WINTER PARK BAND Weekly Newsletter

Dear Winter Park Band families,

Congratulations to all of our students who performed this past week at Jazz MPA, Solo & Ensemble MPA, Auxiliary MPA, and FFCC University HS (Orange City)! Some wonderful results from all the events.

Jazz MPA

Jazz Ensemble I & II had strong, musical, and swinging performances at Jazz MPA on Friday at Horizon HS. Bravo to all!

• Jazz Ensemble II - all Superior ratings, overall Superior rating (highest possible)
• Jazz Ensemble I - all Superior ratings, overall Superior rating (highest possible)

Solo & Ensemble MPA

We had 116 total events perform at this past weekend's S&E at Horizon HS and we are so proud of them for their performances! This event is so beneficial to our students, and I hope many are already taking the feedback they received from the adjudicators and applying it to their instrument.

• 111 students earned a Superior rating on their solo and/or ensemble (highest possible)
• 34 students earned an Excellent rating on their solo and/or ensemble (second highest possible)

Auxiliary MPA

• Our WPHS Winter Guard earned a Superior rating at Auxiliary MPA Friday evening (highest possible)
• Abbey Cowan earned a Superior rating on her rifle solo (highest possible)
• Taina Echevarria earned a Superior rating on her flag solo (highest possible)

FFCC University HS (Orange City)

Their second performance in as many days, Winter Guard earned 2nd place in their classification on Saturday - way to go!

THIS WEEK:

• Freshman Jazz Band will perform at JAZZ MPA on Thursday, 2/12 at 7:05 PM. The itinerary is available on the Band website: http://www.winterparkhsband.com/itineraries.html. Good Luck!
• Winter Guard performs at FFCC University HS (Orlando). Good Luck!
  

NEXT WEEK:

Looking ahead on the calendar, we have our annual Guest Conductor Workshop upcoming on February 19 - 21. We are very excited to welcome Mr. Michael Kaufman onto our campus to work with Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Symphony for three inspiring days. Please be sure you have your student's after school rehearsal with Mr. Kaufman and our Saturday sound checks and concert on your family's calendar. All rehearsals and performances are co-curricular and a graded component of the class.

Thursday, February 19

• Symphonic Band after school rehearsal, 2:45 – 4:45 PM, Auditorium
• Wind Symphony after school rehearsal, 7 – 9 PM, Auditorium

Friday, February 20

• Concert Band after school rehearsal, 2:20 – 3:30 PM, Auditorium

  • This rehearsal is an extension of 7th period. Please plan transportation after rehearsal accordingly.

Saturday, February 21

• Wind Symphony sound check, 10:30 – 11:30 AM

• Symphonic Band sound check, 12:00 – 1:00 PM

• Concert Band sound check, 1:30 – 2:30 PM (dressed for the performance)

• Call Time - 2:30 PM, Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band, Band Room, ready to walk on stage

• Pre-MPA Concert, 3 PM

• Concert Dress: Concert Uniform

All rehearsals and performances are co-curricular and a graded component of the class.

Together, let's make it another great week!

Mr. Clemente

Congratulations on completing your performance at Solo & Ensemble MPA!

S&E is one of the best weekends of the year, and it was great to see everyone having fun and learning lots from the process of preparing for their performance and feedback from the adjudicators!

The final performance grade of the project is based off of completion of the performance at S&E MPA. The FBA rubric will be taken into account when calculating the performance grade, along with written comments from your adjudicator concerning how prepared your performance was in the S&E room. The rating does not equal the grade.

Band Families,

Now that we have wrapped up Door to Door, it is time for us to turn our heads to the end of the year banquet. The banquet is traditionally planned and executed by any interested band parents. We need the support of the community! Our preliminary meeting will be February 11th at 6pm at the Center for Health & Wellbeing in Winter Park. Please email me if you are interested but unable to attend the meeting.

Upcoming events:

2/11 6pm Banquet meeting

2/16 7pm Q&A Zoom, General and Treasurer questions

Be sure to look at the Volunteer Coordinator section to see upcoming volunteer opportunities.

Laura Cambridge

wphsbandboosterpresident@gmail.com

🧡🖤 THANK YOU, FRIDAY'S JAZZ MPA CHAPERONES! 🖤🧡

A heartfelt thank you to the volunteers who chaperoned our students for Jazz MPAs.

Uniform Washing Volunteers Needed

As we officially wrap up the marching season, we are still in need of volunteers to help wash band uniforms so they can be properly cleaned and stored. Detergent and instructions will be provided. Many hands make light work, and when more families help, the process is easier for everyone. As a thank you, each volunteer who washes uniforms will receive a $10 credit applied to their student’s account.

