WINTER PARK BAND Weekly Newsletter

Dear Winter Park Band families,

Great job by our amazing students at the Apopka game! It was a fun night with a Wildcat win and the chance to make new friends from the AHS Band.

We launched the Widdy Up fundraiser this past Wednesday, August 26 and have $3081.00 raised. Current leaders for the fundraiser as of Friday, 8/28 are:

1. Hongyi Zie $500

2. Liliana Perez Piant $457.52

3. Kaye-Lynn Brunjes $425

4. Maya Baldeau. $250

5. Julia Penney. $210

Keep sharing the fundraiser on social media, and check-in with Mrs. Fodor's Fundraising Update below in the this Newsletter.

This week our regular marching band rehearsals continue, and the SOTW will return to Showalter Field to perform at the home game Friday, September 4. This game will also be out first of the year in full marching uniform!! Our awesome Uniform Crew will send out reminders throughout the week.

Full Marching Band Uniform -

• SOTW water jug
• 2026 For All Mankind Show Shirt
• Calf-length black socks with no logos
• Spandex shorts
• Black marching uniform shoes
• White gloves (first pair given to students Friday evening)

Students will begin to be fitted for their Concert Uniform this week during Band and Jazz classes. Information on Concert Uniform Accessories order will come out via Cut Time this week as we approach our Fall Band Concert on October 1.

Signups for the Boston Tour 2027 are due this coming Tuesday, September 8. Look immediately below for complete details, as well as visiting http://www.winterparkhsband.com/boston-tour-2025.html. Remember, the trip is open to all Winter Park Band students!

As always, please visit the Band Calendar early and often so your student's Band activities are factored into your family schedule. Thank you so much for your continued communication! As stated in the Band Handbook, the directors must both be notified by parent/guardian email a minimum of 60 days in advance of an absence for the absence to be able to be considered excused. At this point in the year, any absence this semester should have already been discussed with Mr. Clemente and Ms. O'Rourke. Thank you so much for your continued attention to the calendar and communication!

Please also read all information from our wonderful Band Booster Board members below.

Let's make it a great week!

Mr. Clemente

Thank you to everyone who came to the information meeting last Tuesday!

DUE NEXT WEEK - TUESDAY, 9/8

• $350 Initial Deposit
• BOTH Students and Chaperones
• Payment can be made either on SchoolCashOnline.com or with a check/money order made out to WPHS Bands
• Boston Tour 2025 Sign Up Form
• BOTH Students and Chaperones
• Boston Tour Participant Contract
• BOTH Students and Chaperones

The tour is open to all Winter Park Band students! All participating students will have one performance opportunity in Boston, and Wind Symphony students will have two performance opportunities. For up to date information on the Boston Tour 2025, please visit http://www.winterparkhsband.com/boston-tour-2025.html.

All-State Auditions - Saturday, September 19 at Ocoee HS

Reference Recordings and Play-Along videos: http://www.winterparkhsband.com/honor-bands.html

Band Families,

I hope you have begun to send out your Widdy Up fundraising emails already! Please see Robyn Fodor's section if you have any questions.

If you would like to volunteer for the band or for the Boston trip, please see Jen Mullins' section to complete ADDitions.

Have a great week!

Laura Cambridge

wphsbandboosterpresident@gmail.com

Turn onto Woodcrest Dr. from Lakemont Ave. Take a left on Bellwood Dr., followed by a right into the WPHS school gate (yellow star on map). Park in A Lot (orange star on map). Please do not drive down the bus loop as that road must be clear for buses and trailers. Walk under the covering next to the 200 building (green line on map) and cross the courtyard to the Band room, 06-125 (green star on map).

Please use the Bellwood gate and A Lot for pickup after rehearsals and football games. Thank you!

Can we hear it for our VOLUNTEERS?!

A HUGE thank you to everyone who traveled with us to Apopka and helped keep our students fed, organized, accounted for, hydrated, uniform-ready and where they needed to be! Away games bring a whole different level of organized chaos and our volunteers continue to show up and make it happen. You are AMAZING and we appreciate you!

Are you still watching from the sidelines? Come join us! You know you are curious.

First things first that you must be ADDitions APPROVED for the 2026-2027 school year before volunteering.

ADDitions: https://ocps.samaritan.com/custom/503/opp_details/119839

Then take a peek at our Football Volunteer SignUpGenius and grab an upcoming game!

Football SignUpGenius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080A49A8AE22A02-65163027-football#/

Two games down and plenty of Friday night adventures still ahead! Trust us… marching season is way more fun from the volunteer side of the stands.

Let’s keep this Sound of the Wildcats volunteer crew rolling!

