Nationals Payment #2

Nationals Payment #2  will be due in January.  This payment will be $600 and will be payable on our tour company's website.  More information to follow in the new year as to how to make this payment.

Quizzmas

Quizzmas is coming... are you ready?

OOOPS - Symphonic and B.I.G. Band have been changed to THURSDAY

Instrument Rental Fee

Instrument Rentals are now online and you will be receiving an email shortly from school soft about the fee.  Please click on the "Rental" banner above for more information.

Brandon Jazz Meeting

There will be a meeting for all members of JINTER Jazz, LTJO and their parents on Tuesday October 30th at 6:00PM in the theatre. At this meeting we will be planing for our annual Vocal Jazz/ Jazz Band tour to attend the Brandon Jazz Festival.  Please make sure you are able to attend.  The meeting will be approximately 20 minutes.  You can also find information about past tours on the band website by clicking the Brandon Jazz Link.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Edwards or Ms. Russell at your earliest convenience.

October Students of the Month

October Band Students of the Month

This month we highlight the undergrad award winners from last year.  Blake, Drew, Gracie and Soren exemplify the awesome band students we have in our program.  Whether is it taking private lessons on two instruments outside of class time or volunteering to give up spares to come in and work with other bands these four did it all.  In addition they made time to be at extra rehearsals and performances…. what dedication!  We are super proud of them and congratulate each one of them for their obvious love and dedication to the band program.

Band Flash Drives Are Here

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

With huge excitement, I opened the package that had journey all the way from China via the US, through customs to my office.  I just had to try one out..... sounds great and contains a bucket of fun!!!

I will be distributing the drives tomorrow during Symphonic Band and Gr. 10 Concert.  GRADS.... first of all I hope you are all doing well and are having fun in your adventures!  The Drives will be available for pick up tomorrow (Oct 5th) in the office.

LTJO and JINTER audition results

What a great year for auditions!  Loads of fun and lots of great playing.

LTJO - begins rehearsals Thursday (tomorrow - October 4)

JINTER begins rehearsals on Friday.

See you there.

Audition Numbers

Audition Numbers for Concert Band

Audition Numbers and Tempi for Concert Band:

PLAY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING ALONG WITH YOUR  2 OCTAVE CHROMATIC SCALE :

Gr.9 Concert

Page 8  #11 ♩= 100

Page 9  #19 ♩ = 60

Page 9  #23 ♩= 70 

Gr. 10 Concert

Page 8 #15 ♩= 80

Page 9  #23 ♩= 120

Page 10  #31 ♩= 100

Symphonic Band

Page 8 #15 ♩= 100

Page 9 #23 ♩= 130

Page 11 #35 ♩= 60 (take 2nd ending)

Page 12 #43 ♩= 70 (take 2nd ending)

FURTHER AUDITION INFORMATION:

NEW* - All percussionists music perform their selection at a speed which they can say every note when asked.

Here is your marking Rubric

What is involved in an audition

How do you play your chromatic scale for your audition

Audition Information and Google Docs

Jazz Band:

Our Auditions for JINTERMEDIATE and LTJO will be beginning shortly.  LTJO will begin on Monday the 24th and JINTER Jazz will begin on Tuesday the 25th 

To aid in the process, please click on the links below for your audition date and order.

(THESE LINKS WILL BE ACTIVE MONDAY SEPT 24TH)

JINTER JAZZ

LTJO

FOR JAZZ BAND  - REMEMBER:  regardless of the ensemble you end up in, you will be getting and age appropriate credit.  Thus if you are in JINTER Jazz and you are in Gr.9, you will get a Gr. 9 credit.  Vice versa, if you are in Gr 12 and you are in JINTER, you will get a Grade 12 credit.

Concert Band:

Auditions are about to begin.  Grade 10 Concert Band and Symphonic will begin on TUESDAY the 24th and Gr. 9 Concert Band will begin shortly after, however, we have not set a date yet.

To aid in the process, please click on the links below for your audition date and order.

(THESE LINKS WILL BE ACTIVE MONDAY SEPT 25TH)

GRADE 10 CONCERT BAND

SYMPHONIC BAND


(THE GRADE 9 CONCERT BAND LINK WILL BE LIVE, ONCE WE HAVE AGREED ON A DATE)

GRADE 9 CONCERT BAND

JAZZ BAND AUDITION INFORMATION

At Westwood, we have always separated our Jazz Bands by ability. This process allows students to excel at their own level and grow with peers who are also passionate about jazz.

