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AUGUST, 2024
OH, WHAT A NIGHT!
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Folks, our football Friday nights got kicked off in a grand fashion last night, with our marching Bobcats taking the field for the first time and putting on a terrific show. We unveiled our amazing senior banners honoring the sixteen marching members of the class of 2025, LOTS of new faces joined as parent volunteers to operate the concessions stands, the PRIDE OF THE BOBCATS made us proud on the field, and a whole bunch of GHBOB-ers showed up at Barrel & Taps after the game for some fun and good times together. Oh, and in the middle of it all our football Bobcats staged an impressive comeback victory, throwing up 28 points in the second half to beat Briggs 28-12 in their 2024 debut. It just really couldn't have been better!
A photo album of last night's activities is attached, and here is some video of the GHHS Marching Band's pregame show and halftime performances: [note, video has been moved to the video page of this web site, click here] See you all back at Anderson field in two weeks, for the next home Bobcat game! (Updated August 24, 2024) |
DECAL DRIVE 2024
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A HUGE thanks to all of our parent volunteers and high school musicians who worked hard last week to knock on as many Grandview Heights doors as possible. Our 2024 decal driveway extremely successful, raising very nearly $10,000 (and counting!) in support of our instrumental music students at all levels.
Kudos and special recognition go out to Molly Schmied and Sara Carini, who organized this year's drive, as well as Mona Barber who led an incredibly successful sponsorship drive that will add to our overall fundraising efforts to start the year. Grateful to have all of these people on the GHBOB team! Here are some photos from the decal drive launch: Thanks again to all involved - it was a terrific start to our fundraising year! (Updated August 25, 2024) |
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BAND CAMP PHOTOS
With a big thanks to friend of GHBOB/professional photographer Ken Heigel, we are pleased to share group photos from Band Camp 2024, including a full band photo, fun shots of the seniors, plus photos of every instrument section. You can click here to see the full collection, and they are available to you to view, download, share, and enjoy at no cost. Huge thank you, Ken, for your beautiful work and your generosity!
(Updated August 6, 2024)
(Updated August 6, 2024)
JULY, 2024
BAND CAMP 2024, IN THE BOOKS
Reports from the staff and students sure make it sound like Band Camp 2024 was yet another rousing success. Our students worked really hard and got a lot of work done preparing for the upcoming season, and also really bonded as a team and had a lot of fun together. And that's pretty much what Band Camp is all about!
BIG THANKS AND HUGE KUDOS go out to our new team of Band Camp organizers, including Katie Russell, Nate Russell, and Eloise Jones. We also could not make this happen without a LEGION of other parent helpers, including our nursing corps of Jen Hayes, Catt Dimes, Melissa McKelvey, and Andy Betz; our overnight chaperones including Eloise and Nate, as well as Bob Rutter, Molly Schmied, Dave Schmied, Rick Kinsinger, Dawn Ritzman, Sark Mahdasian, Eileen Critchley, Jay McKelvey, and Angela Russell; our truck drivers James Herlihy (who also donated his truck) and Dave again; and check-in and return day volunteers including Sarah Knouff, Matt Knouff, and Phil Miller, plus Eloise, Katie, Angela, Molly, Dawn, and Dave. And of course, our amazing GHHS Band Director Jenn Olis and Assistant Marching Band Director Thomas Stanley put in the hard work that really makes Band Camp happen.
BIG THANKS AND HUGE KUDOS go out to our new team of Band Camp organizers, including Katie Russell, Nate Russell, and Eloise Jones. We also could not make this happen without a LEGION of other parent helpers, including our nursing corps of Jen Hayes, Catt Dimes, Melissa McKelvey, and Andy Betz; our overnight chaperones including Eloise and Nate, as well as Bob Rutter, Molly Schmied, Dave Schmied, Rick Kinsinger, Dawn Ritzman, Sark Mahdasian, Eileen Critchley, Jay McKelvey, and Angela Russell; our truck drivers James Herlihy (who also donated his truck) and Dave again; and check-in and return day volunteers including Sarah Knouff, Matt Knouff, and Phil Miller, plus Eloise, Katie, Angela, Molly, Dawn, and Dave. And of course, our amazing GHHS Band Director Jenn Olis and Assistant Marching Band Director Thomas Stanley put in the hard work that really makes Band Camp happen.
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Several of the parents who spent time at camp shared their photos and videos, and you can click here to see the full collection of them if you missed them on Facebook last week. THANK YOU to everyone who made this past week possible, including our hard-working and mostly well-behaved students!
(Updated July 28, 2024) |
MAY, 2024
ONE MORE BUSY WEEK!
It may be May, and the end of the school year is right around the corner, but our band and orchestra programs are not yet ready to throw in the towel! Last Monday, Mr. Heath and Mrs. Olis loaded up the sixth grade band and took them "on the road" - down to Stevenson Elementary, where they performed a concert on the lawn for the entire RLS population. This meets SO MANY of our goals for these students! Extra performance opportunity? Check! Performing for an audience outside of the GHHS auditorium? Check! Recruiting and inspiring potential future band members? Check check check! the event was a great success, and the directors are already thinking about ways to improve upon it for next year.
Next up was our GHHS Jazz Ensemble, who asked Mrs. Olis to arrange just one more performance opportunity for them before graduation takes away four seniors from the group. Mrs. Olis was happy to oblige, and the GH Public Library was also happy to host. Another big win! The students had a great time playing some of their favorite numbers from the year, for a very appreciative audience.
Then on Thursday night, we said farewell to the parents of several of our graduating seniors who have been instrumental (see what I did there?) to the success of our GHBOB programs over the years, with a rollicking good time at Barrel & Taps.
And last but CERTAINLY not least, GHBOB hosted a farewell picnic for our graduating seniors and their directors, at the home of Bob and Julie Rutter. GHBOB VP Jennifer Kinsinger delivered an entire (amazing!) meal for the students and their directors - who enjoyed pizza, watermelon, ice cream sundaes, and lots of laughs together on this last Sunday evening before they all graduate. Photos from all three events are below.
Next up was our GHHS Jazz Ensemble, who asked Mrs. Olis to arrange just one more performance opportunity for them before graduation takes away four seniors from the group. Mrs. Olis was happy to oblige, and the GH Public Library was also happy to host. Another big win! The students had a great time playing some of their favorite numbers from the year, for a very appreciative audience.
Then on Thursday night, we said farewell to the parents of several of our graduating seniors who have been instrumental (see what I did there?) to the success of our GHBOB programs over the years, with a rollicking good time at Barrel & Taps.
And last but CERTAINLY not least, GHBOB hosted a farewell picnic for our graduating seniors and their directors, at the home of Bob and Julie Rutter. GHBOB VP Jennifer Kinsinger delivered an entire (amazing!) meal for the students and their directors - who enjoyed pizza, watermelon, ice cream sundaes, and lots of laughs together on this last Sunday evening before they all graduate. Photos from all three events are below.
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Thanks to EVERYONE who had a hand in making any of this happen - it was a great week at the end of a very good year.
(Updated May 19, 2024)
(Updated May 19, 2024)
CONGRATULATIONS, 2024 SQUAD LEADERS!
