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 …

Want to watch our concert?

For the past five years we have been live streaming our concerts to the world and we have received countless emails and texts encouraging us to keep sharing out music with you.

There are two way to watch: if you would like to watch the concert via our web site, you can come back Tuesday and Wednesday and the feed below will be live at 7:00PM Central. OR... you can watch by clicking on these links.  Concert Band:  http://thecube.com/e/736049 and Jazz Band:  http://thecube.com/e/736050

These links are easy ways to share via: text, email, snapchat, kik, instagram, etc. our concerts

Thank you in advance to all who watch and take part in this dynamic (good music pun) event.

Final Concert Band Concert:

Share Events on The Cube

Final Jazz Band Concert:

Share Events on The Cube

Band DVD's

As a reminder we will again be selling our world renowned band DVD at the upcoming concert on  Tuesday, which will feature lots of movies and tons of photos from each performing ensemble in the Band Program and including every concert (yep even Wednesday's jazz concert).  This way 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 (in fact it comes in a sticky backed case that can be attached to the back of your 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 2nd. A parent committee will be at the concert on the 30th to take your order.  The DVDs will be available for pick-up some time during the week of the 19th of June in the Band room.  

Pick up a DVD and enjoy a glimpse inside: “band@westwood”          

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

ORDER FORM

Each DVD sells for $20.00

Please submit this order form with your payment

DVD Title:  “band@westwood '2014”                       

                                                                                    

            Student’s name ____________________________

          Student’s grade ____________________________

TOTAL NUMBER OF DVD’S ORDERD _____ X $20.00 = TOTAL COST  - $ _________ 

PLEASE MAKE ALL CHEQUES PAYABLE TO WESTWOOD BAND CD

Final Concert and Year End Information

With concerts and year end just around the corner, here's some information for you.  

Set up will take place on Monday, May 29 at 7:30 PM. 

Concert band dress rehearsal will be on Tuesday, May 30: 
symphonic band per 1, 
Grade 10 concert band per 2 
and grade 9 concert band per 3.  

Final Concert Band Concert May 30th in the Gym at 7:00PM

Jazz band dress rehearsal be on May 31st. 

Senior jazz 7AM, 
intermediate jazz per2 
and Junior jazz at lunch.

Final Jazz Band Concert May 31st in the Theatre at 7:00PM

Sectional cut off has been adjusted to May 29th for both Jazz and Concert.

Final Self-Assessment is due June 5

All music must be erased and returned no later than Friday June 7.

All instruments must be returned by June 7th as well with the exception of Grad Band members.

GRAD BAND:

Each year Mr. Edwards hand selects a group of musicians to play at the convocation ceremony. Students will be contacted by Mr. Edwards by June 2nd.

Sr. Jazz Auditions:

Sr. Jazz audition music was distributed on May first to anyone interested in trying out for Sr. Jazz.  Auditions will take place starting the week of June 5th.  A sign up sheet will be posted with available slots.

Westwood Sr. Jazz at Nationals

With little ceremony the group of 25 students and 2 chaperones headed off to Toronto on an average every day evening with anticipation in their hearts and dreams of GOLD floating in their heads.  By 1:35AM we had reached our destination in Niagara Falls and were ready for our pillows.

Morning dawned with a clear blue sky and stellar temperatures as we made our way to the Scotia Bank Convention Centre.  After listening to a few ensembles and getting a feel for the room and the equipment, we made a quick dash for lunch and then it was our turn to represent Winnipeg and our alma mater - Westwood.  Karma was on our side from the get go and sure enough our festival guide turned out to be from Winnipeg, and wouldn't you know it our warm-up room was 204 and lastly... the sound guy was a Westwood alumnus form 1975!.... WOW! You just know its going to go well.

There also was the gold glitter... don't forget the glitter.... if you do not know about this, ask a member of the band.  Thanks Erin.  You made our day even more special.

And I'm not going to sugar coat it..... they nailed it.

As the last notes rang through the performance room you could tell that something special had just occurred.  The next thing we know we are whisked down a hall and sitting in front of our adjudicator, the fantastic trumpeter and educator Jason Logge.  In an ironic twist, he was our adjudicator in 2015 and he remembered all of our pieces from that performance, as well.  Jason is an excellent tactician and clinician and had the students in the palm of his hand from the beginning to end.  He was impressed and the fact that we are consistently bringing this type of ensemble to this festival was not overlooked.  It was his pleasure, he said, to recognize Carter LaFleche on bass, with the honour award; recognizing Carter as the top player of the performance.  Everyone in the band agreed with this decision and there was much rejoicing.

After a quick stop a the photo booth, I led the group down the street to a beautiful vista of Niagara Falls and it was here that they discovered their fate.  The fabulous Ms. Russell took some photos and managed to capture the exact moment that the band found out that they were GOLD champions (again).   Great group of kids and a stunning performance.

Not to be outdone, the Vocal Jazz  got Down and Dirty and gave it their all at their performance Thursday morning. I was privileged to be in the warm-up room and be a part of their process... these truly are Warriors..... not to mention big Queen fans.