This year, we will be holding two weeks of mandatory  jazz band audition preparatory classes.  Any jazz band member (regardless of grade) who wishes to audition for our advanced jazz ensemble (affectionately known as LTJO) must attend lunch prep sessions on all ODD days from September 10-20.  Students not quite ready for the challenge of LTJO must attend lunch prep sessions on all EVEN days from September 11-21.  

LTJO prep begins on Monday, September 10 and Junior/ Intermediate begins on Tuesday, September 11.  

Preparatory sessions are not optional-  attendance will be taken

Students wishing to be a part of either jazz band must attend the prep sessions offered at lunch hour on either ODD or EVEN days depending on the ensemble that best fits your needs. If you do not attend, you will not be considered a member of either ensemble.

LTJO - September 10, 12, 14, 18, 20

Junior/ Intermediate Jazz - September 11, 13, 17, 19, 21

If you are not sure which ensemble better suits your abilities, you are more than welcome to attend both lunch sessions (odd and even days) until you have a feel for the music.  

After 5 classes of prep sessions (or 2 weeks) we will begin the formal audition process. Formal auditions for LTJO will start on the 24th of September and formal auditions for Junior/ Intermediate will begin on the 25th.  Each student will receive an audition date and time during their 5th class.  

Auditions will take place one on one in Mr. Edwards' office.

As always, if you have any questions, please drop by and see Mr. Edwards.

Welcome Back

Wow... it's here!  That magically wonderful first week of classes is upon us and I am thrilled to welcome you back to another stupendous year of music making.  Classes begin on Thursday and I look forward to hearing about your amazing summer adventures.

As always, if you have any questions, come on by the band room and say hi!

Band Flash Drives Delayed until September

Due to circumstances beyond our control the band flash drive project has been delayed until September.  We ask for your patience and understanding as we work through this.

Link to our Band Concert

As always we will be webcasting tonight's band concert live from Westwood Collegiate.  Just follow , or share, the link below and tune in at 7:00PM Central.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRvoL6lw1fK8RlNha8slHjg

NEW and EXCITING the BAND "FLASH DRIVE" Fundraiser

We have never wanted to inundate parents with loads of fundraisers for our program and as a result the BAND CD was born.  We started this adventure being as cutting edge as possible and began with recording a CD of the bands.  Then we moved to a DVD to include videos and photos.  Who ever thought that we would fill a DVD (4.7G) with our music? It's hard to believe that some people didn't even own DVD players when we began and now we have out-grown that format and have moved on to a new and exiting platform... the FLASH DRIVE!  So instead of selling our world renowned band DVD at the upcoming concert on Tuesday May 29th, we will be switching over to a complete reusable guitar shaped FLASH DRIVE which you can easily download into your computer.

As mentioned at the Winter Concert, we hire professional photographers and videographers to capture our concerts so you as parents (and students) do not have to watch the wonderful music making going on through a 4 inch screen as you try to save that moment into your device.

Never fear, it will continue to feature lots of movies and tons of photos from each performing ensemble in the Band Program and including every concert (yep even the final Jazz Concert on the 30th).  The main difference, is that this new format will allow us to move to a better resolution of movie and we are all really pleased with that.

By purchasing one of our FLASH DRIVES, you do not have to stare at your loved one through a 4 inch screen and can enjoy the concert.  We have been compiling this information over the past year, and we cannot tell you how excited we are about this dynamic project.  This exciting keepsake can act as a supplement to your son’s or daughter’s yearbook or act as a stand alone souvenir of the “too numerous to mention” accomplishments of the band program.  All orders must be pre-paid and no orders will be accepted after June 1st. A parent committee will be at the concert on the 29th to take your order.  The flash drives will be available for pick-up some time during the week of the report card pick up.    

Pick up a FLASH DRIVE and enjoy a glimpse inside: “band@westwood”  and support our program in a very fun way.        

If you wish, you can print the lower portion as an order form and bring it to the concert with your cheque or cash, but don't worry the parent committee will have lots of order forms for you at the door.

__________________________________________________________________________

ORDER FORM

Each FLASH DRIVE sells for $20.00

Please submit this order form with your payment

DVD Title:  “band@westwood 2018”                       

                                                                                    

            Student’s name ____________________________

          Student’s grade ____________________________

TOTAL NUMBER OF FLASH DRIVES ORDERD _____ X $20.00 = TOTAL COST  - $ 

PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO THE WAY THAT OUR BANKING IS SET UP, CHEQUES MUST BE MADE PAYABLE TO WESTWOOD BAND CD.  THANK YOU.