Mrs. Olis recently announced the squad leaders for the 2024 edition of the GHHS Marching Band, and they include: Ben Carini, Carmen Cunningham, Peyton Debelak, Annabel Dimes, Ben Donahue, Luna Gupta, Porter Knouff, Luke Lobao, Quinn Markle, Finn McKelvey, Sean McKelvey, Ben Ritzman, Charlotte Ritzman, Lucas Schmied, Sophia Szabo-Ramsey, Allie Wahl, Jeremy Wurster, and Maddie Young. GHBOB congratulates all of these students for taking on this important leadership role!
(Updated May 18, 2024).
(Updated May 18, 2024).
A GREAT DAY FOR OUR 7TH AND 8TH GRADE MUSICIANS
Saturday May 4th was more than just an opportunity to celebrate Star Wars! Our 7th and 8th grade band and orchestra students all had the opportunity to perform for professional clinicians who came to GHHS to work with them. The band and orchestra groups each performed full pieces under the batons of their own directors, and then our guests provided their professional feedback and also worked with the students on developing their musicianship and artistry. Additional performance and professional feedback opportunities are a great way to help students see how far they have come as musicians, and possibly learn some new perspective from another professional educator, and the GHBOB is proud to underwrite the cost of bringing in these educators to work with our students. Here are some photos and a few video snips of our students preparing for and working with the clinicians:
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After that morning of hard work, our students boarded the buses and headed off for some well-earned relaxation time at King's Island. We're told that even though they had to dodge a few rainstorms during the day, they managed to have a whole lot of fun as well. Here are some photos sent in by parent chaperones during the day:
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GHBOB is grateful to EVERYONE who had a hand in making this day happen, including our students who were serious and focused with the clinicians and respectful and generally well behaved with their field trip chaperones, the school administration for supporting this big day and providing the buses, the families of all of our students, the parent chaperones, and most especially our directors who work hard all week and then still hopped on buses and supervised these students for a day-long amusement park field trip. Thank you to all!
(Updated May 5, 2024)
(Updated May 5, 2024)
Student recognition
In addition to an amazing week of music-making with all of our groups giving their final concerts, our last concert week was an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our students. Our directors presented a number of awards and recognition during the concerts, detailed more fully below.
For the orchestra program, Mr. Stanley selected and recognized "Outstanding Orchestra Students" in each of our five orchestra groups. The recipients included:
In the Band program, Mr. Heath and Mrs. Olis celebrated a number of awards and other student achievements. The first three awards below were voted on by the students' peers, and the other awards were selected by the directors.
Outstanding Musician: This award is presented to a student(s) who demonstrates outstanding musicianship and has made a significant contribution to the music program at Larson Middle School/GHHS. Recipients of this award have been involved in numerous ensembles and have shown dedication, musical leadership, creativity, and a high level of proficiency on their instrument(s).
Band Citizenship: This award is presented to a student(s) who shows exceptional composure during all music rehearsals, giving the utmost respect to their teacher and peers at all times. Recipients are exemplary role models who lead by example and would do anything to help the music program at Larson Middle School/GHHS be its best.
Most Growth: This award is presented to a student(s) who has demonstrated a marked improvement in musical achievement and a positive growth mindset. Recipients of this award show a strong commitment to self-improvement.
Director’s Award: The Director's Award for Band is chosen by the band directors and is awarded to a student(s) who displays high qualities of dedication and conduct and is presented in recognition of the student's outstanding contribution to the music ensemble. Recipients of this award have gone beyond the normal classroom expectations, leading by example and enriching the foundation of the Larson Middle School/GHHS band program.
Louis Armstrong Jazz Band Award: The Louis Armstrong Jazz Award is presented to the outstanding graduating senior jazz band member. The recipient must demonstrate the highest levels of dedication, loyalty, character, and discipline to the jazz band program while achieving the highest musical standards required of jazz music.
John Philip Sousa Band Award: The John Philip Sousa Band Award is presented to the outstanding graduating senior concert band member and recognizes those young musicians displaying superior musicianship, leadership, dependability, loyalty, cooperation, and other qualities of conduct which school instrumental music programs strive to impart. The Sousa award is the most prestigious nationwide prize in the school band field.
Middle School Honor Band Participants: Mira Bondy, Rose Ritzman, Sydney Heren, Isla Swisher, Halle McNamara, and Ashlyn Quinby.
High School Honor Band Participants: Max McCollough, Colin Parker, Charlotte Ritzman, Tucker Betz, and Lyla Baxter.
Middle School Solo and Ensemble Participants: Isla Swisher, Mira Bondy, Bruno Lount, Mary Herlihy, Callie Rutter, Sophie Welsh, Brook Wangler, Hudson Barber, Evie Delong, Rose Ritzman, Julia Staton, Leela Stricklin, Sydney Heren, Harper Cunningham, Halle McNamara, Summer Martinez-Wheeler, Lexi Goncz, Emma Binkley, Maddi Barger, and Zachary Young,
High School Solo and Ensemble: Max McCollough, Lyla Baxter, Liv Glaser, Charlotte Ritzman, Colin Parker, and Ben Carini.
During the High School band concert, we also celebrated and said farewell to all of our eight graduating seniors: Lyla Baxter, Steve Chordas, Freddie Keil, Ben Matter, Eryn O'Harra, Colin Parker, Sammy Reichert, and Liv Rutter. You can click here to view the senior recognition program. We wish them all the best and thank them for their years of dedication to our programs!
GHBOB congratulates ALL of these young musicians for their achievements over the 2023-24 school year!
(Updated May 5, 2024)
For the orchestra program, Mr. Stanley selected and recognized "Outstanding Orchestra Students" in each of our five orchestra groups. The recipients included:
- 5th grade: Evan Arszman, Matilda Hopkins
- 6th grade: Madan Chiang, Tolliver Betz
- 7th grade: Ed Hastie, Liv Peppercorn
- 8th grade: Jude Haack, Jackson Young
- GHHS: Carmen Cunningham, Maura Yates, Frannchesca Espinoza Alvarado
In the Band program, Mr. Heath and Mrs. Olis celebrated a number of awards and other student achievements. The first three awards below were voted on by the students' peers, and the other awards were selected by the directors.
Outstanding Musician: This award is presented to a student(s) who demonstrates outstanding musicianship and has made a significant contribution to the music program at Larson Middle School/GHHS. Recipients of this award have been involved in numerous ensembles and have shown dedication, musical leadership, creativity, and a high level of proficiency on their instrument(s).
- 6th grade: Madi Burton, Emmett Bierlein
- 7th grade: Rose Ritzman
- 8th grade: Mira Bondy
- GHHS: Colin Parker
Band Citizenship: This award is presented to a student(s) who shows exceptional composure during all music rehearsals, giving the utmost respect to their teacher and peers at all times. Recipients are exemplary role models who lead by example and would do anything to help the music program at Larson Middle School/GHHS be its best.
- 6th grade: Avery Szabo-Ramsey
- 7th grade: Alexa Karst
- 8th grade: Callie Rutter, Isla Swisher
- GHHS: Ben Matter, Samantha Reichert
Most Growth: This award is presented to a student(s) who has demonstrated a marked improvement in musical achievement and a positive growth mindset. Recipients of this award show a strong commitment to self-improvement.
