My fellow directors, the GCS Jamboree is getting close and we are excited to be hosting this on Monday.  You should have received a couple of things from Nathan concerning the festival. 

1. 2011 Jamboree Schedule
2. Map of School – SEHS – Updated 9-12-11
3. Information that was gone over yesterday at the director’s meeting.

If you didn’t get this information, please contact me and I will be happy to answer any of your questions.

Here is something that I forgot to talk about yesterday at the meeting.

Pit equipment, pit trailers, and props. 

1. Pit equipment: we will have the SEHS pit equipment available for all of you to use at your preference.  Our equipment will be set up on a pit trailers and you can use this equipment if you would like.  If you want to bring your own, that is fine also.  We are just trying to make it convenient for everyone.  However, you will need to bring your own sticks, mallets, beaters, and auxiliary instruments.
2. Pit trailers: if you plan to use your own pit equipment, we need to know how many trailers it is going to take to get your equipment from the bus lot to the field. 
3. Props: if you plan to bring your props, please let us know so that we can prepare a set-up place for you. 

Please respond to me (not Nathan) the following information:

Pit equipment: Will you use the SEHS equipment or your own equipment?
Pit trailers: If you use your own equipment, how many trailers do you need to get from the bus lot to the field?
Props: Will you use your props?

Chaperones/Chaperone Passes.

Each band may use as many parents/pit crew members to help them get onto and off of the field as they deem necessary.  However, only 10 chaperone passes will be given to each band to enter the jamboree once their band is done performing.  Other chaperones will have to pay to get into the jamboree.  Ex. If it takes you 40 parents to get on and off the field, that is fine, but only 10 of those can come back into the jamboree with their band for free.  The other 30 must pay.  I encourage you to pre-purchase tickets from Kids Voting to avoid the higher cost and so that your band will receive a percent of the proceeds from that ticket sale.

Trailer/Tractor Trailer/SUV’s.

If you are bringing your equipment in several SUV’s, please let me know so that I can send you passes to the bus lot for them.  We are not allowing any cars past a certain point on the bus lane without a pass.  The pass tells us that they are carrying equipment.  If you bringing your equipment in a trailer or tractor trailer, this will not be a problem. 

Again, we look forward to seeing everyone.  If you didn’t get the above information sent from Nathan, please let me know and I will forward you anything you are missing.  If you have questions, please feel free to give me a call or e-mail me.  Thanks.

Jeremy Ray

I spoke about this last night but I wanted to make sure we get all the information in your hands. Please see the information below…

• There are 6 judges- they are going to make comments on the whole show not individual categories (like Olympic style). 
• Judges are going to use a sheet that is not a festival sheet form.  There are two forms, one with a score total and one for comments only. 
  • Considering that not every band is a competition band, we will default to the comments only sheet. If you would like for the judges to give you a score, please let me know by Friday of this week. Remember, no one else will receive your comments and/or score. This information will not be announced.
• Kids Voting will be selling shout outs. There will also be a favorite band bucket. The band that wins it gets half the money that is raised from the favorite band pool.
• Bus billing: Some schools may not bill Kids Voting. If that happens, then send the bill to me and I will get it to KV.
• Uniforms: It is up to you as to whether or not your students wear uniforms Monday evening.
• Video- New beginnings will be videoing the whole event.  Please promote your students to buy videos because a portion of the proceeds go back to the county.
  • The video will include all band performances in the county.
• When you arrive, food is available from 4 to 6 for band directors and judges in the hospitality tent at no cost.
• Please refrain from bringing your students into the stadium using a cadence upon your arrival. Please refrain from using cadences to move your students to and from warm-up areas or to and from seating in the stadium. You are more than welcome to use cadences to move your band onto the field for your performance and off the field following your performance. Once you have moved your band off the field, please stop the cadence so we may begin moving the next band onto the field uninhibited. When moving your students into or out of the stadium, please be respectful of the band who is on the field. It is always best to move your students in between performances.
• Please be mindful of your field time. We have several bands to squeeze into a short amount of time and we want everyone to have appropriate time. 
• Please arrive between 4 and 5pm especially if you are performing at a later time. We want you to be there for an audience for the early bands and you will want an audience for your band. Please give each other the respect of an audience. 
• Please don’t bring snacks and drinks to the event. Ask students to buy dinner at the event. You will want the same when it is your school’s turn to operate concessions.
• Students can create a meal:  main item (ex. hamburger), chips, and a drink for $5. They can also order off the menu.
• Make sure you are communicating with your principals regarding your departure time from your school. Again, this is a district-sponsored event. If you are late, it will cause the event to be late.
• Other than HP Central, Smith, and Eastern who are performing first, please arrive slightly after 4:15 so you will not be caught in bus traffic leaving SEHS.
• Woody Mill Road is currently under construction so you have to come into the school a little different:

