Dear Goddard USD 265 School Administration:
I am writing to express concerns about the high enrollment at Discovery Intermediate School. As you know, I recruited over 100 5th grade students last year and the majority of these students returned this year as 6th grade students. In order to accommodate these students, we have been meeting in the mini auditorium Monday, Wednesday, and every other Friday. After meeting with my 6th grade classes for several weeks, I have determined that holding classes in the auditorium is not conducive to learning, as we remain short on space. In addition to space issues, I have many students with special needs who require additional supports for learning that are not readily available in the auditorium.
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The difference is that I have large classes and students with instruments and the larger the group, the longer the tuning process that consumes a considerable amount of instructional time. Exacerbating this problem is tuning beginning string students since they are unable to tune and trying to make instruments of inferior quality playable. I have listed some of the highlights that makes our orchestra program stand out as a superior instrumental music program.
• The strings program in Goddard has received recognition for its outstanding orchestra programs in the State of Kansas. This year, I have pushed approximately 17 students to successfully audition for and earn a spot in honor groups such as the Wichita Youth Symphony, District and All State Groups just to name a few. It is also very important to note that these select students have been assigned leadership roles in these honor groups, thus earning recognition from college and university professors.
• The Eisenhower High School Orchestra will appear at a national festival this year in Nashville, T.N. A group of highly skilled musicians who started out playing in the intermediate school orchestra programs earned this opportunity for our orchestra by earning a Gold Rating in Chicago last year.
• In 2015, Eisenhower Middle School won 1st Place Superior Rating as well as the “Best Overall Orchestra” in all categories at the Music in the Parks Festival in Kansas
A high school music teacher and band director, Dwight Asberry provides valuable instruction in both specific instrument training and general music appreciation and history. He also excels as a composer and arranger. Over the course of his career in music education, Dwight Asberry has directed a number of college, high school, middle school, and youth organization performance ensembles including symphonic and concert band, jazz band, pep band, marching band, drum line, wind ensemble, string orchestra, and choir.
The Sartell High School’s bands, choirs, and orchestra had their first concert of the year on October 16, 2017. I will be evaluating the wind ensemble’s performance of their two pieces.
Congratulations to the students in 7th and 8th grade who spent a whole weekend at UMKC for the UMKC Honor Band and Orchestra. These students were nominated by their peers and teachers and selected by the UMKC staff. The nominees had to perform a solo piece to audition for seating. There were more than 25 other local middle schools participating in this festival, and Prairie Star did quite well with a whopping 13 students accepted to the festival.
On February 25, 2016, I was able to see the Mid-Year Band Concert in the PAC. The pieces I have chosen to review were performed by the Varsity, Symphonic II and Symphonic I Bands and conducted by Mr. Bailey and Mr. Hillhouse. “King Cotton,” “Amparito Roca,” and “Valdres” were among my favorites in the program and are all coincidentally, marches.
Smithville High School presented two winter concerts. I got the opportunity to view both performances. The first show was by the Vocal Music Department directed by Mr. Marcus Duncan and aided by accompanist Emily Rowland, and the second show was by the Jazz Ensemble and Symphonic Band conducted by Mr. Tom Brockman and Ms. Brittany Terwey. There were very similar aspects of the two concerts and very different aspects of the two concerts.
When I moved back to Georgia the first time, I was placed into an orchestra class that made me feel like a 30 year-old woman stuck in first grade. I was uncomfortable with the fact that I wasn't being challenged and my love for music was slowly diminishing. It wasn't until I moved back to Virginia that I was put into one of the most highly-recognized high school orchestras in Chesapeake, Grassfield High School. My orchestra director, Mr. Vutsinas, pushed me to new heights of musicality that I did not know I could not
I really liked how all the musicians in the orchestra each had their own personal style in playing their instrument.
The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Matthew Kraemer, played at the Tilson Music Hall on Indiana State University campus. The orchestra came to Terre Haute as part of the Indiana State University 50th Annual Contemporary Music Festival. To hear the orchestra play was a delight. The pieces that were played were by James A. Beckel, Jr. and Libby Larsen.