- 6th grade: Daisy Buzzard
- 7th grade: Ashlyn Quinby
- 8th grade: Mary Herlihy, Brook Wangler
- GHHS: Jeremy Wurster
Director’s Award: The Director's Award for Band is chosen by the band directors and is awarded to a student(s) who displays high qualities of dedication and conduct and is presented in recognition of the student's outstanding contribution to the music ensemble. Recipients of this award have gone beyond the normal classroom expectations, leading by example and enriching the foundation of the Larson Middle School/GHHS band program.
- 6th grade: Jack Smith
- 7th grade: Sydney Heren
- 8th grade: Evie Delong
- GHHS: Freddie Keil
Louis Armstrong Jazz Band Award: The Louis Armstrong Jazz Award is presented to the outstanding graduating senior jazz band member. The recipient must demonstrate the highest levels of dedication, loyalty, character, and discipline to the jazz band program while achieving the highest musical standards required of jazz music.
- Lyla Baxter, Steve Chordas
John Philip Sousa Band Award: The John Philip Sousa Band Award is presented to the outstanding graduating senior concert band member and recognizes those young musicians displaying superior musicianship, leadership, dependability, loyalty, cooperation, and other qualities of conduct which school instrumental music programs strive to impart. The Sousa award is the most prestigious nationwide prize in the school band field.
- Colin Parker
Middle School Honor Band Participants: Mira Bondy, Rose Ritzman, Sydney Heren, Isla Swisher, Halle McNamara, and Ashlyn Quinby.
High School Honor Band Participants: Max McCollough, Colin Parker, Charlotte Ritzman, Tucker Betz, and Lyla Baxter.
Middle School Solo and Ensemble Participants: Isla Swisher, Mira Bondy, Bruno Lount, Mary Herlihy, Callie Rutter, Sophie Welsh, Brook Wangler, Hudson Barber, Evie Delong, Rose Ritzman, Julia Staton, Leela Stricklin, Sydney Heren, Harper Cunningham, Halle McNamara, Summer Martinez-Wheeler, Lexi Goncz, Emma Binkley, Maddi Barger, and Zachary Young,
High School Solo and Ensemble: Max McCollough, Lyla Baxter, Liv Glaser, Charlotte Ritzman, Colin Parker, and Ben Carini.
During the High School band concert, we also celebrated and said farewell to all of our eight graduating seniors: Lyla Baxter, Steve Chordas, Freddie Keil, Ben Matter, Eryn O'Harra, Colin Parker, Sammy Reichert, and Liv Rutter. You can click here to view the senior recognition program. We wish them all the best and thank them for their years of dedication to our programs!
GHBOB congratulates ALL of these young musicians for their achievements over the 2023-24 school year!
(Updated May 5, 2024)
APRIL, 2024
WHAT AN UNBELIEVABLE WEEK!
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For those who might have missed it, we had an incredible week of friend-raising and fundraising last week. We kicked things off on Wednesday evening with our orchestra students performing the first ever CUPCAKE CONCERT at the Grandview Heights Public Library. Almost thirty orchestra students performed, including 16 who volunteered to present solos and small ensembles, plus the full 8th grade and GHHS orchestras.
The GHBOB provided free cupcakes and a raffle, which included a $50 gift card to Johnson's Ice Cream, won by Derrick Knapp, and a BOBCake Bash ticket package, claimed by Ames Metcalf. We had a great crowd, raised a few hundred dollars, provided an opportunity for our orchestra students to perform in a non-school venue, and generally just kicked off our BOBCake Bash week with a bang! Check out the photos to the right. |
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You can bet we look forward to making this an annual event! BIG thanks to GHBOBer Tessa Carrel for dreaming up this concept and then working so hard to make it a reality. Thanks also to our friends at Grandview Heights Public Library for hosting us for this event, and partnering with us on the BOBCake Bash as well.
We followed that up with the 75th ANNUAL BOBCAKE BASH on Friday night, and man, oh man, did our co-chairs Catt Dimes and Terra Welsh knock it straight out of the park! From all the new games and activities (including several that were handmade by Terra's parents), to the unprecedented number of businesses contributing to the silent auction (with thanks to GHBOBer Jenni Betz for leading this effort), to the brand new "buyout" option that allowed families to make a BOBCake Bash donation instead of bringing in a cake (with thanks to GHBOBer Eloise Maun for this genius suggestion). . . . our fundraising this year is going to reach record levels! We have to total up the final expenses before we can make it official, but we believe we are teetering on the brink of our first ever $10,000 Bash! We also enjoyed our first ever "AFTERCAKE" event at the Grandview Theater - look for that to become an annual staple as well, and plan to join us for some laughs and unwinding once the cleanup is done.
Here are just a few (hundred?) pics from last Friday:
We followed that up with the 75th ANNUAL BOBCAKE BASH on Friday night, and man, oh man, did our co-chairs Catt Dimes and Terra Welsh knock it straight out of the park! From all the new games and activities (including several that were handmade by Terra's parents), to the unprecedented number of businesses contributing to the silent auction (with thanks to GHBOBer Jenni Betz for leading this effort), to the brand new "buyout" option that allowed families to make a BOBCake Bash donation instead of bringing in a cake (with thanks to GHBOBer Eloise Maun for this genius suggestion). . . . our fundraising this year is going to reach record levels! We have to total up the final expenses before we can make it official, but we believe we are teetering on the brink of our first ever $10,000 Bash! We also enjoyed our first ever "AFTERCAKE" event at the Grandview Theater - look for that to become an annual staple as well, and plan to join us for some laughs and unwinding once the cleanup is done.
Here are just a few (hundred?) pics from last Friday:
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The talk of the Bobcake Bash evening was the beautiful "burn away" cake donated by A Cake For Leroy in the silent auction. Winners Mitch Harville and Jennifer Voit invited a few folks over on Saturday afternoon to watch it burn, including our own GHBOB president Dot Keil, who shared these photos and video (and pronounced the cake delicious):
It's truly impossible to thank everyone who contributed to the success of an event like this, but we are exceptionally grateful to the facilities team at GH Schools (who, in addition to all of their other plentiful support and hard work, pulled out the hydraulic lift to help rescue a "75" balloon from the rafters during setup), all of the teachers and administrators who volunteered to be "caked in the face", all of the many parents of band and orchestra students who volunteered their time, and the many other community members who don't even have a band or orchestra students who signed up to help as well. And our generous donors and sponsors, of course. Plus the hundreds of people who attended and participated and laughed and had fun - the smiles are what make it all worthwhile!
The GHBOB organization is truly honored to be the steward of this beloved community jewel, and we look forward to 75 more years of sweet memories....and cake! (Updated April 17, 2024) |
CONGRATS TO OUR 2024 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS!
Seniors Lyla Baxter and Colin Parker were awarded our $1000 GH Band & Orchestra Boosters scholarship at last night's GHHS scholarship event. The GHBOB scholarship recognizes students who have had a positive impact on the GH instrumental music program. Colin also took home the $500 Mary Jo Gaskalla scholarship, which is awarded to a student who intends to study or otherwise participate in music programs in college.
