WINTER PARK BAND Weekly Newsletter

Dear Winter Park Band families,

What a weekend! I hope everyone has time to recover today and prepare for the week ahead.

SOTW did a great job at the Ocoee game on Friday night. Thank you to everyone for hanging through the later than normal evening with OHS's homecoming celebrations.

To say Saturday was an eventful day would be an understatement, but it was a great day filled with band! We had great time performing both with the FSU Marching Chiefs at Freedom HS in the morning and then spending time with our friends in the bands from Freedom HS, Apopka HS, Horizon HS, Ocoee HS, Dr. Phillips HS, and West Orange HS at WOHS on Saturday afternoon/evening for the annual West Side Showcase! It's so special each year to see the bands cheer each other on and appreciate each group's hard work that they put into their shows. It was so special to cap off the day with an incredible performance by the Marching Chiefs - wow! Again, a big thank you to all the parent volunteers who fed the students, chaperoned, moved equipment, and overall made Saturday run smoothly. All in all, a great day filled with band and community!

A special shout out and thank you to Aaron Strickland, Dave Martin, and the entire Band Ops crew of parents for their help this and every marching band weekend! They were there early Friday and then early again on Saturday and throughout both events to make sure that our large equipment made it safely to and from our performances.

Also, a special thank you to Dr. Meechin for coming out to support the SOTW at the Showcase on Saturday!

All-County Auditions are fast approaching. Soon, we will have the final information for signups and be sending home participation agreements. Emails and Cut Time messages will be sent this week. In the meantime, students should be preparing the required music and scales for the audition and practicing their sight reading. See below for links to audition requirements.

Student Portraits are available for purchase through Sunday, October 19, so don't delay ordering them! Information on how to access the gallery is below.

A couple highlights from me for the week ahead:

• Friday's performance will take us to Timber Creek HS. It will be great to hang out with our friends in the TCHS band!
• Come out to have some spooky season fun this week with Trunk-R-Treat right after rehearsal Tuesday, 10/28! Parents, get your car’s trunk décor planned and grab some candy for a fun, band family event! Trunk-R-Treat will begin at 6:30 PM after marching band rehearsal and our annual Student Costume Contest.

• 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 at our Band calendar:

• Thursday, October 30 is a big annual event for our Band program - it's SENIOR NIGHT! Please join us at the home football game Friday evening as we celebrate the "first last" for the Class of 2024 at their final regular season home football game. This is one of my favorite nights of each year, and so many special memories will be made for our seniors and their families.

• Our journey with Spanish Images completes at Marching Band MPA on Saturday, November 1 at Boone HS. This performance culminates the students' hard work and journey creating this show from Band Camp until now. This is another one of my favorite days of the school year, and I can't wait to see where the show ends up for this performance! Performance time is 6:20 PM and a complete itinerary is available on the Band website.
• In two weeks, 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.

Let's make it a great week!

Mr. Clemente

Auditions for the 2025-2026 OCPS All-County Bands and Jazz Ensembles are scheduled for Monday, November 17. Students auditioning for All-County Band and/or Jazz will be able to register for their auditions in the coming weeks. Instructions for signup will be send in future messages. Students may audition on as many instruments as they feel confident preparing audition materials.

All-County Band Audition Materials

All-County Jazz Auditions Materials

With our first concerts approaching in November, the Band will be placing a bulk order of Concert Uniform Accessories. As explained on the Uniform Accessory Information sheet from Band Registration Night, students are responsible for providing all parts of the concert uniform that are not either the tuxedo jacket and pants or concert dress. Tux jackets and pants along with the dresses are owned by the school and lent to students each year. To make obtaining those accessories easy for our families, the Band program will make a bulk order next week through our supplier. You are not required to use our supplier; however, they will most likely give you the best deal and there are no shipping costs.

