Concert is on YouTube

We are super pleased to announce that last year's concert has now been fully edited and uploaded to our YourTube channel.  Just open up YouTube and search for @bandatwestwood or just watch the links below.  This project took over 100 hours to complete and we would like to give a huge shout-out to Mr. Christie and his wonderful team for all of their hard work and dedication to this magnificent Project.

Grade 9 Concert Band

Grade 10 Concert Band

Symphonic Band

Rouge Road Renegades

Warrior Jazz

Encore - Thriller

Welcome Back

 Welcome to (or welcome back to)  Band at Westwood!

 

Apologies in advance for the long e-mail,

 

It's all been a bit of a blur, but we are off to a fantastic start to another amazing year in the Westwood band program.  I thought I would send a quick e-mail home to welcome you to the start of this year and to give you a few details about our plans and our program.

 

For those of you new to the program, you have heard correctly that we have no practice policy here at Westwood. I also strongly discourage students from bringing their instruments home. The band room is open every day from 7 in the morning till 4:00 PM, And all students are welcome to use this room at their leisure.  During that time they are encouraged to come here into the band room and get any of the help they need from me. If they'd like to look over some of their parts you are more than welcome to grab one of the six practice rooms and hammer away at anything that's bothering them.  That said, there are going to be those times when they would like to take it home and I am totally OK with that.

 

CONCERT BAND:

 

Something new for the year in concert band is that all students will be working with different versions of the same method book. I have purchased copies for everybody and I'm excited to work with our students through all three books in this series. There is an app that goes with the series so I strongly encourage them to download this app onto their devices.   Concert Band is the flagship of our program and we look to make students absolutely shine during their performances and competitions.  Further to this idea, we ask that all students play on the best reeds they possibly can.  As these reeds can be very expensive,  I sell them at a significant loss here in the band room for $2 a reed.  That said, I will happily give students a read if they do not have $2.  As well, for those of you new to our program, our concerts are a lot of fun and also very formal.  Preparations leading up to this event are very specific… all of the concert attendance requirements, program information and our uniform policy can be found on the band website.  

 

I am also very pleased to announce the return of the Manitoba band association family of festivals. This music festival was formally known to many people as the optimist international band festival.  all three of our concert bands will compete at this prestigious event in February.

 

Also, you can keep up to date with the band program by joining us on Instagram - @bandatwestwood  or on the band website – www.bandatwestwood.com  Here you will find everything you need to know about our program.

 

JAZZ BAND:

 

I've had a chance to meet with all of my classes a couple times now and it looks like we're going to be in fantastic shape moving forward into the year.  The only classes that have not had a chance to meet yet are jazz band classes.  The Rouge road Renegades begins tomorrow morning at 7:20 AM and meets on even days. This dynamic jazz band is filled with all of our beginning and intermediate members.  This is the perfect spot to learn what jazz band is all about and I'm very excited that we have so many people slated to come to practice tomorrow.   I have extended an open invitation to all of the members of the concert band to get involved in this exciting opportunity, even if they have yet to register for the course.  Once we get our roster settled I will let the office know and they will be placed into the appropriate class.  and, just in case you're curious, jazz band is a separate course with full credit toward graduation…. and university entrance (I might also add).

 

Our other jazz ensemble, warrior jazz, meets on odd days at 7:20 AM. This ensemble is made-up of our advanced intermediate and advanced students.  Jazz at Westwood is not divided by grade , but by ability; consequently, we have a representation of almost all grades in both bands that meets the needs of our diverse population.

 

Both these jazz ensembles will be competing at the Manitoba Band Association Jazz Festival in the beginning of March – see dates below.

 

If you haven't heard already, I will be sending some information home with your son or daughter tomorrow or Friday about the possibility of one or both bands attending the Brandon Jazz Festival in March and/ or competing at nationals in Niagara Falls in May. Look for that letter coming home either Thursday or Friday this week, as there will be a meeting at 6:30 PM in the band room on Monday the 19th to discuss the possibility of both these exciting events.

 

LAST YEAR’S AMAZING CONCERT:

 

Unfortunately, we simply ran out of time last year to upload all of the concert and its amazing music making. We are hard to work again on the videos and they should be uploaded to YouTube by the end of the month.  I have already personally seen the footage and it is simply spectacular. I know you're going to be blown away yet again when you have a chance to revisit it shortly.

 

IMPORTANT DATES:  (Mark your calendars)

 

Sept. 19^th - Meeting in the band room for jazz parents and students at 6:30 PM.

 

Feb. 8^th -  Winter Band Concert – 6:30PM in the gym.  All three concert bands and both jazz bands will perform this night.

 

Feb. 21 – 24 – Manitoba Band Association Family Festival - specific dates and times will be discussed as we get closer to competition time.

 

March 3 and 4 – Manitoba Band Association Jazz Festival - specific dates and times will be discussed as we get closer to competition time.

 

March 15 – 17 – Proposed Jazz Band tour to compete at the Brandon Jazz Festival.

 

April 17 – For the Love of the Arts - this art celebration will feature something from all of the arts department at Westwood including one concert band and one jazz band. Which group wins this prestigious honour will be determined later on in the year.

