William Blount High School Band

Don’t forget about the banquet this evening in the commons at the main campus starting at 7 p.m.! The cost is $10 per person, and students remember to bring a 2 liter drink for the dance.

What a busy few weeks we have had! Indoor seasons have come to a close, and congratulations to both groups for an outstanding season. Concert band went to Upper Area Festival and received straight superiors. It has been a great couple of weeks for the William Blount Band thanks to the hard work of all of these students.

Now for the mad dash to the end of the year! Make sure your calendars are marked with the 8th grade concert (April 19), banquet (April 29), and graduation (May 16).

Keep up the great work!

We’ve reached spring break! Enjoy your time off, and come back relaxed and ready to go!

Here is the Butter Braid Form so that you can begin selling over spring break.

When we come back we will have after school practice Monday and Tuesday, and Thursday we will be going to festival. We will leave at about 1:00 p.m. and perform in Greeneville just before 6 p.m. We will have itineraries when you return.

Have a great break!

It is hard to believe we are half way through February! Time flies, and snow days (weeks) certainly don’t help. The concert band is fighting to make up for lost time, and with that comes increased responsibilities at home. Help make sure your son/daughter is practicing regularly at home. Ten minutes every day is more effective that an hour once, but thirty minutes every day would be even better! Just 2 1/2 weeks away is our pre-festival concert. The music won’t be perfect, but it will give us a great chance to have a run-through in front of an audience on stage with plenty of time after to polish. Plan to be there on Thursday, March 3.

The indoor programs are moving right along preparing for their next outing. Make sure your calendar includes the indoor showcase which will be on Thursday, March 10, at the main campus.

Senior slideshow pictures need to be turned in ASAP. Bring them to Mr. Slaughter at your earliest convenience.

Officer elections are at the next booster meeting. Our open positions will be treasurer, co-concessions coordinator, and volunteer coordinator. If you have interest in any of these positions contact Mr. Slaughter and Jo Holsonback. Be sure to be at the meeting to have your vote counted!

“Joy Revisited” and “Simple Gifts”:
http://www.manhattanbeachmusic.com/html/mp3.html

“Declaration, Ballade and Finale”:
http://www.jwpepper.com/2231777.item 

It is hard to believe that it is already February!

This weekend we have a student traveling to participate in the East Tennessee School Band and Orchestra’s Senior Clinic. This is one of the highlights of the band year, and we are so proud to have the band represented there this year.

Next weekend several students will be traveling to participate in Tennessee Tech’s Festival of Winds and Percussion. This is a great opportunity for students to play in great ensembles made up of some of the finest players in the region.

In class we are busy working on several pieces of music and slowly narrowing it down to what we want to play at festival. We have many great options at this point, but have not yet come to a decision. Students have nightly practice expectations, so please encourage your students to take care of their responsibilities.

Just a reminder to seniors that they need to have their pictures for the slide show in by February 20. One baby picture, one picture between ten and twelve, and a senior picture. Please get these in as soon as possible so we can be sure everyone is included.

Welcome back (again)!

Hopefully the bad weather is behind us and we can get moving with this semester’s activities. Concert band classes at both campuses are shaping up to be great groups, and we can’t wait to see what they will do! Preliminary plans at this point are to attend at least one concert festival, possibly two. Dates will be announced as soon as they are decided.

Both winter guard and indoor drum line are off to a great start, regardless of the time missed. Both groups have outstanding instructors that will greatly challenge and grow the students involved. The first competition for these groups will be this Saturday, January 22, at Gibbs High School. The groups will carpool from William Blount at 10 a.m. with the drum line performing at 1:54 and the guard performing at 4:04. Come out and show your support to these hard working students.

Thank you all for your support of this band, it couldn’t be what it is without student, school, community and parent support.

What a great concert! It was quite a busy evening with both middle schools and the high school present, not to mention a substantial fruit delivery. Thank you for your attendance and patience with what was quite a busy night. The crowd ended up being enormous, but the good of the evening most certainly outweighed any bad there was.

Saturday we participated in the Maryville/Alcoa Jaycees parade by combining with both Maryville and Alcoa High Schools’ Bands. It was a great opportunity for the students from each of the bands to meet each other and have the opportunity to perform in a large ensemble. The directors at each school in Blount County have worked hard to create a spirit of cooperation rather than competition.

Coming up quickly in January those who signed up will have senior clinic auditions. Please continue to practice and prepare for this great opportunity.

Have a wonderful holiday break, and start looking forward to concert band!

Can you believe it is already December? It has been a whirlwind, from marching band, to Veterans Day, and now on to parades and winter concert! The students have stepped up and continue to work hard to make everything the William Blount Band does a success.

Coming up we have several events. Please continue to check the calendar page to stay current on upcoming events.

For information on our upcoming parades please check parade itinerary for all the information.

Thanks for your continued support!

Students (10-12) that wish to audition for senior clinic must sign up in the band room on Thursday, November 18.