GIFT BASKET RAFFLE TICKETS GO ON SALE THIS WEEK! CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CONCERT BAND AND WIND ENSEMBLE ON A UNANIMOUS SUPERIOR RATING AT LAST WEEK’S SCSBOA REGIONAL FESTIVAL. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED WITH SATURDAY’S FUNDRIVE AND BASKET PARTY. THE GAHR AREA CONCERT IS NEXT WEDNESDAY! WE HAVE COMBINED BAND REHEARSALS THIS WEEK ON TUESDAY & THURSDAY FROM 3:30-6PM. BOTH JAZZ A AND JAZZ B PERFORM AT “MUSIC IN THE PARKS” THIS FRIDAY!

Congratulations to the Gahr High School Concert Band and Wind Ensemble on a UNANIMOUS SUPERIOR rating last week at SCSBOA Regional Festival! Both bands also earned a SUPERIOR for sight-reading. This was Gahr’s first time attending a regional festival, and the students did a great job learning new music and preparing! Thank you to all the families and friends who were able to come watch.

Thank you to everyone who supported the program this past week by donating towards our gift baskets! Special thanks to the parents who organized and put the baskets together this past weekend. We would also like to thank everyone who helped out with Saturday’s FUNDrive event! Some of our parents organized a raffle for those who participated as well as a prize for most bags donated:

Most Bags Donated:
Emily Barrera – Winner of $30 Amazon Gift Card

Raffle Winners:
Gabriel Dominguez – Winner of $40 Amazon gift card
Hannah Cruz – Winner of $20 “Game Time” gift card
Bryan Rosales – Winner of $15 Dairy Queen gift card

GAHR AREA CONCERT — NEXT WEDNESDAY 5/8

The Gahr Area Concert is next Wednesday, May 8th at 6:30PM in the Gahr HS Gym! Both the Concert Band and Wind Ensemble will be combining together, and we will be joined by Ross MS, Haskell MS, Tetzlaff MS, and many of our elementary feeder schools.

Admission is FREE – but you can support the program by purchasing raffle tickets for gift baskets featuring incredible items like a brand-new Weber Kettle Charcoal Grill, a pair of AirPods Pro, two (2) tickets to Universal Studios Hollywood, and a two-hour catered churro party valued at $450! We’ll also have snacks, drinks, and merchandise available too.

Students have the following rehearsal schedule to learn the new music:

Tuesday 4/30 from 3:30-6:00PM (How to Train Your Dragon)
Thursday 5/2 from 3:30-6:00PM (Famishius Fantasticus)
Monday 5/6 from 3:30-6:00PM (Review, add Willy Wonka)
Tuesday 5/7 from 3:30-6:00PM (final rehearsal/run-through)

The Area Concert is a super quick turn around, and we need 100% attendance at these rehearsals so we are able to put the concert together and have a successful performance. Make sure you’re practicing your music DAILY with a metronome.

GIFT BASKET RAFFLE!

We have THREE awesome gift baskets for this year’s raffle – featuring incredible items like a brand-new Weber Kettle Charcoal Grill, a pair of AirPods Pro, two (2) tickets to Universal Studios Hollywood, and a two-hour catered churro party valued at $450!! All proceeds benefit the Gahr Instrumental Music Program.

Raffle Ticket Prices:
$1 for 1 ticket
$5 for 6 tickets
$10 for 15 tickets
$20 for 40 tickets **best value**

Just send money with your son or daughter to purchase tickets from Mr. Loney or Mr. Miller and put them in the basket drawings of your choice! You're also welcome to check out the baskets in-person at the Band Room and buy raffle tickets. Write your name and phone number on EVERY TICKET. ALL TICKETS go into the drawings of your choice (do not keep any tickets). It is your choice which of the three gift baskets you would like to put tickets into. The more tickets you buy, the better your chances are to win!

We also have an ONLINE option if you would like to pay with a credit card and we will fill out the tickets for you:

https://www.gahrband.org/store/p/gift-basket-tickets

The opportunity drawing will take place on Wednesday, May 8th at the Gahr HS Area Concert in the gym! The event starts at 6:30PM and we will call basket winners throughout the concert. You do not need to be present to win as long as your name and phone number are written on the ticket.

MUSIC IN THE PARKS FESTIVAL THIS FRIDAY!

