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! :-)

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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


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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! :-)


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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!

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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


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Overall Event Rating: III

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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

INFORMATION!!! (November 12, 2008)

Information included in this letter consists of:

Apple Pie Bake Fundraiser & Order Form
Band and Color Guard Photos
Dec 5th Benefit Dance
Dec 6th Benefit Bazaar/ Bake Sale
DVD Purchases of Nov 7th football performance
Spring Trip 2009
Concert and Performances
Boosters Agenda, Minutes, and Officers


Dear Parents, Grandparents, and friends,

We apologize in advance for the length of this letter; however, there is much to discuss and many important dates and events to bring to your attention. The Northern Campus Music Boosters Organization (NCMBC) is off to a successful beginning! The NCMBC meets every third Tuesday of every month in the music room at SHS. Please come and join us for our next meeting on Tuesday, November 18th at 6:00pm. Our goal is to keep music students and their families informed of up coming events to promote a greater, more successful attendance by all. Please help us in completing this goal by presenting us with accurate contact information. Email addresses are extremely helpful and inexpensive to communicate with; however, if you do not have email and wish to be contacted by phone or mail, please share your preferences with us.

All music students at SHS will be taking a Spring trip to perform and/or compete. The Choral Department will be participating in Music in the Parks in Hershey Park, PA on May 15th, 2009. The Band, Color Guard, and Strings Departments will be traveling to Myrtle Beach, SC for participation in “Fiest-a-val”, where they will perform and compete, as well as enjoy the beach and theme park. This trip is scheduled for April 23rd , 24th , and 25th. The cost of these Spring trips will cost the boosters organization and the parents of the music students approximately $28,000 for all involved. Of course, the more funds we raise for the boosters organization, the less money each of our families will need to pay to meet the cost of the trips. That being said, many fundraisers are planned to help raise the necessary funds! Please take precious moments to absorb the following information regarding fundraiser opportunities for the next two months. You will be informed as dates are established for further fundraiser opportunities, as well. ALL music students from both first and second semesters are urged to participate in ALL fundraiser events. Whether you are actively involved in your music classes at this point in time, is irrelevant. 80% of all funds raised by an individual student will go directly into a personal account to save for YOUR spring trip. The other 20% will be deposited into the general boosters fund; therefore, the more money the individual student earns for him/herself, the smaller the amount of funds your family will have to disperse!

The format of this letter will follow the most recent dates and complete with a full schedule of events. Please mark your calendars! We are hoping for 100% participation!

Apple Pie Bake:
With this letter you’ll find an order form for the Apple Pie Bake. We will be selling apple pies throughout the month of November and into early December. Advertisements are already underway, so please start selling pies immediately! The pies will be baked by our music students and our families on December 12th, starting at 4:00pm and ending when the pies are finished! We will bake the pies in the SHS cafeteria. We will bake fresh, 9 inch, apple pies from the SHS cafeteria. The pies will be sold for $10.00 each. On Saturday, December 14th, we will meet at 9:00am to wrap and box the cooled pies. From 2:00pm to 4:00pm that same day, customers may pick up their pies at the SHS cafeteria. Customers will also be given the opportunity to pick up their pies following our Winter Concert on Sunday, December 15th, at 3:00pm. We will need 100% participation to succeed in making, baking, and preparing a large number of apple pies in such a small amount of time! We will need folks to peel apples, mix ingredients, prepare tops for pie shells, bakers, kitchen help, cleaners, and much more! Donated items will also be a necessity. Those items consist of apple pie peelers (preferably a counter top version, such as “Pampered Chef”), paring knives, sugar, cinnamon, shortening, butter, and of course...APPLES! If you can donate apples, please make us aware of that information, immediately! All other donations will be requested at the later date. Orders may be pre-paid or purchased when they are picked up. All checks should be made to SHS Music Boosters.

Also, as the order forms are filled out, we ask that the students ONLY return the order forms on Fridays to their music directors. Carol Smith, will be available on Fridays to collect any completed order forms and money. A supply of additional order forms may be picked up from Carol on Fridays, or from the offices of your music director.

One more thing!!...Our student’s incentive for selling the most pies!! Whoever sells largest quantity of pies will have the opportunity to “Pie” their favorite music director at the conclusion of the concert on December 15th, in front of the entire audience!! This should be reason enough to SELL THOSE PIES!!

Benefit Dance, December 5th:
Following the boys basketball game on December 5th at SHS, we will be holding a benefit dance for the students of SHS, in the old gym. The dance will start at the completion of the ball game (approximately 9:30pm) and end at 11:00pm. Special ticket purchases will be available for all who wish to attend the basketball game as well as the dance. The Athletic department will offer a reduced rate ticket, available at the door, should students wish to attend both the game and the dance. Chaperones will be needed.

SKMS Winter Bazaar, December 6th:
SKMS will be holding a Winter Bazaar at which the music boosters will rent a table. Our goal is to take as many apple pie orders as possible! We also will offer our patrons the 2008 Ram seat cushions for $2.00, as well as home baked goods. We need parental help in supplying baked goods to sell at this bazaar. So, please plan to prepare some of your baked specialties and have it at SKMS by 8:30am on Saturday, December 6th or bring it to the music room at SHS on Friday, December 5th between 7:00am and 8:00am.

Band and Color Guard Photos, December 6th:
The marching band and color guard will have photos taken at 2:00pm on December 6th, directly before the Strasburg Christmas Parade. Band and guard members need to be in their uniforms by 2:00pm and prepared for photos. Group, as well as individual photos will be taken by Dennis Stickley. Group photos may be purchased for $15.00 or you may purchase a package of (1) 8X10 group photo, (2) 5X7 photo of individual, and (4) wallets of individual, for $25.00. Please bring your money with you on December 6th if you plan to order photos. Photos may be postponed due to in-climate weather.

Northern Campus Music Boosters Officers:
President: Brenda Davis ifxhorns@shentel.net
Vice President of Fundraising: Cindy Racey vtgrad85@shentel.net
Treasurer: Mike Smith
Secretary: Vega Ziemer ziemers@shentel.net
Vice President of Membership: Ina Rae Crisman ircrisman@yahoo.com

Officer positions are still available for the Executive Vice President, and Public Relations Officer. Anyone interested in obtaining one of these positions, please let us know of your intent.

DVD of 2008 Marching Band Performance:
Shenandoah Video Productions, Inc has made available a DVD of the Strasburg vs George Mason football game from Friday, November 7th. The marching band’s performance is included in this DVD. If you might be interested in purchasing a copy of the performance, please contact the following organization:
Shenandoah Video productions
640 Crook Run Road
Mt Jackson, VA 22842
Call: 540-331-7683
Copies of the DVD cost $10.00 each. If interested, please contact the company above.

Next Music Boosters Meeting: November 18th, 7:00pm!!
SHS Music Room! Come and join us!!

Welcome to the Northern Campus Music Boosters Blog!

Hello!

Welcome to the Northern Campus Music Boosters information blog. This website is updated frequently and is available to you to keep you informed on all the Music Programs in Strasburg High School, Signal Knob Middle School, and Sandy Hook Elementary School. Information on the Spring Trips are forthcoming, so check back soon!

Thank you for your support. If you have any questions or would like to be a member of the Music Boosters, contact Mr. Szuba: csszuba@shenandoah.k12.va.us.