Jennifer Mullins

WPHS Band and Colorguard Volunteer Coordinator

🚨 LAST CALL: Sponsorships & Student Dedications! 🚨

The clock is ticking! August 31st is the FINAL deadline to submit all Sponsorships and Student Dedications for this year’s Winter Park High School Band program.

To make sure your sponsorship or dedication is included, everything must be submitted by August 31st:

• Completed form
• Payment by check or credit card
• Sponsor logo/artwork or completed ad
• Dedication photo(s) and message

🎺 Don’t miss out on fundraising credit! Sponsorships and dedications are a great way to support the band while also earning credit back toward your student’s band expenses. Sponsorships earn 45% student credit, and dedications earn 60% student credit.

And remember—this is a TRIP YEAR! Every bit of fundraising credit earned can help reduce what your family has to pay toward band expenses and the upcoming trip.

Have a business you’ve been meaning to ask? Now is the time! Want to recognize your student, section, or senior with a special dedication in the program? Get it submitted this weekend!

📅 FINAL DEADLINE: AUGUST 31ST — no last-minute scrambling!

Questions or need the credit card payment link? Reach out to the email below!

Erica Diltz, Sponsorship Chair
Winter Park High School Band
wpbandprogram@gmail.com | 407-784-4361

Hello Band Family,

Our Widdy Up Fundraiser is off to a great start! Read info about our incentive below!

Just a day and a half in and here is where we stand as of Friday morning

* $3,145 raised

* 135 Registered students

* 34 active students with 6 or more contacts

Here's how we can build on this momentum: the fastest way to boost our number of active participants is by adding more contacts. That means more shares, more reach and more support.

Here's another way you can help: Copy your student's fundraising page link and share it on social media. Just look for the black box on the right side of the page, click "Copy Link" and post away!

Incentive Heads Up: If our group raises at least $5,000, the two students with the most number of donations and the two students with the most money raised at the end of the fundraiser will each receive a $25 Visa gift card (4 students total).

If your student hasn't registered yet, here's the link to get started

Let's keep the momentum going!

Robyn Fodor & Deanna Glidden

Fundraising Coordinators

wpbandfundraising@gmail.com

TRI-STATE BAND FESTIVAL (FSU) - Open to 11th and 12th grade

The Florida State University College of Music is proud to host the 45th Annual Tri-State Band Festival, taking place December 3–6, 2026. This long-standing event brings together approximately 300 exceptional high school musicians for a meaningful and immersive musical experience.

Following a nomination and selection process, students will audition for placement in one of three concert wind ensembles or the select honors jazz ensemble (pre-audition required). Each ensemble will rehearse and perform under the direction of renowned guest conductors. The festival includes instrument-specific masterclasses and a series of concerts featuring FSU’s premier jazz ensemble, the University Wind Ensemble, and the PRISM concert—showcasing performances from chamber groups to the world-renowned Marching Chiefs.

REGISTRATION PRICES FOR THE 2026 TRI-STATE FESTIVAL

• $395.00 for overnight students
• $295.00 for local/commuter students

PARTICIPATION COST COVERS

• Lodging (For overnight students only)
• All meals during the Tri-State timeline,
• Transportation to and from rehearsals and concerts, instructional expenses including masterclass, rehearsals, and performance, t-shirt, and recording of concerts.

Students selected for the Tri-State Festival must provide their own transportation to and from Tallahassee.

If you wish to be nominated for this year's Tri-State festival, please complete the Google form linked below by Monday, September 14.

Tri-State Band Festival Nomination Form

FESTIVAL OF WINDS (USF) - Open to 10th, 11th, & 12th grade

The University of South Florida’s School of Music is proud to host the 51st annual Festival of Winds on December 3-6, 2026. FOW was founded by Jim Croft in 1974 and has grown to become one of the finest events of its type in the southeast. In addition to playing in one of three large concert bands or the festival jazz band, students will participate in master classes, attend multiple concerts, play in a chamber ensemble, and experience the thrill of being on a college campus for four days. Participants are nominated by their band directors based on their musical and leadership excellence, and must be high school sophomores, juniors, or seniors to be eligible.

The 2026 Concert Band Clinicians are Dr. Travis Cross (UCLA), Mrs. Diane Koutsulis (ret. Green Valley HS Las Vegas), and Dr. Damon Talley (LSU). Our own Ross Strauser will direct the Festival Jazz Band. We are confident that there are no finer clinicians in the country, and that these four exceptional musicians will provide deeply enriching experiences for the participating students. You can see more about them at the bottom of this page. In addition, students will interact with and learn from USF's outstanding School of Music faculty.

An important aspect of our festival is that in addition to the three concert bands and jazz band, students also play in an instrumental choir - flute choir, percussion ensemble, low brass ensemble, etc. The jazz band and chamber ensembles will perform on Saturday evening.

