The Oswego High School Bands * Wind Ensemble * Symphonic Band * Concert Band * Jazz Ensembles * Marching Buccaneers* April, 2013 Wind Ensemble Concert & Ice Cream Social On April 25 th at 7:30 pm, the Wind Ensemble will be performing a concert on their own without the assistance from the other bands. This is a unique concert because not only does it feature the Wind Ensemble but a majority of the sections of the band will perform small ensembles that they have been working on in lessons. It will be an outstanding concert and quite enjoyable for everyone! Attached to the concert is an ice cream social. We are inviting all band students grades 7-12. We are hoping all students and parents will attend. There is no cost at all to families! It is our way of saying thank you for all that you do and hopefully you will come and see a concert as well! The ice cream social will be from 6-7:00 pm in the OHS Cafeteria. My goal is to get as many people there as possible and hopefully you get to enjoy a fun concert after. The purpose of this concert to entertain our 7 th and 8 th grade band members so you can see some of the amazing things we are able to do in the band program here at the high school! OHS Bands Seniors Concert The calendar is sneaking up on all of us and the end of the school year is coming fast! Our Seniors Band Concert this year is on Friday May 31 st at 7:30 pm! The date on the school calendar is incorrect, so please mark this correct date on your calendar. It is normally in June but the way the calendar falls has caused us to be in May! April showers bring awesome concerts in May! This is a pretty special concert for us because we will be recognizing all of our seniors for their years of dedication and commitment to our program. They have come a long way from little 4 th graders who made wretched sounds in your houses when they were younger! We are so proud of them and look forward to honoring them! On that same night we will be awarding several scholarships and awards: including but not limited to: The Mary Jane Owens Scholarship, The Myron-Jim Harbison Scholarship, The John Phillip Sousa Award, The Louis Armstrong Award and the Edward S. Lisk Medal of Distinction Scholarship. We hope you can join us for that special evening! Edward S. Lisk Medal of Distinction Mr. Edward S. Lisk is a jewel in the crown of our school district and community. He is a master teacher, a supremely gifted musician, conductor, author, champion for music programs everywhere and the man whose vision brought the Oswego program to national prominence. The Oswego High School Bands are proud to honor his name with the Medal of Distinction award and scholarship. The first $1,000 award was presented in June, 2012 to Jeffrey Murray. We will be presenting the 2 nd award on May 31 st at the Seniors Band Concert. Sustaining the annual scholarship must come from donations* from alumni, colleagues, businesses, friends, and community members. Please help us recognize one of our outstanding graduating band members at the upcoming Seniors Concert by contributing to the Edward S. Lisk Medal of Distinction scholarship fund today. Thank you for your support! There are two options to make a donation. Use the Internet Log on to the OHS Bands website http://oswegobands.org/index.html click DONATE (left side of screen) PayPal AND All major credit cards are accepted on this secure site. Mail To: A check or money order, payable to the OHS Band Parents Assoc. Please be sure to put Medal of Distinction on check! The Edward S. Lisk Medal of Distinction Foundation, c/o Mr. William Palange, 304 East 9 th Street Oswego, NY 13126 * Donations are tax deductible 501(c) 3, with receipts provided to donors.
Jazz News The jazz ensembles traveled to Oneida High School on March 8 th. Both bands played really well and both bands received a GOLD RATING! When we first arrived the students attended instrument specific clinics with the guest artists. The saxophones worked with alto saxophonist and Colgate University jazz director, Glenn Cashman. The rhythm section listened to drummer Marc Dicciani. The brass players got to work with the trumpet player in David Letterman s band Al Chez! Really good ideas were given and I m sure the students took away lots of valuable information. When both bands were done performing they went to another room and had a short clinic with one of the guest artists. This was a wonderful educational opportunity for the students to get immediate feedback from these professional musicians. The B Band had Glenn Cashman give them some feedback and the A band listened to trombonist, arranger and educator Steve Kessler give them some advice. Both bands received lots of great advice, but what I was most proud of was that both bands were congratulated for having fun and being entertaining. That may seem obvious for a jazz ensemble, but it does not always happen. Our played well as a band and were full of energy that came through in their music. The night finished with a performance by the Director s Band with the guest artists as soloists. All of the musicians were fantastic. I got to play lead alto in the band. It is always a lot of fun to play with my fellow colleagues and hear the amazing solos of our guest artists! In preparation for the event, we were able to bring in some local educators to give the bands a boost. Mr. Anthony Joseph, Dr. Eric Schmitz from SUNY Oswego and Mr. Trevor Jorgensen also from SUNY Oswego came in listen. It was a