Important Upcoming Dates:
Concert Ensembles (CB, SB, WE) Our Final (and largest audience) of the year will be for Graduation at O'Rena on Thursday, June 1st. The timeline for this event can be found by clicking here. Additional details regarding equipment turn in and uniform turn in for underclassmen is also found on this timeline. Graduating Seniors, you must be at rehearsal at 9:30am on Thursday, June 1st in order to rehearse through our featured selection. Please plan ahead also to ensure you have your instrument/necessary equipment to perform. It is also at this performance that we will be World Premiering a new piece of music commissioned by SCHS to honor SCHS Alumni, recent and past, on the occasion of its 20th graduating class. We are very excited to have had the opportunity to work with Andrew David Perkins, RCS Alumni and GRAMMY nominated composer, on writing this new work. The piece, entitled The Praetorian, will feature the full combined musical forces of our bands, orchestra, and choirs, and is based on the Praetorian Guard: The Praetorian’s job was to defend and protect the Emperor, and more importantly, the ideals of the republic, acting as the last line of defense again enemies from without and within. I chose this imagery to write the piece, and used Latin proverbs, many attributed to Roman Emperors and statesmen, for the lyrics. Here are the lyrics and English translation: Fortis Foruna Audiuvat! (Fortune favors the bold!) Vires acquirit eundo. (We gather strength as we go.) Faber est suae quisque fortunae, (Every man is the artisan of his own fortune.) Aut viam inveniam aut faciam, (I will either find a way or make one.) Sapere aude. (Dare to know.) Memento mori, (Remember that you are mortal,) Memento vivere, (Remember to live,) Carpe diem! (Seize the day!) Cogito, ergo sum, (I think, therefore I am,) Ad astra per aspera. (Through adversity to the stars.) Sic vita est. Grandescunt aucta labore. (Such is life. With hard work, all things increase and grow.) Sic infit. Ad meliora! (So it begins. Towards better things!) Fortis Foruna Audiuvat! (Fortune favors the bold!) Sapientia potentia est! (Wisdom is power!) Ad victoriam! (To victory!) Travel Survey We are looking ahead to traveling again as a band program in 2025. If you/your student are planning to participate in our SCHS Bands in 2025, we would love your ideas! Please complete this survey to provide us with your input for future trips. SCHS Bands 2025 Travel Survey Cougar Jazz Band We are missing quite a few books and pieces of sheet music from our Jazz Band and Jazz Lab students. If you/your student has any remaining music, please turn it back in as soon as possible. Seniors can drop music off in the main office or give to a trustworthy underclassmen to return to the band room. A note about Jazz Band rehearsals for the 2023-2024 school year: To better distribute our rehearsal times and hopefully avoid cancellations due to winter weather conditions, Jazz rehearsals will begin on Monday evenings in November 2023 and there will be NO AM rehearsals throughout the semester. This also mirrors the format our marching band utilizes, with rehearsals beginning prior to the formal class start. Students interested in Jazz Band should please anticipate this earlier start to our formal rehearsals and plan to keep their Monday nights available through late fall/early winter months. We will have our retreat in early February, continue rehearsing through March, take April off for the musical, then finish our performance season in May. Please mark your calendars! Student Leadership Meetings Our Final Leadership Council Meeting for the school year will be held on June 5th (2:30pm); newly appointed leadership roles will be discussing plans for the summer and into our fall marching season. Those newly appointed or renewed in their leadership roles are required to attend, but ALL are welcome! Cougar Marching Band MB Mini-Camp Our MB kick-off for the 2023-24 season will be June 7-9th, from 11am-4pm! Be sure to mark your calendars! All marchers for the coming season are required to attend. We will be distributing music, reviewing marching techniques, and more! We will also be performing pep music and the National Anthem at Jimmy John's Field for our first performance of the season on June 9th. Be sure to purchase your tickets for this event online prior to the performance! Tickets can be purchased here. Cougar MB Member Handbook A BIG welcome to all our Cougar Marching Band members for the 2023-24 school year! Your first task will be to review our Member Handbook which can be found by clicking here. We will also be going over this during our mini-camp session. A few important points from our handbook to highlight:
Fundraisers RaiseRight card program This is our primary source of SAF fundraising this year! Overall, this is a program where we get a percentage back from any gift cards purchased. No extra fees. You can buy physical gift cards and use as gifts. Perfect for the holidays! Or you can buy reloadable cards or e-cards that you can use yourself at stores you normally buy from anyway. To get started, click here to create an account linked to our SCHS Music Boosters. RaiseRight will be running several specials, especially near the holiday season. Their biggest discount days are called Raise Days and they are Thursday and Friday of this week. So register asap to take advantage of these specials. Extracurricular Opportunities Music Creators Academy- Video Game Composition The Music Creators Academy is hosting a special summer workshop designed to give teenagers and adults the skills they need to successfully compose for video games! This year's VG Composition workshop will be held July 3-15, 2023; Tuition $349 (early bird discount ends June 1) What you get ✓ 25+ hours of real-time instruction from award-winning composers ✓ Get your music recorded in studio by professional players ✓ Fully virtual, live on Zoom. Participate from anywhere in the world ✓ Improve your composition skills in melody, harmony, and form ✓ Grow your confidence in using a DAW ✓ Learn how to record, mix and master your music ✓ Discover the inside secrets to the VG business (contracts, briefs, mockups etc.) Explore our interactive, hands-on learning program here: https://www.musiccreatorsacademy.com/ Register Now! Summer Jazz Workshop The midtown Detroit Summer Jazz workshop for 2023 will be held on July 10-14. In the heart of midtown Detroit, students will study with some of the top local jazz musicians and perform a concert at Aretha's Jazz Cafe for family and friends. See this website for photos, videos, and more information. From The Top Podcast seeks Young Musicians from Rochester! From the Top, a music nonprofit organization most widely known for its radio program on NPR. From the Top will be recording a radio show in Michigan during their 2023-2024 season featuring young musicians from around the state, and is looking for Rochester Community Schools musicians apply to take part in our Fellowship, which includes the radio (and podcast) recording. What is From the Top? From the Top is a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating the stories, talents, and character of young classically-trained musicians ages 8-18. Selected students will take part in our Fellowship, which includes recording for our NPR radio program and participating in virtual workshops with their peers that explore career opportunities in the arts, audio production, community engagement, and more. Apply at: apply.fromthetop.org Also, for any dedicated young musicians with financial need who are in need of funds to support their musical growth (such as by making it possible for them to purchase their own instrument, take regular private lessons, or attend a summer music program), From the Top also offers the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award, a need-based award of up to $10,000 given in conjunction with full participation in From the Top’s Learning and Media Lab Fellowship. In order to provide the best opportunity to be considered for all of their radio programs next season, students are encouraged to apply by June 15, 2023. Comments are closed.
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May 2023
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