Congratulations to both Lyla and Colin, shown below with our GHBOB VP, Jenn Kinsinger, who presented the awards.
Kudos as well to band students Tucker Betz, Steve Chordas, Ella Kinsinger, Colin Parker, and Max McCollough, who provided a little jazz music for the evening's events!
Congratulations to both Lyla and Colin, shown below with our GHBOB VP, Jenn Kinsinger, who presented the awards.
Kudos as well to band students Tucker Betz, Steve Chordas, Ella Kinsinger, Colin Parker, and Max McCollough, who provided a little jazz music for the evening's events!
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(Updated April 17, 2024)
CONGRATS TO OUR AMAZING MIDDLE SCHOOLERS!
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This past Saturday an unprecedented total of twenty
7th and 8th grade musicians participated in the OMEA District 15 adjudicated events opportunity at Dublin Scioto High School. These students presented a total of fourteen pieces via solos, duets, trios, or quartets - and eleven of them received the top rating of Superior, with the other three receiving the second highest rating of Excellent. GHBOB congratulates the following middle school musicians: Hudson Barber, Maddie Barger, Emma Binkley, Mira Bondy, Harper Cunningham, Evie DeLong, Lexi Goncz, Mary Herlihy, Sydney Herren, Bruno Lount, Summer Martinez-Wheeler, Halle McNamara, Rose Ritzman, Callie Rutter, Julia Staton, Leela Strickland, Isla Swisher, Brook Wangler, Sophie Welsh, and Zachary Young. (We caught pics of as many students as we could, but unfortunately we missed a few. There were just so many!)
GHBOB is proud to support this event every year, and positively thrilled that this year's participation is double the number of students from just one year ago. Great things are happening in our instrumental music programs! (Updated April 7, 2024) |
march, 2024
GHHS IN CONCERT, AND THEN ON THE ROAD
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Our GHHS instrumentalists had a busy last week of school before spring break. It started with our GHHS Jazz Ensemble, giving their longest and most creative concert of the year. All the pieces on the concert program were arrangements or mash-ups of video game music, and some featured onstage costume changes and accompanying video montages! Guest artists Zach Compston and Logan Moore from the Jazz Arts Group joined the performance, and our students premiered four original works, including two arranged by Logan Moore and two arranged by our own GHHS senior and jazz ensemble member, Colin Parker!
The next day, all of our GHHS band and orchestra students had a unique opportunity, traveling together to Dayton to see an afternoon performance of the Dayton Philharmonic. The Dayton Phil performs at the stunning Schuster Center for the Performing Arts, a world-class facility that plays host to opera, musical theatre, traveling comedians, and concerts, among other things. The GH Band & Orchestra Boosters were proud to support this extended learning opportunity and field trip by purchasing their admission tickets. And our thanks to everyone reading this story, for your efforts to help us raise the funds that make these opportunities possible!
(Updated March 27, 2024) |
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GHHS CONCERT BAND PERFORMS AT OMEA
In case you missed it, our GHHS Concert Band had a huge achievement last week, performing at OMEA as a large group for the first time in a very, very long time. Dr. Ishbah Cox, Director of Wind Ensembles at Capital University, came to GHHS to help our students prepare during the week leading up to OMEA, and the students also gave an "open rehearsal" performance for family and friends last Tuesday night in the GHHS auditorium.
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And then the big day came. Our students headed up to Westerville South HS on Friday March 15, and by all accounts, knocked everyone's socks off! They received the highest and second highest ratings available on the three songs they performed, and in the words of Mrs. Olis, they "paved the way for amazing things for this program!" Congratulations to our young musicians - we are all so proud of you!
(Updated March 17, 2024)
(Updated March 17, 2024)
FEBRUARY, 2024
ALL IN THE FAMILY AT OWU
Presidents' Day weekend offered a very special opportunity for some of our middle and high school musicians and our GHHS Director of Bands Jennifer Olis. Three GHHS band students and five LMS band students were selected to participate in the Ohio Wesleyan Honor Band festival, including:
- Halle McNamara (trombone, 7th grade)
- Ashlyn Quinby (baritone, 7th grade)
- Rose Ritzman (alto sax, 7th grade)
- Mira Bondy (clarinet, 8th grade)
- Isla Swisher (tenor sax, 8th grade)
- Tucker Betz (percussion, 9th grade)
- Max McCollough (horn, 9th grade)
- Charlotte Ritzman (flute, 9th grade)
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It is an outstanding achievement to be selected to participate in an honor band event, and to have eight students involved is quite a feather in the cap of the GH Band program. GHBOB is so proud of our Grandview band students for going above and beyond with these performance opportunities!
(Updated February 27, 2024)
(Updated February 27, 2024)
CONGRATULATIONS, SOLISTS!
GHBOB is proud to congratulate the following six GHHS musicians who recently performed solos at the OMEA District 15 solo and ensemble event:
Lyla, Liv, Max, and Charlotte all achieved a superior rating, which is the highest available, and Ben and Colin each received a rating of excellent, which is the second highest available. In addition, Lyla, Liv, and Max each performed a Class A piece, which is the highest level of difficulty.
GHBOB congratulates and is proud to support the efforts of all of these students! Interested in how your student can participate in extended learning and performance opportunities like this? Talk to your student's director!
(Updated February 19, 2024)
- Lyla Baxter, senior (baritone sax)
- Ben Carini, junior (trumpet)
- Liv Glazer, sophomore (bassoon)
- Max McCollough, freshman (horn)
- Colin Parker, senior (trumpet)
- Charlotte Ritzman, freshman (flute)
Lyla, Liv, Max, and Charlotte all achieved a superior rating, which is the highest available, and Ben and Colin each received a rating of excellent, which is the second highest available. In addition, Lyla, Liv, and Max each performed a Class A piece, which is the highest level of difficulty.
GHBOB congratulates and is proud to support the efforts of all of these students! Interested in how your student can participate in extended learning and performance opportunities like this? Talk to your student's director!
(Updated February 19, 2024)
MORE GH MUSICIANS OUT THERE MAKING US PROUD!
Kudos to GHHS junior Carmen Cunningham who - when she isn't busy performing with the GHHS orchestra, the GHHS band, the GHHS cheerleaders, and any number of other amazing things - appears onstage with the Columbus Youth Symphony Orchestra! Carmen is pictured at left, settling in for her January concert with the CYSO.
GHHS senior Colin Parker and freshman Max McCollough also recently had an opportunity to participate in an awesome weekend of music making at The Ohio State University Honor Bands Event. Colin and Max were selected from more than 960 director nominations representing 173 schools in 9 different states! Colin played trumpet with the Gray Symphonic Band, while Max played horn with the Scarlet Symphonic Band.
GHHS senior Colin Parker and freshman Max McCollough also recently had an opportunity to participate in an awesome weekend of music making at The Ohio State University Honor Bands Event. Colin and Max were selected from more than 960 director nominations representing 173 schools in 9 different states! Colin played trumpet with the Gray Symphonic Band, while Max played horn with the Scarlet Symphonic Band.
