HALIFAX ALL-CITY MUSIC: A FEW NOTES This is our first newsletter of the year. Look for one in March and May as well Who We Are Public Music Education For Everyone Halifax All-City Music is a publicly funded music education program for students in the Halifax Regional Municipality. We teach over 850 string students from grades 4-12 in the Citadel High School, Halifax West High School, J.L. Ilslie High School and Sir John A. MacDonald High School families of schools. We also provide auditioned extension ensembles to support music programs throughout HRM, including 8 choirs, 2 concert bands, 2 honour orchestras, 3 Jazz Ensembles, an Orff ensemble and a Celtic fiddle ensemble. We are funded by supplementary funding provided through the Halifax Regional Municipality, and staffed through the Halifax Regional School Board. We are 23 full and part time educators providing amazing musical experiences to 1250 students from downtown Halifax to Sambro, Bedford and Sackville. For more information, contact: Nathan Beeler Department Head nbeeler@hrsb.ca 902 717 4664 September 2014 to January, 2015 In Our Newlswetter FAPA-The fine arts parents association A busy start to the year Winterlude!! What Can I do as part of Halifax All-City Music? It is in Apple s DNA that technology alone is not enough it s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our heart sing. Steve Jobs, in introducing the ipad 2 in 2011 The fine arts parents association supports Halifax All City Music through fund raising, scholarship management, general support and music advocacy. This association meets on the second Fine Arts Parents Association (FAPA) Tuesday of each month, and is a great way for you to get involved in your child s music education. For more information or to volunteer, please contact: Tara Miller, Chair Tara.miller@intact.net
1 2 lorem ipsum A Very Busy Start To The Year! Our amazing music educators and dedicated students have been very busy making music this year. Hundreds and hundreds of hours of rehearsal are represented in this list. September: Beginner string recruitment Ensembles begin rehearsals Girls Honour Choir performs aboard Theodor Tugboat Choir Clinics October: Orchestra workshop with 150 grade 6 string students Girls Honour Choir performs at Fairview United Church November: Six ensembles perform at the Canadian Federation of University Women Fundraising Concert Boys Honour Choir performs Remembrance Day Vigil String ensembles (130 students) perform at Spatz theatre Jazz Band performs with the Dal Jazz Ensemble Choirs perform at Citadel Hill Choirs perform at St. Mary s Basilica (300 voices) Boys Honour Choir performs at an industry conference December: Concert Bands perform at the Cathedral Church of All Saints. (60 students) Jazz concert at Oxford School Junior orchestra concert at Oxford School Vivace Choir performs at Charlie Brown Concert Boys Honour Choir performs with Nova Voce and releases a CD! Orffestra and Vivace perform at Farmers Market in Hammonds Plains Honour Violins perform at the Dal Arts Centre SO MANY holiday concerts for our string, band and choral teachers! What is Orchestra Workshop? Orchestra workshop is a chance for our grade six string students to experience how epically cool it is to play in an orchestra. Four times a year they meet for a morning together to make some great music and have some fun. Our next orchestra workshop is Friday, January 16th from 8:30am to 11:30 am. This amazing event also gives the string educators a chance to talks to the students about taking strings in Junior High School, which we highly recommend! Ms. Mason leads the BIG group! 2
Winterlude! Mark your calendars for the musical showcase event of the year! Join the students and staff of the Halifax All City Music Program on Saturday, February 28, 2015 for an afternoon and/or evening of musical entertainment and socializing at the McInnis Room of the Dalhousie Student Union Building. The afternoon performance runs from 2pm-4pm and features performers from choirs and instrumental musical ensembles in the elementary and junior high levels. Coffee, tea and soft drinks are available for purchase. As the daylight fades, the nighttime performances heat up with students in senior high entertaining us with a musical talent, which has been developed and cultivated over years, culminating in a dance to finish the evening off. A cash bar is available for the evening performance, which runs from 8pm to 11:30pm. We look forward to seeing you at Winterlude 2015!! Tickets are on sale now through your FAPA reps or at the door on the day of the event. Winterlude is FAPA s biggest annual fundraiser with all funds raised used to exclusively support the All City Music Programs. 3
Soundtrax with Symphony Nova Scotia March 10, 11, 12 Our very own Soundtrax Choir will be performing with Symphony Nova Scotia in March as part of their Video Games Live show! Well done Soundtrax and their conductor Heather Fraser. The Music Centre The music centre is located on the bottom floor of Oxford Street School. We have four rehearsal spaces, a music library and an instrument bank. On any given afternoon you can find up to 250 musicians rehearsing, learning and cooperating to create amazing music. 4
What Can I Do As Part of Halifax All-City Music? String Program- String classes in small group lessons from grades 4-12. (Multiple Schools) Several Junior High Orchestras. (Multiple Schools) Two Senior High Ensembles (Grades 10-12) All-city classes in bass, cello and viola One Auditioned Honour Violin Ensemble (Music Center) All-City Honour Violins One Auditioned Symphony Orchestra (Music Centre) All-City Halifax Schools Symphony Orchestra One Celtic Music Ensemble Fiddlefax (Music Centre) Concert Band Program- Two Auditioned Concert Bands Halifax All-City Intermediate Concert Band (Music Centre) Halifax All-City St. Margaret s Bay Honour Band (Five Bridges Junior High) Jazz Program- Two Auditioned Jazz Bands Senior Jazz Band Music Centre Intermediate Jazz Band Music Centre One Auditioned Combo Jazz Combo Two Auditioned Mixed Voice Jazz Choirs Jazz Voices Bedford Jazz Voices Charles P. Allen High School, Bedford Choir Program Two Auditioned Boys Choirs Halifax Boys Honour Choir (Music Centre) St. Margaret s Bay Boys Honour Choir (Tantallon Senior Elementary) Three Auditioned Girls Choirs Halifax Girls Honour Choir (Music Centre) Halifax Youth Honour Choir (Music Centre) Vivace (Kingswood Elementary) One Auditioned Mixed Voice Choir Soundtrax (Music Centre) Orffestra An ensemble for Orff instruments and voices (Kingswood Elementary) 5