Option #1:

From  Hwy. 421 North towards Greensboro.  Go to the first stop light and turn right onto Hagan Stone Park Rd.  Go to the stop light and turn right onto Liberty Rd.  Go to the stop light and turn left onto Woody Mill Rd.  Take the first left onto Southeast School Rd., go to the 3^rd school entrance, just past the tennis courts and turn right.  This will take you around to the bus lot, have you driver park in this lot.  You can enter the stadium where you would enter for the band festival and where we go in. 

Option #2:

From Hwy. 62 East/South to where it intersects with Liberty Rd.  Turn left onto Liberty Rd.  Go to the 1^st stop light, just past the Food Lion, turn right onto Woody Mill Rd. Take the first left onto Southeast School Rd., go to the 3^rd school entrance, just past the tennis courts and turn right.  This will take you around to the bus lot, have you driver park in this lot.  You can enter the stadium where you would enter for the band festival and where we go in. 

• If you don’t have a trailer Jeremy Ray needs to know because beyond a certain spot only busses and trailers will be allowed. So he needs to know so he can give you a pass to allow your vehicles carrying equipment back there. 
• Follow that map that Nathan sent on Monday
• We are working on getting a golf cart to move people around.
• Parents park in lot 1,2 or 3.  We are trying not to use the middle school as much as possible because the middle school yellow buses park there.
• We will put people in the school annex and the new part to dress and undress.
• You will be assigned 2 students helpers and an adult.  At the tent, your guides will be there waiting a half hour before your warm up time. 
• If you need power on the field, it will be made available to you at the 50 yard line.
• Handicapped parking is between the school and stadium. 
• There is no assigned seating for bands; however, we ask that you fill up the away side as much as possible leaving room for paying guests on the home side.
• Directors have stressed the importance of making sure everyone arrives on time. Band Directors have stressed that their students have worked extra hard to make sure they have a show on the field this early and want everyone to recognize the efforts of all students by ensuring all arrive on time so everyone gets a chance at an audience.
• REMINDER: Advanced tickets are $6.00. Tickets at the gate are $8.00.

Nathan Street

The All County Orchestra will once again audition for wind and percussionists via CD or cassette tape recordings.  The due date for these recorded auditions is Tuesday, October 18^th.  Just like last year, we will use the All County / All District Solo as the required audition solo rather than a separate piece of music.  This is in hopes that it will inspire early practice for our students who are considering auditions for the All District auditions in January.  Please check the recording on a few players to make sure it will work on any machine during the screening.  I thank all who helped me listen to tapes last year and ask again for any available ears to help listen to these recordings.

Can’t wait to see you all again,

Andy Oldham
Ragsdale High School

Audition Requirements:

All County / All District Solo

1. Please record the first 4 lines of music (not including cadenzas, cue notes or multi-measure rests)

A list of the required solos is available (in draft form) here:

http://cdba.ncbandmasters.org/1112ADHSSoloDraft.pdf

Scales

1. Please record the (concert pitch) Bb, Eb, Ab, F, and Chromatic scales.  These are the same scales that are used for the High School All County Band of Guilford County.  Likewise, they should align with the format of the All County / All District requirements.

