NEW Concert Dates

The following concerts have been rescheduled:

SHS WINTER CONCERT
January 5th, 2010
Tuesday, 7:00 pm

Girls Basketball Players will be excused from the concert.


SKMS CHORUS AND STRINGS WINTER CONCERT
January 8th, 2010
Friday, 7:00 pm


Spread the word!! :-)

Concert Postponed

The Concert scheduled for Sunday, December 20 @ 3:00 pm has been postponed due to the snow.

Please stay tuned for the new date! :-)

Sorry guys!

SHS WINTER CONCERT

Strasburg High School Winter Concert
Sunday, December 20th
3:00 pm

In the Old Gym!

All-District Band RESULTS!

Thank you to all the students who tried out for All-District Band this year!

Tori Avvenire (SHS - Clarinet)
Audrey Leathers (SHS - Flute)
Sophia Lederman (SKMS - Clarinet)
Chris Mumaw (SHS - Trumpet and Baritone)
Steven Racey (SHS - Trumpet)
Brandon Stone (SHS - Trombone)


The following students made the band!

Tori Avvenire - 12th Chair
Sophia Lederman - 4th Chair (As a 7th Grader!!!)


That's 33%, which is awesome! :-) Keep it up and let's get more people next year!

See the results... Click to Download:
High School
Middle School

PARADE AND PICTURES CANCELLED

December 5th

Parade and Pictures have been cancelled. We will reschedule the pictures with Mr. Stickley. We will get you the info asap!

Thanks!
Mr. Szuba

The Plan 11-30 through 12-5

The Plan
November 30th – December 5th

Monday Day of Rest (and homework)
Tuesday Parade Practice (3:30 – 5:30)
Wednesday The Academy (3:30 – 4:30)
Thursday Parade Practice (6:00 – 8:00)
Friday Parade Practice (1:15 – 3:30)
Saturday SKMS Bazaar, Band Portrait, Strasburg Christmas Parade

SATURDAY SCHEDULE
9:00 am SKMS Bazaar starts. GO AND BE VISABLE! SELL STUFF! :-)
1:30 pm Marching Band starts arriving to get dressed for pictures.
2:15 pm Group portrait
2:45 pm Individual portraits
3:15 pm Leave SHS and walk AS A GROUP to staging area
3:45 pm Staging
4:30 pm Parade Starts! :-)

**SKMS Bazaar is
- In the morning before we meet for the Marching Band Portrait.
- Selling wreaths. If students are there saying students made them, they’ll go quickly! People want to support YOU!
- Selling pine cones. Again, same idea!
- Baked goods. The more we all contribute, the more money we will raise!

**Marching Band Portrait
- Order forms are available from Mr. or Mrs. Szuba. :-)
- Stickley’s Photo is taking our group photo again. We will be in full uniform.
- If you would like, you may have Mr. Stickley take your individual portrait when we finish. When everyone is finished with their individual pictures, we will walk AS A GROUP and head on up to the staging area.

**The Academy
- Not only is The Academy an amazing recruiting tool for your band... you have the opportunity to work one on one with middle school band students and to make a difference in their lives. You’d be amazed how far a meaningful, positive relationship can go with these younger kids. Please take advantage of this great opportunity!

The Plan - 10/26 - 10/31

Hello! This week is going to be intense. The VBODA State Marching Band Festival is not a competition; it is a festival where bands from around the state come to showcase their accomplishments for the season for a panel of judges that rank the group with a I, II, III, IV, or V. I = Superior, II = Excellent, III = Good, IV = Fair, and V = Poor. Each judge will give a ranking, then the highest and lowest rankings are dropped and the remaining scores are averaged together. This is a great stepping stone for SHS Band because we have never gone to the VBODA festival as far as I can tell. It's a great chance for us to get feedback from some of the top music education professionals in the field. Regardless of what our score ends up being, it is imperative that we put our best foot forward and leave everything on the field.

Here's the schedule for the week:

Monday - Go home and sleep! Do some homework, too.

Tuesday - Rehearsal 3:30 - 5:30 (different from usual)

Wednesday - Rehearsal 3:30 - 5:30

Thursday - Rehearsal 6:00 - 8:00

Friday - Rehearsal 3:30 - 5:30, then LOAD the trailer (if everyone participates, we'll finish quicker!)