great help and at least one or two of the positive comments from judges were things that these gentlemen had worked on with the bands. At the end of the night there was an awards ceremony. As I said before, both bands received a gold rating. The A band trombones, consisting of Justin Abbott, Grant Richmond, Hannah Cain and Tom Godfrey, were awarded the best trombone section of the entire festival! We also had several All-Star Awards that are listed below. The way the bands conducted themselves and performed definitely made Oswego proud. GREAT JOB! Oneida Jazz Fest 2013All-Star Awards Justin Abbott trombone Justin Abbott trumpet Nina Alcasid.piano Tyme Baez trumpet Jordan Crapser..vibes Mike Farden..alto saxophone Mike Farden.tenor saxophone Ashton Flint..bass Tom Godfrey...bass trombone Tom Godfrey.bass trombone Derrick Johnson...drum set Emily King trumpet Kyle McCauley tenor saxophone Paul Oleyourryk baritone saxophone Zemiah Phrance vocals Zemiah Phrance.guitar Grant Richmond...trombone With one successful event completed the jazz bands have no time to rest. We are already digging into the charts for our upcoming spring concerts. We are looking forward to the Evening of Big Band Jazz with LA trumpet player Wayne Bergeron, the Farmer s Market on June 13 th and the A band s performance at Syracuse Jazz Fest on July 6 th and Breitbeck park on July 7 th.
NYSSMA Solo Festival We highly encourage all students to participate in the NYSSMA, (New York State School of Music Association). Besides extra practice time which will improve everyone s playing, this festival allows students the opportunity to audition for Area All- State and Conference All-State Ensembles. The best part for students is the feedback they receive from a professional judge who is an expert on their instrument! The NYSSMA solo festival will be held at Fulton Junior High School this year on May 3 rd and 4 th. Many students have already signed up. This festival happens the same time each year so if you missed the opportunity to audition this year, keep an eye out for next year. It s never too early to start practicing. See one of your teachers now if you want to be ready extra early for next year! If you signed up to perform at this year s event, please make time to come in and work with Mr. Defren, Mr. Ciesla, or Miss Sweeting so we can hear your progress and help you along the way. If you are playing with a piano accompanist make sure to schedule rehearsal times with them now. Late April and May are a very busy time for pianists and they may not be able to schedule things last minute. We will let you know when your performance time is as soon as we know; hopefully right before or after Spring break. District Arts Festival The music department and the art department are teaming up again this year to have the 2 nd Annual District Arts Festival on Saturday April 27 th. The event will run from 12:00pm-5:00pm in the high school with a majority of the artwork/music being set up in the cafeteria. During the day there will be art work displayed in the cafeteria and hall ways. There will also be mini performances or music by students from nearly every school building throughout the hallways. We invite everyone to come and see the hard work and talent of our district visual and performing art students. OCSD. SENIORS: Please start gathering Digital photos for the Senior s slide show!!! Upcoming Events 4/25 Wind Ensemble Sounds of Spring Faust Theater 7:30 pm 5/3-4 NYSSMA Solo Festival Fulton JH TBA 5/24 Evening of Big Band Jazz Faust Theater 7:00pm 5/31 Band Senior s Concert Faust Theater 7:30pm 6/6 Orchestra Senior s Concert Faust Theatre 7:30 pm 6/10 Marching Band Orientation Faust Theatre 7:00 pm 6/13 Jazz Bands at Farmer s Market West 1 st St. 6:00pm 6/22 Graduation-Wind Ensemble Performs SUNY Oswego 10:00am 7/6 Syracuse Jazz Fest-Jazz A TBA TBA 7/7 Fourth of July Parade OHS the Fort TBA 7/7 Jazz Ensemble A- 4 th of July Breitbeck Park 6:30pm 8/5-9 Band Camp OHS TBA
WHY BAND? I have included this article that is going around the internet and was submitted in response to a school district cutting music programs in their district. I think that this article highlights some of the extra benefits that our students receive by being involved in our music program here in the Oswego City School District. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for all of your support as we strive for excellence here in the music program! The best extracurricular activity at many high schools is band, particularly marching band. KALAMAZOO, MI A friend and I who have eight children between us who have all gone through high school have a theory about extracurricular activities. The theory is this: The best extracurricular activity at many high schools is band, particularly marching band. The reasons have little or nothing to do with music, and everything to do with the unique characteristics of high school band and its ability to promote positive social relationships. Here s what makes band unique: Counting summer band practice, it s often the only school activity that s year- round. So, unlike sports teams or the theater cast or the forensic team that s close-knit for the several months the members are together but not so much for the rest of the year, band members are together all year, which tends to create close friendships. The fact that band is a class as well as an extracurricular offers two advantages. One is that band students get a teacher that they ll have