We did it! Another outstanding school year is in the books. I wanted to first talk about promotion:
- This year, approximately 100 band students performed at promotion.
- Every year, I time the performance of Pomp and Circumstance, and it has ranged between 6 and 15 minutes. This year's was 14 minutes, and the students never sounded tired.
- Everybody helped out with cleaning and organizing the band room, saving me hours of time.
I have NEVER had such a GREAT sounding band at promotion. When we performed some festival music at the end of the ceremony, the 7th grade Advanced Band members were sight reading! Oh, did I mention that these were all 6th and 7th graders?? The future looks very bright for our band program!
To all the 8th graders: Don't think I forgot about you! You played Star Wars extremely well, and the thunderous applause at the end is proof of that. Your hugs, positive comments, and genuine excitement made me even more sad to say goodbye. But again, don't think of it as goodbye. Think of it as "See you later!" It has been quite a journey seeing you all grow both as human beings and musicians. Best of luck at CHS!
Hair We Go
Each year's Advanced Band is different. What sets this year's band apart is how quickly they were able to learn music. In February, I made a deal with them. After Bandorama, we had only 2 weeks to learn 3 new songs for our band festivals. Usually, we have over a month, and it pushed this band harder than any other band I've had. As a result, the deal was that I'd dye my hair blue if they were able to earn straight "superior" ratings at the festivals. Well, they did just that. As a matter of fact, they were 1 of only 3 schools to earn "superior" ratings at that festival. I am so happy that they did well and that I was able to live out the promise I made with them.
Hair We Go
The "before" and "after" shot by our very own band parent and stylist, Tracy Caraway, as she gives me a look that you'll never be able to un-see!
The 3rd annual Jazz Camp begins on Wednesday, June 7! We still have spaces available. The explorer's session will introduce jazz to any student on any instrument. The ensemble session is for experienced jazz musicians. I have a fun set planned, including "25 or 6 to 4," "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," and "Soul Bossa Nova," as well as 1-2 other songs. Sign up now, and pay registration on the first day of camp. See you Wednesday!
Thank you for a great year, everybody. Parents: I could not have done all this without you. Have a great summer!
-Mr. Jacques-