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Interested in how your student can get involved in opportunities like these? Talk to your student's director for more information. Congrats, Carmen, Colin, and Max - we are proud to call you our own!
(Updated February 4, 2024)
(Updated February 4, 2024)
DECEMBER, 2023
FIELD TRIP FUN!
Lots of GH instrumental students have been out and about over the past couple of weeks! First, in late November, Mrs. Olis took a group of GHHS Marching Bands students and family members downtown to see the famous "OU Marching 110" marching band from Ohio University in concert at the Palace Theatre. Nicknamed the “most entertaining in the land” for a reason, reports were that the performance was VERY loud and super impressive. The theater was PACKED and the crowd was wild!
Then, last week, all of our 5th and 6th grade band and orchestra students (about 150 in total) headed over to Ohio State for their annual celebration of music concert. This event includes performance by many different OSU orchestral, vocal, and band groups in a fast paced collage style concert, one after the next. And they even ran into a couple of GHHS alums who were performing for them that day! This event was underwritten by the GH Band & Orchestra Boosters, who are proud to support extended learning opportunities for students to show them how music can continue to play a role in their lives, even beyond their time in Grandview schools.
Big thanks to the chaperones and staff members who helped make both of these events possible, and especially thanks to Jenni Betz, Dawn Ritzman and Scott Heath for providing photos from both events - we always want to receive those so we can share them with all of you!
Then, last week, all of our 5th and 6th grade band and orchestra students (about 150 in total) headed over to Ohio State for their annual celebration of music concert. This event includes performance by many different OSU orchestral, vocal, and band groups in a fast paced collage style concert, one after the next. And they even ran into a couple of GHHS alums who were performing for them that day! This event was underwritten by the GH Band & Orchestra Boosters, who are proud to support extended learning opportunities for students to show them how music can continue to play a role in their lives, even beyond their time in Grandview schools.
Big thanks to the chaperones and staff members who helped make both of these events possible, and especially thanks to Jenni Betz, Dawn Ritzman and Scott Heath for providing photos from both events - we always want to receive those so we can share them with all of you!
(Updated December 3, 2023)
NOVEMBER, 2023
HONOR BAND WEEKEND
Last weekend was a big one for several of our young Grandview musicians! GHHS freshman horn player Max McCollough was selected to participate in the Capital University Band Festival, a multi-faceted event designed to provide high school students the opportunity to work with internationally recognized composers and conductors. Selected students are placed in one of three honor bands and participate in master classes led by Capital Conservatory faculty and alumni.
Meanwhile, across town, several of our middle school musicians were participating in the OMEA District 15 Middle School Honor Band at Westerville Central High School. More than 400 students across Central Ohio applied for the opportunity to perform, and LMS students Sydney Heren (7th grade, tenor saxophone), Rose Ritzman (7th grade, alto saxophone), and Mira Bondy (8th grade, clarinet) were selected to participate.
GHBOB congratulates all of these young musicians for challenging themselves through this extended learning opportunity! If you are interested in learning more about honor band opportunities or other ways for your student to continue their learning outside of school, please contact your student's director for more information.
(Updated November 20, 2023)
(Updated November 20, 2023)
OCTOBER, 2023
A SUCCESSFUL SENIOR NIGHT, 2023!
Well, the weather looked dicey all week, but the rain managed to hold off just long enough for us to celebrate our eight marching band seniors in style on Friday night along with the senior cheer and football team members, during pregame of the Bobcats' final regular season home game. Ken Heigel, friend of the Marching Band and uncle to GHHS senior Freddie Keil, took some amazing photos to document the evening, and there are pics of non-seniors among them, so we recommend that the whole band family check them out. Please also enjoy this full recording of the entire halftime show, with music selected by our seniors:
Congratulations again to our eight seniors Lyla Baxter, Steve Chordas, Ben Matter, Freddie Keil, Eryn O'Harra, Colin Parker, Sam Reichert, and Liv Rutter and their proud families who got to celebrate with them on Friday night. The GH Band & Orchestra Boosters are so proud of all of you!
(Updated October 22, 2023)
(Updated October 22, 2023)
SEASON IN REVIEW 2023 - WHAT AN AMAZING NIGHT!
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The weather threatened this year's Season in Review event too, but it mostly held off long enough for the GHHS Marching Band to show off their pregame show and all four halftime shows to a slightly damp and very appreciative crowd. Check out our photo album below, and click here to see video snippets from almost every show. (Note, we didn't record snippets of the senior show but there is a link to that full performance in the story above.)
Thank you for coming out to support our marching Bobcats - this is always such a great night for our band students! (Updated October 23, 2023) |
SCENES FROM the 2023 season in review
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(Updated October 20, 2023)
CONGRATULATIONS LYLA!
In addition to the hugely successful homecoming weekend activities for our GHHS Marching Band and 8th Grade Band (see story below), this past weekend was also a big deal for GHHS senior Lyla Baxter. Lyla plays tenor saxophone in the GHHS Marching Band and baritone saxophone in the GHHS Jazz Ensemble, and in her "spare" time she auditioned for the Ohio State High School Honor Jazz Festival at OSU. Lyla was the only bari sax to be placed in the top ensemble at the festival, and she got to spend the weekend learning from and performing with some of the best music educators and high school musicians in the state. This is a significant achievement and a testament to Lyla's dedication and talent, and we are so proud of her!
Curious how your music student can get involved with extended learning and performance opportunities like this one? Talk to your student's director for more details!
Curious how your music student can get involved with extended learning and performance opportunities like this one? Talk to your student's director for more details!
(Updated October 3, 2023)
SEPTEMBER, 2023
ONE BIG NIGHT!
Friday night in Grandview Heights was such a special evening!
We kicked things off with a pregame dinner for our GHHS Marching Band and 8th grade band students in the high school cafeteria. GHHS squad leaders came prepared with welcome gifts for the 8th grader "squadlings", to welcome them to the marching band experience.
Then, on to the homecoming parade, with our Marching Band hyping up the crowd and our Band senior Ben Matter honored as a member of the 2023 Homecoming Court. We followed that up with the joint performance of our 8th grade band and the GHHS Marching Band on the field at halftime, and a smashingly successful pierogi and bratwurst special in the concession stand that helped us bring in record profits in support of our instrumental music programs. And we wrapped it all up with a very fun and well-earned postgame social hour for members of the GHBOB!
Many MANY thanks to all the parents who helped us out by chaperoning, organizing, cooking, concessioning, cleaning up, uniform checking in and out, and all the other things that go into a big night like this with a ton of moving parts. We couldn't have done it without you - and frankly we wouldn't even want to try.
Check out our photo album and videos below!
We kicked things off with a pregame dinner for our GHHS Marching Band and 8th grade band students in the high school cafeteria. GHHS squad leaders came prepared with welcome gifts for the 8th grader "squadlings", to welcome them to the marching band experience.
Then, on to the homecoming parade, with our Marching Band hyping up the crowd and our Band senior Ben Matter honored as a member of the 2023 Homecoming Court. We followed that up with the joint performance of our 8th grade band and the GHHS Marching Band on the field at halftime, and a smashingly successful pierogi and bratwurst special in the concession stand that helped us bring in record profits in support of our instrumental music programs. And we wrapped it all up with a very fun and well-earned postgame social hour for members of the GHBOB!
