You should hear your student practicing (and improving!) at home. There is a significant homework assignment due at this week’s lesson, and our video assessment #3 will take place the following week.

Professional recordings of the weekly lesson homework assignments are posted on the YHS Band Dashboard and extra help sessions are available weekly after school.  Please let Ms. Kluga know how she can help your student be successful.

As always, please contact Ms. Kluga with any questions and thanks for your help and support! 

The shoe fundraising truck will arrive this Wednesday, and we are hoping for a few last-minute donations! Our goal was 100 bags of gently used and new shoes, and we currently have 65. Please send in your shoes – thanks for any additional help you can give!

On Tuesday, January 21st, the First Nighters will host a Paint and Sip at the Gramercy (in Yorktown) to help raise money for Music Boosters/Disney 2020. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased through the following link:  

https://www.yaymaker.com/events/_10191259

Thank you to the First Nighters for hosting this event!

A reminder to be aware of our tight rehearsal schedule. As discussed before break, the expectation is that you will make time to practice. Recordings are available on your Dashboard. Make an appointment with me early this week if you need help learning your music. Ms. Kluga is looking forward to rehearsing with you this Thursday!

Rehearsals: Thursdays 1/9, 1/16, 1/23, 1/30. (7:20 – 9:00).

Many, many thanks to our army of parent and student volunteers who helped make our December citrus delivery day run so smoothly! Whether you donated snacks, or your valuable time, it takes our collective herculean effort to organize and distribute all 1,400+ boxes. Thank you all so much!

Extra special thanks to the band dads who donated their time and labor unloading the truck, to the many of you who spent so much of your day with us, and especially Mrs. Karen Menduni for masterfully organizing the parent volunteers and food donations, and to Mrs. Adriana Beaudreault for securing amazing food donations from our local businesses (and bringing yummy hot dishes from her home as well!).  We had both an abundance of help and food! And, more thanks to Mrs. Beaudreault, Mrs. Laura Lee Milhaven, and Mr. and Mrs. Townes for donating their day to ensure that our logistics ran smoothly!

As stated on your Jazz Band calendar, we WILL have rehearsal this Thursday 12/19 from 7:20-9:00. Get ready to read through our new music for the Swing Dance!  See you then.

Please help us reach our goal of 100 bags of 25 pairs per bag (we have 40 bags so far). A good time to drop off shoes is when you arrive to pick up your citrus order! We also have a collection box in the front lobby of YHS. Thank you! Additional information is attached. Please share with your friends!

Our next concert performance is Saturday 2/8/20 at 7:00, in the YHS GYM.  This is our 12^th annual Swing Dance and Concert.  All YHS Band students are required to attend.  It is both a concert, and a dance, and everyone is invited!  (Yes, parents, you are invited!  Don’t let your student tell you otherwise J).  This is an eagerly anticipated, well-attended and fun evening for our entire Yorktown community (each year we have many senior citizens and community members attend and enjoy the evening with us!).  More details to follow.

Over 30 students attended our social gathering this past Friday! Many thanks to our student leaders for hosting and organizing this event. Students enjoyed treats, the movie, and time together. A photo is attached.

We hope to have the full concert recordings available for download at www.yhsbands.com later this week.

The live stream is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYPtUOprEqo&feature=youtu.be

All students are required to pick up their ENTIRE order in the YHS Band Room between the hours of 2:30 and 6:30pm.  See you then!

Thank you in advance to our many parent volunteers, and to those donating food items throughout the day.  Your help is so appreciated and so integral to the success of this very logistically intense event!  Special thanks to band parents Adriana Beaudreault, Laura Lee Milhaven, and Karen Menduni for organizing the parent volunteers and food donations!

Our next concert performance is Saturday 2/8/20 at 7:00, in the YHS GYM.  This is our 12^th annual Swing Dance and Concert.  All YHS Band students are required to attend.  It is both a concert, and a dance, and everyone is invited!  (Yes, parents, you are invited!  Don’t let your student tell you otherwise J).  This is an eagerly anticipated, well-attended and fun evening for our entire Yorktown community (each year we have many senior citizens and community members attend and enjoy the evening with us!).  More details to follow. A flyer is attached.

A reminder to please donate your gently used shoes – we have a collection box in the front lobby of YHS. Thank you! Additional information is attached. Please share with your friends!

Similar to NYSSMA, YHS Jazz Band students are eligible to audition for our Westchester All County Jazz Band.  Being selected is an elite musical honor and a fantastic opportunity to perform with some of Westchester’s most talented student jazz musicians!  Interested students should prepare a jazz NYSSMA solo, fill out an application and attend the audition.   You do not need to improvise to audition. The audition date is Saturday 1/11/20 Details are attached. See Ms. Kluga for an application. Applications are DUE to me by Friday, 12/13.

A unique and fun performance opportunity for our euphonium and tuba students!   Perform in a public concert on the Rockefeller Center Ice Rink with hundreds of fellow low-brass musicians!  2019 is the 46th anniversary of this event.  Flyer is attached with more info.  Questions?  Speak to Ms. Kluga.