News from the Band

Congratulations to Madeline S. who was selected to be a part of the 2014 Manitoba Provincial Junior Honour Band. The Honour Band is an annual event in our province. Members of the band are selected from students across the province through an audition process. In addition to performing a concert on May 10, the band will also perform with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra on May 13.

Congratulations to the Grade 7 Concert Band for their recent performance at the Level 1 Band Festival. The students represented our school very well both on and off the stage. Thank you to those parents who assisted us with supervision and transporting our instruments.

The Grade 8 Swingin’ Gators Jazz Band performed at the Sturgeon Heights Big Band Dance on Saturday, April 26th. This has become an annual tradition for the band and, as always, was a great collaboration between the two music programs.

YOU’RE INVITED to our Spring Concert on Thursday, May 22nd at 7:00PM at Sturgeon Heights Collegiate. The concert will feature all of our band and jazz band groups. We hope to see you there!

Final preparations are being made for the annual Grade 8 divisional band trip to the International Music Camp located in the International Peace Gardens. This year’s camp takes place from May 28th – May 30th. We are very fortunate to have access to this world-class facility and this event has always been a memorable experience for our students. This event is open to all Grade 8 band students from our division. Students from all the middle schools are grouped into one of two bands. With the assistance of guest artists and conductors, each band prepares a number of songs for a performance held on the final evening.

Students interested in making some music this summer should consider attending the Manitoba Band Association’s Summer Band Camp from August 18 - 22 here at Golden Gate. This is a great opportunity for students to improve their playing skills with the help of guest artists in a fun, enthusiastic environment. Our band parent organization also supports this event by offering bursaries to offset the cost of the camp. Interested students should see Mr. Popiel or Mme Martin for an application as soon as possible.