January 10, 2010

Happy New Year! Yes, I know EVERYONE has been anxiously awaiting a new entry for my blog post :-)

Well, it was Saturday, January 9, 2010 - I attended the NHMEA/NHBDA Chamber Festival at Timberlane Regional High School in Plaistow NH. Sitting in their auditorium, relaxing and reflecting before the various Chamber groups began their dress rehearsal and Mrs. B sitting next to me reading the Lost Symbol by Dan Brown I started to write this blog. Kudos to her for helping me transport our attendees and spending the day with me listening to some great choral and instrumental music.

Once again, I want to congratulate the following students for being selected to perform. Matt Sidilau, Jazz Ensemble -Jake Galloway and Kyle Garnick, Brass Choir - Tony Clements and Brad Fernald, Men’s Choir. Students were selected based on their scores and selection to the NHMEA All State Festival. This was a great opportunity for our students, not only to perform with the best student musicians from the state and play some quality literature but also learn through various clinics with some of the finest music educators in our the region. An additional caveat is making connections with music students throughout New Hampshire. Personally, it’s a time for me to get together with my colleagues and have enlighten conversations and a few laughs!
Music truly does bring everyone together as a family and sharing a common love to create.

The week of January 4 got us “back to the routine”. Jazz band read through a few more swing tunes in preparation for the upcoming cabaret “When Radio was King” and the I and J period bands reviewed what we had started to practice for cabaret before the holiday break. “Big Band Spectacular” was also handed out to the I and J period bands in preparation for our upcoming spectacular called - you guess it - Cabaret!

Hey, did you notice there is a theme – Cabaret, that’s right it’s that time of year!

Students received all the information to make the weekend event March 27-28, 2010 a great event. I will send the information to our webmasters for posting. Freshman parents - this is "the event" please read everything pertaining to Cabaret as this can be your child's biggest fund raiser of the year. There is also important ticket information.


Disney payments are due January 12.

Please remember that all music department trips are optional but as you are well aware these performance/instructional trips have proven to be very successful and rewarding for not only our students but chaperones and tag a longs as well. Beside the lifetime of memories, many students come back year after year to give back to our program because they remember those travel and performance experiences. The Friends of Music support group (which technically is every parent who has a student in a performance group) takes great pride in helping to organize, fund raise and support the student’s educational and travel experiences. To date the Friends of Music have credited each student account with $150.00 which is above and beyond any fundraising or cash payments.

At our FOM E Board meeting on December 21, 2009 Mr. Egan, our treasurer, informed us that "we are hurting" with meeting our obligations to CSL tours because the monthly payments of $100.00 have not been met by everyone attending the Disney Trip. At this point $700.00 should be in everyone's account (either in cash payments or fundraising).

Everything (air and ground transportation, hotels, "extra" clinics, side trips etc) have been booked with the necessary deposits to date. At our next e board meeting we will be re evaluating the finances. I am sorry to be so abrupt but all monthly payments of $100.00 (in cash or fundraising) need to be met so that FOM can make its monthly payment obligation to CSL tours. Please make every effort to catch up if you are behind. Unfortunately, FOM does not have the capability of covering those payments when people fall behind. If you feel that there is no way you will be able to meet the monthly obligation I need to know by January 12, 2010 as FOM as the process of cancellations will begin.

Finally, I do know that people are having difficulty and I am sensitive to this issue but there is that point in time when it’s ok to say “Hey, Mr. B we just can’t afford it and we need to back off on the trip this year”.
The band and choirs will travel again next year, yes it won’t be Disney but the memories will still be great!

Whew! I didn't mean to get on a soap box !

FYI- Performance students will not be taking mid terms the week of January 16-20.


OK, time to sulk about the Patriots losing - Go Green Bay ! ! !

Ciao,
Mr B