 

April 18 - this is the proposed date for the family concert that will involve music making from students in our family of schools from kindergarten all the way to grade 12.  Stay posted for more information on this exciting night.

 

May 17-20 – Proposed Jazz Band tour to compete at Nationals in Niagara Falls.

 

May 30 – Final Band Concert 6:30PM in the gym

 

May 31 – Final Jazz Band Concert at 6:30PM in the Theatre.

 

Did I miss something?  Need more info?  .. you can always contact me at the info below.

 

Looking forward to another great year of music Making!

Westwood Bands in the News

It has been a very exciting week in the band room as we prepare for our final concert.  In the midst of all that excitement, Mr. Edwards was named this year's recipient of the Tommy Banks Outstanding Director Award at the Nationals in Toronto.

Here is the link to Mr. Edwards' acceptance speech at the virtual gala event held last week. - Tommy Banks/ NACO Acceptance Speech.

Here is some of the press from this week.

Click on the links below to read the full article.

Click this link to read the full article from the Free Press -   Jazz Teacher Applauded on National Stage

Click this link to read the full article - U of M alum gets national award

WESTWOOD BAND STUDENTS IN THE NEWS

Recently, there has been a whirlwind of excitement in the band program as three of our members have been named to represent Westwood Collegiate at the Provincial and at the National level.  

 

Intermediate Honour Band:

 

Rachel Tarrant is a Gr. 10 flautist who plays in both the Gr. 10 concert band and the Symphonic band at Westwood Collegiate.  She is actively involved in all things music and is also a fine Tenor and Bari sax player.  Besides her band prowess, she loves musical theatre and loves to sing as she is a member of the Sr. Divisional Choir.  Next, you can catch Rachel on stage as she is playing Ursula in the upcoming production of Little Mermaid at Westwood from May 18 – 20.  

 

Tim Franklin is a  Gr. 10 student at Westwood Collegiate who is a percussion specialist.  Although his passion is drum set, he has worked very hard on his mallet playing and has now fallen in love with all things mallets.  To round out his percussion awesomeness, Tim is also a fine timpani player.  His kind and approachable manner allow all the members of his section to feel that they can come to him for help, regardless of their instrument. As a result, it is no big surprise that Tim was named as section leader.

 

 

Sr.  Honour Band:

 

Rachel Tarrant is also a member of this ensemble.

 

Nathan Varghese is an exceptional gr. 12 trumpet player who is truly at home in the band room at Westwood Collegiate.  He is involved in numerous ensembles.  At Westwood is the section leader for the trumpet section and is also the lead trumpet in jazz band.  Outside of school, Nathan can be found often performing on Sundays at church.   Nathan is a kind and generous student whose passions helped him and the rest of the members of the Westwood Historical Society produce a documentary about Holocaust survivors here in Winnipeg that will be debuting later this year.  

 

National Youth Band of Canada

 

Nathan Varghese worked very hard this year preparing his audition for the National Youth band of Canada, and we were all very happy when Nathan was selected as a member of this prestigious ensemble. Nathan is looking forward to flying out to Toronto and spending a week working with renowned conductor Dr. Darrin Oehlerking and meeting up with students from all across the country to perform at a sold-out concert at York University later this spring.

Welcome to our Band Program

  

WELCOME TO THE WESTWOOD COLLEGIATE BAND PROGRAM WEBSITE

WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE HERE

 EVERYTHING YOU NEED IS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS - JUST CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW

• Learn a bit more about what we offer -  WELCOME TO BAND 2022-2023

• Read what past and present student have to say about us - STUDENT VOICE

• Listen to the music we are currently working on - WESTWOOD iTUNES

• Check out decades of our past performances - BAND@WESTWOOD YouTube CHANNEL

• Want more pics and stuff:  band@westwood Instagram      band@westwood Twitter

• Need some one on one time with Mr.E?  Shoot me and email at greg.edwards@sjasd.ca and we can book a TEAMS or ZOOM meeting and get your questions answered in person.... and maybe even a tour of our beautiful facilities.

WELCOME BACK!!!

 
WOW!!!  I cannot believe the enthusiasm and energy here at Westwood this year.  We are all so thankful to be back in classes and making music together. Everyone involved in these first few classes have felt the great warmth that music brings to our lives.  

At this point everyone has an instrument and music and we are already deep into the start of our musical year.  Folders have been assigned, music has been distributed and a beautiful noise can be heard from the band room throughout the day.

As we progress, help is always available at lunch and after school for a mini-lesson or just a quick question.  Assignment help and/ or homework assistance is always available.

First assignments are just around the corner and Gr.9 and 10 students will be working out of a new method book this year... look for a one time payment in cash online shortly to cover our costs.  As well, I will be collecting rental and percussion fees at the beginning of October.

As always, we are going to work hard to yearn your praise and applause as we prepare our music for you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at your earliest convenience.  For specific class information, you just have to click on the class drop down menu for the latest intel.

Fingers closed for a live performance this year.