Saturday - VBODA State Marching Band Festival
6:30 am - Arrive @ SHS; Get Dressed and Load
7:00 - Leave SHS
7:45 - Arrive Millbrook High School; Stretch
8:15 - Warm-up
8:45 - Staging
9:00 - Performance
9:15 - Quickly change out of uniforms; watch bands (will be concessions!)
11:00 - Announcement of Ratings
11:30 - Load bus and leave
12:15 pm- Arrive SHS :-)
12:45 - All Meet @ McDonalds for lunch (if you want)!

Parade of Champions @ JMU

... is cancelled due to weather. Our kids' health, especially with the flu going around, is our primary concern. Hopefully next year!

If you'd still like to go, adults are $10 and students are $6. Have a great weekend.

See you tonight for Homecoming!
Mr. Szuba

The Plan - 10/15 - 10/17

Hello out there in Band Land!

Thursday - Rehearsal 6-8 pm
Friday - Nothing! :-)
Saturday - Nothing! :-)

Enjoy the off weekend. You've earned it!

The Plan - 10/9, 10/10

The Plan
October 9 - 10, 2009

Friday, October 9th – After school festivities!

3:30 – 5:30 Rehearsal! :-)
7:00 – 10:00 Marching Band Party @ Courtney Beachler’s
**Bring games and snacks!


Saturday, September 19th – Stafford Showcase,
Stafford High School, Fredericksburg, VA

11:30 am Arrive SHS12:00 pm Leave SHS
2:30 Arrive Stafford High School
3:15 Warm-up
3:45 Stage/Gate
4:00 Performance Time4:15 Watch Central High School
4:30 Watch Spotsylvania HS
5:00 Fast Food Dinner w/ Central High School
6:00 Watch bands
10:30 Awards Ceremony
11:00 Leave Stafford
1:30 am (!) Arrive SHS

The Plan - October 2, 3

The Plan
September 28 – October 3, 2009

Monday Sleep, eat and do homework. Take care of yourself!
Tuesday Practice 3:30 to 5:00 pm – Clean “Delta Dawn” and “In the Stone”
Wednesday Practice 3:30 to 5:30 pm – Clean Production
Thursday Practice 6:00 to 8:00 pm – Clean Percussion Feature, Full runs of show!



Friday, October 2 – Away game v. Stonewall Jackson

5:00 pm Arrive at school and change.
5:30 pm Leave SHS
6:15 pm Arrive SJHS
6:30 pm Rehearse
7:10 pm National Anthem
8:30 pm Halftime show
*Leave after 4th Quarter






Saturday, October 3 – Manassas Park Competition

10:15 am Arrive SHS; Load and dress; Eat Breakfast before!
11:00 am Leave SHS
12:00 pm Arrive MPHS
12:45 pm Warm-up
1:20 pm Gate
1:30 pm Perform
1:45 pm Critique
TBA Leave for Supper
TBA Arrive MPHS to watch bands
8:00 pm Awards
8:30 pm Leave MPHS
9:30 pm Arrive SHS

THE PLAN - September 21 - 26

Hello Ram-mer Jammers!

Couple of things before jumping into the schedule:

1) On Friday, there are two big things going on: the 1000 Dollar Friday fundraiser
and the 7th/8th Grade Band Night. Please have students sign up with Mr. Szuba for a 15 minute performance slot where they will be out on the corner playing and having a great time to raise money. Also, we need parent volunteers to donate more food than usual for the 7th/8th Grade Band Night. We need enough food to feed about 30 additional kids! :-)

2) Directions for Saturday (Staunton, VA):
I-81 EXIT 220. THIS IS VA 262. TAKE THE 4TH EXIT ONTO PARKERSBURG PIKE VA 254. TURN RIGHT AT END OF RAMP. FOLLOW 254 “BEVERLEY STREET” TO THE 3RD TRAFFIC LIGHT AND TURN LEFT ON THORNROSE AVENUE. STADIUM IS ABOUT HALF A MILE AHEAD ON THE LEFT. ENTER THROUGH THE STONE PILLARS ACROSS FROM GRACE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL.

3) On Saturday, we will be riding the bus in uniform, so have purple shirts! They are encouraged to bring pillows and/or blankets. After our performance, we will be changing into street clothes, so they must have a change of clothes on the bus. Show school spirit! We're representing Strasburg!


THIS WEEKS SCHEDULE!
***********************************************************************

Monday - Homework and Sleep!
Tuesday - Practice 3:30 – 5:00 pm DRILL for Percussion Feature
Wednesday - Practice 3:30 – 5:30 pm SECTIONALS and DRILL
Thursday - Practice 6:00 – 8:00 pm SECTIONALS, DRILL and RUNS


Friday – Football v. Page County – 7th/8th Grade Night!