The cost for FOW this year is $390 for resident students, and $290 for commuters.

If you wish to be nominated for this year's Festival of Winds, please complete the Google form linked below by Monday, September 14.

Festival of Winds Nomination Form

Copy the link below to subscribe to the Band public events calendar in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, or other calendar app:

• https://app.gocuttime.com/program/calendar/c308b229-e7ac-4762-93ef-6112f6f8daf3/ics
  

PAST DUE BAND PAYMENTS

• WOODWINDS, BRASS, PERCUSSION
• Friday, August 7, 2026
• Fair Share Payment - $225 OR Fair Share Payment 1 - $100.00
• Marching Band Shoe (new students and if needed) - $50.00
• Extra Show Shirt (optional) - $15.00

• COLOR GUARD
• Friday, August 7, 2026
• Fall Fair Share Payment - $325 OR Fair Share Payment 1 - $100
• Marching Band Shoe (if needed) - $50.00
• Extra Show Shirt (optional) - $15.00

NOTE: On SchoolCashOnline.com, the Fair Share item will show on the main page with a "no cost" indication because it is an item with an open payment amount. When going to make a Fair Share payment, you will need to enter in the amount you are paying. This is to allow our Band families flexibility between the optional payment plans for Fair Share.

This time of year, many families consider purchasing a higher quality instrument for their student. While the rental instruments or student instruments many students had during middle school served them well during that time, high school music and musicians need instruments with higher quality make and materials to continue to improve. Please especially do not buy an instrument for your student from discount websites like Amazon. We music teachers refer to instruments sold on those websites as ISOs - Instrument Shaped Objects.

If you are able and considering a "step-up" instrument for your student (sometimes referred to as "intermediate" or "professional" instruments by manufacturers), please feel free to reach out for guidance. We will be happy to point you in the right direction and give options for quality instruments at fair prices.

Local music stores:

Underwood Music - 4949 N Pine Ave, Winter Park, FL 32792

Music Shack - 702 S US Hwy 17 92, Longwood, FL 32750

Allegro Music - 851 E State Rd 434, Longwood, FL 32750

Music & Arts - 4676 Millenia Plaza Way, Orlando, FL 32839

A few websites to peruse:

www.allcountymusic.com

www.musicmaninconline.com

www.musicandarts.com

www.steveweissmusic.com

Whether a student is learning a musical instrument to pursue a career in music, or simply for personal musical fulfillment and recreation, private lessons are one of the best investments that a parent can provide for their musical child. When working with a private teacher, students receive one-on-one instruction from a professional musician who specializes on that instrument.

​Unlike a full band rehearsal experience, studying with a private teacher focuses in on the student’s individual needs. Students who study privately once a week from a professional musician are usually those who excel and find Band more enjoyable. These students frequently earn positions in honor groups like All-State and All-County, and make entry into our more advanced bands like Wind Symphony and Jazz Ensemble I. Some even go on to earn college scholarships, even if they are not majoring in music!

Below is a link to a list of local private teachers. This list is not exhaustive, and there may be other individuals who are not on the list. If you are a private teacher who would like to be added to our list (or deleted), or know a private teacher who should be added, please contact Mr. Clemente at michael.clemente@ocps.net.

http://www.winterparkhsband.com/private-teachers.html

September 4: Football Game

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September 10: Football Game

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September 18: Football Game

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September 19: All-State Auditions, Ocoee HS

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September 25: Football Game

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October 1: FALL BAND CONCERT

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October 3: Marching Band Rehearsal, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

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October 9: Football Game

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October 14: Homecoming Parade & "Roar"

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October 16: Homecoming Football Game

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October 17: West Side Showcase

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October 23: Football Game

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October 29: Fall Orchestra Concert, Orch. Winds & Perc. Only

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October 30: Senior Night Football Game

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November 7: MARCHING BAND MPA, 9 AM - 9 PM

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November 10: FALL FESTIVAL OF BANDS

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November 14: Jazz Ensemble I @ WPAAF, Downtown Winter Park

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November 16: All-County Auditions

We've been posting lots of photos our social media platforms, and we will continue to post updates, photos, video, and other media to those pages throughout the year. Follow the Band!

• Facebook: @winterparkhsband
• Instagram: @winterparkhsband @wphs_flutes @wphsclarinets @wpsaxes @wphs_trumpets @wphs.trombones @wphstubas @winterparkhspercussion @winterparkhscolorguard @wphs.drumajors
• YouTube: @winterparkhsband
• Twitter: @wphs_bands
• Tik Tok: @winterparkhsband

Email: michael.clemente@ocps.net
Website: www.winterparkhsband.com
Location: 2100 Summerfield Road, Winter Park, FL, USA
Phone: 4076223200
Facebook: www.facebook.com/winterparkhsband