Musical Notes - Instructional Resourcesresources.chuh.org/CHHS/IMD/important_documents/April2006pdf.pdf · Musical Notes 4 Issue 61 Cleveland ... Duke Ellington, Bob Brookmeyer, Gordon

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Musical Notes

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Issue 61 Cleveland Heights Band & Orchestra Parents Organization April, 2006

JAZZ NITEThis year Jazz Nite will be held on twodifferent nights. The large ensembles willperform May 12 at 8:00 PM in the DinaRees Evans Performing Arts Center andthe Jazz Combos will perform on May 16th

at 7:00 PM at Nighttown.The big bands will showcase numeroussoloists and the show will include musicby the Count Basie Band, Thad Jones,Duke Ellington, Bob Brookmeyer, GordonGoodwin and more. Guest Artists BobbySelvaggio and Ryun Louie are scheduled to performwith the band. Tickets are $3 in advance and $4 at thedoor. You can get your tickets from members of the

Lab Band or Jazz Ensemble for the May12th Big Band Jazz Nite.The performance of the jazz combos hasmoved to Nighttown this year. This givesour excellent combos a chance to performin a “club” atmosphere. Nighttown hasbeen named one of the Downbeat top 100jazz clubs in the country and we aregrateful to Jim Wadsworth for opening anight up for CHHS jazz. Combo nighttickets will be $10 available at the door.

Advance sales may be available but details are notavailable at this time. Reserve May 16th for a greatevening of jazz at Nighttown

JAZZ ENSEMBLE TO PERFORM AT THE TRI-C JAZZ FESTThe Jazz Ensemble will be performing at the Tri-CJazz Fest on Thursday, April 27nd from4:45-5:20. Their performance will befollowed by a brief clinic on stage andstudents will also be able to observe

clinics and other high school bands perform. The JEwill be transported to the Tri-C metro campusby school bus and parents will need to providereturn transportation. Permission slips and furtherdetails will be distributed to students soon

HEIGHTS HIGH IMD SWEEPS AWARDS!This year the IMD and Vocal Music Departmentcombined for the annual spring tour. Symphonic Windsand Jazz Ensemble along with the Heights HighSingers and A Cappella Choir participated in a Musicin the Parks Festival in Charlotte N.C. The SymphonicWinds and Jazz Ensemble both won 1st place in theirclass (class AA) and won Overall Grand Champion

Concert Band and Grand Champion Jazz Ensemble.In addition to the large ensemble accomplishments asmall combo of students from the Jazz Ensembleaccompanied the Heights High Singers and receivedthe award for Outstanding Accompanist and JacobBergson received the award for outstandingjazz soloist

JAZZ MUSICIANS WIN AWARDSOn February 26th the Jazz Lab Band,Jazz Combo II, Jazz Combo I andJazz Ensemble performed at theLakeland Jazz Festival.Congratulations to the FollowingJazz Performers who receivedOutstanding Musicianship Awardsat the Lakeland Jazz Festival:

Congratulations to the award winners and all the other students who performed

Broderick HarveyLuke Gould (2)Avery Tucker (2)Joey FoxDavid TuftsJohn HoffmanEric Brandt

Jason KelceBen Bloom (2)Jason CooleyJacob Bergson (2)Ethan Farris (2)Adam Zucker

Rhythm Section JEReed Section JETrombone Section JETrumpet Section JEJazz Ensemble - EnsembleJames Muschler

MARCHING BANDRESUMES

On Tuesday May 23rd and Thursday May 25th theTiger Marching Band will rehearse after school from3:15-5:00 in preparation for the Memorial Day Paradein University Heights on May 29. On the day of theparade, the high school will be opened at 9:00 AMfor students to access their instruments. Students willneed to provide their own ride to the staging areawhere the band will assemble for an 10:00 AM paradestep-off. The parade will conclude at John Carrollwhere students will be dismissed to return home withtheir families

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Middle School Musicians,Concert Orchestra Join HHSMany of our top middle school musicians arepreparing to play “March to the Scaffold” with theHeights High Symphony and Concert Orchestraduring the Orchestra Finale Concert on May 5th at7:30PM. Middle school musicians are practicingwith high school musicians after school the lasttwo Thursdays in April and at the dress rehearsalthe night before the performance. A mass orchestraof approximately 150 including the middle schoolmusicians, Concert Orchestra members and theSymphony will perform together on stage duringthe second half of the Orchestra Finale Concert onMay 5th. Let’s all welcome our middle schoolparents who will be wearing a special black & goldribbon to identify them as having a student performer

in the concert

All parents are asked to bringrefreshments for all concerts.

