BAND PARENTS' UPDATE

Greetings, Grandview music families! It's March already and we are cruising towards spring and those year-end activities soooooo fast, they will be here before you know it!

Lots and LOTS of important information below, please read carefully.

1. CONCERTS THIS WEEK: We have two performance opportunities to offer this week, both in our newly renovated GHHS auditorium. The GHHS Concert Band will give their winter concert TONIGHT, Tuesday, March 14, at 7pm. Then the GHHS Jazz Ensemble will perform on Thursday, March 16, also beginning at 7pm, with a warm-up from our friends in the Seven O'Clock Jazz Band, and featuring guest artists in residence Zach Compston and Josh Newburry. Programs for both concerts will be available in advance of the concert by clicking here. Should be a great week of music making, please come and join us!
2. ORCHESTRA FIELD TRIP: In case you missed it, our 7-12th grade orchestra students recently partnered with Columbus's own ProMusica Chamber Orchestra for an in-class visit and a field trip to see their performance of Naked Classics, Mozart: Journey of a Genius at the Southern Theatre in downtown Columbus. Photos and additional details about the event are available by clicking here. The BPA is proud to have supported this unique and fun learning opportunity for our orchestra students!
3. 
   CAKE WALK IS COMING SOON: What does that mean??? Well, if you are new to Cake Walk, please click here for more details. But the important parts for you to know now are: Cake Walk will be on Friday April 14, from 6:30-9:30pm in the GHHS gymnasium, and band members in grades 7-12 will perform during the event.
4. 
   CAKE WALK CAKE DONATIONS: For everyone reading this message, we also have two important requests related to Cake Walk. First, we ask that each family donate one cake for each instrumental music student you have in your home. Got one HS orchestra student and one MS band student? We ask for two cakes. Got a 5th grade, an 8th grade, and an 11th grade band member? We ask for three cakes. One student in jazz ensemble only? One cake, please! The cakes are given away/sold during the fundraising event, and the more cakes we have, the more funds we raise.
5. 
   CAKE WALK VOLUNTEERS: In addition, it takes well over 100 adult volunteers to make Cake Walk a success every year. The signupgenius will be available soon and our second request is that we ask each and every one of you to find a slot or two to help out. Funds raised during lastyear's Cake Walk helped send our students to Ohio State in December, to ProMusica last week, to solo and ensemble and honors band throughout the year, and to Band Camp last fall, and it's time to replenish our coffers for next year's activities. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, for your support of our students!
6. HERE'S HOW ELSE YOU CAN HELP: We really, REALLY need some new parent volunteers to get involved in BPA in leadership positions. We have two officers who will be retiring from the Board this year and next - and we also have several key and important committees that have remained without leadership at all (which means that leadership has defaulted to the officers) for all or some part of the last several years. We get it, we know everyone is busy - but these field trips, camps, and other activities don't plan themselves....and pretty soon we won't have anyone left to plan them! If you are at all interested in getting more involved or just want more information, please reach out to any of the current officers (Dot Keil, Julie Rutter, Jay Carini, or Molly Schmied), or simply reply to this email. I know that I speak for all of the current Board when I say that we really do have a lot of fun together and are enjoying our service. And almost none of us bite. (Just checking to make sure you are still reading.) Middle school, jazz, and orchestra parents are welcome too - we'd love to have everyone represented!
7. BAND CAMP DATES AND LOCATION CONFIRMED: As noted above, the school year is flying by, and many of us are planning our summer schedules. For members of the 2023 GHHS Marching Band, that also means planning for Band Camp, and Mrs. Olis has confirmed that we will be returning to Otterbein University for Band Camp this year, from July 23 through July 28, 2023. Pre-camp rehearsals will be held at the High School the week before. Please mark your calendars accordingly! New to Band Camp this year? You can click here to visit the Band Camp page of our web site for more information. Please also feel free to reply to this email with specific questions, if you don't find your answers there. 
8. SENIOR PICNIC: Finally, knowing as we do how May schedules fill up for our seniors, we wanted to let you know now that the BPA will sponsor a senior picnic for all band, jazz, and orchestra seniors and the directors on Sunday 5/21. (This is a students only event, FYI - a final farewell opportunity for them and the teachers that we started during the first covid year and have continued ever since.) Details on location and time are TBD, but if you have a senior in the house, please mark your/their calendars now.