WINTER PARK BAND Weekly Newsletter

Dear Winter Park Band families,

WOW - what a great week in the Winter Park Band! Ms. O'Rourke and I are so incredibly proud of our students and the entire community for making this year's SOTW a success. None of it would have been possible without hard work and dedication throughout the whole process starting back at Mini-Camp in May.

Ratings from our adjudicators at this year's Florida Bandmasters Association District 8 Marching Band MPA:

• Music Performance - Superior
• Music Performance - Superior
• Visual Performance - Superior
• General Effect - Superior
• Percussion - Superior
• Auxiliary - Superior

As we begin to wrap up marching band, I'd like to again thank our Band Booster Board volunteers who all have a critical hand in making the Band program go. It is a full-year-long process for sure, but the SOTW would not be able to do the things we do and provide the experiences we can for our students without your volunteered time, effort, and skill. It takes a VILLAGE, and all our volunteers are amazing!

• Laura Cambridge, president
• Christina Armendariz and Beth Lybarger, vice presidents of provisions​
• Robyn Fodor, vice president of fundraising
• Kim Somers, treasurer
• Jen Mullins, chaperone coordinator
• Aaron Strickland and Dave Martin, operations chairs
• Vanessa Irons and Jenniffer Randolph, uniform co-chairs
• Kristin Cowan, color guard liaison
• Erica Diltz, program sponsorships & student dedications coordinator

Thank you to Mr. Sharpe, WPHS Assistant Principal, for coming out to Marching MPA and supporting the SOTW!

Thank you to all the parents who made Trunk 'r Treat such a special event! So many creative costumes and themed trunks.

The Lucky Goat Fundraiser was a rousing success! Please see Robyn Fodor's section below to see our final tally.

Thank you to the Senior Night committee of parents who coordinated all the decorations, photography, sashes, flowers, and everything else involved for Thursday's Senior Night Football Game. It was a wonderful night celebrating the Class of 2026. Congratulations seniors on the first stop on your journey through towards graduation!

All-County Auditions are fast approaching. Students should be working diligently to prepare their auditions, and both Ms. O'Rourke and I are available for extra help if you set up an appointment.

• As part of our concert band and jazz ensemble class curriculum, all students will be preparing portions of the All-County audition materials for Musicianship Assignments. These video assignments are due through Canvas and are part of the band and jazz class grade.

This week:

• We celebrate the entirety of our Winter Park Band community at the 10th annual Fall Festival of Bands on Wednesday, 11/5 at 7 PM in the WPHS Gym. The evening includes performances by the Audubon Park School Symphonic Band, Glenridge Middle School Symphonic Band, the Maitland Middle School Wind Ensemble, the Winter Park Wind Symphony, combined students from APS, GMS, and MMS along with the Wind Symphony, the SOTW Color Guard, and the SOTW Marching Band to top it all off! It is a night celebrating the entirety of our community, the success of our 6 - 12th grade program, and the bright future of the Sound of the Wildcats. The concert is free and open to the public, as are all our home Band concerts. A complete itinerary is available on the Band website.
• To prepare for this special performance, SOTW will rehearse on Wednesday, 11/5 at 3:15 PM. Students will then be fed dinner between rehearsal and the performance.
• Last, but certainly not least, please read all the thank-yous and important updates from our Band Booster Board below in this newsletter. Thank you Band Booster Board for your time and dedication to the Band program!

Looking ahead:

• Next week, our Wind Symphony has a special opportunity to perform in Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, 11/11. This concert will feature the advanced ensembles from the WPHS Performing Arts Department, and tickets are available on the DPPAC website https://tickets.drphillipscenter.org/syos/performance/25993. $25 for adults, $20 for senior citizens.
• It looks very likely that the varsity football team will make the FHSAA playoffs. The first playoff football game would take place on Friday, November 14, time and location TBA. For playoff games, the SOTW performs in the stands only as a full band pep band.
• All-County Band & Jazz Auditions will take place on Monday, November 17 at University High School. The schedule of auditions will be released about a week before auditions. The earliest audition time slots begin at 4:00 PM, and the latest are around 9:00 PM.
• The Winter Park Parade and Baldwin Park Parade performances will both take place on Saturday, December 6. An itinerary will be available on the Band website in the coming weeks.
• The Winter Band Concert on Thursday, December 11 will take place in the Ninth Grade Center Gym.

Let's make it a great week!

Mr. Clemente

All-County Band & Jazz Auditions

Auditions for the 2025-2026 OCPS All-County Bands and Jazz Ensembles are scheduled for Monday, November 17. Students have registered for auditions this week, and all SPAs were due to the Band office by Monday, 10/27. Any past due SPAs must be turned in by Monday, 11/3.

All Band and Jazz classes will have versions of the All-County audition materials as Musicianship Assignments during the 2nd quarter. These assignments are part of the curriculum for all students, even if they are not sitting for the actual All-County audition on 11/17 at UHS. A rising tide raises all boats!

All-County Band Audition Materials

All-County Jazz Auditions Materials

Band Families,

What a great Marching Season! I would like to thank all of the volunteers that made it possible. In addition, I also appreciate all the support from parents who may have been unable to volunteer but still helped in a myriad of other ways. I also would like to encourage parents and students to thank members of the Band Booster Board when you get a chance; every one of the board put in a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure the marching band could happen.