Many MANY thanks to all the parents who helped us out by chaperoning, organizing, cooking, concessioning, cleaning up, uniform checking in and out, and all the other things that go into a big night like this with a ton of moving parts. We couldn't have done it without you - and frankly we wouldn't even want to try.
Check out our photo album and videos below!
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(Updated September 30, 2023)
GHHS BAND SENIORS PARTICIPATE IN PIT LIGHTING CEREMONY
In case you missed it, our eight GHHS Marching Band seniors participated in the ceremonial "pit lighting" at the Bobcat Boosters' annual Ox Roast event last week, for the first time ever (as far as we know)!
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Last year, the Boosters decided to make the event more inclusive, and invited the participation of seniors from across all fall sports teams instead of just football, and this year they included the seniors from the Marching Band as well. Marching Band Seniors Lyla Baxter, Steve Chordas, Freddie Keil, Ben Matter, Eryn O'Harra, Colin Parker, Sam Reichert, and Liv Rutter joined more than 40 other Bobcat seniors in lighting the first flames of a bonfire in the pit where the Boosters roast close to 2000 pounds of beef every year to make the fabled "ox sandwiches" for sale during the last day of the Ox Roast. The full GHHS Marching Band also participated in the pep rally that preceded the pit lighting, playing a few songs to pump up the crowd.
GHBOB-er Sandy O'Harra took many of the photos above (and certainly took all of the best ones!) and we are grateful to her for sharing them. We are also grateful to the Bobcat Boosters organization, for including our students! (Update September 10, 2023) |
august, 2023
HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES?
Some years ago, the Gallia Academy high school marching band had a great local tradition. Once every season, a local family picked apples and brought them to share with the marching band on a football Friday night. Two members of that marching band eventually grew up, got married, moved to Grandview. . . . and now have a freshman in our 2023 GHHS Marching Band. So they decided to continue that tradition for our marching Bobcats! And, much like those apples themselves, that’s the sweet and slightly crunchy story of how Friday became “apple day,” and all of our band members got a freshly picked honeycrisp hand-delivered after halftime.
Our thanks to the Grandview family who shared this tradition with us, as well as the family that started it all back in Gallipolis. A little bit of Gallia County lives on in Grandview Heights!
Our thanks to the Grandview family who shared this tradition with us, as well as the family that started it all back in Gallipolis. A little bit of Gallia County lives on in Grandview Heights!
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(Updated August 19, 2023)
JULY, 2023
A GREAT WEEK AT BAND CAMP 2023!
Our 2023 GHHS Marching Band had a great week at Band Camp last week - they worked hard, had a lot of fun, and really came together as a team. The Band Parents Association is incredibly grateful to all of our parents and community members who helped make this week possible, including our volunteer and background check wrangler (Lisa Gladman), our Camp Nurses (Catt Dimes, Nikki Ramming, Melissa McKelvey, Andy Betz, and Jen Hayes), our overnight chaperones (Brenda Parker, Bob Rutter, Lisa Gladman, Rich Keil, Eileen Critchley, Tom Cunningham, Angela Russell, Jay McKelvey, Eloise Maun, Brian Ball, and Janna Thompson-Chordas), our equipment truck drivers (Dave Schmied and Bob Rutter), our luggage searchers and handlers (Rebecca Roberts, Ben Roberts, Molly Schmied, Matt Cunningham, Kurt Ritzman, and Phil Miller) and our check-in volunteer (Tricia Cunningham). And of course we are grateful for the time and effort put in by our directors, Jennifer Olis and Thomas Stanley, who spend the whole week at Camp with our students, away from their own homes and families. Band Camp LITERALLY would not happen without the help and support of this dedicated group. Thank you ALL for your support of our students!
Check out our Band Camp 2023 photo and video gallery.
Check out our Band Camp 2023 photo and video gallery.
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(Updated July 30, 2023)
MAY, 2023
A GREAT DAY FOR OUR SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADE MUSICIANS!
Saturday May 6 was an amazing day filled with learning, team building, and fun for our seventh and eighth grade band and orchestra students. They began their day at GHHS, where the two groups (orchestra and band) met separately with professional adjudicators - local music educators who were hired to observe our students performing and then provide feedback and coaching. Each group performed several full music pieces while their adjudicators listened carefully and took notes, and then each adjudicator spent time with the student groups providing detailed feedback on the performances. Opportunities like this, to perform for and learn from instructors other than the same ones they see on the daily, can really help broaden and strengthen our young musicians' skills and abilities. And our students rose to the challenge and performed well, and engaged constructively in the feedback opportunity!
After the hard work of the day was over, the students boarded school buses and headed off to King's Island for the rest of the day. This part of the day was mostly for fun and a nearly-end-of-year celebration, but it was also planned in recognition of the fact that these two grade levels of students were the ones who were "just starting out" as instrumentalists when the pandemic hit, so they had to endure a lot of interruptions and challenges to their developing music careers. Our directors wanted to recognize and reward those efforts, and say thanks to our students for working so hard and sticking it out!
A day like this does not come together without a whole lot of contributors, and the GHBPA would like to say a particular thank you to all of the following:
After the hard work of the day was over, the students boarded school buses and headed off to King's Island for the rest of the day. This part of the day was mostly for fun and a nearly-end-of-year celebration, but it was also planned in recognition of the fact that these two grade levels of students were the ones who were "just starting out" as instrumentalists when the pandemic hit, so they had to endure a lot of interruptions and challenges to their developing music careers. Our directors wanted to recognize and reward those efforts, and say thanks to our students for working so hard and sticking it out!
A day like this does not come together without a whole lot of contributors, and the GHBPA would like to say a particular thank you to all of the following:
- Our middle school directors Thomas Stanley and Scott Heath, and interim director Dr. Julie Vish, who worked so hard to make this day a reality;
- Our professional adjudicators Danny Gleich (band) and Andrea Tippery (orchestra), who showed up at our school before 8am on a Saturday morning just to work with our students;
- Our volunteer chaperones Dave Barber, Oliver Decker, Beth Francis, Kelsey Lozano, Elizabeth McCusker, and Bob Rutter, as well as Mr. Stanley and Mr. Heath, who went along to King's Island and helped make sure our students had a safe, fun day at the park;
- Shawn Hinkle and the Grandview Heights Schools, who supported the effort and underwrote the costs of bussing to and from the park;
- all of YOU for your contributions to GHBPA fundraising, which underwrote the fees paid to our adjudicators;
- our students' families for financially supporting the rest of the day's costs (park admission, food, and other purchases at the park);
- Mother Nature for providing practically perfect weather, with no rain and pleasant temperatures throughout the day; and last but CERTAINLY not least
- our seventh and eighth grade band and orchestra students who made us incredibly proud in both venues - first by embracing and taking the performance and feedback opportunity very seriously at school, and then by using good judgment and behavior while being allowed to run semi-wild at the amusement park.
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(Updated May 7, 2023)
APRIL, 2023
CAKE WALK 2023 - A cake SMASHING SUCCESS!
