IMEA District Festival at Hampshire H.S.

Congrats to Aileen Hamilton and Zach Simmering for a great performance at the IMEA District 9 Band Festival! Aileen and Zach had the opportunity to perform with other outstanding musicians from the Chicagoland area and work with Dennis Glocke, Director of Bands at Penn State University. Great job!

Announcements for week of 11/30

1. Schedule -
   11/30-12/4 - Second Semester Auditions after school
   12/1 - Pep Band, call time 6pm
   12/4 - Barnes and Noble Book Fair
   12/4 - Pep Band, call time 6pm
   12/8-9 - Collage Dress Rehearsals, 3:30-???
   12/10-11 - Collage Concerts, 7pm
   12/14 - Concerto Competition Auditions
   12/14 - Cheesecake pick-up between 6 and 8pm
2. Barnes & Noble Book Fair - We still need parent volunteers for the book fair this Friday. Please view the sign up sheet here and e-mail Mrs. Hayes if you can fill a time slot. One other note: Barnes & Noble has told us that we can no longer receive credit for online purchases.
   
3. Collage Concert Help - We need parents to supervise rooms during the collage concerts. In the past, some parents have supervised on one evening and watched the concert on the other evening. We need a total of 8 parents per night to help monitor the facilities. Please e-mail Mr. Dortwegt if you can help.
   
   

Cheesecake/Coffee/Tea orders Due 11/30

Hope everyone is enjoying the last day of Thanksgiving Break! Just a quick reminder that cheesecake/coffee/tea orders are due tomorrow - Monday, 11/30. Orders must be submitted to the blue box by 3:30pm.

Barnes & Noble Book Fair

The Scoop: On Friday, December 4, the South High Band will host a book fair with Barnes & Noble at the Rt. 30/Plainfield Rd. store in Joliet.

Here's how it works: Present our voucher (available by clicking here) when making a purchase, and up to 25% will be donated to the Band Program. This includes the cafe, as well. On that date, you can also present our ID number (10068872) at any Barnes & Noble location OR online and earn the same profit for the Bands. This allows family members from out of state to help us, too!

What happens at B&N: Our students will be involved in the evening by reading books, performing in small ensembles, and wrapping gifts. The cafe will also be selling a specialty hot chocolate that will be named by our band students.

We will need some help: Click to view the STUDENT and PARENT sign-up sheets. Please consider helping if you are available. To reserve a time slot, please e-mail our coordinator, Mrs. Hayes, at cl.hayes@comcast.net

Cheesecake/Coffee/Tea Fundraiser

The cheesecake/coffee/tea sale is here! This promises to be a very profitable fundraiser for the bands, and we are asking for your help. Students will be selling a wide variety of cheesecakes, as well as packages of coffee and tea. Both options are hard to pass up and make great holiday gifts!

Selling Dates:

• Start Date: Friday, 11/13
• End Date: Monday, 11/30 (no orders accepted after 3:30pm)

Profit:

• We are asking everyone to sell $40 worth of PROFIT.
• Anything beyond $40 profit will go into student accounts and can be used to pay for band expenses.
• Cheesecakes earn $5 profit each. Coffee/tea packages earn $4 profit each.
• A few examples of how to earn $40 profit include:
  Sell 8 cheesecakes; OR Sell 10 bags of coffee/tea; OR Sell 4 cheesecakes and 5 bags of coffee/tea; etc.
• Buyout is $40

Pick-up:

• Date: Monday, 12/14
  
• Time: 6-8pm
• Location: Band Room

Order Forms:

• Cheesecake Order Form
• Coffee/Tea Order Form
• Each student received a paper copy of the order forms. Extra copies are available in the band room.
• Make checks payable to "PSHS Band Boosters"
  

Announcements for week of 11/16

1. Schedule -
   11/18 - Instrument Step-up Night, Band Room, 6-8pm
   11/19 - Collage Small Ensemble Auditions, 3:30pm
   11/21 - IMEA District Festival at Hampshire H.S.
   11/30 - Cheesecake Sale Ends
   11/30 - Second Semester Auditions begin
   12/4 - Barnes & Noble Book Fair
   12/7 - No Symphonic Band Rehearsal
   12/8-9 - Collage Dress Rehearsals 3:30-?? (Required for all Band students)
   12/10-11 - Collage Concerts
   12/14 - Concerto Competition Auditions
2. Second Semester Auditions - All students are required to reaudition for second semester. Auditions materials were passed out this week. Students should plan to audition after school on the following days:
   11/30 - Flute
   12/1 - Clarinet, Oboe, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon
   12/2 - Saxophone, Trombone, Euphonium
   12/3 - Trumpet, Horn
   12/4 - Percussion, Tuba
   
   

Band Booster Newsletter

Each month the Band Boosters publish a Band Newsletter which is distributed to all booster members. The first issue this year is going out to all parents. Please click here (or the booster logo above) to read the newsletter.