WESTWOOD BANDS in the Spring edition of the St. James-Assiniboia school Division CONTACT

Westwood bands bring home the Don Green Award

Three perfect scores from judges, a clean sweep for all Jazz Bands and the prestigious Don Green Award gave Westwood Collegiate many reasons to celebrate after the Optimist Festival this year.
At the 2018 Optimist Band Festival, all seven ensembles from Westwood Collegiate were invit-
ed to represent Manitoba at Nationals 2018. The Symphonic Grade 11 and 12 Concert Band received Superior, as well as a perfect score from one of three adjudicators. The four Westwood Collegiate Jazz Bands experienced a clean sweep, all earning Superior. The Senior Jazz earned two perfect scores from both of the adjudicators honouring the 25 students in this advanced category. Lastly, the school was selected to receive the Don Green Award.

The Don Green Award recognizes the top pro- gram out of more than 170 participating ensembles. It re ects a combination of exemplary performance, mature on-and-off stage presence, responsiveness to clinics, commitment to the festival through lon- gevity and the overall development of an outstand- ing band program.

Chair of the Optimist Festival Robert Clark men- tioned how Don Green was an active member of the St. James-Assiniboia community. He was part of the Assiniboine Optimist Club, the St. James Chapter, founded the Crestview men’s fastball league and Crestview Community Centre, and helped launch the festival 43 years ago in 1975 when only a hand- ful of schools were involved. Westwood Collegiate being one of them.

Westwood Band director Mr. Edwards re ected on the history of the band program at Westwood and attributed the groups recent successes to all those who helped build it.

“It’s a circle of inspiration,” said Mr. Edwards. “This particular year has clicked something erce, these guys are self-motivating, self-actualizing, its numer- acy and literacy and just everything you could ever want a student to be involved in.”

The talent and commitment of the students attribut- ed to the Don Green Award, as did the fact that for 12 years Westwood has been volunteering to clean up after the festival. This involves all hands on deck and approximately six hours of teamwork. “That’s participation and being part of that community,” said Clarke. “That went into the decision making as well.” 

Hey Look!.... We are on the front page of the Metro

Westwood bands sweep at

international festival

Group returns home with six awards for 

outstanding performance

By: Alana Trachenko
Posted: 03/12/2018 6:31 PM | Comments: 1

ALANA TRACHENKO

Greg Edwards refused to accept the Don Green award on behalf of his band program at Westwood Collegiate,

 instead insisting that all the students get onstage with him.

A local band program has hit a high note in its most recent competition.

Westwood Collegiate’s various bands recently returned from the Optimist Clubs of Winnipeg International Band Festival with an unheard-of six awards, including the notable Don Green award, which a school can only receive once. Band director Greg Edwards insists that it would have been impossible to get to this level without the students leading the effort.

"This particular year, things just clicked," Edwards said. "All the bands seemed to just go after it, and it wasn’t through some stick and carrot method. It was a group of people from Grade 9… up to Grade 12, that were ultimately intrinsically motivated by the music, by each other, to just see how good can we get?"

On March 7, Edwards invited the division’s arts co-ordinator, Jackie Gagne, John Balsillie, executive director of the Manitoba Band Association and Optimist Festival chair Robert Clark to speak to and congratulate the students for their accomplishments.

"You’ve heard me say how amazing I think you are for too many times," Edwards explained to the theatre of students. "I don’t think you believe me anymore."

Gagne commended the group on putting in the time to takes to become proficient in music.
"It takes so much to practice and become good at what you’re doing," she said. "It’s not instant gratification to play an instrument. It takes hours and hours of practice. You have to have a passion for it."

ALANA TRACHENKO

Westwood’s band director Greg Edwards says the students were self-motivated to do their absolute best this year.

Balsillie spent some time telling the students about the Don Green award, and who Don Green was. A very active and engaged member of the Winnipeg community, Green recently passed away at the age of 84.

"He was a building block guy of community," Balsillie said. "He was a member of the Assiniboine Optimist Club, he founded the Crestview men’s fastball league and the Crestview Community Centre. He was a naval officer and a volunteer with the Assiniboine school board.

"The things he loved about band were not the three-minute or six-minute piece that you guys just love. He loved the fact that you had been practising since Grade 7 at Lincoln. He loved the fact that you had to learn scales. He loved the fact that you had to learn all the theory and the music gave you this window into history to the pieces and how they were written.

"He was convinced music brought people together to help build a better community."

Balsillie added that the award is given not just on performance, but also a mature presence on and offstage, receptivity to clinics and commitment to the festival over a number of years.

In addition to the Don Green award, the senior jazz band received a perfect score, which Edwards says is very rare. The other groups ranked as superior, and were only a few points shy of perfect scores themselves.