We are still working on final numbers for Cake Walk 2023, but it appears we will ultimately raise something in the neighborhood of $8000 to support instrumental student programming and activities! Many MANY people and businesses helped us make this happen, and there are some groups that we would like to acknowledge below. Check out our Cake Walk 2023 Photo Album on the right, too, for lots of fun pictures and a few entertaining videos.
2023 CAKE WALK SPONSORS
An amazing number of local businesses offered gift cards, cakes, and other goods and services for us to sell at our silent auction, including: Start Talking Grandview, La Tavola, La Chatelaine, Pistacia Vera, Sadie Baby Sweets, Paul’s Kitchen, Chocolate Cafe, Sweet Carrot, Kroger, Aladdin’s, DK Diner, Cakes & More, Whole Foods Market, The Original Goodie Shop, Z Cucina, Golightly Bake Shop, Pure Imagination, Chocolatier, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Lion Cub’s Cookies, Figlio, Dewey’s Pizza, Watershed Distillery, Bobcat Sports Bar, Third & Hollywood, Krema Nut Company, Modo Yoga, and Little Ladies Soft Serve.
We encourage you all to stop in and say "thank you" as well, to let them know how much the community appreciates their support of our students. And one more big thanks goes out to Band Parent Jenni Betz for spearheading the effort to gather these sponsorships.
2023 CAKE WALK VOLUNTEERS
Simply put, an operation as big as Cake Walk 2023 does not happen without a whole lot of community volunteers pitching in to help. This year we had parents of students who were too young to play instruments, HS students who have never played an instrument, parents whose students graduated years ago, and a little bit of everything in between! For every volunteer we snapped a photo of, we know there were ten others we missed - but the GH Band Parents Association is very, very grateful to ALL of the volunteers who helped make this year's event a huge fundraising and FUN-raising success!
2023 CAKE WALK BAND DIRECTORS
While making the cake walk magic happen just by making the music happen, our directors were also teaching and supporting our "guest" conductors, occasionally sitting in with the rhythm sections, and monitoring the action across a loud and crowded gymnasium.....truly, these folks did it all! And before they did any of that, they spent time in the classroom, prepping our band students to be able to play in that same loud and crowded environment, which is no small task. Please help the GH Band Parents Association give a big thank you to Scott Heath (MS band director), Thomas Stanley (HS/MS orchestra director and assistant HS marching band director), and Julie Vish (interim HS band director) - and to Jennifer Olis (HS band director) as well, who certainly helped lay the groundwork with our young musicians, even though she was not with us last Friday night.
2023 CAKE WALK CO-CHAIRS
Last but certainly not least, the REAL HEROES of the 2023 Cake Walk are Catt Dimes and Kate Lobley, who chaired our event for the second straight year. Catt and Kate were everywhere doing everything, all night long, and they are the biggest reason that this fundraising event was so wildly successful. Please join the Grandview Heights Band Parents Association in a HUGE THANK YOU to Catt and Kate for all of their hard work on behalf of our students!
(Updated April 22, 2023)
2023 CAKE WALK SPONSORS
An amazing number of local businesses offered gift cards, cakes, and other goods and services for us to sell at our silent auction, including: Start Talking Grandview, La Tavola, La Chatelaine, Pistacia Vera, Sadie Baby Sweets, Paul’s Kitchen, Chocolate Cafe, Sweet Carrot, Kroger, Aladdin’s, DK Diner, Cakes & More, Whole Foods Market, The Original Goodie Shop, Z Cucina, Golightly Bake Shop, Pure Imagination, Chocolatier, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Lion Cub’s Cookies, Figlio, Dewey’s Pizza, Watershed Distillery, Bobcat Sports Bar, Third & Hollywood, Krema Nut Company, Modo Yoga, and Little Ladies Soft Serve.
We encourage you all to stop in and say "thank you" as well, to let them know how much the community appreciates their support of our students. And one more big thanks goes out to Band Parent Jenni Betz for spearheading the effort to gather these sponsorships.
2023 CAKE WALK VOLUNTEERS
Simply put, an operation as big as Cake Walk 2023 does not happen without a whole lot of community volunteers pitching in to help. This year we had parents of students who were too young to play instruments, HS students who have never played an instrument, parents whose students graduated years ago, and a little bit of everything in between! For every volunteer we snapped a photo of, we know there were ten others we missed - but the GH Band Parents Association is very, very grateful to ALL of the volunteers who helped make this year's event a huge fundraising and FUN-raising success!
2023 CAKE WALK BAND DIRECTORS
While making the cake walk magic happen just by making the music happen, our directors were also teaching and supporting our "guest" conductors, occasionally sitting in with the rhythm sections, and monitoring the action across a loud and crowded gymnasium.....truly, these folks did it all! And before they did any of that, they spent time in the classroom, prepping our band students to be able to play in that same loud and crowded environment, which is no small task. Please help the GH Band Parents Association give a big thank you to Scott Heath (MS band director), Thomas Stanley (HS/MS orchestra director and assistant HS marching band director), and Julie Vish (interim HS band director) - and to Jennifer Olis (HS band director) as well, who certainly helped lay the groundwork with our young musicians, even though she was not with us last Friday night.
2023 CAKE WALK CO-CHAIRS
Last but certainly not least, the REAL HEROES of the 2023 Cake Walk are Catt Dimes and Kate Lobley, who chaired our event for the second straight year. Catt and Kate were everywhere doing everything, all night long, and they are the biggest reason that this fundraising event was so wildly successful. Please join the Grandview Heights Band Parents Association in a HUGE THANK YOU to Catt and Kate for all of their hard work on behalf of our students!
(Updated April 22, 2023)
CAKE WALK 2023 PHOTO ALBUM
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MARCH, 2023
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL OMEA SOLO & ENSEMBLE PARTICIPANTS!
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This past Saturday, a total of ten Larson Middle School students participated in the OMEA solo & ensemble competition at Canal Winchester High School. Not only is this an awesome, huge number of participating students, it's the first time that we have sent any students to the middle school competition in many, many years! Students prepare a short solo and/or ensemble piece, perform it in front of a judge (usually current or retired music educators), and receive a written rating and feedback for their performance. Congratulations to seventh and eighth grade students Laura Alvarez-Link, Hudson Barber, Mira Bondy, Evie DeLong, Bruno Lount, Max McCullough, Charlotte Ritzman, Callie Rutter, Audrey Siefker, and Isla Swisher for embracing this performance and learning opportunity! And kudos and thanks also to Mrs. Olis, Mr. Heath, and Dr. Julie Vish (Mrs. Olis's substitute during her maternity leave), for helping our students prepare for the big day. Mr. Heath and Dr. Vish spent many hours in Canal Winchester guiding our students through the experience as well! Check out some photos from the day down below.
The GH Band Parents Association is proud to have underwritten the students' participation in this activity - and of course that means we are grateful to all of you, as well, for helping to raise the funds that made it all possible. Thank you! (Updated March 26, 2023) |
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ANOTHER GREAT FIELD TRIP EXPERIENCE!