If you like the newsletter and are not currently a band booster member, please consider joining so you continue to receive newsletters in the future. The membership cost is $15, and that money goes directly back to the band program. Being a member does not obligate you to attend meetings, but you are always welcome to join us on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30pm.

Membership forms are available at http://www.pshsbandboosters.org.

Announcements for week of 11/9/2009

1. Schedule -
   11/12 - Fall Band Concert, 7pm, PSHS Auditorium
   11/13 - Cheesecake Sale begins (see below)
   11/14 - Pep Band Trip to ISU - Call time 12:15
   11/18 - Instrument Step-up Night, 6-8pm
   11/21 - IMEA District Festival at Hampshire H.S.
   11/30 - Cheesecake Sale Ends
   11/30-12/4 - Auditions for 2nd Semester
2. Fall Band Concert - Call times are as follows:
   Concert Band A - 5:15
   Concert Band B - 5:30
   Symphonic Band - 5:45
3. Cheesecake/Coffee/Tea Sale - Our 2nd fundraiser of the year begins on Friday! We are selling cheesecakes, coffee, and tea. Orders are due on Monday, 11/30, giving you the Thanksgiving holiday to sell. Pick-up is scheduled for the evening of Monday, 12/14.
4. Instrument Step-up Night - Once students reach the high school level, many have outgrown their beginning-level instrument. Students are encouraged to look into "step-up" instruments when they reach high school, as high quality instruments allow students to develop better tone quality, achieve better technique, and play with better intonation. It truly gives them a competitive edge!
   If a step up instrument is a possibility for your student in the future, please consider attending the step-up night on 11/18 from 6-8 in the band room. A representative from the Music and Arts Center will be here with many high quality instrument models to try out. All instruments will be represented with the exception of bass clarinet, bassoon, euphonium, tuba, and percussion. (If you play one of those instruments, the school-owned equipment you currently use is already of professional quality!)
   

Announcements for week of 11/2/2009

1. Schedule -
   11/2 - Symphonic Band Rehearsal, 6-9; Concert Uniform Fitting for ALL members yet to be fitted, 6-7:30
   11/3 - Pep Band Rehearsal (ISU trip students only), 4-5:45
   11/4 - Jazz Band Rehearsal, 6:30-8pm (note time change)
   11/5 - Pep Band Rehearsal (ISU trip students only), 4-5:45
   11/9 - Symphonic Band Rehearsal, 6-9
   11/12 - Fall Concert, 7pm; Cheesecake Sale Begins
   11/14 - Pep Band Performance at ISU (IHSA State Girls Volleyball Game)
2. Concert Uniform Fitting - All students who have not yet been fitted for their concert uniforms MUST attend tonight's final fitting session from 6-7:30pm. Enter through Door R (right next to the band room door on the other side of the trailer) and go to the back entrance of the uniform room. Girls: Please bring your black shoes.
3. 11/12 Fall Concert - Please come out to see the first concert and symphonic band performance of the year. Admission is free and the concert will begin at 7pm in the auditorium. Free cheesecake samples will be available after the concert! If you are available to help serve cheesecake, please contact Mrs. Wilczek.
4. Scrip - We will have scrip cards available for purchase at the Fall Concert. These are essentially gift cards sold at face value (no extra cost to you), and the band receives a donation from the retailer. Cards that will be available include: Jewel, Dominick's, Walmart, Speedway, Panera, Barnes and Noble, and more. You can purchase these at any time throughout the year, but be sure to check them out at the concert! Want to learn more about how Scrip works? Click here!
5. Tux Shirt payment - For male students ordering a tuxedo shirt (this includes ALL male students NEW to the program), the $12 cost is due next Monday, November 9. You must submit payment before we distribute your shirt.