*4:00 pm - 6:30 pm - 1000 Dollar Friday on BB&T street corner

6:00 Marching Band Arrive
6:30 Rehearsal with 7th/8th Graders
7:00 Line Up
7:12 National Anthem
7:30 Kick-Off
8:30 Half-time Dedication to Coach Proctor
*PLAY FIGHT SONG ONLY… bring out 7th and 8th Graders!
8:45 3rd Quarter Snack w/ kiddies
10:00 Post-game Performance of Show!


Saturday – Stonewall Showcase of Bands!

6:30 am Arrive SHS
7:00 am Leave SHS
8:30 am Arrive Stonewall Showcase (Staunton, VA)
9:00 am Warm-up Time
9:15 am Staging Time
9:30 am Performance Time
10:15 am Relax and Watch other bands!
12:00 pm Lunch
2:45 pm Awards Ceremony
5:00 pm Arrive SHS

THE PLAN - September 14 - 19, 2009

Hello everyone in SHS Marching Band land!

Great job Friday night at the Central game! Nothing but compliments from administration, fans, and even the other band. Congratulations!

Here are VIDEO CLIPS of your performances!!!

UPDATED CALENDER
*******************************************************************************
For those who accidentally received the old version of our calender through December, here is the new updated version. I will also be handing out the correct calender in class. Stop by the band room to pick one up ASAP!



SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
*******************************************************************************

Monday - breathe and do homework. :-)

Tuesday - Full Band 3:30 - 5:00 pm (Clean Opener and Finish Drill for SOTW)

Wednesday - Full Band 3:30 - 5:30 pm (Parade prep.)

Thursday - Full Band 6:00 - 8:00 pm (Parade and Drill *if time allows*)

Friday - MRD GAME AT CENTRAL! Leave SHS @ 5:00 pm. Bring $5 for dinner!!

Saturday - Edinburg Parade (Leave SHS 11:30 am; Parade finishes 2:30 pm)

Marching Band MP3!!

Delta Dawn - http://www.4shared.com/file/126193789/82d8bc07/Delta_Dawn_Ab_full_band.html

In the Stone - http://www.4shared.com/file/126194583/fc5eb9ce/In_The_Stone.html


**In the Stone should open with Windows Media Player even if your computer does not recognize the file type. :-)

July Music Booster Meeting

The next Music Booster Meeting is on July 21 (3rd Tuesday) at 6:30 p.m. Be there! :-)

July 4th Fundraiser

Hello music booster parents and students,

The Northern Campus Music Boosters is planning a one day fundraising event for July 4th! Now we understand that alot of folks travel during this time and that it's only 6 days away; however, this will be painless!!
We will be selling bottled water, at a booth, at the July 4th celebration at the Town Park in Strasburg. The celebration will last from 5:00pm to 9:30pm. We will have a booth to sell bottled water for those 4 1/2 hours.

HERE IS WHAT WE NEED:

1. VOLUNTEERS!!! ( For one hour shifts)
2. Cases of Bottled Water
3. Large Coolers to borrow
4. Contributions to pay for the ice

Should anyone be able to help.... parents, students, or friends, please email Brenda Davis to inform us of your intent to donate or volunteer ifxhorns@shentel.net
If you need us to pick up your donations, please let us know by Wednesday, July 1st; otherwise, we will assume that you will be able to deliver the items on Saturday, July 4th, by 4:00pm.



Northern Campus Music Boosters

Summer Band Schedule and Registration Form

Hello!

I MUST HAVE registration/intent forms by June 26th, 2009 (regardless of whether students are or are not doing marching band). Here is a link of the file:

http://www.4shared.com/file/110991646/1415fc92/Letter_of_Intent_2009_2_.html

There are also copies in the SHS Front Office. If I do not have a registration form by June 26th from you, you will receive a copy in your packet and will need to get it to me ASAP!

***********************************************************************************

Anyone enrolled in morning or afternoon band first semester will be a member of the marching band! This way you get high school credit for all your hard work!

All students will be receiving a packet via mail in July detailing camp, a full school year schedule including COMPETITIONS (!!), and all the pertinent information you will need to have a successful season.

Here is the summer schedule. Please share with all members!


