Soaking in some of the most memorable experiences that New Orleans has to offer
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A morning at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Music City Band Festival. Congrats to the OHS bands for 3 gold medal performances and outstanding soloist Ben Sester! After a music packed morning, the OHS band kids took it to downtown Nashville today for some Music City fun! Time to stretch the legs and grab a bite to eat. About 3 more hours to Nashville!The jazz program effectively ended their season with what was an amazing performance Wednesday night at their annual JazzNite. All three bands played with quality and nuance above their years, and the Traughber Junior High Jazz Band was a force to be reckoned with as well. The jazz program said goodbye to several seniors, and the concert featured guest artist Rich Moore, one of the top saxophonists in Chicagoland. While February tends to be the easiest month on the band calendar, there was still plenty to keep us occupied. To start, the OHS Wind Symphony, along with the the Traughber and Thompson 8th Grade Bands, played their annual concert at Wentz Hall in downtown Naperville. The concert hall is as acoustically perfect a place as there is in the Chicago suburbs, and it gave the Wind Symphony a chance to play their set of music from the All-State Convention for their "home fans". It also gave the 8th graders a chance to see the band program that hopefully they will have a chance to be a part of someday. Next, the Band Boosters put on our second biggest fundraiser of the year, the BandCake Breakfast. Various small ensembles, our pep band, and our three jazz bands provided entertainment, and the event was a huge success despite having to be rescheduled because of a snowstorm. On Tuesday, February 13th at 1:19AM in the morning, little Greta Claire Schoenbach was born, weighing in at 7lbs, 8oz. Mr. Schoenbach took some time away to be with his family, but recent Western Illinois University graduate and OHS alumnus Tyler Davis stepped in for him. Every year, the Suburban Prairie Conference picks two honor bands, one for 9th and 10th graders, and one for 11th and 12th graders. These bands were directed by Jim Hile (Elmhurst College) and Brian Logan (VanderCook College of Music). OHS students selected were: (FR/SO) Ryan Boone, Shea Dickinson, Erik Dralle, Logan Goodbred, Ryan Kazda, Alyssa Ladewski, Jersey Lefaver, Olivia Molina, and Emma Signor. (JR/SR) Claire Accardo, Jesse Corneliusen, Caroline Davey, Gavin Davis, Jimmy Gleason, Niyasha Johnson, Hannah Kelsheimer, Nathan Labora, Connor McCabe, Tom Morgano, Melanie Saienni, and Julia Woelke. Lastly, several students were recognized as Portillo's Students of the Month. Check them out below!! The biggest event happened yesterday, when for the second time in the last five years, the OHS Wind Symphony performed at the Illinois Music Educators Conference in Peoria. The concert was attended by band directors and music teachers from all over the state, and to say the students brought their A game is an understatement. The students were chosen via audition from a recording we sent in last year. Their setlist included the challenging march "Colossus of Columbia", the band standard "Chorale and Shaker Dance", the beuatiful "Irish Tune from County Derry", and the unusual jazzy closer "Niagara Falls". Our school and community have a lot to be proud of with these young people making music on this level. 7 students from our school were selected as All-State musicians or Future Music Educators. They were Nathan Labora (trumpet), Ryan Boone (percussion), Gavin Davis (french horn), Niyasha Johnson (clarinet), Jacob Anderson (Future Music Educator), Julia Woelke (Future Music Educator), and Tobi Osibodu (Future Music Educator). To prepare for this performance and the upcoming jazz festivals, Director of Bands at VanderCook College of Music Brian Logan came in to work with our top ensembles. On January 20th, our jazz bands, led by Mr. Schoenbach and Mr. Werve, travelled to Glenbrook South High School to attend the NorthShore JazzFest. First off, all three jazz bands received straight Division 1 ratings across the board, a great accomplishment and the first time this has happened at this festival. Our Orange Jazz Ensemble 2 placed 6th out of 14 competing ensembles in their class. Our Jazz Ensemble 1 did even better, 9th place out of 23 competing bands in a class stacked with some of the best jazz bands in Illinois. But at the top of the pack was our Blue Jazz Ensemble 2, who tied for second place in their room, making it the second straight year one of our second tier jazz bands has been second place at the festival. Two students were awarded Outstanding Soloist medals: Sophomore trombonist Kyle Bachara and senior baritone sax player Jimmy Gleason. Lastly, we handed out the January Portillo's Students of the Month. Check out the slideshow below to see who the recipients were. We started out December giving out the November Portillo’s Students of the Month. Check out the slideshow to see our winners! A few students did (or are doing) some pretty special things. Junior clarinetist Alexis Lane auditioned for and was named to the Illinois All-State Theater Festival Pit Orchestra. She has been rehearsing hard over the last few months, and has her big production in January. Alyssa Ladewski and Tommy Morgano were named to the Ball State Honor Band, and spent a glorious weekend in Indiana making music. And best of all, we had several students named to the Illinois All-State Bands and Orchestra or Future Music Educators. They were: Nathan Labora, trumpet; Gavin Davis, French Horn; Niyasha Johnson, clarinet; Jacob Anderson, Julia Woelke, and Tobi Osubodu, Future Music Educators. And our jazz bands travelled to Bednarcik Junior High for the District 308 Jazz Festival, where they all received clinics by saxophonist Rich Moore and bassist Stacy Jackson. In our little band world, December means one thing...Crystals!!!! The music department hosted four sold out shows, with students participating in various large and small ensembles. (See fantastic pictures above) During Crystals, Mrs. San Roman had apparently done some behind-the scenes work, and everytime Mr. Schoenbach left his office and came back, there were more presents for his upcoming baby girl. I tried hard to take a selfie with every student who brought her a gift. (see below) |