Great Opportunity with DCI!

The East Peoria High School Band is proud to welcome The Colts Drum & Bugle Corps from Dubuque, Iowa to the East Side Center football stadium on June 15th 2009.

▲ The Colts will be rehearsing all day and will perform an exhibition performance at 7:00pm.

▲ The entire day’s events are free and open to the public.

▲ This is a wonderful opportunity for students to observe a professional marching organization and will be fun for the entire family!

Contact EP Director of Bands, Adam Schneblin at 309.694.8335 for more information.

Go online to http://www.colts.org/ to find more information about The Colts this season.

I would love to see the some of the band at this event, especially section leaders. Take an opportunity to see how the rehearse and perform very early on in their season.

Congratulations Class of 2009

With the passing of another graduation the EPGHS Bands lose another talented group of seniors. They may go onto to bigger and better adventures, but we know part of them will always be here at El Paso-Gridley whether they like it or not.

This years group graduated 11 hard working band members. During the ceremony they joined the EPGHS Wind Symphony for one last performance of "October". It was a bittersweet moment for some of us, but overall I think many of the seniors were just happy that they don't have to play Pomp and Circumstance ever again! (Except those of course who are planning on playing in college ensembles you just wait...)

I'll leave you with a poem by Joanne Fuchs

Your diploma means a future without boundaries,
A world that's full of energy and fun.
So as you reach for all life has to offer,
Remember that you're second to no one.

Pursue your goals, yet keep your loved ones close,
As you utilize your talent and ambition.
Let your friends and family give you their support,
And you'll master every challenging transition.

And always know you can achieve
The things you really want, if you believe.

Congratulations Band Seniors of 2009

Thanks for making this an outstanding year filled with music and a few trophies!
You will never be forgotten!

5th Grade Rental Night 2009

It's that time of year that we start thinking about Summer vacation. However as parents and students settle in to their summer routines please start thinking about participating in instrumental music next year.

5th grade information nights will take place two evenings for your convenience. Please stop by anytime to talk to the band director and the music store representatives to get these exciting new 5th grade band members signed up to be part of something great at EPG. Beginning Band can be an exciting new outlet for your student's creativity!

Kidder Music will be here on Tuesday, September 8th from 3:30-6:00PM
The Music Shoppe will be here on WednesdaySeptember 9th from 3:30-6:00PM

Both stores have a fantastic reputation and can provide you with quality instruments to help your students succeed within your budget. Do not let cost keep your child from participating in this worthwhile experience! They can also repair/test family instruments to make sure they are in working condition. They both have store in Bloomington/Normal and come by the school regularly to take care of your investment.

Jazz Showcase 2009

Gridley IL isn't usually a place you think of a jazz hotspot, but it sure was on April 17th. The candles were lit, the lights were low and the place looked ready for an evening of quality entertainment thanks to a great team of parent volunteers.(Thank you so much!)

The EPGHS Jazz Band took the stage for two sets that evening, providing our patrons with music to enjoy while they tasted the delicious desserts(again, thank you parents). There were even some couples caught...dancing! The venue really was quite fitting and most guests even dressed up for a night on the town.

Jazz Showcase is a great opportunity for the students to get a taste of what being in a real big band is like for musicians. We had to put together a dance book of varying styles, rehearse the tunes, and work with guest vocalists. Thank you to our girls group and choir teacher John Shaffer for preparing "As Time Goes By" and to Senior Harrison Hakes for singing Gerswin's famous showtune, "They Can't Take That Away From Me."

The students really enjoyed playing this set including such classics as Miller's "In the Mood" and Basie's "Jumpin' at the Woodside". We also performed more contemporary music such as "A Child is Born" written by Thad Jones and a burnin' Latin tune entitled "The Tiger of San Pedro." The music kept the crowd going for two hours and the standing ovation for our encore was more than we could have hoped for from those in attendance.

We're very proud of the performance and look forward to doing more things like this. The students really worked hard for this and it paid off. We are also happy to donate all proceeds to the EPG Music Boosters who support music of all kinds within our school system.

Photos from the evening courtesy of Tyson Joye Photography will be up as soon as my connection speeds up.

EPGHS at ISU Invitational

The EPGHS Wind Symphony took the stage at the Illinois State Concert Band Invitational on April 25th 2009. The group played very well and the audio recording really showed that. The group has came a very long way since Winter Break.

