Memorial Day Parade!

Report time for the Memorial Day Parade is 8:30 am in the band room.  The event will be completed by 12:00 Noon.  Students should wear their summer marching outfits (band polo, black points, black shoes and Drillmasters)

The parade starts at the Minooka Bible Church at 10 am followed by a Memorial Day Ceremony at Veteran's Park (Wabena and Mondamin St).

Graduation Ceremony

Graduation ceremony has been delayed.  It will now be at 7pm Sunday(today).
Report time for band students will be 6:30 pm in the band room.

IHSA Band Contest Info for Saturday April 18th!

Below is the schedule for the IHSA Organizational Band Contest at Reed-Custer High School in Braidwood on Saturday, April 18th:  (note: only Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble, Jazz I will be attending contest)

Schedule 

  9:15 am - Report time

  9:45 am - Busses leave MCHS
10:20 am - Arrive at Reed Custer HS
11:00 am - Meet in Homeroom (Wind Symphony)

11:30 pm - Wind Symphony warm-up

12:00 pm - Wind Symphony Performance time!

 1:00 pm - Wind Ensemble warm-up

 1:30 pm - Wind Ensemble Performance time!

 2:30 pm - Jazz Band warm-up

3:00 pm - Jazz Band Performance time!

3:30 pm - Busses leave Reed-Custer  HS

4:30 pm - Approx. arrival at MCHS

Attire is the same as for our concerts:

• Black dress clothes from the waist down, black or white dress clothes from the waist up.
• Skirts MUST be at least knee length.
• Tops may not be spaghetti strap or strapless, unless you are wearing something over it.
• NO jeans or athletic shoes (even if they are black).

You will have points deducted from your grade for this performance if your attire does not meet expectations! Please see Mr. Anderson or Ms. Wych with any questions regarding appropriate attire.

Parent permission slips will be issued to students in class and will need to be returned to Mr. Anderson by Thursday, April 16th.

If you intend on taking home your student after the performance, you must fill out the digital "Activity Release Form" located on the band blog. Please fill out by Thursday, April 16th.

Color Guard Auditions

Color guard auditions are coming up soon! Any MCHS student may audition for guard. For incoming freshmen, participation in guard does fulfill your one-year marching band requirement.

Clinic dates are as follows:

April 14, 7-9:30 pm - 8th Grader (Incoming Freshmen) Night
April 21, 7-9:30 pm - All are welcome
April 28, 7-9:30 pm - All are welcome

Following clinics, audition dates are:

May 15, 6-9 pm
May 16, 6-9 pm

If you're unsure about what guard is, check out this video of the 2014 winter guard show.

Please contact new coach Lisa Janasik at lisa.janasik@valpo.edu with any questions. Hope to see you at clinics/auditions!

And the 2015-2016 Band Trip is...

... Atlanta, GA (with a stop in Nashville, TN)! 

Our band will be travelling by coach bus to Atlanta, GA to perform at the 2015 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Dates for this trip will be December 27, 2015 - January 1, 2016.

As of right now, our itinerary includes the following:

• An overnight stop in Nashville, TN, featuring dinner, line dancing, and a tour of the famous Grand Ole Opry
• Visits to the CNN Studio, World of Coca-Cola, and Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta
• Participation in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl concert band competition and jazz band competition
• Performance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Parade
• Performance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Mass Band Pre-Game Show

We are very excited about offering these unique performance opportunities to our band students! All MCHS band students (including incoming 8th graders) are eligible to participate. If you are interested in joining us on this trip, an informational meeting including a more detailed schedule, pricing, chaperone opportunities, etc. will be held on Wednesday, March 25th at 7 pm in the MCHS Cafetorium. 

Please contact Mr. Anderson or Ms. Wych with any questions... otherwise we wil see you at the trip meeting!  

SPC Festival Band

Congratulations to the following students for their selection into the SPC Festival Band! The concert is February 17th at 7 pm at Plainfield Central HS.  The concert is free and open to the public.

Jr/Sr Band
Flute: Julia Barich, Megan Coleman
Bassoon: Andrew Engle
Clarinet: Eric Strand, Brittany Hebeda
Bass Clarinet: Alec Peterson
Alto Sax: Nikolas Ballut
Bari Sax: Michael Conway
Trumpet: Valerie Kolb, Kelli Anderson, Brendan Miller
Horn: Kayla McComb, Jason Viehman
Trombone: Matthew Brandt
Tuba: Jackie Russell
Percussion: Mark Siegel

Fr/So Band
Flute: Lydia Kurtz
Clarinet: Madison Mason, Devin McKnight
Bass Clarinet: Jenna Morgan
Alto Sax: Kyle Kobe
Horn: Jenna Laird
Trumpet: Emily Worden
Euphonium: Carmella Russell, Barbara Spaulding
Tuba: Isabella Jasper
Percussion: Chris Brandt

ILMEA All-State!

Congratulations to Valerie Kolb for her fantastic chair placement at the ILMEA ALL-STATE festival!

• Valerie was placed as the 6th best TRUMPET band player in the state of ILLINOIS with her chair placement in the ILMEA ALL STATE HONORS ORCHESTRA!

The All-State Honors Concert was held in the Peoria Civic Center at 3:15 pm on Saturday, January 31st.