August 10 – 13 (Pre-Camp)
Monday (10)
Band Parent Logistics Meeting (6:00 pm – 7:00 pm)

Tuesday (11), Wednesday (12), Thursday (13)
New Marchers (8:30 am – 11:30 am)
Leadership Lunch (12:00 pm – 1:00 pm)
Music, Colorguard Rehearsal (6:00 pm – 8:00 pm)


August 17 – 21 (BAND CAMP)
Monday (17)
Leadership Meeting (8:00 am)
Band Camp (8:30 am – 5:00 pm)
Dinner and Talent Show (5:30 pm)

Tuesday (18), Wednesday (19)
Leadership Meeting (8:00 am)
Band Camp (8:30 am – 5:00 pm)

Thursday (20)
Leadership Meeting (8:00 am)
Band Camp (8:30 am – 5:00 pm)
**TAKE INSTRUMENTS AND EQUIPMENT HOME!!!
Band Bowling Night! (8:00 pm – 10:00 pm)

Friday (21)
Leadership Meeting (8:00 am)
Band Camp (8:30 am – 5:00 pm)
**WE CANNOT ENTER THE SHS BUILDINGS!!!
Parent Preview (6:00 pm @ SHS Practice Field)


August 24 – 28 (Post-Camp)
Tuesday (25), Wednesday (26), Thursday (27)
Full Band (6:00 pm – 8:00 pm)

Friday (28)
Football v. Warren County (report 6:15 pm)


August 31 – Sept. 4 (Shenandoah County Fair)
NO PRACTICE! 


Sept. 7 - 11 (First Week of School)
Tuesday (8)
First Day of School
Sectionals (3:30 pm – 5:00 pm)

Thursday (10)
Full Band (6:00 pm – 8:00 pm)

Friday (11)
Football v. Central HS (Report 6:15 pm)

Updated 09-10 Calender

Click here for the new updated 2009-2010 SHS Band Calender!

http://www.4shared.com/file/105966962/ab079d65/2009-2010_Calender_Updated_5-17-09.html


Copies will also be available in the band room and handed out to students.


Thank you! :)
Mr. Szuba

May 28th Booster Cookout and Meeting!

Dear Northern Campus Music Boosters:

Our May meeting has been changed from the usual third Tuesday of the month schedule. Details below...

May 2009 NCMB Meeting
Thursday, May 28
at SHS - grassy area by the band room
Tailgate Party at 5:30 p.m.
Year-end Wrap-up Meeting at 6:30 p.m.

Grilled hot dogs and all the fixins, drinks and paper products will be provided!
Please bring: a side dish or dessert to share and a lawn chair.

Important: For parking, please use the front lot or the student lot!

Join us as we celebrate our first successful year of Music Boosters!!!



Questions? Give me a call at 465-5090 or drop me an email.

See you there!

Cindy Racey
NCMB Publicity and Membership

P.S. Good luck to our chorus as they head to Hershey Park for competition on Friday! Also, look for the SHS Marching Band in the Mayfest parade this Saturday!!

2009 Spring Trip Recap!

Thank you to all those who worked so hard to make this trip possible! Here is a recap of the trip by one of our parents! :-)

***************************************************************

Our band, strings and color guard students did a FANTASTIC job at the
Fiesta-val competition in Virginia Beach last weekend!

Here's a run-down of awards:

Full Orchestra - 1st place
Percussion Ensemble - 1st place
Color Guard - 1st place
Concert Band - 3rd place
Strings - 3rd place
Marching Band - 5th place

Congratulations to each and every performer and director!!!!

(Personally, I think the chaperones would have won an award too... if they
had a chaperone category!)

This was a great group of kids and adults and a wonderful opportunity for
our "small" but growing music programs! I hope everyone brought back
plenty of memories to last a lifetime (I know I did!) and that we can
continue to organize and provide this type of events for our students each
year.

Everyone involved should be very, very proud!!!

Your next opportunity to hear the music kids perform is Thursday, May 7 at
7 p.m. at the Spring Concert at SHS. The band and color guard will also be
marching in the Mayfest parade on May 16.

Thanks for everything,
Cindy Racey

NCMB Publicity and Membership Chairperson


*****************************************************************

If you are interested in looking more into scores and comments by judges from this past weekend, please visit the band room, where all comments are posted on the equipment room announcement board or the string rehearsal room.

Thank you for all your support! See you Tuesday for the McDonald's Spirit Night and the SHS Spring Concert on Thursday!

Mr. Szuba :-)

Spring Trip Medical Forms!

