Congrats - Athletic Awards

Congratulations to all of our award winners at the Athletic banquet last night.  The great thing about Westwood is that we have a large number of athletes who are also involved in the band program.

Here are our Athletic Musicians:

JV Girls Volleyball Coach's award - Jessica K. (Trumpet)

Varsity Boys Volleyball - Coach's Award - Brady C. (Bassoon)

Girls Rugby Coach's Award - Brenna D. (F. Horn)

Baseball Coach's Award - Colin Y. (Bass Bone)

Boys Hockey Coach's Award - Ben S. (Trumpet)

JV Boys Volleyball MVP - Bryce M (Baritone)

Varsity Girls Volleyball MVP - Kelli B. (Trombone)

Varsity Girls Volleyball MVP - Mikayla W.  (Flute)

Varsity Boys Volleyball MVP  - Ryan L. (Trumpet)

Ultimate MVP - Nick E. (Timpani/ Percussion)

JV Ultimate MVP - Lexi M. (Tenor Sax/ Piano)

Curling MVP - Mason S. (Flute)

Curling MVP - Cassie S. (Clarinet)

JV Girls Basketball MVP - Lexi M.  (Tenor Sax/ Piano)

Girls Soccer MVP - Megan H. (Alto Sax)

Badminton MVP - Derek H. (Trumpet)

Badminton MVP - Jeremy L. (Mallets)

Girls Rugby MVP - Danika M. (Flute)

Boys Rugby MVP  - Christian T. (Alto)

Boys Soccer MVP - Devin D. (Bass Clarinet)

Lacrosse MVP - Kellen C. (Alto Sax)

JV Boys Athlete of the Year - Bryce M. (Baritone)

JV Girls Athlete of the Year - Lexy M. (Tenor Sax/ Piano)

Varsity Boys Athlete of the Year - Ben S. (Trumpet)

Warrior Award - Maya S. (Clarinet)

Warrior Award - Nick E.  - (Timpani/ Percussion)

Warrior Heart and Hustle Award - Bentley T (Trombone)

Want to keep playing?

June 1, 2017

Dear Students,

I trust that you have had a wonderful year of growth, achievement, fun and music making. It was a pleasure meeting so many of you in workshops throughout the year and hearing many of your performances. Manitoba is certainly blessed with many outstanding school programs and talented students and teachers.

I am writing to invite you to consider an opportunity to continue playing after high school. The University of Manitoba Concert Band is open to students from across campus and the greater Winnipeg community. The ensemble this past year consisted of 75 players from ages 17 – 37 and only 12 of them were music majors. Many of our instrumental music majors are in the orchestra or wind ensemble. The concert band members are incredibly dedicated, passionate and enthusiastic people who love making music together once a week. Concert Band is a wonderful way to continue playing, meet new people and get involved in U of M activities. The group rehearses on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 – 9:30 and performs in four concerts per year. There is a $60 registration fee for the year applicable to members not taking concert band for credit. Students enrolled in the course do not pay the annual fee. The ensemble plays music from level 4-6 and a diverse range of styles and composers.

New and exciting for the 2017-2018 season is the opening of the new U of M state of the art rehearsal facilities, boasting the finest in acoustics and structural engineering. We are very excited to move into this space in August and start making beautiful music.

Acceptance is determined by audition which is based on the Manitoba Senior Honour Band etudes which can be found on this link  https://www.mbband.org/honour-concert-bands. Official audition dates are in late August/early September but if students prefer to audition before summer holidays begin, this can be arranged. Please feel free to share this letter with friends at school or in the community. The concert band has no cap and we welcome players of all ages and backgrounds. Current high school students are also welcome and encouraged to audition!

I hope you will consider this opportunity available at the University of Manitoba Desautels Faculty of Music! If you would like to audition or would like more information, please email me at Jacqueline.dawson@umanitoba.ca. You can also visit our website to learn more about the faculty, course offerings and ensembles http://umanitoba.ca/music/.

I look forward to hearing from you and wish you much success with the end of the school year! Have a wonderful summer.

Best Wishes,

Prof. J. Dawson

Look Ma, We're in the paper.

Westwood jazz band jives 

at nationals

Group gets gold, drummer and bass player recognized

By: Alana Trachenko

The Westwood jazz band received gold at a national band competition in Niagara Falls May 14 to 19.

The Westwood Collegiate jazz band left nationals with a little more hardware than they arrived with. 

The Grade 10, 11 and 12 group received gold at a national competition in Niagara Falls that took place May 14 to 19, an honour that Greg Edwards’ class has also earned in 2015.

ALANA TRACHENKO

Westwood Collegiate jazz band drummer Aidan Clarke (left) was named top high school drummer in Canada, while Carter LaFleche was named top player in his ensemble at nationals.

In addition to being named best overall, the band’s drummer, Aidan Clarke was named Pearl Outstanding Canadian drummer, while bass player Carter LaFleche was named top player in his ensemble.

"I have a family of musicians, music goes way back in my family and I started off really liking rock music because that’s what my parents, ’70s and ’80s kids, would listen to," Clarke said.

He’s been drumming for six years, starting out in rock but expanding his repertoire to jazz, as well.

"A lot of people play jazz or rock, but I like to do both," he said.

Outside of school, Clarke also plays in two bands. Receiving the Pearl award makes Clarke the top high school drummer in Canada, and his prize includes a custom drum kit.

LaFleche has been playing bass guitar for three and a half years, at Clarke’s encouragement.

"He got me hooked," he said. "I’ve been playing piano many years, so I always say this is pretty much the same."

A long history playing together helps the two hold down a solid foundation for the rest of the ensemble. With only one drummer and bass guitar in the group, they say the pressure was felt at nationals.

"Everything is a solo basically," LaFleche said. "I have to work at a higher level. But it helps to have such great people around me. I’ve been saying since Grade 9, you can’t get any better unless you play with people that are better than yourself."

LaFleche has a band outside of school as well, and he plays gigs with his family.

Band director Edwards hasn’t been shy about giving the group challenging pieces, and most of them agree that when they first saw the sheet music at the beginning of the year, they never expected to make it as far as they have. However, they saw success early at the Optimist Band Festival where they received a perfect score.

When it came time for nationals, they were ready.

"It didn’t feel too different because we’ve done a lot of competition before," Davis Peters said. "It felt kind of like home because we’d seen the room, seen some bands play, so we went in and did our jobs and it was really fun."

"It’s not something you get to do often, so it was pretty special for all of us to go up there," Jackson Hamm added.

Alice Russell’s Westwood vocal jazz group attended nationals as well, where Carter Kennington was named top vocalist in his ensemble.

On Wed., May 31 the jazz band will be performing at Westwood Collegiate at 7 p.m., while the vocal jazz group will be performing at the same time and place on Thurs., June 1. Admission is free.

This article by Alana Trachenko appeared in the latest edition of the Metro.  If you would like to link directly to the article you can by using this link:  http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/metro/Westwood-jazz-band-jives-at-nationals-424607344.html …