Wednesday, April 30, 2008 ~ More Festival Recordings
Our next recordings from Festival are of the two bands under the direction of Mr. Sybilski. Again, we would like to recognize Mr. Fitch for providing the audio! Next week, we will conclude the Festival recordings with Mr. Cook's bands...
Now that we have featured eight Seniors in the last two months, I have created a Seniors of the Week page that lists all of those featured. This page will be completed when we feature our very last senior, just in time for the 2008 Graduation Ceremony! This page is also accessible under "Band."
Senior Shirt Quote: "I love my captain...Why? Because I'm a Senior!"
Best Quality: "i love helping people and just generally having a party in life"
Advice: "practice and be confident"
Future Plans: "cal state fullerton... playing horn... being a mom"
What We Think: Courtney is an extremely cool senior who marched clarinet for three years, and mellophone this past season. It takes guts to switch instruments and start over in your final year of high school but Courtney has pulled it off. She is also a very kind and cheerful person who I am glad to have known over the last three years.
Friday, April 25, 2008 ~ Percussion Ensemble
In honor of the ALDA Percussion Championships this weekend, I have updated the Percussion Ensemble page with new text and a new mp3 of "Heat of the Day"! This new recording is the original third movement of the Pat Metheny Suite that our show music was adapted from. Enjoy!
Since one week ago, the ensemble has made some great improvements and our rehearsal last night was very productive. We are currently ranked #2 in our class! The team, I believe, is confident about putting on a great show and challenging our top opposition on Saturday night. Buena Suerte!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008 ~ Orchestra Recordings
Here are the first official recordings of the Symphony Orchestra from Festival! They are done by our very own Mr. Fitch who records all of the groups every year at Festival. Enjoy!
We will feature recordings of the bands in the upcoming weeks so stay tuned! Again, we would like to thank Mr. Fitch for his dedication to music.
Having just updated the Events list to the end of the year, it is now the Beginning of the End. Spring band concert music and final etudes are being passed out, along with scale testing starting in two weeks (which you can view on the left). Pretty soon we'll be talking about marching band again and a new field show! Then there will be Leadership tryouts, Wind Symphony auditions, Senior Solos, Band and Orchestra concerts, and Awards. And then's it off to the Titan Stadium to see our beloved Seniors off into the world forever...And before you know it, the Fourth of July parade strikes and the cycle repeats itself. *Sighs for all eternity*
P.S. Here are all major and minor Scales, which are available under the "Band" tab too.
Monday, April 21, 2008 ~ Senior of the Week VII
Here are the results from the Concert Percussion competiton on Saturday:
So, despite many challenging circumstances, the Percussion Ensemble pulled off a decent performance on Saturday! On Friday, I was very apprehensive about our show but coming in 2nd place just goes to show that anything can happen. I would like to encourage my fellow Percussion Ensemble members to practice as much as possible this week and to stay focused on the goal of a great last performance. Good luck at Championships on Saturday, April 26!
Senior Shirt Quote: "I serpentine everywhere i go. Why? Because I'm a Senior!"
Best Quality: "my work ethic and attention to detail"
Advice: "If a section leader or instructor demands perfection, don't listen to them. Give them your best. If thats not enough, that person shouldn't be in their position of authority."
Future Plans: "I will march Drum Corps until I age-out in 2012. After that...I dont know."
What We Think: Brad is probably the most radical member of the band when it comes to marching band. He is both a skilled marcher and talented french hornist which will surely see him into a professional drum corp soon. But did you also know that he is marching cymbals with the ALT percussion ensemble this year? We would like to wish him and ALT the best of luck at the ALDA Percussion Championships this weekend!
Saturday, April 19, 2008 ~ Guard/Percussion/Festival Photos
Today are the Winter Guard Championships so we would like to wish the guard the best of luck! They have a great show this year and are sure to make a comeback at their last show. Also, the Percussion Ensemble's second-to-last performance at San Gorgoinio High School is today as well. With two people absent and just a little too much spring break, this will be a rough performance for the team. Still, whatever we pull off tomorrow will hopefully be enough to fix in time for Championships next weekend...
After about a month since our last photo album, here is our collection from the Poway Festival! And when I say "our" I really do mean it because Mareina took all of the pictures of Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble! Because I am in both of those ensembles, I was unable to take pictures of them previously. So what's awesome about this album is that, combined with the Pre-Festival albums, we now have pictures of every single Poway group! We will have recordings of our bands and orchestra starting next week too. It just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it? You are one lucky band student/fan.
Thursday, April 17, 2008 ~ Italy Performance
For the record books, here was the FINAL repitoire that the Emerald Brigade played at the Florence Music Festival on Wednesday, April 9th:
Also, below are the flyers for the Florence International Music Festival, as well as our individual performance:
And there's your proof that the band toured Italy in 2008. Ta-Da!