If you have not turned in a Spring Trip Medical and Student Form --->

STOP BY THE BAND ROOM ASAP TO PICK THEM UP!

You will not be able to go to VA Beach without them!


Thanks,
Mr. Szuba

Solo and Ensemble Festival

VBODA District XIV
Solo and Ensemble Festival

When: Saturday, April 18th, 2009
Where: Frederick County Middle School

What is this?

What happens during this event is simple: You and or a group of students perform a selected piece that highlights your abilities and skills. The judges listening will critique your performance and give you helpful information that will guide you in improving your playing. If you are competitive, there is a competitive element to this, as you will receive a rating based on your performance. Most of all, though, it's fun and a great opportunity to perform and make some music!

It is open to any high school or middle school student individual or group (no more than 8 performers in an ensemble). Here are a few things you should know:

1) I need a commitment by Friday, March 27th, 2009 that details who is going and what you'd like to play. Any solo or ensemble piece is fine, though if you would like to go the competitive route your piece of music must be on the state list. Just come and talk to Mr. Szuba about that!

2) The cost is $5.00 per solo or $3.00 per person in an ensemble (group with one to eight people performing). Checks should be made out to "SKMS" or "Signal Knob Middle School."

3) Registration fees are non-refundable (sorry!).

4) We will need one chaperone per 10 students. If there are more than 10 participants, I will need chaperones! No cost to you... just come and listen to some great music and support your child.

5) Any questions should be directed to Mr. Szuba @ 540-420-4647 or csszuba@shenandoah.k12.va.us.


Thank you and I look forward to hearing from many of you by Friday!!
Mr. Szuba

District Festival Rating!

Hello Everyone!

I know what you want to do! You just want to scroll down to the bottom and find out what the rating was.

DON'T!!!

Even if you just can't hold on, please go back and read through this post. There are many comments that we received that will help us tremendously as we continue to improve! :-)


******************************************************************


Dear Band Members,

Let me preface all of this by saying how proud I am of you. I can't tell you how many people in the district came up to me to say how glad they were that Strasburg was finally back out and doing District Festival. During All-District Band, I told Ryan Dempsey, the band director at Sherando High School, to give SHS a slot at the Festival this year. He laughed and said, "Really?! We haven't seen you guys up here in years!"

District Festival is a great opportunity to have experts in the band world come out and give feedback on your group's performance. The event gives me ideas on how to improve our performance level as well as tips for you guys to further yourselves as ensemble musicians.

Below are the scores for each individual caption. Keep in mind that there are some things that one judge might think you did "good" on and another may think you did "superior" on. It just depends on their opinion on how you performed in that particular area. Nothing was "fair" or "poor" (IV or V), so you know that we are on the right track. As we listen to our performance on Monday I think you'll agree with everything these judges say. It's how we apply the knowledge and experience that we've gained that make this event a great asset to us.

You know me. You know that I'm all about the music and about making connections with the people in the audience. Personally, a number assigned to a band's performance indicating its quality does little for me... it's the comments from fellow professionals in the field that I value most and appreciate, because they let us know how we connected with them. They are here to help and they are honest! :-)

Enjoy!

*************************************************************************

VBODA District XIV Concert Festival
Sherando High School
March 7, 2009


***Concert Performance - 10:30***
Heron Bay
Whispers of the Wind
Fanfare for the Third Plant (yes, plant... that's what the program said)

Tone: Ratings of III, II, and III

Comment Highlights:
- Each instrument has a certain "characteristic" or "proper" sound. When we get loud as a group, we lose that "band" sound and it becomes unpleasant to listen to.
- Louds must be controlled and appropriate for the balance of the group; softs must be supported with good breath.
- We have to listen better to eachother. The word "blend" came up a lot!
- A suggestion was to sing more in class, which we'll do! :-)


Intonation: Ratings of III, III, and II

Comment Highlights:
- "Overplaying led to pitch issues on Saucedo ["Fanfare"]..."
- We need to listen down to the bass voices (tuba, bari sax) to check ourselves. Always adjust yourself to line up with them!
- A lot of folks are not supporting their sound and it affects our intonation; therefore, we'll be doing more breathing exercises to help with that.
- Chord tuning was an issue. We do well with major chords (we've been working a lot with that... "pick 1,3, or 5" and so on); now we have to move on to other things.


Technique: Ratings of III, III, and III

Comment Highlights:
- Most rhythms "okay" but not consistent. This is a listening issue we can address. Remember about all that talk of being "aggressive"? :-)
- MANY comments on articulation issues. I will take responsibility for that simply because I've been focused on other things. I will work to correct this in rehearsals.


