Successful end to the summer program!

Congratulations and thank you to anyone and everyone involved in the marathon concerts yesterday afternoon/evening. What an event! I was impressed with many aspects of yesterday.

First, thanks to everyone who helped load the truck and clear chairs and stands from the junior high band room after Junior Band yesterday afternoon, to those who unloaded the truck and helped set up at the concert site, and to everyone who has helped load the truck following the muni band concerts this season including last night. Only one more unload of the summer! Without your help things would not have gone so smoothly!

Second thanks to our adoring audiences. I was impressed each time I got the chance to look out over the crowd yesterday. What a turn out! It was a great day for such a concert and I'm glad to see the community turn out for this unique summer performance.

Finally, thank to everyone who performed yesterday. The jazz band sounded great and I am looking even more forward to starting jazz band at Howar in October after hearing how great the group sounded yesterday with only five rehearsals and the maturity of the soloists even before our season begins! Wow! I was impressed with the turn out for the Junior Band. As I was helping with your set up, I was starting to get nervous about fitting all of you into the band shell and the possibility of running out of chairs. If this summer is any indication, the sixth grade band will be especially strong this next year. Way to go! I've had a blast the past five weeks working with the Youth Band. I enjoy working with the group and seeing how quickly we can get a program together during the summer. In five one-hour rehearsals we were able to pull together some neat selections. You sounded great last night! And finally, I have has such a great time this year playing with the muni band. What a great evening to finish off the 2008 season.

Now I'm ready to start looking forward to the 2008/2009 school year. HJH Band members will be receiving some information about a pre-school year marching musical rehearsal and social event in the not too distant future. I'll blog about it once details are ironed out and information will be handed out at school registration. I'm also looking forward to the 2008 Flag Team getting organized. Now that summer lessons have concluded, I'm going to be able to put a little more energy into working up routines and getting details organized for the best year yet! It looks like in addition to our rehearsals we will be trying to add a few social opportunities. I'm going to try to get a phone and email list together, so if you're reading this blog and are on the 2008 Flag Team, please take a moment and email me with your email address and phone number and pass this link onto your friends on the team so they can do the same. (Email address: melinda.philipsen@gpaea.k12.ia.us)

Have a great summer!!!!