Where to even begin... It has been a crazy, busy, and phenomenal week in our music world. I'll summarize Chili Bingo Night, and the band festival. There is also information on our magic show that we're hosting on April 12.
Chili Bingo Night generated $5,959 in profit this year! We also experienced an all-time presale ticket record, with 4,400 sold before the event! As you can see, it's the presale tickets that make this event as successful as it is! At the event, the students who came were well behaved and hard working. I heard multiple parents complimenting the smoothness of this year's event. Thanks to the students and parents who put countless hours into this event to make it as successful as it is! I'll be purchasing more storage cabinets, some percussion equipment, and using the rest as financial assistance to needy students next fall.
The NZNMEA Band Festival was hosted by CMS and EVMS, and ran extremely well with students and parents from both schools volunteering backstage, at the snack bar, and at the registration table. We were on schedule and students were very professional during all parts of the event. With this said, I haven't begun to speak about how they actually performed! Take a look at how the Carson Middle students performed:
Advanced Strings earned a 92 and a 93, the highest scores earned by this group in their 5 years of existence.
Intermediate Band earned a 91 and a 92 and played, once again, like an Advanced Band.
Advanced Band earned an unprecedented 95 and a 96, the highest scores earned by an ensemble at CMS in at least 3 decades!
I've never received so many compliments about your kids!
- Mr. Jeka said to one of my parents (after Advanced Band), "I thought this was supposed to be a middle school festival."
- Mr. Doede (of Vivo Band Instruments and a former CMS band director) said to another parent, "If I was the judge, I'd give them a I+"
- Mr. Zabelsky, one of our judges, talked to the Advanced Strings and Advanced Band students on stage and said, "I am so lucky to have you guys coming up to the high school!"
- Mr. Brill, EVMS director, said, "The culture of hard work with your kids is the best I have ever seen it."
Bottom line: I have the best job in the world! Everything came together perfectly at this festival and your kids are incredible! Students in the younger ensembles will be part of this growing tradition of excellence next year. It's pure magic!
The Magic Show on April 12 is an event donated to us by magician Garry Carson. For $10 each, you can see a world-class performance by a magician who was voted "Family Entertainer of the Year." His Magical Mystery Tour is stopping in Carson City on April 12, and 100% of every ticket sold goes back to our program! All interested students took tickets home, and I actually ran out of tickets before I could get to everyone!
- Students with tickets need to bring all money AND unsold tickets back on Apr. 4. I will redistribute tickets to those who couldn't get them last Wednesday.
- All parents with connections are asked to request sponsorships from their workplaces to help cover travel expenses for Garry Carson.
Practicing
Students in Concert Band, Intermediate Band, Beginning Band, and Beginning Strings have a Spring Break practice log. Please make sure they're practicing so we can keep this amazing momentum.
Students in Advanced Band and Advanced Strings do not have practice logs, but they should still be practicing the following:
- Advanced Band: All major and minor scales in the book and their 2 octave chromatic scale (preparing for Wind Ensemble auditions)
- Advanced Strings: William Tell Overture, Night Shift, Japanese Hoedown (preparing for String Fling)
Looking Ahead
- April 12: Magic Show with Garry Carson, Brewery Arts Center, 7:00 PM
- April 13-16: All-State in Las Vegas
- April 20: String Fling (mandatory for all strings), EVMS
- April 21: Band Festival in Fernley (mandatory for Concert Band, Beginning Strings, select members of Beginning Band and Advanced Strings)
- April 25: NZNMEA Jazz Festival in Yerington (mandatory for Jazz Band)
If you made it this far, thank you!
Mr. Jacques
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