Hello band students and parents,
Please find below some information on our large group festival this year. This is a large part of the annual calendar for many schools, but Middleton hasn't participated in one for many years. We're excited for students to have the opportunity to play for feedback and to hear other groups from around the state!
What is a large group festival?
Basically, think solo & ensemble festival but for full band. Each band performs for a panel of judges, who then give the band a rating 1 through 5. Additionally, there will be a clinic session after the performance with one of the two guest clinicians for the day. It's a great opportunity to receive feedback on our performances, see other great bands from around the state, and work with some awesome clinicians.
Where is this large group festival?
We (Middleton) are hosting/organizing this event at the UW School of Music downtown. Although there are still a few venue questions, the current plan is for students have the opportunity to perform in the new Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall in the Hamel building.
Festival Schedule
Everything will take place on March 18th. Each of our bands has a different performance time; due to the number of bands participating and bus schedules, some are during school and others are after school. We have shuttle buses running back and forth during the day, but parents may drive their students if it is easier.
Block 6 Concert Band -- bus leaves 9:45am, warm-up 10:30am, bus returns 1:45pm
Block 1 Chamber Winds -- bus leaves 10:45am, warm-up 1:30pm, bus returns 4:15pm
Block 7 Cardinal Band -- bus leaves 5:00pm, warm-up 6:00pm, bus returns 9:15pm
Block 3 Wind Ensemble -- bus leaves 6:15pm, warm-up 7:30pm, bus returns 10:30pm
Is this a required performance?
Yes, this is a concert performance and part of the class. More importantly, it will be the culmination of several months of effort for all of the bands. Missing even one player makes a big impact on the whole. There's no "bench!" If you have an unavoidable conflict (out of town, etc) and have not yet communicated with the teachers, please email as soon as possible so we can make arrangements to minimize the impact on the other students and on the score of the group.
Who are the guest clinicians?
Our clinicians are Cheldon Williams from the University of Texas - Austin and Kathyrn Wert from Liberty University. They are both phenomenal conductors and musicians, and we're really excited for the bands to work with them.
Is it a competition like marching band?
Think of it more like solo & ensemble - there is no direct comparison between schools, but students do care about their performance results. A number of high performing schools from around the state will be there, so we want to show our best!
Can I come?
All performances are free and open to parents (schedule below). We could also use three or four parent volunteers during that day - email Mr. Brown (dbrown1@mcpasd.k12.wi.us) if interested.
Performance Schedule
10:00 Beloit HS
10:45 Stoughton HS
11:30 Middleton HS (Block 6 band)
12:15 Fond du Lac HS 1
1:00 Oregon HS
2:30 Middleton HS (Block 1 band)
3:15 Fond du Lac HS 2
-- Dinner Break --
7:00 Middleton HS (Block 7 band)
7:45 Sun Prairie HS
8:30 Middleton HS (Block 3 band)
--
Michael Ver Voort
Music Teacher & Director of Bands
Middleton High School
(608) 829-9680
mvervoort@mcpasd.k12.wi.us
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