Greg Edwards - greg.edwards@sjasd.ca

Westwood Bands in the Newspaper (Headliner and Metro)

A handful of Greg Edwards's band students hold the group's awards at Westwood Collegiate on June 22. From left: Brooke Schrader, Danica Dumore, Kellin Kilpatrick, Chelsea Kingerski, Edwards, Blake Edwards, Ty Baldwin, Chase Ward, Aubrey Epp and Aiden Mackenzie. (GABRIELLE PICHÉ/CANSTAR COMMUNITY NEWS/HEADLINER)

A pandemic can’t stop the music at Westwood Collegiate.

Through lockdowns and social distancing, masks and rounds of hand sanitizer, the collegiate’s six bands have played on — and now, they’re reaping the rewards.

Each of teacher Greg Edwards’s three concert bands and three jazz bands received

!ve stars for performances at the Manitoba Band Association’s Flexible Family of Festivals (formerly the Classic 107 Concert & Jazz Band Festival).

The high school’s senior jazz band also earned gold at MusicFest Canada, a national band competition. The intermediate jazz and senior concert crews both took silvers.

Edwards said he’d never experienced a clean sweep at the provincial festival in his 27 years of teaching.

"We were just beaming," he said. "I can’t even comprehend it."

Normally, over 200 bands would enter in the Manitoban contest. This year, Westwood Collegiate covered six of 11 submissions — and, they were the only groups to enter with wind instruments.

Edwards and his students had to be creative and nimble to continue playing.

"There was always this Plan A, B, C type thing that Mr. Edwards had," said Brooke Schrader, a Grade 11 student in three of Edwards’s bands.

It wasn’t a question of whether or not to play — it was more where and how, according to Schrader.

The !rst day students were able to practise in school, Edwards had taped squares in the band room for kids to stand in, Schrader said. He ordered custom-made masks for woodwind and brass players.

When the school switched to remote learning — twice this year, following provincial orders — students brought their instruments home and met online. Edwards rented small mallet kits to send with percussion musicians who couldn’t transfer their large equipment.

The students muted their microphones and played their instruments to a song recording from Edwards’s end. The intermediate and senior jazz groups would gather on video chat at 7:20 a.m. in the !rst round of home studies — to match the time of their in-person class — and tried to keep it quiet. After all, family members were sleeping.

Greg Edwards, Westwood Collegiate's band teacher, has been an educator for 27 years. He said it's the !rst time he's ever seen the Manitoba Band Association put on an awards ceremony for a school. (GABRIELLE PICHÉ/CANSTAR COMMUNITY NEWS/HEADLINER)

Schrader would use the stick-ends of her mallets to hit instrument keys while on morning calls at home in Headingley. She also put towels in the bottom of her conga drums to mu"e the noise.

Band members made personal YouTube channels for class. They’d record themselves playing their instruments, upload the videos and send links to Edwards, who would grade them and give them feedback based on what he saw and heard.

There was a window in May where kids were back in class and could play music. However, only 25 students could be together in a room at once.

Edwards and his crew jumped on the opportunity. The concert bands had to split into two groups; while they played, they listened to recordings of the missing instruments. After a few rehearsals, the bands recorded their songs — festivals were taking video submissions instead of in-person performances this year.

The senior concert band couldn’t make it work. There were two recordings to meld together, as the group couldn’t play inside as one, and their videos didn’t align.

Then, members got an email: meet in the collegiate’s courtyard Monday morning.

So, around 7 a.m. on a chilly spring day (it was -1 C), the students spaced themselves, in their formal wear, and played together for the !rst time to record for nationals.

"As a percussionist, my !ngers were getting so cold that it was hard to move my hands really fast," Schrader said. "But, we sounded pretty good, so we were happy about that."

She said the awards the bands received are great, but what she really took from the experience is that hard work pays o#. She credits Edwards for making the school year better.

"When everyone else had given up, Mr. Edwards was always there, and he was working really hard to get everything done," she said.

Edwards said he’s in awe of his students.

"The English language falls short in expressing the right words to say how amazed, and proud, and supported (I feel)," he said.

The Manitoba Band Association held a virtual awards ceremony for Westwood Collegiate this year, which Edwards said is unheard of.

Chelsey Hiebert, the association’s executive director, called the bands’ performances "outstanding" and the kids "resilient".

"Westwood just went above and beyond," she said.

Students in Edwards’s classes, including Ty Baldwin and Kellin Kilpatrick, echoed that it took resilience to keep going this year.

Gabrielle Piché

The Headliner community journalist

Gabrielle Piché is the community journalist for The Headliner. Gabby is a cub reporter fresh from Red River College’s creative communications program. She majored in journalism and spent the summer of 2020 as an intern at the Winnipeg Free Press. Gabby also has a B.A. in communications from the University of Winnipeg. She reported for newspapers in the Interlake, including the Selkirk Record, in 2019, and received the Eric and Jack Wells Excellence in Journalism award in 2020. When she’s not chasing stories, you can !nd Gabby listening to podcasts, attempting yoga or petting somebody’s dog Email her at gabrielle.piche@canstarnews.com