Coming up this week is Fall Festival of Bands, when we invite the middle schoolers to perform a concert with the band. It is always a fun time! This year it will be in the gym.

As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Laura Cambridge

wphsbandboosterpresident@gmail.com

Winter Park Band Family,

We are so excited for our students' upcoming performance at the 11th Annual Fall Festival of Bands on Wednesday, November 5th! To ensure our talented musicians are fueled and ready for a great rehearsal, a light snack will be available for them in the band room starting at 1:30 PM. We are also thrilled to announce that we will be providing a complimentary dinner for all band members at 4:45 PM, catered by Chick-fil-A, to celebrate their hard work before the event!

Warmly,

Christina Armendariz
Provisions Chair

Hello Band Families!

Congrats on the successful ending of our Lucky Goat Coffee fundraiser! We raised $8,075!

Each bag of grounds or box of pods earned the sellers $8 and students received 60% of each donation. As soon as we receive the money we will credit participating student accounts. Thanks to everyone that joined in this fundraising effort!

Just a heads up to our last fundraiser of the school year... DOOR-2-DOOR our biggest and most important fundraiser of the year is happening Saturday, Jan 31st. We will begin seeking parent driver volunteers by very early December so be on the lookout for emails explaining what the day is all about and how you can help.

Robyn Fodor

wpbandfundraising@gmail.com

🎶 Volunteer Highlights & Upcoming Opportunities 🎶

What an incredible week it’s been for our band and colorguard family! A huge thank-you to all the amazing volunteers who helped make MPAs a success!

We also had a fantastic turnout for Trunk or Treat! It was so much fun seeing everyone’s spooky side and enjoying such a festive evening together.

An extra special shout-out goes to our Senior Celebrations Team — Kim Somers, my “partner in crime,” Damaris Lima Olmeda for capturing the stunning photos that made the senior posters shine, and Vanessa and John Fleming for helping hang them with care. Senior Night was truly unforgettable — filled with love, laughter, and memories we’ll all cherish.

👉 Before You Volunteer:
Please make sure you’re registered and approved with OCPS ADDitions — it only takes a few minutes and is required for all volunteers: https://ocps.samaritan.com/custom/503/opp_details/112867

Coming Up – Volunteer Opportunities!

🏈 Tentative Playoff Game – Friday, November 14
We’re gearing up for a possible playoff game!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080A49A8AE22A02-60101123-tentative#/

🎄 Holiday Parades – Saturday, December 6
Join us as we light up the streets for not one, but two Holiday Parades!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080A49A8AE22A02-59909920-christmas

🚗 Door to Door – Saturday, January 31
This all-day event takes lots of helping hands, especially drivers. Every driver earns credit, every student earns credit, and together we help the band reach new fundraising goals.
Sign up early to secure your spot and help make this record-breaking event a success!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080A49A8AE22A02-59892430-2026

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

November 5: Marching Band Rehearsal, 3:15 - 4:45 PM

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November 5: FALL FESTIVAL OF BANDS

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November 11: Wind Symphony Performance at Steinmetz Hall, Dr. Phillips Center

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November 17: All-County Auditions, as scheduled

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November 24 - 28: Thanksgiving Break

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December 6: Winter Park Christmas Parade (morning) & Baldwin Park Winter Wonderland Extravaganza Parade (evening)

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December 11: BAND WINTER CONCERT, 6:30 PM call time

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December 22 - January 5: Winter Break

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January 14 - 17: All-State/FMEA Conference

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January 19: No School

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January 20, 22-24: All-County Band Rehearsals & Concert, Innovation HS

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January 31: DOOR-2-DOOR ANNUAL FUNDRAISER, mandatory for all students in band, jazz, and color guard classes

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February 5: JAZZ MPA

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February 6-7: SOLO & ENSEMBLE MPA

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February 16: No School

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February 19-21: GUEST CONDUCTOR WORKSHOP

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March 5 - 7: CONCERT MPA

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March 11: Senior Concerto Competition Auditions

http://www.winterparkhsband.com/calendar.html

Since the Cut Time software has been updated, the synced calendar link has changed. 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
• Thursday, July 31, 2025
• Fair Share Payment - $225 OR Fair Share Payment 1 - $100.00
• Marching Band Shoe (new students and if needed) - $45.00
• Extra Show Shirt (optional) - $15.00
• Wednesday, 8/27
• Fair Share Payment 2 - $75.00
• Wednesday, 10/1
• Jazz Fair Share (jazz students only) - $25.00
• Semester 1 Instrument Maintenance (if applies) - $75.00

• COLOR GUARD
• Thursday, July 31, 2025
• Fall Fair Share Payment - $325 OR Fair Share Payment 1 - $100
• Marching Band Shoe (if needed) - $45.00
• Extra Show Shirt (optional) - $15.00
• Wednesday, 8/27
• Fall Color Guard Fair Share Payment 2 - $125.00
• Wednesday, 10/1
• Fall Color Guard Fair Share Payment 3 - $100.00
• School Equipment Semester 1 Maintenance - $75.00

For questions concerning general Band inquiries, Band financial obligations, or to request a payment plan, contact Mr. Clemente, at Michael.Clemente@ocps.net. For questions regarding your CutTime account or statement, contact the Band Booster Treasurer, Kim Somers, at wphsbandtreasurer@gmail.com.

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 @winterparkcolorguard @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