Use the All District format for scales; available here:

http://cdba.ncbandmasters.org/CDBAHSScales1011.html

Those are last year’s scales but I don’t believe there is a change for this year.

Here is what is currently available for your monthly meetings. When you register for these, you are automatically registered for the August 22 Professional Development.

Band: http://www.solutionwhere.com/guilford/cw/showcourse.asp?4208

Elementary Music: http://www.solutionwhere.com/guilford/cw/showcourse.asp?4210

HS Choral: http://www.solutionwhere.com/guilford/cw/showcourse.asp?4211

MS Choral: http://www.solutionwhere.com/guilford/cw/showcourse.asp?4212

Orchestra: http://www.solutionwhere.com/guilford/cw/showcourse.asp?4209

Theater: http://www.solutionwhere.com/guilford/cw/showcourse.asp?4215

Nathan Street

I’ve had some questions about where to register for the August 22 Professional Development day and where to go. As of right now, we do not have those links ready for you to register. Once those links are established, I will forward them to you immediately.

Please read all of this information as it pertains to monthly meetings as well. As of now, I do not have contacts for new teachers in our district. If you know of new arts educators in your building, please forward this information to them because they will not see it otherwise until I can compile a list of new teachers. 

August 22 Professional Development Sites 

All Music – Greensboro Cultural Center located at 200 North Davie Street in downtown Greensboro – 8:00AM – 12:00 noon

All Visual Art – Mendenhall Middle School Art Rooms located at 205 Willoughby Blvd. Greensboro – 8:00AM – 12:00 noon

All Theater – Western Guilford High School Theater Room located at 409 Friendway Rd. Greensboro – 8:00AM – 12:00 noon

All Dance – Weaver Academy Dance Studio located at 300 South Spring St. Greensboro – 8:00AM – 12:00 noon (Will need to get parking passes!)

All…We will again combine the August 22 professional development dates with the monthly meetings for each area; therefore, when you register for August 22, you will be registering for the monthly meetings. It is one-stop registration. We are making a huge change this year to earning CEUs. For the past three years and probably prior to me, the rule has been that you can miss one meeting and still get credit…miss two, no credit. Beginning this year, you will receive credit for what you attend that exceeds 6 hours. For example, if you attend the August 22 professional development, you will receive 4 hours or a .4 CEU. We do not award credit less than .5 so you would not earn any credit unless you attended another session to earn .6. I know…sounds convoluted. If you attend the August 22 PD and one more session and that’s all you attend this year, you’ll be awarded .6 CEUs at the end of the monthly meetings cycle in June. If you attend all sessions, you’ll be awarded the full amount of CEUs which range from 1.4 to 2.5 depending on your content area. In essence, you’ll be awarded CEUs based on the number of sessions you attend at .6 and over.

I will be out of the office for the remainder of today trying to take care of dentist and doctors’ appointments all in one day. And of course, I’ll be out tomorrow since we are on a four day week. Thankfully, that 4 day week stuff ends this week. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me. I will answer Monday.

Nathan Street

A couple of reminders…

1)     The Marching Band Jamboree will be September 19 at Southeast High School. Kids Voting will be paying for your buses…you’ll need to arrange your drivers. Do not forget to reserve your buses. We will have food for directors at the event in the hospitality tent. Please also reserve September 26 as a rain date for this event. All schools are expected to be represented. The event will occur this year rain or shine. Should we need the rain date and it rains on the rain date, the event will be moved indoors. I’m going to ask Jeremy Ray to send out arrival times and locations for you. Remember that the purpose of this event is to showcase each band. There is no competition. Please plan to arrive in time to support each band and remain until the end.

2)      If you have not sent your inventories to me, I need those ASAP. You may e-mail them to me. This will apply to MS BD’s as well.

I hope you all have had a great summer. Thanks!

Nathan Street