The group played a tough program consisting of Movement 3 of the Folksong Suite, October, and American Riversongs. It was fantastic to get to work on pieces from Whitacre, Vaughan Williams, and LaPlante for this performance. The students really bought into the music and gave it their best.

It was great experience to get to play on that stage at the ISU Center for Performing Arts. I love being able to give the students a chance to hear their music in a proper venue.

I have some video of the performance, but in all fairness to the band it's not the best representation. It was shot on a Sony digital still camera so the audio/video is not very clear. Hopefully though it will give some of the parents who couldn't join us an idea of how well the students performed. Links are posted below!

American Riversongs by Pierre LaPlante
October by Eric Whitacre
English Folksongs Movement No. 3 by Ralph Vaughan Williams

JH Concert Band at ISU

Last Saturday the EPGJHS Concert Band woke up early and boarded a bus for Illinois State University. You could feel a mix of apprehension and sleepiness as we rode down I-39. It was a very exciting day!

The Concert Band made up of 31 7th/8th graders headed to the ISU Center for Performing Arts to perform. The format was that of I contest, but this band is new to the contest scene. Last Spring was the first time they'd been to organizational in many years.

This year we opted for ISU so that the students could experience playing at a first rate venue. We play enough gyms at home so this was a great opportunity.

They looked great as they walked on stage, all in black and white. Very professional! Then we played our program. Sure there were some wrong notes and little mishaps, but nerves didn't keep us from giving a good performance.

We then listened to other bands. I think the students were very impressed by some of the other middle schoolers. I had to remind them that those kids are the same age! Oh the wonders of practice. Overall we had a great experience ISU.

Congratulations to all the students for a great performance!

High School ISU Information

The EPGHS Wind Symphony will be performing at the Illinois State University Invitational on Saturday April 25th at 10:00AM. Please come support the group since these is the one time they get to play in a hall that's worthy of the sounds they make! I mean we love the gym, but come on this is the CPA!

I have uploaded the itinerary here, but you may also get a paper copy from me in the band room.

Keep practicing! We are peaking at the right time and it's going to be a performance we can be very proud of, if we concentrate on making music.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfdmt7zq_17gwdhpvfb

Junior High ISU Information

The EPGJHS Concert Band will be attending the ISU Invitational on Saturday April 18th 2009. We perform at 10AM so please come support the next generation of music makers at EPG.

It should be a fun little day trip and it's completely worth it, just to play on the beautiful stage at the ISU Center for Performing Arts.

The itinerary is posted by following the link below. Just in case anyone lost it...not like that would happen! :)

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfdmt7zq_16d9fw86g3

UPDATE

This morning a parent pointed out to me the our Senior Band Banquet is on two different dates! The correct date is May 5th, which coincides with the school calendar. I will update the instrumental calendar as well.

Since we're updating here's some other dates to remember as we wind down the school year.

April 17 7:30PM- Jazz Showcase please contact me if you need tickets
April 18 10AM- Junior High Band ISU Competition.(public is welcome)
April 25 10:00AM - HS Wind Symphony at ISU Competition (public is welcome)
April 30 6:00PM - 5th Grade Band Spring Concert
April 30 7:30PM - High School Spring Concert
May 5th 7:00PM - High Schoo Band Banquet(All MT members and family are invited)

I hope that helps as we navigate the last few weeks of school.

Bradley Honor Band Students Announced

Congratulations to Danny Hermes, Jessie Bigger, and Sam Stuckel for being selected to represent EPGHS in the Bradley University Honor Band. These three students are among 80 musicians selected from 34 schools to comprise the Junior/Senior BU Honor Band.

The concert will take place on Tuesday April 28th at 7:30 in the Dingeldine Music Center on the beautiful campus of Bradley in Peoria IL. In addition to this concert the students will attend Practice on April 21st from 6-9PM

The band will be conducted this year by clinician, Keith Johnston. Mr, Johnston is the Director of Bands at Sacred Heart University and has enjoyed a long career conducting various ensembles throughout the USA. He has served as the Music Director of the Troupers Light Opera Company, Onondaga Civic Symphony, the Allegheny Brass Band, and the Auburn Chamber Orchestra.

I'm sure the students will enjoy a great day of learning at Bradley. We hope to see lots of El Paso-Gridley supporters at the concert ont he 28th!