Jazz A and Jazz B will be participating in the Music in the Parks Festival this Friday, May 3rd! There will be an adjudicated performance in the morning, after which the students will have free time at Knott’s Berry Farm, and then an awards ceremony at the Gold Rush Camp picnic area. Please make sure you get the field trip form signed by all your teachers.

6:50AM JAZZ A & B CALL TIME — DO NOT BE LATE. Arrive wearing jazz attire.
Bring change of clothes and money for lunch and dinner at Knott’s ($30-$40).
7:00AM Load bus ASAP
7:15AM Depart for Placentia Presbyterian Church — 849 N. Bradford Ave, Placentia CA 92870
7:45AM Arrive, unload ASAP
8:25AM Jazz B warm up time
8:50AM Jazz B performance time / Jazz A watch
9:15AM Jazz A warm up time / Jazz B pack up quickly
9:40AM Jazz A performance time / Jazz B watch
10:05AM Jazz A pack up quickly / Use restrooms / Change on bus
10:30AM Depart for Knott’s Berry Farm – 8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90620
11:00AM Arrive at Knott’s / Free time in the park – bring $$ for lunch
4:40PM Walk to the Gold Rush Camp
5:00PM Awards Ceremony at Gold Rush Camp Picnic Area!
6:00PM Load bus / return back to Gahr
6:45PM Unload / Dismissal

STUDENTS: Money for the trip was due last Friday, April 19th — please turn in ASAP if you haven’t yet. The Festival + Knott’s ticket is $75.00.

LEADERSHIP APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Leadership Applications are now available for the 2024-25 Leadership Team! Applications must be completed and turned in by: Friday, May 10, 2024 by 11:59PM. Please be prompt and professional with your application. We will have interviews for DRUM MAJORS ONLY on Monday, May 13, 2024 at 4:00PM. 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. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Loney or Mr. Miller. Good luck, and work hard to represent the best version of yourself throughout this process!

SNAP! RAISE FUNDRAISER

Thank you to all the students who signed up for our program-wide SNAP! RAISE fundraiser! Donations raised go to help your son or daughter march in the 2025 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade! Any additional money will go back toward the Gahr Instrumental Music Program and can be used to support other students from Gahr. There are only 9 days left to donate!

RCC JAZZ FESTIVAL NEXT SATURDAY 5/11

The Jazz Band will be performing at the RCC Jazz Festival next Saturday, May 11th! The festival is located 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 12:30PM wearing jazz concert attire to load the bus ASAP. Eat a big meal before you arrive and bring money for dinner (please note that we will be walking as a group to get food nearby). JAZZ A performs at 4:30PM in the CONCERT HALL. JAZZ B performs at 6:45PM in the CHORAL ROOM. Both groups have a clinic following the performance. We are arriving early to watch other bands, participate in clinics, and watch the RCC Jazz Orchestra with Wayne Bergeron and the evening awards ceremony. We will be returning back to Gahr at approximately 10:30PM.

UPCOMING GUARD, PERCUSSION, AND BAND WORKSHOPS!

We have Color Guard and Drumline Workshops on Monday and Tuesday, May 20th and 21st from 4-6PM! No experience is necessary – just a positive attitude. We have a New Student/Parent Meeting on Tuesday, May 20th at 6:30PM in the Band Room. We will be going through important information about Band & Guard Workshops, Band Camp, and the 2024-25 school year.

Band & Color Guard Workshops are Tuesday, June 4th and Thursday, June 6th for all NEW & RETURNING students from 5-8PM. Please arrive by 4:30PM each day to check in. Attendance at these workshops is mandatory and reserves your spot in our 2024 field show production.

Band Camp is July 22nd through August 2nd, Monday-Friday, from 8:30AM-5PM each day. During Band Camp, students learn the basics and fundamentals necessary for our competitive field show production, including warm-ups, exercises, marching techniques, music, drill, and choreography. All students MUST ATTEND BAND CAMP to be admitted into the field show for the fall semester.

If you have any friends who are interested, bring them along too! No experience is necessary, and as long as they work hard and have a positive attitude, we will be able to teach them everything they need to know to be successful. We're gearing up for an amazing year!!

ALL DONATIONS PAST DUE

ALL PAYMENTS FOR THE JV GUARD, VARSITY GUARD, INDOOR PERCUSSION, AND MARCHING BAND ARE PAST DUE. WE NEED TO PAY OUR INSTRUCTORS FOR THE TIME THEY HAVE ALREADY WORKED AND CANNOT DO THAT WITHOUT YOUR DONATION. We accept cash, checks made payable to “Gahr Band Boosters,” or click here to pay online with a credit card. Thank you.

