Happy Holidays, Take 2

OK, so here is a really good holiday song by a singing group called Straight No Chaser. Enjoy!

Happy Holidays

I hope that all of you have a great Christmas and a wonderful New Year! Enjoy this wonderful musical selection as you celebrate the holiday with your families :)

Sorry

Well, I have to apologize because it has been forever since I have updated the blog. I am having problems with Google (the site that hosts this blog) at my house and the blog site is blocked at school. I am writing this from my parents house. I am going to try to get the problem fixed over the vacation.

Congratulations to all of the band groups on two very successful band tours and fantastic concerts! I hope to get some pictures and video posted on here soon. Please post some pictures from the tours and concerts if you have them.

Enjoy this picture of the Steel Band performance at the choir concert.

I hope all of you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you all in 2009!

Week of December 2-5

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Only three weeks until Christmas vacation!

We have a short week this week, but it is an action packed one! In addition to our normal after-school activities, we have our 7th & 8th grade band tours on Thursday and Friday. Make sure you return those permission slips!

Tuesday
Jazz Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-3:30 pm
Steel Band Rehearsal, 3:30-5 pm

Wednesday
Percussion Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-4 pm

Thursday
7th Grade Band Tour, all day field trip
Jazz Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-3:30 pm

Friday
8th Grade Band Tour, all day field trip

Remember that our Christmas Concerts are coming up!
- 6th Grade Band Concert, Thursday, December 11, 7:00 pm
- 7th & 8th Grade Band Christmas Concert, Tuesday, December 16, 7:00 pm

Have a great week!

Week of November 24-26

Well, believe it or not Thanksgiving Vacation is already here! We will have abreviated after-school rehearsals this week due to the vacation. The schedule for the week is as follows:

Monday
Percussion Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-4 pm

Tuesday
Jazz Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-3:30 pm
Steel Band Rehearsal, 3:30-5 pm

Wednesday
NO Percussion Ensemble Rehearsal

Thursday
NO SCHOOL
Happy Turkey Day!

Friday
NO SCHOOL

Also remember, no school on Monday, December 1. Enjoy your long vacation!

Tuscarawas Philharmonic Concert Tonight!

I know it is late notice, but if you find yourself with nothing to do tonight, and you want to hear some great music, I am playing with the Tuscarawas Philharmonic in a concert in the Dover High School Auditorium. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., and it will feature Aaron Copland's Fanfare for a Common Man and Lincoln Portrait as well as Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 1. It is some of the best orchestral music out there, and there are some especially good brass parts. I have several solos, so come check it out! Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for senior citizens, and $5 for students!

Week of November 3-7

Here is the weekly schedule for this week. There is no Jazz Ensemble on Tuesday this week due to Parent-Teacher Conferences.

Monday, November 3
Percussion Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-4 pm

Tuesday, November 4
Parent-Teacher Conferences
NO Jazz Ensemble Rehearsal
Steel Band Rehearsal, 3:30-5 pm

Wednesday, November 5
Percussion Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-4 pm
Thursday, November 6
Jazz Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45 3:30 pm

Friday, November 7
None

Don't forget that all fundraiser money was due last Friday. If you haven't turned it yet, please do so this week. Also, some 6th & 8th grade band students still owe money for their band books.

Have a great week!

Sarah Palin was in band!

As promised, here is a YouTube video of Sarah Palin playing the flute in the 1984 Miss Alaska Pageant. Look at that 80's hair! Please comment about what you think of her playing. Should she give up her day job?

Week of October 27-31

Well, I had hoped to do better with keeping this blog updated, but as expected it fell by the wayside. I will try to keep this updated from this point forward. Please check back pften for updates and information about the Welty Middle School band program!

This week, we get into full swing with our after-school band activities. Please make note of the important rehearsals going on this week.

Monday, October 27
Percussion Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-4:00 p.m.

Tuesday, October 28
Jazz Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-3:30 p.m.
Steel Drum Band Rehearsal, 3:30-5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, October 29
Percussion Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-4:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 30
Jazz Ensemble Rehearsal, 2:45-3:30 p.m.

Friday, October 31
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Fundraiser Money Due today!

Have a great week!

Summer of 2008

Well, summer is coming to a close, and the school year is just around the corner! Wow, did the summer fly! I had a very busy summer full of musical activities as well as a fun vacation and a new dog.

The summer began with getting our new dog, Phantom. He is a black labrador retreiver, and, as you may have guessed, he was named after "Phantom of the Opera." (Yes, we are a musical family!) He is currently only five months old, but he getting really big. Here is a picture of Phantom with our son Colin at the beach last week.

A majority of the summer I was busy in rehearsals and then performances of the production of "Beauty and the Beast" at The Little Theatre of Tuscarawas County. I was the role of Gaston, the village bully who was in love with Belle. It was a lot of fun! I especially liked being the over-the-top bad guy. I saw many of the middle school students at the show. I am glad that many of you came out to see the show. I hope that you enjoyed it!

In my free time between "Beauty and the Beast" rehearsals, I directed the Coshocton County Community Band. This band is a community band open to any community members in the Coshocton area. Band members ranged in age from high school students to 90-year-old retired people. We performed six concerts throughout the summer on the square in downtown Coshocton. We had a faithful following of audience members that would come out to the square and watch us each Friday as we performed a variety of different band music. This was my first summer directing this band, and I had a lot of fun doing it.

Believe it or not, with all of the activities going on, I also maganged to be in a movie this summer. My brother is an independent film maker, and I was in the cast of his movie entitled "The Isle of Succession." The plot of the movie is a little hard to describe, but you can visit the movie's MySpace page for more information. All of my scenes were outside in the woods, which was pretty cool until I got poison ivy all over my face, legs and arms :( I will let you know when the movie is released.

After "Beauty and the Beast" was over, we managed to find a couple free weeks to take a family vacation. We spent two weeks at Catawba Island on Lake Erie, where my parents have a summer place. We spent two weeks boating, jet skiing, and spending time at the beach. It was a great vacation and a relaxing way to end the summer.

I hope all of you had a great vacation! I looking forward to seeing you all next week when school starts back up. Comment on this post to let everyone know how you spent your summer!