What a way to end the year!!

Yesterday (Friday) the Howar Junior High Jazz and Concert Bands performed to an excited Lakeview audience. We opened with the jazz band performing "Watermelon Man" and "Sing, Sing, Sing" in a "best of the 2007-2008" set as the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders filed into the gym. The concert band opened with "Into the Storm," one of our contest pieces and then moved into a performance of some well known tunes including music from "The Little Mermaid," "West Side Story," and a dance break to "The Chicken Dance." I was not prepared for the response for our final selection of the afternoon. Our closer was a medley containing three selections from the hit musical and movie "Hairspray." The cheer from the audience was deafening and we did an encore of the final selection "You Can't Stop the Beat," after which there was more yelling and clapping. Thanks to everyone who made this performance possible, including the Lakeview staff for bringing their students down to a HOT gym, Mrs. Cole and Mr. Taylor for helping with arrangements and supplies, the custodial staff at Lakeview, Mr. DePrizio, the Howar staff and Mr. Karpen for allowing us to change the schedule and take the afternoon to perform, and, of course, the phenomenal Howar Students who were involved in these ensembles. What a way to end our successful year! Wow!

Monday and Tuesday no instruments will be needed for rehearsal, only Monday lesson folks who want to make up a few points need to bring their instruments this upcoming week. All school instruments need to be turned in on Monday for re-assignment. (Monday we'll finish watching "West Side Story" and Tuesday we will have a pizza party...)

Top Five Things Eighth Graders Won't Forget About HJH Marching Band

Howar Students – Don’t forget to wear your band polos and blue denim jeans, capris, or shorts tomorrow for our Lakeview Concert!! We’ll turn those in after our performance.
Top Five Things the Eighth Graders won’t forget about Howar Junior High Marching Band the last two years…
5. Where their left feet are located.
4. Even when wrong, Kylie H. is always right!
3. The Pancake Day parade route, first around the inside of the square, then around the outside of the square!
2. Band Booster provided cookies are the greatest!
1. Ms. Philipsen stepped on a dead squirrel that one day last year walking backwards during rehearsal…ewwww!

Welcome to Ms. Philipsen's Blog!

Welcome to my blog. In this first posting, I would like to first explain what I hope to accomplish in this space.

First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge the accomplishments of the Centerville Music Program and the students who participate in it, with particular emphasis on the Howar Junior High Band and the CHS Flag Team. Whether these accomplishments be big or small, there is so much good happening because of the young people involved in our program. I hope to celebrate here the positive that happens in our school every year, month, week, and even day.

Secondly, I would like to have a little fun. I might come up with some top five or ten lists, share a bad joke, or something else off the wall. Any ideas on topics you would like to see addressed? Email me!

Finally, I would like to challenge my students. Every week or two I hope to issue a challenge to anyone so daring to accept. I may come up with a practice challenge, a compositional challenge, a musical challenge, or a random challenge. Good luck to anyone who accepts any or all of these challenges. Check back periodically to see what is going on!

Thank you for checking out my blog and be sure to check back again soon as I hope to update two or more times each week!

Best wishes for the last five days of school!