Monday, April 14, 2008 ~ Seniors of the Week V & VI
We're Back!
Wow! Was Italy a whirlwind of adventure or what!? With so much detail in all of the architecture of every building of every city, it's no wonder that I took a grand total of 1136 frames, and over 1000 separate pictures. It's going to take me weeks to sort every image out, but we will have pictures from Italy online by May! (Note: Ironically, we never visited the two monuments that I had decorated the headbanner with because we did not visit Pisa! Please don't make fun of me, but at least you know what we missed in Italy...)
Senior Shirt Quote: "I can't find my yang!! Why? Because I'm a Senior!"
Best Quality: "my quirkyness"
Advice: "if u enjoy it follow through and dont complain because before u kno it ur gonna be a senior and gonna reliaze high schools done."
Future Plans: "i plan on doing a drum corp or a winterguard"
What We Think: In honor of the Winter Guard Championships this weekend, here is senior guard member, Jayden! She is a very enthusiastic guard member who I have only met fairly recently this year. Keep up the guard work and good luck at your final competition!
Future Plans: "Maybe do a drum corps or a winter guard"
What We Think: In honor of the Winter Guard Championships this weekend, here is the only guy member of the guard, Josh! He is very outspoken and openly shares his opinions. Good luck this weekend!
Saturday, April 5, 2008 ~ Senior of the Week IV
PHS Tour D'Italia!
The Italy Trip is here (already!?!) so I will be taking this week off from the usual updates! If you are reading this in Italy, I hope that you are having a wonderful time on the trip so far and please let me get a picture of you sometime during the trip. If you are reading this at home, I hope that you are having a wonderful vaction and please rest assured that we will have pictures of the trip up by May!
Senior Shirt Quote: "My original idea for this shirt has been censored. Why? Because I'm a Senior!"
Best Quality: "Open mindedness"
Advice: "Play/march your absolute best at all times."
Future Plans: "I want to major in Psychology."
What We Think: The reason why I created "Senior of the Week" was to recognize many students who are often under appreciated in the band, and Tyler is definately one of those people. He loves marching band and would do just about anything to better the program. Over the past four years, he has taken on many different appearances and personalities demonstrating his unique character. He is a great brass player and I know that he takes pride in his music. Thanks Tyler.
Friday, April 4, 2008 ~ Italy Trip Schedules
1 Day to Italy!!!
Here is the finalized information for Poway's Italy Trip:
Saturday Call Times:
Flight A: 3:00 AM
Flight B: 4:30 AM
Italian Tour Locations:
Sunday, March 6: Rome
Monday, March 7: Vatican City
Tuesday, March 8: Florence
Wednesday, March 9: Performance in Florence (Yay!)
Thursday, March 10: San Marco & Venice
Friday, March 11: Venice, Verona, & Milan
Italian Music Festival Repitoire:
1. Opus 2 By: Johann Joachim Quantz (Flute Duet)
2. Ricercar Del Primo Tuono By: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (Brass Quintet)
Wind Ensemble: Unanimous Superior
Symphonic Band: Excellent
Symphony Orchestra: Unanimous Superior
Concert Band: Unanimous Superior
Wind Symphony: Unanimous Superior
Also, here are scans of the Festival programs from both days:
The Poway Festival was another great success by students and parents alike. Congratulations to everyone who performed and volunteered in support of our band program!
Here's what one reviewer though of the Percussion Ensemble's performance at the WGI Regional on Sunday, March 30:
"Split sixteenth note passages and unsettling passages were a central motif in Poway’s program, In the Heat of the Day. The ensemble constantly utilized its skilled front ensemble, taking a sixteenth note run and passing along through the various instruments with a sense of grace and ease. Given the title of the show and the various and aggressive mood changes, one might imagine the music as a reflection of the mental state of a person caught in the middle of a vicious heat wave. The ensemble juggled fierce rudimentary and rhythmic passages with an equal display of melodic content. Opposed to ending on a grandiose note, however, the ensemble’s masterful command of dynamics and nuance reflected that of the descending sun on a hot summer’s day. One by one each timbre weaved itself out of the musical tapestry, until all that was left was silence."-Alex Mendoza
Poway took 3rd place out of 3 with a score of 79.5. Although last, the ensemble felt content with their exceptionally improved performance.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008 ~ Festival Schedule
3 Days to Italy
In honor of Italy, I have created a wonderful new set of headbanners for April! On Friday, we will feature more information about the Italy trip so please check back then!
The Poway Festival is fianlly here! Today and tomorrow from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Poway High will host middle and high school bands from all over southern California! Here is the Poway group schedule for today:
After about a month since our last photo album, here is our collection from the 