for all four years, which can be a real asset in terms of having a school adult who gets to know them particularly well. The other advantage is that, since their class schedule is built around band, band students tend to have other classes and their lunch period together, helping to reinforce band friendships. At the risk of making a broad generalization, band kids tend to be the kind of high-achieving, relatively well-behaved students whom a parent would want for his or her child s social group. And peer relationships are a huge factor in whether a teen s high school years are productive or a train wreck. Band is unusual in that it groups all four grades together. Unlike sports, band doesn t divide students into freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams. That makes for a more united group as kids move through their four years of high school and gives more opportunities for older kids to mentor young kids. Incoming ninth-graders who participate in summer band practice or camp before entering high school have junior and seniors greeting them in the hallways even during the first week of school. Marching band is an excellent vehicle for teaching a host of skills such as discipline, teamwork and the importance of following directions. There s nothing like being the person who messes up a formation in a marching-band competition or hits a sour note during a concert to drive home the point that every individual s contribution counts, for better or worse. True, band is not unique in this respect, but I would argue that it drives those skills home exceptionally well. Band also is an activity where practice really does make perfect. It teaches teens that simply relying on raw talent doesn t cut it. Band directors, particularly of marching bands, like big numbers and typically work to accommodate every student. For teens who think they re not good at anything, band can be an activity where their contribution is valued and they can feel part of something big and important. It s also an area where struggling students can shine. Until he graduated, one of the best percussionists in my daughter s band was a boy who was developmentally disabled. Many other school activities don t pay off until junior or senior year. With band, even if teens want to move on in the upper grades, they ve already received the benefits. I fully realize the benefits of other activities. I ve had kids in everything from mock trial to track and cross country to school musicals to the Art Honor Society, and they ve all been wonderfully enriching experiences. But if I had an eighth-grader who was worried about making friends and nervous about high school, I d be encouraging that child to give marching band a hard look. If the child doesn t play an instrument now, the band director likely will find a spot somewhere for that child. Experts say that the key to high school success is rigor, relevance and relationships. Band hits on all three: It offers the rigor of learning to play music while marching in complex formations; the relevance of the discipline and team skills that benefit teens long after high school, and relationships that can develop and deepen over all four years of high school. As for the music? That s the icing on the cake.
CONTRATULATIONS TO OUR 2013 WINTER GUARD ENSEMBLE The Oswego High School Guard finished off an undefeated season at The Mid-York Color Guard Circuit Championships this past weekend at North Syracuse Junior High School. Oswego captured first place in all judging captions with a score of 81.51 to win the title in the Scholastic A2 category. Finishing behind the Bucs were New Hartford (80.65), Mohonasen (79.08), Union-Endicott(76.94), Baldwinsville (76.67) and APW (76.15). OHS WINTER GUARD 2013 Mid-York SA2 State Champions The guard was led on the floor by seniors Carly Hewitt, Deanna Santiago and Liz Westcott. Other members include Myranda Arnesen, Mikaela Barber, Emily Bradshaw, Katie Bradshaw, Crystal Brooks, Stephanie Cusyck, Danielle Gilbert, Cassie Hondro, Austin Jackson, Cassidy Jones, Marissa Kelly, Cayla Knopp, Cheyenne Malone, Betsy O Gorman, Katherine Pecora, Kylie Pelky, Brittany Reed, Annie Reynolds, Sarah Reynolds and Ashley Richmond. Winter Guard director Mike Tierney said, The 23 members of this guard have been working hard since November. We have certainly enjoyed quite a bit of competitive success this season, but what makes us proud is the way these students never made the season about winning or losing. It was always about doing their best each and every night and enjoying working together as a team. Tierney continued, The Oswego winter guard program has been growing steadily over the last several years and this year was an outstanding step in the future development and growth of our program. Director of bands Scott Ciesla said, This was just our second year in this class after moving up from a lower class prior to last season. All of us here are extremely proud of the guard s accomplishment. This program has been all about training and providing the guard members with an opportunity to work on their skills year round like their instrumental counterparts. We are excited for their success and everything they have been able to accomplish this year. This year s show was designed by Ryan Bronner with the choreography created by Alyssa Darrow. Also contributing to the success were flag technician Shannon O Mara, rifle technician Ali Sivers and graduate assistant Jacqueline Hondro.