HONOR BAND AUDITION VIDEOS DUE TODAY!
ALL HONOR BAND AUDITION VIDEOS ARE DUE TODAY, 3/7 AT 11:59PM ON GOOGLE CLASSROOM. LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Because we will have spent nearly two weeks of class and sectionals on this material, all wind and percussion students will still record the excerpts and submit them as a video assignment. If you do not want to be in the honor band, you can let Mr. Loney know not to submit your video for consideration.
This is a unique opportunity to work with an incredible guest conductor and meet the composer of our piece, Randall Standridge! The time commitments are minimal and it will be a fun experience playing some great music. If you make the group, you'll also get an enamel pin and honor band sticker. You do NOT want to miss out!
We’re planning to announce the results on Thursday, March 11th, and our first rehearsal with Dr. Arnold will be Tuesday, March 16th. Once accepted, you will be able to join a special Google Classroom where we will be posting part assignments and music, Zoom rehearsal links, and video recording instructions.
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ON-CAMPUS PRACTICE UPDATE 👟
As Los Angeles County approaches less than 7 daily new COVID cases per 100,000 people, the district will begin allowing outdoor sports, including percussion and color guard, to practice. We have been working closely with our school administrators and athletic director to ensure all the procedures are in place for an optional, weekly practice. This is the COVID-19 District Waiver Form that we discussed in our mandatory parent/student reopening meeting back in December. The last two pages need to be filled out and emailed to Mr. Loney at darren.loney@abcusd.us for any students who wish to participate.
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Once we have finished clearing our instructional staff and have collected waiver forms from participating students, we plan to start up the following tentative, optional, weekly schedule:
FRONT ENSEMBLE: Mondays from 3:00-4:30PM
BATTERY: Tuesdays from 3:00-4:30PM
COLOR GUARD: Thursdays from 3:00-4:30PM
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A few reminders:
Students must be dropped off and picked up on time.
Students stay a minimum of 6 feet apart at all times, including during water breaks and before and after practice.
Students must check in with Mr. Loney and complete a daily screening and temperature check. No late students will be allowed into the rehearsal.
Students and instructors wear masks correctly at all times.
All percussion and color guard will enter and exit through the band gate.
Any student with COVID-19 symptoms is to stay home and not come to practice.
Any student not following these protocols and procedures will no longer be allowed to participate.
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This also hinges on our donations to be able to have instructors. If you have not turned in your 1st and 2nd semester, donations please get these in ASAP. At this point, we are not starting any in-person practice for wind players. It may be possible at some point to do visual or marching, but most likely we will not be able to do any playing of wind instruments until June. As we’ve learned, things change constantly, so remain hopeful and stay tuned for updates! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
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SEE’s CANDY SPRING FUNDRAISER STARTS TOMORROW 🍫
We will be kicking off a See’s Candy fundraiser tomorrow, March 8th, to help students raise money for their accounts, as well as give your family and friends an opportunity to purchase some delicious chocolate! Students can earn between 20-50% profit (depending on the item). The link to our online See’s Candy store is:
https://tinyurl.com/gahrseesfundraiser
There is zero contact and all buyers arrange for direct shipping on the website. Best of luck fundraising! If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Castro - juliacruz11@hotmail.com.
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COMMERCIAL GIG UPDATE 📱
A huge congratulations to students Lucas Mociler, Spencer Wiitanen, Jenna Vandeventer, Emma Edwards, and Kamar Little on starring in a commercial for a cellular company! Unfortunately they only ended up choosing five students, but thank you again to everyone who submitted video auditions. Check out these behind the scenes photos of the shoot - but please DO NOT SHARE OR POST TO SOCIAL MEDIA. Thank you!
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SOLO FESTIVAL AWARDS 🏅
Once again, a huge congratulations to all the students who participated in our 1st annual Solo Festival! We had 61 students earn a “Superior” rating and 48 students receive an “Excellent” rating!! We are planning to do medals for the placement awards and ribbons for top ratings, but need full participation on donations to make this happen. Please click here for the results for all students.
MOST OUTSTANDING NEW MEMBER
WOODWINDS - Gustavo Sanchez
BRASS - Madelyn Nguyen
SNARE - Ryley Hibionada
MALLETS - Shaian Jordan
COLOR GUARD - Natalie Gallardo
WOODWINDS
1ST PLACE - Rudy Colato
2ND PLACE - Sydney Ortega
3RD PLACE - Gustavo Sanchez
BRASS
1ST PLACE - Jeffrey Bok
2ND PLACE - Blake Garcia
3RD PLACE - Jhynelle Dulay
SNARE
1ST PLACE - Owen Islas
2ND PLACE - Kamar Little
3RD PLACE - Connor Lundby
MALLETS
1ST PLACE - Louis Oporto
2ND PLACE - Brandon Yost
3RD PLACE - Amir Soleymani Kho
COLOR GUARD
1ST PLACE - Candace Mitchell
2ND PLACE - Rainy Walker
3RD PLACE - Rebecca Cantu
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SENIOR GRADUATION STOLES DEADLINE 3/8 🎓
Band and Color Guard seniors who have been in the program for 8-semesters are eligible for a graduation stole. You must be an active member of the music program and have at least a 2.0 GPA. This year, you’ll be able to log on to the Gahr Webstore and purchasing your stole for $40. The deadline for orders is tomorrow, Monday, March 8th. Once you’ve purchased a stole, the boosters will be helping cover the embroidery costs. Please let Mr. Loney know if you have any questions. Thank you!
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2ND SEMESTER DONATION PAST DUE
The 2nd semester donation of $150 was due Friday, February 5th. We are unable to continue to afford coaches, music, or end-of-year awards without your donation. This donation is also critical for us to be able to have optional, in-person rehearsals and summer practice. If you need to work out additional fundraisers or a payment plan, please email Mr. Darren Loney, Director of Bands, at darren.loney@abcusd.us. Thank you.
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PURCHASE A KEEPSAKE PILLOW! 💙💛
Thank you to everyone who has supported the band program by purchasing a uniform pillow!! Our old marching band uniforms have been transformed into beautiful, keepsake pillows! Each pillow is $65, approximately 15” x 15”, and is professionally handmade. These make the perfect graduation gift. We currently have approximately 2 pillows left IN STOCK - first come, first served. Thank you!
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THIS WEEK:
MONDAY 3/8
SEE’S EASTER CANDY SALE STARTS!
P3 - Wind Ensemble
P5 - Wind Ensemble
P7 - Marching Band
NO IN-PERSON FRONT ENSEMBLE PRACTICE YET
TUESDAY 3/9
P4 - Concert Band
P6 - Percussion
P8 - Color Guard
NO IN-PERSON BATTERY PRACTICE YET
WEDNESDAY 3/10
Asynchronous Day
9:45AM Period 3 Check-in
THURSDAY 3/11
P3 - Wind Ensemble
P5 - Wind Ensemble
P7 - Marching Band
Color Guard until 2:30PM
NO IN-PERSON COLOR GUARD PRACTICE YET
FRIDAY 3/12
P4 - Concert Band
P6 - Percussion
P8 - Color Guard