"They’re flying on could nine," Edwards said.

Read more by Alana Trachenko.

Brandon Jazz Update

New information in the Brandon Jazz drop-down menu above

Optimist Souvenir Photography

Optimist Festival 2018

Group photos from JJ Ali Photography

JJ Ali Photography is proud once again to be the official photographer for the 2018 Optimist Festival.

We will provide a file download of the group photo of your band(s) to you and all your musicians and one 8x12 print of each band will be sent to your school.

DOWNLOAD GROUP PHOTOS

Prints will also be available for purchase at JJAliPhotography.com after the completion of the event. Click on ORDER NOW

8x12  -  $20

12x18  -  $40
Orders placed before March 10 will receive free shipping to the school. After that, they will charged a $10 late fee and shipped directly to the purchaser.

Your musicians won't have to worry about bringing money to order photos at the festival!

All they'll have to worry about is being a musician. All the group photo files will be available within a week

of the end of the festival. An email will be sent to you once the files are ready to be downloaded.

They will be available to download for 30 days only!

Please share this email with your students and their parents.

And if you have any questions don't hesitate to contact us.

Westwood Artists of the Month

Artists of the month - February 

There are many reasons that the Westwood Band Program continues to be recognized as one of the top in the country, but one of the most often overlooked factors is the super-awesome students that we continue to attract.  This month we celebrate the hard work and dedication of eleven students…. that’s right, eleven students.  Each of these individuals have selflessly given up their spares, their free time and, in some cases, their precious morning sleep time to participate in and extra ensemble in addition to their regularly scheduled Concert Band and/or Jazz Band. They have acted as peer tutors and have added well need support and encouragement to our ensembles. Please join me in recognizing: Gracie B., Brett D., Drew D., Avery E., Blake E., Kathryn E., Chase M., Lidiya O., Isabella R. Jordan W. and Rachel W. as band students of the month for February.

Winter Concert Information for new Parents and Families

As I am sure you have now heard, We will be hosting our Winter Concert in just a few days.  If you have not heard.... Feb. 6th 7:00PM in our Gym.

We have a strong tradition of holding some pretty fantastic concerts here at Westwood and we are truly honoured and excited that you have chosen to spend your night with us.









Here are a few things you should know about the concert before you arrive that will make your evening so much more enjoyable.

• Concerts are free.  No cost whatsoever.
• Doors open at 3:30PM.... Yes, you read that right.  If you like you can come on by and reserve some choice seats and stake out your territory.  Never any waiting in long lines.
• Come early.  Parking is at a premium.  Traditionally there is not a seat to be found by 6:50 and there is standing room only.  This is a huge event and first time parents are often overwhelmed by the fun.
• Concert attendance is mandatory for all students.  This is their Mid-Term exam and they are expected to be there for the entire concert.  THE WHOLE CONCERT... NOT JUST THEIR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE.  We are are an extremely team based program and we support all members of our team 9 through 12.
• Concerts traditionally last around 2 to 2.5 hours.  And, like a great movie of the same length, it will pass by very quickly.
• Concerts are presented in a Masterworks format where each piece is proceeded with accompanying anecdotes as a great way to get to know our music a little better, and receive some insight into the evening's concert.  Did the composer write the piece after a battle with cancer?  Is it about an ancient dance?  Did the composer write the piece about a temper tantrum his son had?
• There is no printed program.
• Students are to be in the building by 5:30PM at the latest and they will make their way to their assigned rooms..... no parents back stage please.
• All students are responsible to help with tear down.  Usually takes about 20 minutes at most... no parents are needed, but you are welcome to pitch in.  The best way to help is by putting your chair back on the rack at the back of the room.
• As you may have noticed all of our concerts are professionally webcast. If you would like someone from afar who cannot be here in person to join us, simply have them watch via our website or you can share this link - http://thecube.com/e/771478
• It seems that most people are accustomed to watching live performances through the smudgy window of their device as they try to record their son or daughter's awesome night.  It is an epidemic.  For the past 15 years, we have hired professional photographers and videographers to take brilliant hi-res photos of our concert and thus make your evening so much more enjoyable.  Of course you can still take your own pictures, but wouldn't you rather leave that to the pros so you can actually sit back and enjoy the show?  
• At the Final concert in May you will be able to purchase all of the pictures and footage of all of our concerts for $20.00.  It is the only fundraiser we do.  The videos and images come on a custom flash drive that acts as a keepsake after you have downloaded them onto your device.

Winter Concert Live Stream

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