CALL FOR 2005-2006 MARCHINGBAND OFFICERSMarching Band Officer tryouts will be held afterthe May 23 and 25 Marching Band rehearsals.Applications and sign-ups will be posted in theIMD.

MusicalMemories

Benefit for Patti Family Music Scholarship Fund of Reaching Heights

A benefit concert of jazz andclassical music performed by:

TOPS Swingband Ernie Krivda and Howie Smith

Diane Mather, Richard King Christine Fessenmeyer-Hill

Bruce and Brian Pattiand

more!Purchase Tickets at the Cain Park Box Office

Cain ParkJuly 19, 2006

7:30 PM

The evening is a tribute to the lifetime accomplishmentsof Vince Patti (1919-2005), renowned Cleveland Heightsmusician and band leader, Cleveland Heights-University

Heights music teacher, mentor and inspiration togenerations of musicians.

Proceeds will fund music lesson scholarships forstudents in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights

school district’s famed music program.

Contact Evie Morris [email protected] to be

added to the Patti Family Scholarship Funddatabase or with memories about Vince Patti.

Band & Orchestra Parents’ OrganizationCleveland Heights High School13263 Cedar Road, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118

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Performing a Senior Solo is among the highest honors awarded to IMD musicians. Playing from memory with band ororchestra accompaniment in concert requires both a high degree of mental and musical preparation and an understandingof how the Senior Solo audition process works.

Picking the Right Solo for Audition• Select a solo that is within your technical ability and that you enjoy working on for a long time. Some students try to audition

with a piece that is too difficult and their auditions don’t sound convincing. Occasionally students audition with pieces thatare too easy and don’t display enough technical or musical challenge.

• Select your senior solo sooner rather than later. Sophomores, start thinking about senior solo pieces. Waiting until the summerbefore your senior year may be too late to start learning a major solo work.

• Discuss senior solo accompaniments with directors. Many accompaniments are within the abilities of IMD musicians, butsome are just too difficult. When selecting a solo, discuss it with IMD directors. Bring in a CD or score so that it can bedetermined if the level of difficulty is appropriate for the accompanying ensemble.

Preparation• Practice, practice, practice. Your private teacher knows how to guide and instruct you on learning the technical and musical

challenges of your solo. But you must do the work.• Play mock auditions by performing for people informally before the October audition date. This will reveal any weak areas

to improve before the actual audition occurs.

The Audition – senior soloists are selected on one principal criterion: HOW WELL THE PIECE IS PERFORMED THENIGHT OF THE AUDITION.

• It all comes down to what happens in the audition. Give yourself every opportunity to prepare both mentally and musicallyfor the audition by avoiding distractions that could detract from you giving the best possible performance that night.

• AN ACCOMANIST IS REQUIRED (new in 2002-03). Students simply audition better with an accompanist. That means ifyou play a piano solo, your piano teacher should play the orchestra accompaniment on piano.

• MEMORIZE 25% OR THE FIRST PAGE, WHICHEVER IS GREATER. Everyone must demonstrate their ability to memorizesince the performances on stage are from memory.

• In the audition room, perform your piece as if you were playing for a full concert hall. Give it your all both technically andmusically.

Being Selected• Senior Solo auditions are competitive because ONLY THE STRONGEST PERFORMANCES GIVEN ON THAT AUDITION

NIGHT ARE SELECTED.• Auditions are scored on a point system very similar to the one used in scoring tapes turned in for class. Those with the highest

scores are selected to play a senior solo.• THE CUTOFF SCORE DETERMINES WHO IS AWARDED A SENIOR SOLO. Historically, scores tend to cluster. That

is, students selected to play senior solos all score within a few points of one another, or cluster. Typically there is a breakbetween top scoring auditions and scores in the next, or 2nd “tier”. Once again, scores in the 2nd tier tend to cluster and thereis often a third or possibly a fourth tier of clustered of scores.

