2009 Band Christmas Concert - December 6

Our annual Band Christmas Concert is taking place this coming Sunday, December 6, starting at 2:30 pm, in the school gym.

All three GSMS bands (Beginner Band, Senior Band, and Jazz Band) will be performing. Concert dress is white tops, black bottoms, and black shoes. Students should arrive at the school (with instruments and music) no later than 2 pm for warm-ups in the band room.

This concert is free. There will be a silent auction, though, with proceeds to be shared between the band program and the GSMS Home & School Association.

For more information about the concert, please contact Ms. Waterhouse at 449-8035 or kellywaterhouse@hotmail.com.

Jazz Band Workshop - Saturday, November 7

The GSMS Jazz Band will be attending a special workshop on Saturday, November 7, from 2 to 5 pm, at George Street. This workshop will be led by Jennifer Keating, conductor of the Leo Hayes High School Jazz Band. Members of LHHS Jazz Band will play alongside our own musicians, and there will be a pizza party at the end of the afternoon. Students are asked to bring $2 to help cover the cost of the food. Don't forget your music!

Band Sectionals Begin - Week of October 26

Noon-time sectional rehearsals commence for both Beginner Band and Senior Band the week of October 26.

Instrument-specific sections of Beginner Band (e,g., brass, woodwinds) will meet with Ms. Waterhouse in the band room during lunch/options on Mondays and Wednesdays. In addition, Beginner Band will commence full band rehearsals on Wednesdays after school, from 3-4 pm, with the first of these rehearsals taking place on October 28.

Senior Band will meet with Ms. Waterhouse for sectionals in the band room during lunch/options on Tuesdays. For more details on scheduling, please contact Ms. Waterhouse at 442-1042 or kellywaterhouse@hotmail.com.

Band Rehearsals Begin - Week of September 28

After-school rehearsals for both Jazz Band and Senior Band begin this week. Jazz Band rehearses on Mondays, from 3 to 4:30 pm. Senior Band rehearses on Tuesdays, from 3 to 4:30 pm. Sectionals for Senior Band will be held on Tuesdays at noon. (Please note that there will be no early-morning Wednesday rehearsals for Senior Band this year.) Rehearsals are always held in the band room, around the corner from the cafeteria. Don't forget to bring your instruments and music to school on these days!

Beginner Band is already underway through the SPARK program on Wednesday mornings. After SPARK finishes, Beginner Band students will rehearse on Wednesday afternoons, from 3 to 4 pm.

Jazz Band Auditions - Monday, September 21

Auditions will be held for George Street Middle School's 2009-2010 Jazz Band after school in the band room on Monday, September 21.

All students registering in Senior Band this year are eligible to audition for Jazz Band. No prior jazz experience is required but precedence will be given to traditional jazz instruments: saxophone, trumpet, trombone, percussion, keyboard, bass, guitar. Each audition is five minutes long. Please come ready to play a short solo on your instrument and two scales (B-flat major and E-flat major). A sign-up sheet will be posted on the band room door the week of September 14. Students will be notified by phone of their acceptance into Jazz Band.

Please note that there is a $50 additional fee for participating in Jazz Band. All band forms and fees must be received at our Band Registration Night at the school on Wednesday, September 23. Jazz Band rehearsals will be held on Mondays after school, beginning on September 28.

Last year the GSMS Jazz Band won gold at the Fredericton Music Festival — we look forward to another swinging year of jazz at George!

Registration for 2009-2010 Band Program - September 23

Band is a terrific way to make new friends, explore your musicality, and contribute to the cultural life of our school. At George Street, we are proud to offer three bands: Beginner Band (for students with no prior band experience), Senior Band (for students with one or more years of experience), and Jazz Band (for Senior Band students interested in an extra challenge). All three bands are directed by Ms. Kelly Waterhouse, a graduate of the music program at Mount Allison University. GSMS bands play at school assemblies and hold two concerts during the year, as well as performing at special events such as the Fredericton Music Festival.

A Registration Night for the 2009-2010 Band Program will be held on Wednesday, September 23, from 6 to 8 pm, in the front lobby of the school. Registration forms and all band fees must be submitted at this time. For forms and/or more information, please contact Lisa Alward at lalward@nb.sympatico.ca, 455-7888, or Marienna MacDonald at mmacd@nb.sympatico.ca, 454-6961. A small number of band subsidies are available for students in financial need; please contact GSMS music teacher Maureen Steeves at maureen.steeves@nbed.nb.ca, 453-5419. Conductor Ms. Kelly Waterhouse may be contacted directly at kellywaterhouse@hotmail.com.

Playing an instrument gives lifelong pleasure — and middle school is one of the best times in life to start!

Bands Perform at 2009 Fredericton Music Festival

All three of our GSMS bands will be performing at the 2009 Fredericton Music Festival:

Beginner Band
Tuesday, April 28
Nashwaaksis Middle School
9:30 a.m.

Senior Band
Wednesday, April 29
Nashwaaksis Middle School
9:30 a.m.

Jazz Band
Wednesday, April 29
Nashwaaksis Middle School
10:40 a.m.

Band students should wear black bottoms and white tops to school on their music festival days. They will be bussed to Nashwaaksis Middle School shortly after the morning bell. Senior Band students will attend their 7:30 a.m. rehearsal, as usual, on Wednesday, April 29. NOTE: Senior Band and Jazz Band students who are also in the GSMS Choir should speak to Kelly. The choir's musical festival performance is also on Wednesday, April 29 (10 a.m. at FHS).

Parents are most welcome to come and hear the bands play.

GSMS Bands Beat to a New Drum!

The GSMS band program recently received generous contributions from our own George Street SRC, as well as from the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival, which awarded us a one-time grant of $3,500. The band room now features a new drum set with all the bells and whistles ... not to mention orchestra bells, triangles, cymbals, etc. And more instrument purchases and repairs are on their way! Support like this, both at the school and the community level, contributes enormously to the stability of a band program like ours, enabling us to invest in new projects such as the GSMS Jazz Band. Thanks to all concerned!