BAND UPDATE

Band Parents & Students,

DISTRICT SOLO & ENSEMBLE FESTIVAL
Congratulations to all of the students who participated in the MSBOA District 8 Solo & Ensemble Festival this past Saturday at Haslett High School! There were many terrific performances, and some great feedback from the adjudicators!

Those events that received a "First Division Rating" at District Solo & Ensemble are now eligible to register for State Solo & Ensemble Festival. The State S&E date is Saturday, March 23 at Okemos High School, however, the registration deadline is this week. Mr. Blackmer will need all event registration fees paid to him no later than 3:00 p.m. on  Wednesday, February 13. The State S&E fees are as follows:

9th Grade Solo - $15.00
Proficiency Solo (Grade 10-12): $21.00
Piano Proficiency: $25.00
Percussion Proficiency: $25.00
Duet: $16.00
Trio: $18.00
Quartet: $20.00
Quintet: $22.00
Chamber Ensemble: $5/person in ensemble

Checks should be made payable to Grand Ledge High School.

BLUE LAKE FINE ARTS CAMP SCHOLARSHIP AUDITIONS
A representative from Blue Lake will be at Grand Ledge High School this coming Tuesday, February 12, to hear students play for potential scholarships. The auditions are very short (a few minutes), and music can be selected from anything that would best show the individual students playing ability and technique. Blue Lake generally gives "some" scholarship money to everyone who performs and auditions, and it is frequently several hundred dollars. Also, by performing an audition, the students are not obligating themselves to anything.

The Blue Lake rep will be conducting these auditions during the school day, and students are encouraged to sign-up for an audition spot. The scholarship letters (with the granted dollar amount) generally go out within a couple of weeks after the audition date.

BAND PARENT/STUDENT MEETINGS
There are two upcoming Band parent/student meetings in the next couple of weeks. The first is on Wednesday, February 13, at 7:00 p.m., to discuss the changes taking affect in the High School Band for the 2013-2014 school year.

The second meeting is on Tuesday, February 19, also at 7:00 p.m., and this is an informational meeting regarding the Marching Band's trip to Florida in April 2014. Both meetings will be held in the High School Band Room.

Thank you!