After that is all a bit of a whirlwind and then, as if that was not enough, my cell phone rings and it's Neil York-Slader chair of the Instrumental Jazz division letting me know that it would be worth our while to re-arrange our day and attend the Festival Awards Ceremony.  Dumbfoundedly I agreed and the next thing we know, we're sitting an the auditorium and they announce that Shawn LaFrance, Senior Marketing Manager for Pearl Drums Canada is about to award the Outstanding Canadian Drummer award for 2017 to our very own Aidan Clarke.  This award recognized Aidan as that top drummer at Nationals.  And... as a perk, the award not only comes with a cool title for his resume, it also comes with a complimentary drum set from Pearl Drums.  VERY COOL!  On a side note, you may remember that Aidan also won the top drummer at Brandon Jazz Festival the year in March.  Anyhow.... we cheered and none of us expected this amazing achievement to be bestowed on one of our own.

From there..... we go into the heart of Niagara and saw the falls up close, from afar and from above.  So close, in fact, that you literally felt like someone was holding a hose over your head..... the ponchos did nothing.

What a trip. What kids.  What ambassadors for music. You should all be proud of them and shout their accomplishments form the rooftops.... I could not ask for better students if I tried.

Thanks for that. What a life..... I love my job.

Westwood Bands are Front Page News!

Westwood Senior Jazz Band Headed to Nationals!

Do you remember high school band class?  My own 1980s band memories include being trapped in a tiny, stale classroom with a teacher who spoke in monotones, smelled like mothballs and tried to teach me how to make the trombone make a sound – any sound! The experience that Westwood Collegiate’s band students are having these days is vastly different, to say the least. For the majority of them, band is their favourite class!  After watching any of their performances and speaking to band director Greg Edwards, it’s easy to see why.  These kids - these teenagers, so quick to get a bad rap in so many circumstances - are simply amazing musicians.  Not only that, they are proud of their abilities and their achievements and they’re having a great time making music. “I won’t remember the little things”, says a former Westwood student.  “But I will remember that I loved something so much that I would do anything to make sure that I could be a part of it, that all of my hard work was worth it and that it went towards making something amazing”. 

It’s been a banner year for the Westwood Band Program. Under the direction of Edwards, all seven bands from Westwood – three concert bands and four jazz ensembles – were invited to represent Manitoba at the Nationals and all three concert bands, together with Senior Jazz, earned superior trophies at this year’s Optimist Festival. As a result, the Senior Jazz Band - many of its members Headingley kids who started out at Phoenix school - is headed to Niagara Falls in May to compete at a national level.  In fact, Westwood’s bands have been invited to compete at Nationals for seventeen consecutive years, making Westwood the only school in the division to hold this distinction. At the 2017 Brandon Jazz Festival all of Westwood’s Jazz Bands, as well as all of their vocal jazz groups, under the direction of Alice Russell, received standing ovations - a feat unheard of according to adjudicators. Individual congratulations go out to Aidan Clarke, who was named outstanding rhythm section player for the 2017 Brandon Jazz Festival, a prestigious honour which is accompanied by a $150 scholarship to the University of Manitoba jazz camp this summer.

Perhaps what it comes down to, in addition to some obviously talented students, is expectations.  Mr. Edwards is simply not okay with average and his students deliver nothing less than excellence. 

As anyone affiliated with the Westwood Band program will tell you, it’s not just about the music.  Being part of a band requires teamwork, dedication, mutual respect and hard work, values which are fundamental to life in general.  “I didn’t realize the life benefits of Westwood’s band program till the very end”, says a former student. “Band and music were, at first, an escape from other boring classes…but after a time I began to use the lessons from band to connect to my life…through all the struggles of high school, band has been the only place where I felt understood, where I could express how I felt through music in a group and know that everyone else is feeling it too”. 

Mr. Edwards has taught at Westwood for 17 years and is quick to announce that he has “the best job in the world”.  What separates the band program at Westwood from others of its kind is Edwards’ obvious and absolute love and respect for his students.  Edwards emphasizes hard work, mutual respect, humility and joy in his classroom.  “I always tell my students:  everyone around you is an expert”, he says. “Every situation is its own opportunity to rise.  It’s never too early for greatness. Why wait”? 

Ultimately, Westwood Band students know that their teacher believes in them and sincerely cares about their wellbeing.  He also expects them to be great and that expectation is what leads them to strive for such distinction.  In band class, there are no participation trophies. In fact, as any band student will tell you, the infamous “nineties test” at the beginning of each year, in which students require a minimum group score of 90% before being given sheet music, is challenging and stressful. For Mr. Edwards, 50% is not good enough and students succeed every year because they believe that they are capable and they want to make him proud. And that pride is evident the minute he speaks about his students. “I get so much energy- so much joy - from these kids”, says Edwards.  “And I don’t take that for granted.  Not ever”. 

For more information on the band program or to watch their final concert band and jazz band performances, May 30 and 31, via live webcam, visit www.bandatwestwood.com.  You can also attend the concerts in person at Westwood Collegiate. For daily updates on the band program and to follow Senior Jazz’s progress at nationals, follow their Instagram account, @bandatwestwood and their Twitter account, @bandatwestwood. 

We wish Senior Jazz the very best of luck at Nationals in May and offer our heartfelt congratulations to all of the band and vocal jazz ensembles for an amazing year of music! 

Article by Allison Au for the Headingley Times 54th edition April 2017 (page 3)

Photos by Dani Nowosad (former Westwood Student)