Thank you so much to everyone who supported the program by donating a basket item/money! We will be putting the baskets together this Wednesday at 4:30PM in the Band Room (before the Booster Meeting). The Basket Raffle is one of our largest fundraisers of the year, and we appreciate your support. Gift baskets will be raffled off at the Area Concert on Wednesday, May 17th at 6:30PM in the Gahr HS Gym!

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Congratulations to the Jazz Band on a great performance this past weekend at the “Music in the Parks” Festival! The Jazz Band earned 2nd place overall from the combined two-day festival and had a great time at Knott’s Berry Farm!! The “RCC Jazz Festival” is next Saturday, May 13th and the last jazz performance is at the “Super Jazz at the Ranch Festival” on Saturday, May 20th. Both of these festivals are free and open to the public.

Please join us this Wednesday at 6:30PM for our Monthly Booster Meeting in the Band Room! We’re on the home stretch as we prepare for our end-of-year events including the Area Concert, Basket Raffle, and Awards Banquet. We will also be voting on our new 2023-24 Executive Booster Board. Come before the meeting at 4:30PM for a basket making party in the Band Room! See you there :)

Eat at Chick-fil-A at the Los Cerritos Mall this Thursday anytime from 6:30AM-9:00PM and support the Gahr Marching Gladiators! Just make sure you show the flyer on your smartphone and Chick-fil-A will donate a percentage back to the program. Please spread the word and see you there!

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ALL OUTSTANDING DONATIONS PAST DUE

ALL OUTSTANDING DONATIONS FOR THE FALL MARCHING BAND, JV GUARD, VARSITY GUARD, AND WINTER DRUMLINE ARE PAST DUE. It is truly incredible what our students have accomplished so far this year; however, this would not be possible without our instructional staff who are currently funded entirely by your donations. WE ARE CURRENTLY NEGATIVE $7,000 FROM THE WINTER DRUMLINE AND GUARD PROGRAMS. We will NOT be able to pay our instructors, purchase awards for the banquet, register for marching band competitions, or begin working on our fall 2023 production. We accept cash, checks made payable to “Gahr Band Boosters,” or you can pay online through the website. You can also use this link to pay a specific amount.

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RCC JAZZ FESTIVAL 5/13

The Jazz Band will be performing at the RCC Jazz Festival next Saturday, May 13th. The festival is at the Coil School for the Arts facility on University Ave. This performance is free and open to the public. Call time on Saturday is 12:45PM wearing jazz concert attire. Eat a big lunch before you arrive and bring money for dinner. We perform at 3:00PM in the Concert Hall, followed by a clinic and sight-reading (parents are welcome to watch). We will stay to watch the other advanced bands, heavy bands, the RCC Monday Evening Jazz Ensemble with John Daversa, and the awards ceremony! We will be returning back to Gahr at approximately 9:00PM.

There is free parking in the structure on Saturday.
Do not bring: bass amp and drum kit
Do bring: guitar amp and drum cymbals (but not hi-hats, we’ll have good ones, let’s not mess with those). There will be a drum set at each performance venue and feedback/clinic room. To be clear, do not bring hi-hat cymbals, but bring all the other cymbals. There will only be one hi tom on the sets, not two. They will be set up for traditional jazz performance.
All big band venues will have a complete sound system. Please do not bring mics!
Food will be available all day in front of CSA. There is also a Foodlab and numerous pizza and taco places nearby.
Big Bands in the concert hall will have 30 minutes to set up, perform, and exit the stage. Feedback/clinics for Big Bands will immediately follow the performance in another room. There will be an optional sight-reading competition this year for all groups in the concert hall. That will happen in the feedback room.
There are no storage facilities. Please have students take charge of their equipment.
Please encourage students to listen to as many ensembles as possible. We hope the concert performances will be a great memory that the students take with them, and we all appreciate an audience.

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GAHR AREA CONCERT — WEDNESDAY, MAY 17TH

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LEADERSHIP APPLICATIONS

Leadership applications are now available for the 2023-24 year! We hope you find the application process to be interesting and worthwhile regardless of the outcome. The Student Leadership Team works directly with our instructional staff and is critical to the success of the Gahr Marching Gladiators and the entire music program. Applications must be completed and turned in by: Monday, May 22, 2023 by 11:59PM. Leadership interviews take place in the Band Room on: Friday, May 26 at 3:30PM. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Loney. Good luck, and work hard to represent the best version of yourself throughout this process!

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HAWAII PERFORMANCE TRIP

We’re counting down the days until we’ll be in the Aloha State! ALL BAND STUDENTS need to order a 2023 Hawaii T-shirt ($15) and have a Gahr Band polo shirt ($25). ALL GUARD STUDENTS only need the 2023 Hawaii T-shirt (no polo). ALL STUDENTS need to have a pair of khaki shorts for performances. If you already own a pair of khaki shorts you can use those or you can use the Amazon links below to order. THE DEADLINE FOR SHIRT ORDERS IS FRIDAY, MAY 19TH.

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THIS WEEK:
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MONDAY 5/1
NO JAZZ BAND
5:00PM “The Final Push” Event

TUESDAY 5/2
7:20AM Jazz Band prep for RCC Festival
3:30-5:30PM Combined Band Rehearsal (Raiders March, Super Mario Bros.)

WEDNESDAY 5/3
7:30AM Band Room open to practice
4:30PM Basket Making Party in the Band Room!
6:30PM Monthly Parent Booster Meeting in the Band Room

THURSDAY 5/4
HAPPY STAR WARS DAY!
Chick-fil-A Fundraiser ALL DAY
7:20AM Jazz Band
3:30-5:30PM Combined Band Rehearsal

FRIDAY 5/5
AWARDS VOTING
7:20AM Jazz Band
TAKE INSTRUMENTS HOME TO PRACTICE OVER THE WEEKEND!