Uniform Pick-Up:

Monday, February 9 | 5:00–7:00 PM

👉 Sign up here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080A49A8AE22A02-61570176-uniform

MPA Chaperone Volunteers – March

We are still seeking volunteers for Music Performance Assessments (MPAs). At this time, we specifically need 3 Freshman Band parent/guardians and 1 additional Wind Symphony chaperone to help support our students.

👉 Sign up to chaperone MPAs:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080A49A8AE22A02-61997552-mpavolunteers

Thank you for continuing to support and your love — we truly appreciate you. 🖤🧡

Jennifer Mullins

WPHS Band Volunteer Coordinator

Hello Band Families!

Door-to-Door one week follow-up results:

We are excited to announce that the total so far for our fundraiser is $27,894! Thank you to all the students, drivers and volunteers that made it possible! We could not do it without you.

Robyn Fodor

Fundraising Chair

A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Volunteers and Sponsors for Door 2 Door

We extend our sincere appreciation to the dedicated band parents—Jenniffer Randolph, Barbara Arroyo, Angela Kerst, David Kerst, Damaris Lima, Melodee Mullins, Matt Cambridge, and Kyle Nguyen who generously volunteered their time to support our food service for D2D. Their commitment was instrumental to the success of our day!

We are equally grateful to our D2D Fundraiser food sponsors: Raising Canes of Winter Park for the sweet tea and lemonade, Sprouts Farmers Market of Winter Park for the fresh fruit, and Jeff's Bagel Run of Winter Park for the freshly made bagels. Furthermore, we would like to send a huge shout out to City Barbeque, Raising Cane's, Chick-fil-A, and Dutch Bros Coffee in the Winter Park restaurant row for donating the prizes that rewarded our top Door Knockers. We felt the love this week!

This collective support from our parents and local business partners greatly benefits our band program and continues to drive the success of our students. Thanks everyone!

Go Wildcats!

Your Provision Chairs,
Christina Armendariz and Beth Lybarger

Next week, the Band will hold our annual Guest Conductor Workshop on February 19 - 21! This year, the Band program welcomes Mr. Michael Kaufman, retired band director from Michigan, to work with all three of our concert bands. Information regarding the workshop schedule, after school rehearsals, and the culminating concert has been on the Band calendar since last semester, and is being discussed daily in class rehearsals. Please be sure you and your student are communicating concerning the expectations of the event.

Mr. Kaufman will be with us during the school day both Thursday and Friday that week, as well as one after-school rehearsal for our three concert bands. The Saturday schedule includes "sound checks," followed by our Pre-MPA/Guest Conductor Workshop concert.

Thursday, February 19

• Symphonic Band after school rehearsal, 2:45 – 4:45 PM, Auditorium

• Wind Symphony after school rehearsal, 7 – 9 PM, Auditorium

Friday, February 20

• Concert Band after school rehearsal, 2:20 – 3:30 PM, Auditorium

• This rehearsal is an extension of 7th period. Please plan transportation after rehearsal accordingly.

Saturday, February 21

• Wind Symphony sound check, 10:30 – 11:30 AM

• Symphonic Band sound check, 12:00 – 1:00 PM

• Concert Band sound check, 1:30 – 2:30 PM (dressed for the performance)

• Call Time - 2:30 PM, Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band, Band Room, ready to walk on stage

• Pre-MPA Concert, 3 PM

DRESS: Concert Uniform

Both Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band will have time to go home and come back following their sound check, however, Concert Band students will need to wear their full concert uniform to their sound check.

There are very few after-school Band commitments in the winter and spring, so please make sure that this takes a priority over work schedules, baby-sitting, athletic practices, etc. It has been on the Band Calendar since July - more than ample time to accommodate schedule adjustments.

All rehearsals and performances are co-curricular and a graded component of the class.

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

February 12: JAZZ MPA for Freshman Jazz Band, Freedom HS

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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

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March 13, 16 - 20: Spring Break

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March 26: 26-27 Drum Major Auditions

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April 2: 26-27 Student Leadership Team Interviews

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April 8: Wind Symphony @ Music for All UCF/Orlando, Steinmetz Hall

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April 7, 16-18: All-County Jazz

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April 14: Incoming Freshman Ice-Breakers/Parent Information Meeting, 6 - 8 PM

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April 23: SPRING JAZZ & PERCUSSION CONCERT

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April 30: SPRING BAND CONCERT

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