• THOSE AUDITIONS IN THE TOP CLUSTER OF SCORES ARE AWARDED SENIOR SOLOS. The number of seniorsolos may vary from year to year. Recently the range has been 2-7 solos per year.

• Everyone who studies privately and wants to play a senior solo should audition. Be both positive and realistic. “Nothingventured, nothing gained.” Go for it!

The Glory!?!• Senior Soloists work very hard in preparing their solo in rehearsal with the ensemble. Extra rehearsals are usually necessary

for peak performances.• Beginning in 2002-03, well wishers must refrain from coming onstage in the middle of the concert. Senior solos given before

intermission or at the end of the concert may have well wishers on stage. Those solos occurring during the middle of theconcert order will have a reception line after the concert.

• To celebrate the senior soloists’ accomplishments some families of sponsor a party or reception at home following theperformance. These inter-generation IMD social events are always fun and the food and camaraderie are unsurpassed.

Senior solo performances are reasons for celebration. Friends and family from near and far make a special effort toattend senior solo performances. These performances celebrate the excellence of our school and community. Thehigh level of support and visibility that go with being a senior soloist is yet another indicator of its value.Finally, senior solos are among the longest standing and most revered traditions at Cleveland Heights HS. It renewsour hope and pride in the young musicians in our community

SOLO AND ENSEMBLE CONTEST 2006This year’s Solo and Ensemble contest was held atBeachwood High School on Saturday, February 11th.23 soloists and 19 ensembles participated in Contest. TheIMD made an impressive showing, bringing home 23 “I”ratings and 14 “II” ratings. Solo and Ensemble medals willbe presented to students during this year’s Awards Night.

MIKE GARSON CLINICOn Thursday, March 16th, the Heights High Symphony tooka field trip to Cleveland State University to work with world-renowned pianist and composer Mike Garson. The clinicwas made possible by Liza Grossman and the ContemporaryYouth Orchestra. The subject of the clinic was improvisationin a large-group setting. Many of the Heights High Symphonystudents had never improvised in an orchestra before, so thiswas a new experience for them. Mike Garson led theorchestra through the blues scale and several improvs basedon the 12-bar blues progression. As one might expect, manysolos were taken by Jazz Ensemble members, but someorchestra members stepped out of their comfort zone andplayed amazing solos – most notably Judith Wertheim onoboe! We congratulate the HHS members for participatingin this clinic and we thank Liza Grossman for making thisexperience possible

TOUR 2006This year, the Heights High Symphonic Winds went on Tourto Charleston, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina.This was a year of firsts for the IMD Tour. This was thefirst time that the IMD and VMD (Vocal Music Department)have joined forces for a combined Tour. We are happy toreport that the students responded well to the combinationand had a great time! Also for the first time, this year’s Tourincluded participation in a national adjudicated event calledMusic in the Parks. Four Heights groups (Symphonic Winds,Jazz Ensemble, Singers and A Capella Choir) competed inthis event. ALL FOUR groups received Superior ratings atcontest, and both IMD groups won 1st place in their division. The Symphonic Winds performed two pieces: The EchoNever Fades and A Festive Overture. The Jazz Ensemblealso performed two pieces: The Time is Now and CountBubba. In addition, a Combo made up of Jazz Ensemblemusicians accompanied the Singers on three tunes: Turn theBeat Around, Shine and September. In addition to the largeensemble 1st place trophies, Jacob Bergson won anOutstanding Soloist medal and the Jazz Combo won anOutstanding Accompanist award for their work with theSingers.

Other events on this year’s Tour included clinics at CharlestonSouthern University with Krista Johns, a walking tour anda boat tour of Charleston, a day at Paramount’s Carowindstheme park and a trip to the Blumenthal Performing ArtsCenter in Charlotte to see Shear Madness. We would liketo thank the administration, BOPO volunteers and especiallyCheryl Urminski for coordinating a terrific Tour!

SENIOR SOLO AUDITIONSHow to Prepare