Dear YHS Band Parents and Students,
I hope that you are enjoying this cold and snowy weekend! Please read on for your weekly update!
EVENTS THIS WEEK:
GUIDED PRACTICE / JB SECTIONALS
Sessions are held period 9, unless noted otherwise. I am also always available for help by appointment.
| Tuesday 1/20 | JB Trumpet, Flute with Mia, Kate & Ashley |
| Wednesday 1/21 | JB Rhythm, JB Trombone |
| Thursday 1/22 | Peter and the Wolf assembly until 2pm |
| Friday 1/23 |
PERIOD “0” JAZZ JAM!
Please join me before school (from 7:10…or whenever you get off the bus… until the first bell) to practice improvising. Especially if you are planning to take a solo at the Swing Dance concert – help yourself develop your skills and a plan for success!
JANUARY LESSON CALENDAR
Is attached, FYI
PETER & THE WOLF ~ 2nd GRADE ASSEMBLY ~ THURSDAY 1/22
On Thursday 1/22/26, our Wind Ensemble and Concert Orchestra students will host an assembly at YHS for the entire 2nd Grade. Our fabulous music teachers Mrs. Berger (Brookside) and Mrs. Peters (Mohansic) both teach a unit on Peter and the Wolf to help introduce the instruments. 2nd grade students will watch our performance (with narration and storybook images), be able to see the instruments up close, and ask questions. We are so excited for this collaboration!
Wind Ensemble students – our performance at this assembly will run from 1-2pm. Please either plan to take the late bus, or secure a ride home.
JAZZ BAND ~ THURSDAY 1/22
This will be rehearsal #3 out of 5 to prepare for our Swing Dance Concert. Our music, recordings, and your assignment are posted on Dashboard. I’m looking forward to hearing your progress this week. Happy practicing!
Jazz Band Field Trip – Permission Slips and $20 Due
Wednesday 2/4: Jazz Band and Chamber Orchestra annual “World Tour of Yorktown” Fieldtrip (7:45-3:00pm, Mohansic, Crompond, Brookside, The Pines Bridge School, and MESMS)
YHS BAND SPIRIT TRIP – ICE SKATING @ BEAR MOUNTAIN – SUNDAY 2/1/26
The Band Officers will host a skating outing at Bear Mountain on Sunday 2/1/26 during the 12:00-1:30pm public skating session. We hope you will join us as we have some outdoor winter fun!
INFO: Students must be accompanied by an adult chaperone. Everyone is responsible for paying for their own skating. Meet at 11:45pm to get in line and purchase your tickets. (Parking is $10. Skate rentals are $10. Tickets for skaters and spectators are $5 each). All people entering the rink area need a ticket. The Bear Mountain Skating Rink website is: https://bearmountainicerink.org/
All YHS Band students are welcome! Please RSVP on the sign-up sheet in the Band Room so we have a basic idea of whom to expect. Thanks!
BASKETBALL PEP BAND PERFORMANCE ~ FRIDAY 2/6
Come out and support our Huskers and Blythedale Children’s Hospital at YHS’s 5th annual “Charlie Strong” game!
WHEN: Friday 2/6/26. Report at 5:45pm in the Band Room (note the time change!)
BRING: Bring your instrument and charged cell phone.
WEAR: Your YHS Band polo (or the Charlie Strong shirt). Music and snacks will be provided.
GAME: The basketball game will run from 6:45-8:30pm.
SWING DANCE CONCERT – SATURDAY 2/7/26
Our next performance is the fun and fabulous Swing Dance Concert! Saturday, February 7th 2026 from 7-10:30pm in the YHS Gym. All YHS Band students are required to attend.
Now in its 17th year, the Swing Dance Concert is an eagerly anticipated, well-attended and fun evening for our entire Yorktown community (each year we have many senior citizens and community members attend and enjoy the evening with us!).
SWING DANCE CONCERT SNOW DATE
Please be aware that the Swing Dance Concert Snow Date is Sunday 2/28.
SWING ERA ATTIRE ENCOURAGED (For both adults and students!)
Get into the “swing” of things and have fun dressing up in 1940’s style.
Gentlemen
· Usual Concert Attire: Black pants, long sleeved button-down black shirt, black shoes, black socks
· Swing Additions: fedora hats, suspenders, solid color or pin striped shirts, colorful ties, spats, jackets.
Ladies
· Usual Concert Attire: Black top (appropriate neck-line, no spaghetti straps or sleeveless tops), black pants, or black skirt/dress (appropriately below the knee).
· Swing Additions: saddle shoes, any color 1940’s style dress as long as it has an appropriate neckline, sleeves, and falls below the knee. When seated to perform, your skirt must cover your knees.
YOUR STUDENT CAN DANCE?
As part of our Jazz curriculum, students study the music from the period and also learn to social dance the Jitterbug. We have had 2 dance lessons so far (here is a video of last week’s lesson)! Students have learned the social etiquette of dancing with a partner, and a variety of dance moves. We are off to a great start!
SWING DANCE CONCERT ~ PARENT VOLUNTEERS & RAFFLE ITEMS NEEDED
An event unique to YCSD, our fabulous Swing Dance Concert highlights our students and brings generations of our community together. Help is needed to plan this event – please consider volunteering your time or donating to our raffle!
For raffle item help, we are looking for (please):
- Help asking local businesses or personal corporate contacts for raffle donations
- Donations of raffle prize items or monetary amounts to help acquire them
- Products, services, or gift certs/cards from a business you own or are affiliated with
- Gift certs/cards for local Yorktown businesses (restaurants, salons, shops – big or small!)
Attached is a letter you can use to ask businesses for donations.
RAFFLE TEAM VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
If you are interested in joining our awesome, fun, and creative Raffle Team, please e-mail me! We do most of our communication via e-mail and plan to meet in person a week before the dance.
Please see our Sign-Up Genius for the many ways you can help! Thank you!
SPRING MUSIC FESTIVAL TRIPS ~ FIRST PAYMENT INSTALLMENT DUE
I am so excited to present these festival opportunities to our students! Paperwork will be distributed and reviewed in class on Monday. We are asking for a first payment installment, please.
WIND ENSEMBLE FESTIVAL TRIP
Students in the Wind Ensemble will participate in a trip to Boston, MA 4/20-4/22 to include a performance at Fenway Park (Yankees vs. Red Sox!) and a performance/clinic at Symphony Hall with a member of the Boston Symphony. Cost estimate is $680 per student. Down payment is $250, and will include student citrus earnings.
CONCERT BAND FESTIVAL TRIP
Students in the Concert Band will participate in the 2026 Rhythms International Music Festival at Six Flags Great Adventure on Saturday 5/9/26. Cost estimate is $210 per student. Down payment is $100, and will include student citrus earnings.
If you made it to the end of this message – thanks for reading :). Please contact me with any questions. Thank you for your help and support!
Always Musically Yours,
Ms. Kluga