Looking back at the Fall of 2019

It is hard to believe that we are now heading into the holiday season.  A lot has happened in the last three months and there is a lot more to come in December.  All told, over 20+ performances by our musicians! Let us review.

Pony Pep Band

The Pony Pep Band is always our first ensemble out of the gate in the fall.  This years ensemble, lead by Mitchell Ardolf, Ella Grace, Levi Hutton, and Isaac Reiner led the Fight Song at teacher workshop, supported the Ponies at home football games, collaborated with the Stillwater AM Rotary and Boutwell’s Landing for the Halloween Parade and followed the Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer and Girls Volleyball teams to the state tourney.  This winter, they will play for Girls Basketball, Girls Hockey, Boys Basketball and Boys Hockey. The first Boys Basketball game comes up soon if the polar vortex lets anyone out of their house again! Way to go Pep Band! 

 SAHS Jazz Bands

The jazz bands began rehearsal in mid September and have traveled to the Lawrence jazz festival for clinics in early November. Free Glue, our top combo, has performed several times in our community, including performances for the Rotary and retired teachers organizations.  They are also available for holiday parties! The Jazz Ensemble II will perform their set by memory at our Holiday concerts and Jazz Ensemble I will perform the Nutcracker with the Orchestra at our Winter Concerts.   

Kaleidoscope Concerts

The Stillwater Bands opened our performance year with two wonderful (and sold out) concerts!  Thank you to everyone who made these first concerts a success. “You can feel it all over!”

Stillwater Band Festival

The Wind Symphony performed with all the 5th grade and 8th grade band students at the Stillwater Band Festival on November 6.  Many thanks to Cathy Moen,Executive Director of Administrative Services, and former band parent, for serving as our narrator for the 5th graders “First Performance”! We look forward to seeing them at SAHS in four years!

Veteran’s Day

Thank you to Spencer Baker and Heather Weihe, who provided taps on Veteran’s Day.  We always love to honor the sacrifice our our community’s veterans who have served in our armed forces.  

Holiday Band Concerts and Winter Concerts

The Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble will perform two holiday concerts on December 8th at 2PM and 4 PM.

The Stillwater Wind Symphony  and Jazz Ensemble will perform Dec. 15 and 16th in our Winter Concerts.

Orchestral Winds

Our Orchestral Winds (made up of musicians from the Stillwater Wind Symphony) joined our Concert Orchestra performing Symphony #104, Mvt. 1 by Joseph Haydn and A Shaker Melody by Aaron Copland.  They were awesome. They will be featured with our Jazz Ensemble I in a unique performance of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite and Anderson’s Sleigh Ride at the Winter Concerts.

Student Accomplishments

The following Stillwater Band students were named to the SEC All Conference Band and Orchestra!

Nila Cooper, Band, Bb Clarinet

Austin Fierro, Orchestra, Piano

John Franklin, Band, Percussion

Eleanor Grace, Orchestra, Trumpet

Nicholas Hong , Band, Bass Clarinet

Adelyn Oberg, Band, Flute

Sherilyn Patterson, Orchestra, Oboe

Evin Roddy, Band, Tuba

John Schaefer, Orchestra, Trumpet

Colin Welch, Band, Bassoon

 

The following Stillwater Band students are performing in this year’s MMEA All State Ensembles!

Eleanor Grace, Trumpet, All State Jazz Band

Peter Grace, Tenor Saxophone, All State Jazz Band

Nicholas Hong , Bass Clarinet, All State Symphonic Band

Vincent Phan, Tenor Saxophone, All State Symphonic Band

 

Solo Festival

 

We will have our annual SAHS Bands Solo Festival on Tuesday, January 7! Students work to prepare their own solo and perform for a music judge for a score and rating. For many of our 9th graders it will be the first time they had performed a solo! Our top 9th graders will be invited to perform at our Freshman Honors Recital on February 23rd at 1:00 PM. Our top 10th, 11th and 12th graders will be invited to perform at the MSHSL Solo and Ensemble Contest on Feb. 8th and our top performers there will be invited to perform at the MSHSL Honors Recital on February 23rd at 3:00 PM.