Updated 2/28/10
NEW 2/28/10
Parents and students -
Attached, please find this weeks Vista Voice. This is a busy week for us. We have our final week of sectionals this Thursday. Friday Wind Ensemble II will be heading to the El Camino B/O Festival and the Pageantry Corps will be competing at Olympian High School. Saturday evening, Wind Ensemble I will take the stage at the El Camino B/O Festival. Please remember that there will be a $5.00 entrance fee for those attending the Saturday evening performance at El Camino. Also, please remember that the Truax theatre will fill up early on Saturday evening. You will want to get there early to ensure a seat.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best,
Neil Anderson
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NEW 2/21/10
Parents -
Attached, please find the itinerary for both Wind Ensemble I and Wind Ensemble II and their participation in the El Camino Band and Orchestra Association sponsored by the SCSBOA. As you may or may not know, the festival experience is not one that is competitive. Rather, groups go to earn ratings of Superior, Excellent, Good, Fair or Poor (I - V). This is the culmination of weeks and months of work. Students will perform selections for a panel of adjudicators and receive feedback on their performance.
Please plan on joining us at El Camino High School on Friday, March 5, 2010 for the performance of Wind Ensemble II at 1:30pm. Students will be required to bring food with them on this day.
Please plan on joining us at El Camino High School on Saturday, March 6, 2010 for the performance of Wind Ensemble I at 7:00pm. Wind I students are responsible for their own transportation to and from the performance. No school bus will be provided. Please note that there is a $5.00 entrance fee for Saturday evening at El Camino High School.
Students in Wind Ensemble I will be required to stay through the performance of the Rancho Bernardo Wind Ensemble at 8:00pm There will be a follow-up written reflection that will be due on Monday, March 8, 2010.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best,
Neil Anderson
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NEW 2/21/10
Parents and students -
Attached, please find this weeks Vista Voice. The next few weeks will be extremely busy for us, with a pre-festival concert (Thursday) as well as our Pageantry Rummage Sale on Saturday. In the following week, we will have both of our groups attending the North County Band and Orchestra Festival at El Camino Festival and the Pageantry Corps attending a competition at Olympian High School. Thank you to those students who attended the Pageantry Corps competition at Mission Hills High School this past Saturday.
Please note the ELP schedule for this week as well. Wednesday will be a devoted day for students to do homework. The band room will be open to all band and pageantry students for a study hall setting. No practicing will occur during this period (those days are Tuesday and Thursday), and will provide students a quiet environment to get caught up on homework or to seek out help from other students in the program.
Finally, please ensure that you are current in all of your payments to the Regimental Band and Pageantry Corps. In order for our organization to function, we need your help! One of the responsibilities of being a member of the organization is a responsibility to the financial commitment. One cannot continue to take from a group without committing their fair share. If your student has played any music this year, attended sectionals, put on a uniform, costume or spun equipment, this is made possible in part by the Regimental Band and Pageantry Boosters. In a time when funding from sources such as the District are becoming less and less, it is crucial that we all do our parts. Please take a moment to ensure you are up to date on your payments. If need be, please do not hesitate to contact myself, so we can set up a payment plan.
As always, if you have questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Best,
Neil Anderson
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Parents -
Attached, please find the itinerary for the Pre-Festival Concert to be held on Thursday, February 25, 2010.
It will be held in the gymnasium at Vista High School. We highly encourage you to attend, to hear not only our current students (Wind Ensemble I and II) but also the concert groups from Roosevelt Middle School.
This will be a great evening of music for sure!
Best to you,
Parents -
Attached is this weeks Vista Voice. Please know this is a busy week for us here in the program.
On Wednesday, we will have the Celebration of the Arts, held on campus at Vista High School. Information is attached to the Vista Voice.
Saturday, February 20, 2010 marks the first competition for the Vista Winter Guard held at Mission Hills High School. The competition time for them is 4:24pm.
As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best,
Neil Anderson
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Friends and family -
I would like to make you aware of a slight change in date/added fundraising event to our calendar. On Saturday, May 8, 2010 the Vista Regimental Band and Pageantry Boosters will hold a fundraising dinner and silent auction here on campus at Vista High School. This event will involve all students in the program (Wind Ensemble I and II, Jazz Ensemble, Pageantry Corps). This will be a date that will be a required performance date for all students. As more details are finalized, we will pass these along to you ASAP.
Finally, band camp dates for summer 2010 as well as performance dates will be sent out within the next week. I know many of you are starting to plan summer family vacations, and we want to ensure you have these dates to ensure minimal conflict throughout the planning process for you.
Best,
Neil Anderson
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Parents -
Attached is this weeks Vista Voice. A few things:
1. We begin our concert season sectionals this Thursday. The sectionals are divided by ensemble with Wind Ensemble II sections from 2:30-3:30 and Wind Ensemble I sectionals from 3:40-4:40pm
2. This Saturday, the instrumental music department will present: Something Old, Something New: An evening of Music. The concert will begin at 7:00pm in the gymnasium at Vista High School. Admission to the concert is free, however donations will be accepted and are encouraged by those attending. A $2-$5 donation from those attending is certainly appropriate. Please invite your friends, neighbors, co-workers etc. We will feature the Wind Ensemble II, Wind Ensemble I and the Symphonic Winds (the combined efforts of Wind Ensemble I and II).
As always, please contact me if you have any question.
Best,
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Parents, students and supporters -
A belated Happy New Year to you all. I hope that this past two weeks found you with some time to relax, some time to reconnect as a family unit and some time to think about how GREAT it is that we return to the now second semester. No longer do we have to wait two to three weeks to jump into the new semester.
Our ensembles have been set, music has been selected, shows are being designed and we continue to push forward with the tradition that is the Vista High School Regimental Band and Pageantry Corps. Some may think that the second semester is the "slow" semester, but all one has to do is check our calendar to see that it is not.
Speaking of calendars. please constantly check the online version of our calendar, as this is kept the most up to date. Copies are posted in the band room - outside of the band room office, as well as every student will be receiving their own copy of the calendar this week during their class period.
A few reminders:
1. Rehearsals are still, have always been, and will continue to be, required of all students. Please pay close attention to the calendar for your group's rehearsal schedule.
2. Performances are also required.
3. Please keep an eye out for emails re: concert clothing and ensuring your student meets their fitting time (especially girls when all concert dresses have come in to us).
4. Always remind yourselves of our Vision Statement, as set by our student leadership:
"To create a quality program for today and a lasting legacy for tomorrow."
With this vision statement in mind, please understand that in order to create a quality program for today and a lasting legacy for tomorrow, we need your help and support!! This help and support can come in many forms and would like to remind you of them:
a. Financial responsibility - have you paid your band fees? Are you up-to-date? Also, a reminder that the (Pageantry) Winter Guard fee of $300 is due BY January 15, 2009
b. Recruiting - Many of you still have ties to our local middle schools. As you know, as a parent there are many uncertainties about making the jump from middle school to high school, whether one is involved in the band program or not. What are you doing to extend a hand in the recruiting process? What ties are you making to parents to welcome them in to this program, to "settle their nerves" so to speak and to help them with their transition? Remember students respond best to students and parents to parents when it comes to the recruiting factor.
5. Booster Meeting This Week: Finally, a reminder to join us for our Booster Meeting on Wednesday, January 6, 2010!! When you arrive on campus, please check the band room door for meeting location as the band room will be used for the completion of the Wind I rehearsal and the choir room is also being used. Most likely we will be in one of the V wing rooms (Probably V-2 or V-3).
Here's to a great 2010, an amazing second semester and some quality music making for all of us.
Best to you each,
Neil Anderson