Early April Notes and News

A myriad of events, but none are taxing ....

We are wrapping up the third quarter and plunging into the fourth quarter with many activities!

The first SCUSD High School Honor Band holds their rehearsals and concert in the next two weeks. All participants received permission slips and itineraries. I urge all members to touch base with each other to set up carpools for the rehearsals on April 2nd and 9th. We still need a car to carpool students for the full-day rehearsal on April 4th as the bus fell through. The concert is Thursday, April 10th beginning at 7 pm at Kennedy HS.

The Festa di Vino fundraiser is Saturday, April 5th. The informational meeting is Tuesday, April 1st right after school for about 15 minutes. There are still two slots left for anyone wishing to raise money for their music account. The sign-up sheet is in the announcement section of the white board.

Essence of Rosemont is Friday, April 11th. The Winter Percussion and Winter Guard close the evening’s festivities in the large gym. Come and see their award-winning shows. Call time is 6:45 pm. If it is not raining, we can set up in the large gym & leave everything. If it is raining, we’ll need to work it like a show where we bring it right in, perform & right out. We have a music booster booth selling snow cones, and so much more! The booster board will be there to answer questions about the future fund raisers and there will be bells and drums available for the little ones to dip their feet into the music water! We're looking forward to seeing the 8th grade students join our groups next fall.

Parent support is critical for the continued success of the music program. Please think about joining the booster board. We need parents from ALL classes to join our board. The commitment is one 1 ½ hour meeting per month. Booster board parents can tell you that the rewards are many, watching our students grow musically. We need the volunteer help of ALL our parents in some capacity next year, to maintain our standing as a premier music program in the Sacramento area. We will have a meeting in May with nominations for next year's board and information about our fireworks booth, our biggest money-maker.

Student mid-term playing tests / in-class performances are starting. The Cadet and Concert bands have their playing test in class beginning April 1st. The Symphonic Band and String Orchestra’s in-class performances begin April 7th. Practice chart J is due April 4th. Practice chart K is due April 11th. K’s grade will be reflected in the 4th quarter due to the elimination of Zangle that day. An extra-credit practice chart, K9, can be done over spring break and turned in on Monday, April 21st.

Our “Downton Abbey” concert, featuring English music of the early 20th Century, is slated for Wednesday, April 23rd at 7 pm in the Performing Arts Theater. This is our third required concert of the school year.

Performances will feature:

1. The RHS Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Cadet Band and String Orchestra
2. Music by Gustav Holst, Percy Grainger and Ralph Vaughn-Williams
3. The opportunity to listen to various settings of the same composition for aesthetic valuing, one of the main music standards.

Our String Orchestra received an invitation to perform for the 50th anniversary celebration of CAPEDS, Capital Area Association of Educational Office Professionals. It is Tuesday evening, April 29th at the Casa Del Los Ninos. It is an honor and tribute to our reputation that we were selected to perform. The group will get more information as I receive it.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you at Essence and the Downton Abbey concert!

Mrs. Robin Wilmer