I have never had any sort of chance to see an orchestra or symphony play until Saturday February 6th, 2016 when I went to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and I have to say it was quite the experience. During this event, Krzysztof Urbanski conducted Music from 2001: A Space Odyssey which was a 1968 film which was popularly known for its use of classical music.
On Friday, February 23rd 2018, I attended a music concert at Chabot college at building 1300. The concert was tithe “wind symphony”. The name of the performers was Chamber Ensemble, The Orchestra, The Wind Band and Jazz Ensembles. During the concert Timothy Harris was the conductor, Gray Hill the guest conductor while Joe Bonfiglio, the soloist. The instrument of the ensembles were Horns, Trumpet, Trombones, bass trombone, Harp, percussion, Clarinets and Bass Clarinet, Bassoons and contrabassoon, 1st violins, 2nd violins , flutes and piccolo, Oboe and English Horn, viola, Bass, cello, double bass, wind, saxophone, tuba, marimba , Xylophone, timpani, Piano, Bass Drum, cymbals and Snare Drum.
I recently attended the Kansas State University Orchestra conducted by Dr. David Littrell and graduate student Travis Hale. The orchestra featured four pieces, Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Minor composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, Petite Suite composed by Claude Debussy arranged by Henri Busser, Overture to La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie) composed by Gioachino Rossini, and Overture to Le roi d’Ys composed by Edouard Lalo.
In the month of March, I attended the musical performance “Harp Magic” by the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra at the Michigan Theater and the performance of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra at Hill Auditorium. Though the two orchestras, repertories, and venues were all different, experiencing the two performances in the same month allowed me to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the role that symphony orchestras play in today’s society. By attending live performances of symphony orchestras in Ann Arbor, one can learn become engaged with musical history and the symphonic tradition, recognize the transformation of the function of symphony orchestras, and take part in enjoying and continuing the art that has also been undergoing
As a student who makes it their goal to involve himself in every musical activity, I have had the privilege to play music in large groups like a marching band, big band, and orchestra, in addition to small groups like a jam band and a traditional gypsy jazz band. I’ve participated in competitions at tens of schools, auditioned into region bands, and played big band charts on the steps of the Navy Memorial. With that being considered the group that had the most profound effect on me is a student-run Jazz combo, a small group of around eight high school musicians who played jazz standards at smaller high-class events. My four years in this group contain some of my most significant experiences of my high-school career. These experiences were what changed a nervous and absent minded freshman into the confident student leader that I act as today.
On October 11th, 2016, I went to the OSU Symphonic Band concert, conducted by Associate Director of Bands, Douglas Henderson. After the OSU Saxophone Octet opened for the concert, the Symphonic Band performed In This Broad Earth, composed by Steven Bryant, Danzon (from Fancy Free Ballet), composed by Leonard Bernstein and arranged by John Krance, Peace and Light Rising, composed by Edward Knight, and all four movements of Second Suite in F, composed by Gustav Holst. The Symphonic Band is the second group between the first group, Wind Ensemble, and the third group, Concert Band. Their instrumentation aligns with the modern concert band style of piccolo, flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, bassoon, trumpet, French horn, trombone, baritone, tuba, and various percussion instruments to meet the piece’s requirements. The concert took place in the Seretean Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall with a variety of college students and adults in the audience. The OSU Symphonic Band’s concert has allowed me to further understand and use the information I’ve learned in class from observing them play In This Broad Earth, Danzon, Peace and Light Rising, and Second Suite in F Major.
My definition of excellence is being on time to class and putting forth all your effort to playing your instrument.The way I strive for excellence as a student of Carolina High School is by doing my best in class and trying to complete all assignments on time . Also,by understanding music and playing it to the best of my ability.In my opinion,the qualities of Carolina High School Symphonic Band is the fact that Carolina Band is one of a kind and when all instruments are combined we sound like a great and successful band.Participating in Symphonic Band can impact a student’s live because one day,a student may become a director of band or a proffesional musician because they found an interest in music in a band class at highschool.The Symphonic