Mr. Stanley recently partnered with Columbus's own ProMusica Chamber Orchestra for a great in- and out-of-class learning experience for our 7-12th grade orchestra students. ProMusica presents an innovative program called Naked Classics, which explores classical music in a fun and fresh format through multimedia images, animation, sound bites, and interviews with the musicians. ProMusica engages professional composer, presenter, and animateur Paul Rissman to lead the program, and Mr. Rissman visited GHHS along with one of the ProMusica musicians to provide an in-class preview of the event last week.
Then Mr. Stanley and the students and a few lucky parent chaperones took in the full program, titled Mozart, Journey of a Genius, on Friday, March 3 at the Southern Theatre in downtown Columbus. Mr. Stanley enthusiastically reported that the students had a great time and declared that "we'll be doing more of this in the future!"
The GH Band Parents Association is proud to have supported this extended learning opportunity for our orchestra students! And, as always, we are so grateful to all of you for helping us raise the funds that make these types of events possible. Thank you!
(Updated March 6, 2023)
The GH Band Parents Association is proud to have supported this extended learning opportunity for our orchestra students! And, as always, we are so grateful to all of you for helping us raise the funds that make these types of events possible. Thank you!
(Updated March 6, 2023)
February, 2023
CONGRATS TO OUR MOST RECENT HONOR BAND PARTICIPANTS!
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A hearty congratulations to Larson Middle School musicians, pictured left to right: Max McCollough (horn), Charlotte Ritzman (flute), and Tucker Betz (percussion), who performed in the Ohio Wesleyan Honor Band this past Friday and Saturday with 90 other incredible middle school band students from across the state of Ohio. Truly an outstanding achievement to be selected! We are is so proud of our band students for going above and beyond with performance opportunities like this.
Interested in learning more about how your student can participate in future opportunities like this? Contact Mrs. Olis or Mr. Heath for more information!
(Updated February 21, 2023)
Interested in learning more about how your student can participate in future opportunities like this? Contact Mrs. Olis or Mr. Heath for more information!
(Updated February 21, 2023)
JANUARY, 2023
STILL MORE GHHS MUSICIAN ACHIEVEMENTS!
Four Grandview High School instrumentalists participated in the recent District 15 Solo and Ensemble Contest last Saturday, January 21, at Reynoldsburg High School. Over 1000 students across Central Ohio participated in this annual event at the Reynoldsburg location alone! Students perform a prepared solo or ensemble piece and receive ratings from music instructors who serve as adjudicators for the event Students also have the option to perform in the "Festival Division" for comments only.
Grandview Band students performing solos at contest this year included junior Lyla Baxter (bari sax), freshman Livia Glaser (bassoon), senior Aylish O’Harra (clarinet, pictured here, at the event), and junior Colin Parker (trumpet). ALL FOUR of our Grandview musicians received ratings of superior or excellent! Congratulations to these fantastic musicians!
The Band Parents Association underwrites the fees for participation at OMEA, so there is no cost to the students. Thanks to evereyone reading this for helping to make this possible for our students! BPA is proud to support this type of performance and learning experience - and of course we are extra proud of these four students for taking advantage of the opportunity. Way to go, Lyla, Livia, Aylish, and Colin!
(Updated January 27, 2023)
Grandview Band students performing solos at contest this year included junior Lyla Baxter (bari sax), freshman Livia Glaser (bassoon), senior Aylish O’Harra (clarinet, pictured here, at the event), and junior Colin Parker (trumpet). ALL FOUR of our Grandview musicians received ratings of superior or excellent! Congratulations to these fantastic musicians!
The Band Parents Association underwrites the fees for participation at OMEA, so there is no cost to the students. Thanks to evereyone reading this for helping to make this possible for our students! BPA is proud to support this type of performance and learning experience - and of course we are extra proud of these four students for taking advantage of the opportunity. Way to go, Lyla, Livia, Aylish, and Colin!
(Updated January 27, 2023)
MORE GHHS MUSICIAN ACHIEVEMENTS
GHHS musicians Ali Hamm and Colin Parker attended the two and half day Ohio State Honor Band Festival earlier this month, where they participated in masterclasses with OSU music faculty and then finished the weekend performing in one of three honor bands.
The Festival included more than 250 talented musicicans representing 100 high schools in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and California. It's a huge honor to be selected for this event, and we are so proud of our GHHS students for seeking out and seizing these additional performance and learning opportunities. Congratulations, Ali and Colin!
(Updated January 22, 2023)
(Updated January 22, 2023)
DECEMBER, 2022
OSU FIELD TRIP- THAT'S A WRAP!
On Friday December 2, our fifth and sixth grade instrumental music students (167 in all, from both the band and orchestra programs!) traveled to Ohio State to be in the audience for OSU's Music Celebration Youth Concert - an annual event that returned for the first time since 2019. The concert featured jazz, orchestral, vocal, and marching band music, with performers on stage, in the aisles, in the balconies, and often close enough to touch! There were even several GH alumni among the collegiate performers.
This event was made possible with the support of GHS District administration and the entire instrumental music staff, the twenty parent chaperones who volunteered their time to supervise the students, and it was underwritten by the Grandview Heights Band Parents Association - which means it was made possible by all of you, too. Thank you to everyone who has donated time, effort, and money to help us raise funds to support student programming like this!
Several parent chaperones shared photos from the event, which we have compiled into the slide show below. Enjoy!
This event was made possible with the support of GHS District administration and the entire instrumental music staff, the twenty parent chaperones who volunteered their time to supervise the students, and it was underwritten by the Grandview Heights Band Parents Association - which means it was made possible by all of you, too. Thank you to everyone who has donated time, effort, and money to help us raise funds to support student programming like this!
Several parent chaperones shared photos from the event, which we have compiled into the slide show below. Enjoy!
(Updated December 5, 2022)
NOVEMBER, 2022
OHIO WINDS VISIT
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On November 4, the Ohio Winds faculty wind sextet (flute, oboe clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, and horn) from Ohio University visited Grandview Heights! They performed a concert for our GHHS students, showcasing professional level chamber music. A great opportunity for our students!
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(Updated November 21, 2022)
GH MUSICIANS, OUT AND ABOUT!
November 12-13 was a blockbuster weekend for our GH instrumental music students! Eighth grade band members Ella Kinsinger (percussion) and Max McCollough (horn) spent the day on Saturday at Thomas Worthington High School, as part of the OMEA District 15 Middle School Honors Band. Meanwhile GH High School musicians Carmen Cunningham (cello) and Aylish O'Harra (viola) - who are both members of the GH band and orchestra programs - performed as members of the Columbus Youth Symphony Orchestra's Repertory Orchestra on Saturday evening. And six more GHHS musicians - including Liv Glaser (bassoon), Ali Hamm (clarinet), Alayna Lee (tenor sax), Reece Mayfield (alto sax), Colin Parker (trumpet), and Alex Young (trombone) - participated in Capital University's two-day Band Festival, culminating in their performance with two different honors bands.
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The Grandview Heights Band Parents are so proud of all of these students! If you are interested in learning about how your young musician can get involved in opportunities like these, please contact your student's director to learn more!
(Updated November 14, 2022)
(Updated November 14, 2022)
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This web site is maintained by the Grandview Heights Band & Orchestra Boosters, serving and supporting the instrumental music students of the Grandview Heights Schools.
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