Director's Report: John Zarco
January 2009
Happy New Year! I hope that all of you have had a wonderful holiday season and were able to spend some precious time with your loved ones. We had a fantastic first half of the year and I want to extend my thanks and congratulations to all the students, parents, and staff that made it all possible. Looking ahead, we continue with our winter activities, including winter guard and our now competitive winter percussion unit. Those programs have kicked off and are in full swing; we have some great students and staff working in both those ensembles. If you are a winter percussion mom/dad, please be on the lookout for any announcements regarding volunteer work for the competitions. In fact, if you know you are able to work as a chaperone or truck driver for the winter percussion, please contact me via email at jzarco@lgsuhsd.org .
Also, Jazz Band I, our intermediate jazz band has started, and I wanted to remind everyone that they are on a new schedule. Jazz I rehearses on Tuesday nights from 5:30 – 7 p.m., as well as Fridays during tutorial. Both jazz bands are working on their sets for CMEA Jazz Festival (February 7) and Jazz Cabaret (March 7).
Congratulations to all students who auditioned or who were accepted into county or all-state honor band! We are always proud of those who go through the audition process, as this takes a great deal of time and effort in preparation. Mr. Boitz has included the concert and venue information in his wonderful report. We strongly encourage musicians to audition for these ensembles next year!
Another exciting thing on the horizon is the world premiere of a piece which Jazz Band II has commissioned and will debut in April! We have commissioned Dr. Greg Yasinitsky, from Washington State University, and nationally-renowned jazz artist and pedagogue to compose an original jazz ensemble piece just for us. He will be flying out to work with the ensemble on the new composition, and the band will premiere the piece at their April 27th concert in the McAfee Center! Thank you to SMB for being so supportive of this project and process…it would not be possible without their help! Stay tuned for publicity on this exciting event.
As with all our events here in the music department, please take the time to attend and support your outstanding students. And, if you can be involved in some way to help out behind the scenes, we appreciate it so much. Thank you for being a part of something special here with SMB; the things we do go far to help people experience a quality education and further their understanding of music and aesthetic values. We look forward to seeing you again soon!
Best wishes,
John Zarco
| go to Curriculum |