Upcoming Symphonic Band Dates
- Thursday, January 7th – 4:30-7:30PM After School Rehearsal
- Friday and Saturday, January 22nd-23rd Barber Symphonic Camp
- Tuesday, February 23rd 4:30-6:30PM After School Rehearsal
- Thursday, February 25th 7:00PM Pre-LGPE Concert
- Wednesday, March 2nd 4:30-6:30PM After School Rehearsal
- March 8-10 Tentative LGPE Dates (we will be one of these days)
- Wednesday, March 23rd Music For All Southeastern Regional Concert Festival
Greetings 8th Grade Barber Symphonic Band Families!
We have some very exciting news. Many of you have probably already heard, but our 8th Grade Symphonic Band has been invited to perform at the Music for All Southeastern Regional Concert Band Festival! This is a really big deal for our students and our community. With this performance, our band program is being recognized for being among one of the very finest in the entire southeast! Hundreds of bands from all over the southeast applied to get into the festival but they only choose eight bands across the region and ours was one of them. Our Symphonic Band will be performing at the Rialto Center for the Performing Arts in Atlanta on Wednesday, March 23rd 2015. A more detailed schedule and information about the costs of this trip will be coming out shortly as soon as I get more information from Music for All. On this day, our students will get to have masterclasses on their instruments, will have a guest clinician conduct the band, perform for other band students and an adjudication panel made up of the most accomplished college band directors in the country, and they will get to hear other bands perform that are also some of the very best in the entire southeast. This trip will be in addition to the normal LGPE which will take place at McEachern HS just a few weeks prior.
Because of the high visibility and the prestige of this event, our festival season is kicking off just a little bit earlier. To help us prepare for this event, we have added a few after-school rehearsals in addition to our annual symphonic camp. It is crucial that we have perfect attendance at all scheduled functions. For the Disney students, their contract states:
The band, chorus, orchestra, and dance are performing ensembles, and as such, regular attendance at rehearsals, clinics, and concerts is a necessity to ensure a quality, rewarding musical experience. The invitation to participate in Disney Performing Arts at Walt Disney World is a privilege and is considered a reward for the students’ continued commitment to the Barber Middle School Performing Arts Programs. Students are expected to attend all extra-curricular rehearsals, clinics, symphonic camps, community performances, and concerts throughout the year. Please refer to your student’s performing ensemble handbook for concerts, events, and extra rehearsals that have been scheduled for the year. Mandatory before and after school rehearsals will be held so that the group of students who are attending the trip may rehearse together. These dates will be scheduled after student contracts have been received. Failure to participate in the above performances will result in your student losing trip eligibility.
We are extremely excited about this performance. On the back of this letter is a list of all of the required rehearsals and performances between now and the MFA Festival. I consider it a privilege and an honor to work with and lead your extraordinary students. I really believe that this performance will lead to some very positively life-changing memories that our students will cherish for their entire lives!
