2015 Solo and Ensemble Festival

Here is the information about the Solo and Ensemble Contest in Chico on Saturday, February 14th.

Solo Participants

• Ella Hebrard, Flute
• Emma Burke, Trombone
• Ezra Costa, Trumpet
• Katie Cook, Trombone
• Cameron Sewell Snyder, Alto Saxophone
• Cayce Douglas, Tenor Saxophone
• Laney Green, Trumpet
• Nikole Baker, Trumpet
• Sophie Pena, Alto Saxophone

Ensemble Participants

• Ella & Haley - violin, flute duet
• Taiana Huff, Alex Mitchell - flute duet
• Sequoia Percussion ensemble – Nicholas NeSmith, Jr. Soksoda, Drake Serr, Sergio Soltero, Aiden Gomes, Courtney Oiler
• Sequoia Mixed Trio #1 – Kylie Baker, Danielle Mayer, Kirsten Montegna
• Sequoia Mixed Trio #2 – Anthony Vallalunga, Anthony March, Brenden Fredrick
• Sophie & Chris – Saxophone duet

Solos cost $23 each. Ensembles are $30 divided by the number of participants in your group. Make checks out to Sequoia Band. We know that some have already paid. The Percussion ensemble will be paid by Bob, our percussion helper - Make sure you thank him.

You will receive the schedule as soon as we receive it. The contest will take place in the Performing Arts Building at Chico State. Scroll down to find a campus map and parking lot map. Click on each one to open a printable version. You will be performing for a judge in a regular classroom. The judge will listen to you and give you tips at the end, as well as a score. A "1" rating is Superior - Gold; a "2" rating is Excellent - Silver; a "3" is Very Good - Bronze.

There will be a performance in the classroom on Thursday, February 12th in order to prepare for the big day. We can meet at the school the morning of February 14th to drive together to Chico, or you may travel on your own. We will need a permission slip, signed by parents, before we go. Thank you for participating!

If you are using a piano accompanist, Lois Nichols has agreed to play for those who need an accompanist.  She will be here next Tuesday to practice with those who need to have her play.  Her fee is $50 for the two rehearsals here at school, our mini-concert on February 12th in the band room, and then at the contest in Chico. She is one of the best in the Northstate. If you have any more questions, please ask.

Junior High Honor Band

Congratulations to the following students who have made it into the Junior High Honor Band:

Hannah Berglund - 2nd trombone

Katie Cook - 5th trombone

Josh Nostrand - 2nd baritone horn

Cameron Sewell Snyder - 3rd alto saxophone (4 accepted, 15 auditioned!)

Marc Anderson - 2nd tenor saxophone

Cayce Douglas - 3rd tenor saxophone

Celine Brundridge - 7th clarinet
Chloie Newsome - Baritone saxophone

Thank you to everyone for putting in the effort to try out, it was much stiffer competition this year than in the past.

We should be receiving the music shortly. Our director this year will be Dan Neece, and he is very excited to work with you.

Honor Band will be held on January 16th and 17th at Chico State University. The Oxford Suites has a block of rooms set aside for honor band students and families, as you will need a room for Friday night, January 16th. The room includes a complimentary breakfast, and snacks Friday evening. The hotel has a nice pool so you can relax after a long day of playing. 

Please let us know if you are in need of directions to Chico State or Oxford Suites. Parents are responsible for transportation to and from Chico, and are always welcome to sit in on rehearsals. Regular school clothes are fine for rehearsals; dress clothes for the concert on Saturday: Dresses, nice pants/shirts, guys wear a tie. There is no charge for the concert, and it is a truly amazing experience. 

Congratulations to all!

For a complete rehearsal schedule, click here: 2015 Honor Band Schedule.

Spring Events

Our Disneyland trip was a huge success. Thank you to all the chaperones who helped keep kids organized and safe. We are working to get a photo album together to post on our website and Facebook page, and have already had a great response. If you haven't submitted yours, please send them to sequoiamiddleschoolband@gmail.com and we will get the pictures (and videos!) posted over Spring Break.

This Thursday, April 10th, we will have our annual Open House pizza dinner fundraiser. The Jazz Band will play, and we will be serving dinner from 5:00 to 6:30 pm. We are in need of donations, as well as volunteers to set up, clean up and help serve. Some volunteer spots are even open to students, so please check out the Sign Up Genius for this event and see what spots you could fill. 

After we come back from a relaxing Spring Break vacation, we will head into our always-busy month of May. Make sure to have your calendars marked for all these events, and refer back to our website calendar and/or Facebook page for updates.

• Our next Band Parent Booster Meeting will be held in the band room on Wednesday, May 7th. We will review the open house fundraiser, and work through details of our May events.
• On Tuesday, May 13th we will have a Beginning Band Concert in McLaughlin Auditorium. More information to come after the booster meeting.
• Thursday, May 15th is the Kiddie Parade in the mall. This annual event happens at 4pm in the Mt. Shasta Mall, and is a cute parade of children and their pets parading through the mall. The Asphalt Cowboys traditionally ask our band to lead the way.
• "Outlaws and Petticoats" is the theme for this years' Redding Rodeo Parade, which is on Saturday, May 17th. Our attire will be jeans, our cowboy t-shirts, and cowboy hats.
• The Spring Concert will be on Thursday, May 22nd in McLaughlin Auditorium. Our programs will once again have ad space available, and students who sell ads will have money credited in their band accounts. Forms for ad sales are available in the band room, and the deadline to turn these in is Friday, May 2nd.