2024-25 EXECUTIVE BOOSTER BOARD

Congratulations to next year’s Executive Booster Board:

Presidents – Ida Barcelos and Tania Costa
Vice Presidents – Vickie Gonzales and Renay Lim
Secretary – Caryle Buenaventura
Treasurer – Charlynn Rachell
Bookkeeper – Dee Dee Varney

Even though the school year isn’t over yet, we would like to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to our current 2023-24 Executive Board for all of their hard work and effort to make this a super successful year for the music program!!

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES/EVENTS

5/1 Awards Banquet Committee Meeting
5/3 Jazz A and B at Music in the Parks Festival!
5/6 Taco Nazo Fundraiser
5/8 Gahr Area Concert in Gym + Gift Basket Raffle!
5/10 Leadership Applications Due
5/11 Jazz A and B @ RCC Jazz Festival
5/14 Last Booster Meeting @ 6:30PM
5/15 AP Music Theory Exam @ 12:00PM
5/16 Awards Banquet @ Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
5/20-21 Drumline + Color Guard Workshops 4-6PM
5/21 New Student/Parent Meeting @ 6:30PM
5/22 Ross and Gahr Jazz Concert in MPR!
5/23 1st Marine Division Band
5/24 Cerritos College Honor Band Concert!
5/30 Last Day of School

THIS WEEK:

MONDAY 4/29
7:17AM Jazz Band A & B
BLOCK PERIODS 1/3/5

TUESDAY 4/30
PURCHASE BASKET RAFFLE TICKETS!!
7:17AM Jazz Band A & B
BLOCK PERIODS 2/4/6
3:30-6:00PM Combined band rehearsal (How to Train Your Dragon)

WEDNESDAY 5/1
BLOCK PERIODS 1/3/5
PERIOD 3 – Fitness Gram Make Ups
3:30-5:30PM Jazz Band A & B
6:30PM Banquet Committee Meeting in Band Room

THURSDAY 5/2
7:17AM Jazz Band A & B
BLOCK PERIODS 2/4/6
PERIOD 6 – Fitness Gram Make Ups
3:30-6:00PM Combined band rehearsal (Famishius Fantasticus, How to Train Your Dragon)

FRIDAY 5/3
JAZZ BAND @ MUSIC IN THE PARKS FESTIVAL!
6:50AM JAZZ A & B CALL TIME — DO NOT BE LATE. Arrive wearing jazz attire.
Bring change of clothes and money for lunch and dinner at Knott’s ($30-$40).

REGULAR BELL SCHEDULE DURING SCHOOL
TAKE INSTRUMENTS AND MUSIC HOME TO PRACTICE FOR GAHR AREA CONCERT AND RCC JAZZ FESTIVAL!

SATURDAY 5/4
Happy Star Wars Day! May the Fourth Be With You.
8:00AM-4:00PM Cerritos College Honor Band rehearsal

NEXT WEEK:

MONDAY 5/6
7:17AM Jazz Band A & B
10:00AM-9:00PM TACO NAZO FUNDRAISER
3:30-6:00PM Combined band rehearsal (all three pieces)

TUESDAY 5/7
7:17AM Jazz Band A & B
3:30-6:00PM Final combined band rehearsal/run-through

WEDNESDAY 5/8
LAST DAY TO BUY RAFFLE TICKETS!!

GAHR AREA CONCERT IN GYM
Set up during periods 3, 4, 6
5:15PM Gahr call time in Band Room – All black concert attire
6:00PM Run-through with MS
6:30PM Gahr Area Concert starts!
8:00PM Approx end time / Clean up ASAP

THURSDAY 5/9
NO ZERO PERIOD JAZZ A OR B
3:30-5:30PM? Jazz A & B rehearsal

FRIDAY 5/10
Leadership Application Due
7:17AM Jazz A & B
3:30-5:30PM? Jazz A & B rehearsal

SATURDAY 5/11
Jazz A & B @ RCC Jazz Festival!
12:30PM Call time at Gahr wearing jazz concert attire. Bring money for dinner.

CONGRATS ON UNANIMOUS SUPERIOR AT REGIONAL FESTIVAL!