Balance: Ratings of III, III, and III

Comment Highlights:
- Holy Trumpet, Batman!
- We need to do more layering parts in class. The judges thought that you guys don't quite know what parts to listen for in a given section of music. That has to do with how I approach rehearsals, so I can help with that.
- Phrasing issues. If you have a musical idea that needs to be expressed, rise to the occasion! Watch me! I will help show you what parts need to be heard with my conducting, usually by pointing or cueing.
- We NEED more dynamic contrast. Guess what we're doing for warm-ups! :-)


Interpretation: Ratings of III, III, and III

Comment Highlights:
- One judge remarked how great some of the solo lines were, but there were so many balance issues that she couldn't enjoy some of the stuff! See above.
- Expression is key. If you feel like your part needs to do something besides sit at one dynamic level, take a chance and try something! 9 times out of 10, if you use your ear, it will be appropriate to the music.
- "Watch balooning." When you articulate the notes and you try to be expressive, think of the LINE of the music, not the individual NOTE. Don't attack something with a "waAAah" sound if it's not appropriate for the style of music.
- Fast and loud = fine for us. We just have to keep things light and we've got that pretty much down. It's the smooth/lyrical stuff we need to really work on as a band.


Musical Effect: Ratings of III, III, and II

Comment Highlights:
- Overplaying and trying to compensate for smaller size, etc., detracts from the quality of the performance. A smaller group will not be as big or full as a larger group... but that's okay because every ensemble has its own sound that needs to be explored. Don't be heros!
- Be musically sensitive and aware of what's going on around you. Don't be a bull in a china shop doing your own thing! Listen and share!
- Our effectiveness is hampered by our balance and articulation issues; the judges see potential in this group. (cool! I agree!)
- They commented on how this music was appropriate for you guys and well within your grasp. I do intend to prepare Grade 4 pieces with you guys for Spring Trip. Get ready!


Other Factors: Ratings of I, I, and II

Comment Highlights:
- The judges unanimously appreciated your discipline and attentiveness to me on stage, enough to even make special comment about it. I stayed and watched some other groups and I must say that I agree; you guys represent yourselves very well and I thank you for that. I am very lucky. :-)
- One judge commented on the how much they liked our pieces. Our selections have only been on the district playlist for about a year now, so they enjoyed hearing some new music. You helped me decide what to play, so I have to pass on some of the credit to you. Thanks!


Concert Ratings: III, III, III



***Sight-Reading Performance 10:50***


Technical Accuracy: Rating of III

Comment Highlights:
- Note accuracy... comes with practice and experience.
- Note lengths... how many counts does a half note get? I mean come on! :-)


Flexibility: Rating of III

Comment Highlights:
- Even though we're sight-reading, you have to listen to other parts to line up the rhythms. He especially commented on the back and forth sections between brass and woodwind.
- Watch me! I was hugely exaggerating the dynamics... go for it! I'll show you if you do too much!


Interpretation: Rating of III

Comment Highlights:
- We have to shape our phrases more. Once we get dynamics down pat, we can dig into some style stuff. First things' first, folks!


Musical Effect: Rating of III

Comment Highlights:
- It's all about the artistry. Dynamics again!
- Intonation came back... we have to listen down to bass voices.


General Comments: Rating of II

Comment Highlights:
- Good focus for the most part! But... "some glassy eyes." Tired? :-)


Sight-Reading Rating: III


******************************************************************

Overall Event Rating: III

******************************************************************

To give you some perspective on the scoring, there were only 3 or 4 out of 20-something groups received a "I" rating. Some very established ensembles in the area received "II" and "III" ratings that normally do not, so this year, the judging was pretty tight. I hope you enjoyed and will properly apply these comments provided by the judges when we come back this week.

Have a great evening and a wonderful weekend! :-)

Mr. Szuba

A Clarification on "The Academy"

Hello!

To clear up some confusion involving the calender, "The Academy" is an after-school program for Signal Knob Middle School band students to come to the high school and recieve individualized attention from myself as well as high school students. SKMS students let me know a week in advance if they are participating. Then I ask for high school volunteers to help, depending on the instrumentation of the students who take advantage of the program.

This is not a mandatory thing! However, students who offer to help these young students will make a huge impact on their lives. That's really what this is all about! :-)

Thanks!

Mr. Szuba