We hope everyone has a wonderful Spring Break.

Solo & Ensemble Festival

We have a fantastic set of participants playing in the Solo & Ensemble Festival tomorrow at Chico State University.

Please go to our Documents page to access the schedule. Make sure you arrive at least one hour before your scheduled time. Find a practice room to warm up and tune up before your performance. Look nice, wear dressy clothes, they do not have to be black and white.

 The festival takes place in the Performing Arts Center at Chico State University. The building is on the corner of W. 2nd Street and Chestnut Street, and there is parking available across the street with no charge on Saturdays.

Directions from Hwy 99 South in Chico: Take the E. 1st Ave. exit; Turn right onto E. 1st Ave.; Turn left onto Esplanade; Turn left onto Broadway Street; Take the 1st right onto W. 2nd Street. Continue three blocks and you will see the Performing Arts Center on your right. If you get lost or if something else comes up, contact Mrs. Wiseman on her cell phone at 941-9320.

CSU Chico, Performing Arts Center

End of the Year

It is almost time for our Winter Break, and a great time to reflect on what we've accomplished this year, and look forward at all the next semester will bring!

In August we held our Summer Band Camp, then kicked off the year with the District Breakfast. September saw our first fundraiser at Back to School Night, which was a great success. During October we played along with the Shasta High School Band at one of their home football games. Then in November we marched in our first parade of the year, the Veteran's Parade in Shasta Lake City, and at the end of the month we held our second fundraiser, the Craft Faire, which was extremely successful in generating over $2000! This month of December we have already marched in our second parade, the Redding Christmas Lighted Parade, placing first in all three categories we entered - Junior High Band, Drum Major, and Color Guard; we performed our Winter Concert and raised funds through our raffles and program advertising.

The second semester of this school year will be quite exciting! Here's a review of what is in store for us:

January:

Concert for Darfur

Junior High Honor Band-

The fee for Honor Band is $27.00, make checks payable to Sequoia Band. Students who are participating need to practice their music over the Winter Break.

February:

Solo & Ensemble Festival-

Students interested in performing a solo in this festival, or performing as part of a group, please see Mrs. Wiseman.

March:

Regional Band Festival

Disneyland-

If you've already signed up and begun payments for the trip, and for any reason it has been decided that you are not going, notify Mrs. Wiseman right away. Grades are a factor for this trip, and any student with an "F" grade at the end of this semester will not be allowed to participate.

If you are a parent who wants to chaperone, make sure you have notified Mrs. Wiseman. You must have DMV driver clearance (approved in this school year) and DOJ fingerprint clearance (done only once). 

April:

Red Bluff Rodeo Parade

May:

State Solo and Ensemble Festival

Kiddie Parade

Redding Rodeo Parade & After Parade BBQ

Spring Concert

Be sure to mark your calendars for our next Band Booster Parent Meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, January 8, 2014 at 6pm in the Band Room at Sequoia.

We hope everyone has a great remainder of the semester, and a wonderful Winter Break with their families!

Important Updates

Band Parent Booster Meeting

We had a scheduled meeting tomorrow, October 2nd. This has been postponed until next week on Wednesday, October 9th at 6:30 pm in the band room.

Performance with Shasta High School Band

This Friday our Advanced band will join the Shasta High Pep Band and play during the Varsity football game! Each student is invited to join us for a tailgate BBQ before the game, meet us behind the band building at 5:30 pm. Students, you are to wear your black Sequoia t-shirt or sweatshirt if you have one, or just a plain black t-shirt or sweatshirt.

Parents, you will need to purchase your own tickets for the game and enter through the main gate of Thompson Field - you are not to march in with the band. The game starts at 7:30 pm, and you are invited to sit near the band which has a reserved area in the bleachers just below the announcers booth. The band takes a break during halftime and the third quarter, then returns to play for the fourth quarter. Your students are allowed to leave at halftime, or stay through the rest of the game.

Sweatshirt and T-Shirt Orders

Students were sent home today with order forms for Sequoia t-shirts and sweatshirts. We need a larger amount of items in the order before it can be placed. T-shirts are $15, sweatshirts are $30, and both can be customized. This is the one opportunity this year to purchase these items and orders are due this Friday, October 4th. Please see our Documents page if you need an order form.

Marching Shoes

We have just been notified that the Showstopper band shoes have been discontinued. The new cost per pair of shoes will be closer to $31. We will keep you posted on this issue.

Quick Reminders

Some reminders from Mrs. Wiseman:

• Ducky Derby
• Tickets and money due now. Turn money in by this Friday, September 20th at the latest. If you lost the tickets, you still have to pay for them.
• Jamba Juice
•  Cards and money are due by this Friday, September 20th.
• Sweatshirt and t-shirt orders
• Due this Friday. This is the one opportunity this year to purchase these items.
• Disneyland notes of intent
• Turn in by October 1st. We must have a head count of the students going to include with our application.
• Marching shoes
• If you order in bulk with the school, the total per pair of shoes is $26.45 including shipping. There are shoes available at the school for your student to try on and find the right size. Make checks payable to Sequoia Band. Deadline is October 31st.

Looking for order forms for the sweatshirt and t-shirt order? Check out our Documents page!