To complete the Concert Tuxedo:

• Black wing tipped tuxedo shirt - $30.00
• Black bow tie - $5.00
• Black cummerbund - $10.00

OR

• Package of all three (shirt, tie, cummerbund) - $45.00

You will also need black dress shoes (completely black dress shoes, not your marching band shoes) and black dress socks. Shoes and socks are provided by the student.

To complete the Concert Dress:

• Faux pearl earrings – pierced ears - $7.00
• Faux pearl earrings – non-pierced ears - $8.00
• Faux pearl necklace - $15.00

You will also need closed-toe black dress shoes. Most choose to wear a simple black flat with the dress, but you may also choose to wear a short heel.

Items will appear on SchoolCash Wednesday, 10/15 and be available until Wednesday, 10/22. The order must be placed by 10/22 in order to be here in time for our performance. Keep in mind, students who are wearing a tuxedo have already been sized for their black tuxedo shirt during uniform fittings earlier in the school year.

What a great day we had on Saturday! Congratulations to all the students and a huge thank you to all the volunteers! This week we have a small breather before the end of marching season. We'll have a regular practice & game week to put those finishing touches onto the show before MPA. As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Laura Cambridge

wphsbandboosterpresident@gmail.com

Dear Band Families,

Our Lucky Goat Coffee Fundraiser is off to an amazing start —as of this morning, we've already raised $3,265! Way to go!

Remember, the entire $8 profit from every bag of coffee or box of pods sold goes directly to student accounts, and students also receive 60% of any donations made in their name.

If you haven’t joined in yet, it’s not too late! Visit our fundraising page here:
https://instaraise.com/winterparkhs/band

From there, you can create a student account and start sharing your personal fundraising link with friends, family, and local businesses.

Keep the momentum going! Coffee makes a great gift and is perfect for home, the office, or businesses that serve customers or staff.

We also want to give a big thank you to everyone who participated in our Chick-fil-A Spirit Week fundraiser last week. Chick-fil-A donated 15% of the week’s sales, and together we earned $244.77 for the band. Your support truly makes a difference!

Let’s keep the energy going — every effort helps our students and our program thrive!

Robyn Fodor

wpbandfundraising@gmail.com

Hey Volunteers! It’s Your Volunteer Coordinator Here—Let’s Keep the Momentum Going!

The season is flying by, and our band and colorguard are absolutely rocking it! Every game, parade, and event is filled with energy—and it’s all thanks to our amazing volunteers who bring the spirit, smiles, and support that keep everything running in tune.

👉 Quick Reminder: All volunteers must be registered with OCPS ADDitions before signing up: https://ocps.samaritan.com/custom/503/opp_details/112867

🌟 What’s Coming Up:

🏈 Football Games – Cheer on the Wildcats while helping our band and colorguard keep the energy high.

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/5080A49A8AE22A02-57686523-football

🎶 Marching Band MPA – One of the biggest events of the year! Be part of the excitement as our students take the field one last time and shine.

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/5080A49A8AE22A02-59400003-marching

🎃 Trunk or Treat Night – October 28 – This one’s for all band families! Dress up, decorate, and show off your most BOOtacular ride—let’s see who steals the spooky spotlight!

A HUGE thank you to everyone who gave their time and energy this weekend—from Friday Night Lights to the FSU experience and the full day at Westside! We know many of you ran on little sleep, powering through from the late-night game into bright early Saturday call time and full day at Westside. Your dedication, teamwork, and spirit are what help make this band family truly amazing. You are appreciated more than words can express! 🖤🧡

Jennifer Mullins

WPHS Band Volunteer Coordinator

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

October 24: Gameday Rehearsal, 2:45 - 4 PM/Football Game, 5 - 10 PM

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October 28: Trunk 'r Treat (MB Rehearsal begins as scheduled at 3:15 PM, Trunk 'r Treat in D Lot beginning at 6:30 PM)

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Thursday, October 30: Gameday Rehearsal, 2:45 - 4 PM/Senior Night Football Game, 5 - 10 PM

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November 1: MARCHING MPA, Itinerary TBA, Boone HS

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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

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