCSD Band Program will host our 6th Annual District Band Concert from 6:30 – 7:30 pm in the YHS Gym. All band students grades 5-12 will participate. We hope this will be a wonderful experience for all of our students – fostering positive relationships between all levels, and allowing our youngest band students and their parents to see the full progression of our band program.
INFO:
* YHS Band students, please arrive by 6:30pm.
* Please wear long “concert black” pants, nice black shoes, and your YHS Band polo.
* Please, please, please bring a FOLDING MUSIC STAND if you own one! Put your name on it so we can return it to you!
PURPOSE:
The purpose of the evening is to reach our younger band students and their parents. We want to show them the full progression of our YCSD Band Program, and give them the experience of hearing what awaits their children if they stick with band.
As the eldest students in our program, and hosts of Bandapalooza, all eyes (and ears!) will be on YOU! Please help the younger students have a great experience, and ensure they leave the concert excited and enthusiastic about being a part of band!
PARENT HELP NEEDED!
To make the evening successful, we please need the help of 20 YHS Band parents. Please refer to the coming e-mail from YHS Band parent organizers Jennifer Weitman and Lisa Statler, outlining how you can help. We especially need help with the clean-up of this event (7:30-9:00pm).
STUDENT HELP NEEDED!
Many, many students are needed to help set up the 500+ chairs, racks of music stands, help mentor the younger students, and clean up after our concert. Sign-up sheets are available in the band room (Student Help time-slots are from 1:30 – 4:30, and 7:30 – 9:00). As always, your student’s extra efforts are worth extra credit!
With your help, Bandapalooza VI will be an inspiring musical experience! Thank you so much, as always, for your amazing support! We are very grateful for our parents and administration, and all the hard work involved to make this event (and all of our events) happen for our students!
What: Valentine’s Swing Dance Concert
When: Saturday 2/9
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 STUDENTS SHOULD ARRIVE:
1. Jazz Band – our sound check is at 5:45. Be early so you can be ready to play at 5:45.
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.
Upon arrival ALL STUDENTS should place their instruments/cases/coats/etc. in their designated warm up rooms. A reminder to respect these spaces – do not touch items that are not yours, and clean up after yourself.
WIND ENSEMBLE WU ROOM: Faculty Lunch Room
CONCERT BAND WU ROOM: Room 138
After students put their personal items in the warm up room, THEY SHOULD REPORT TO THE TICKET TABLE AND 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. Photos were reviewed in class and are attached for your reference.
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.
STUDENT HELP IS NEEDED:
To help craft decorations, and help with tech-crew set up, on Friday 2/8 from 1:30-3pm
To help decorate the gym on Saturday 2/9 from 8:00am – 2:00pm. PLEASE HELP!
To CLEAN UP from 10:30-12:00am. PLEASE HELP!
PARENT HELP IS NEEDED:
The link for the sign-up form can be found here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0945adad2fa7fe3-yhsband3
Questions? Please contact (Band Aid Core Helper) Margaret Serafin ([email protected]) or myself.
In case they haven’t shared, we have all been learning how to swing dance in class one day each week for the past 5 weeks. ALL YHS band students are now equipped with about 10 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 :). This week, we are looking forward to welcoming and working with the professional dance instructors on Thursday during class!
A few video clips of your students dancing are attached J.
Everyone knows it takes a lot of guts to ask someone to dance! (And, it doesn’t matter who does the asking…lady or gentleman). The correct answer when asked to dance is Yes. As we’ve been learning in class, you should introduce yourself to your partner at the beginning of your dance and thank them at the end of your dance.
Our next concert performance is Saturday 2/9/19 at 7:00, in the YHS GYM. This is our 11th 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 300 audience members ages 2 – 92!).
What: Valentine’s Swing Dance Concert
When: Saturday 2/9
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:
a. Tickets to concerts or sporting events
b. A weekend away at a timeshare
c. Personal chef for an evening dinner party
d. College essay help / tutoring help
e. 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. The raffle committee is also looking for the following basket wrapping supplies:
a. Shrink wrap bags (L/XL, can be found at AC Moore, Michael’s, Dollar Store at JV Mall
b. Bows
c. Curling ribbons
d. Crinkle cut paper shred (ex. “Deco Shred”, Wrap N Style”)
e. Metallic foil shred filler
Any of the above items would be greatly welcomed and very helpful! Please send all items into school with your student by Friday 1/25. THANK YOU!
Get into the “swing” of things and have fun dressing up in 1940’s garb! For reference, some photos from last year are attached.
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 2/9 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!
Please be aware that the Swing Dance Snow Date is Saturday 2/16.
On Friday, March 1st, the YCSD Band Program will hold its 6th 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.
Parent volunteers needed!
If you are interested in helping us achieve this intensely logistical feat, we would love your help! Please e-mail me.
Our unit on the music of the Swing Era is a quick 6 weeks. Professional recordings of the weekly lesson homework assignments are posted on the YHS Band Dashboard to guide at home practice. Extra help sessions are available weekly after school. Students should see me for an appointment. My goal is for all students to experience success – please let me know how I can help.