WINTER PARK BAND Weekly Newsletter

Dear Winter Park Band families,

Great job by our awesome students at the pep rally and their first football game this past week! We received lots of positive feedback from Friday's audience. It's always great to get these first performances under your belt early in the year. Now we have valuable feedback from a live performance to take back into rehearsals in order to help us improve our performance moving forward.

This week our regular marching band rehearsals continue, and the SOTW will travel to perform at the away game at Apopka HS on Friday, 8/28.

All-State Audition registration is due no later than tomorrow, Monday, August 24.

We launch the Widdy-Up fundraiser this Wednesday, August 26. Please see the message below from Mrs. Fodor for complete details.

Schedule Notes:

• An information meeting for the Boston Tour will take place after marching band rehearsal on Tuesday, August 25 from 7:00 - 8:00 PM. Commitment forms and first trip payments will come due on Tuesday, September 8.

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

Please fill out the form below completely to register for your 2026-2027 Florida All-State Ensemble Audition. If you wish to audition for both a concert band and a jazz ensemble, you will need to fill out this form twice. Also, if you wish to audition on multiple instruments for any ensemble, you will need to fill out this form for each audition you will perform.

• Register for your audition no later than tomorrow, Monday, August 24.

All-State Audition Registration Form

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

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

Concert Band (9th & 10th grade)

• Woodwinds
• Brass & Percussion

Symphonic Band (11th & 12th Grade)

• Woodwinds
• Brass & Percussion

Piano (9th through 12th Grade)

High School Jazz Band (9th - 12th grades)

• Requirement Sheet
• Excerpts & Backing Tracks
• Improv Instructions

Sight-Reading Guidelines and Past Sight-Reading Excerpts

Concert (9th & 10th Grade)

Symphonic (11th & 12th Grade)

Past Years Sightreading

Happy practicing!

Band Families,

What a fun time getting together for our first football game!

This is the last full week to get Sponsorships and Dedications in. The WiddyUp Fundraiser begins on Wednesday.

Please see the Fundraising, Uniforms, and Volunteering sections below for important information.

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!

Our Widdy Up email campaign fundraiser launches in 3 days!

Take action to set up your account this weekend! Sign up link.

Hey Band!

It's time to raise money in an awesome way! Our band is teaming up with WiddyUP to raise $25,000 to help our amazing band families cover Fair Share fees AND to help fund our amazing band program, including equipment, instruments, expert clinicians, transportation, competition fees and so much more!

The payout from Widdy Up is 80% for the first $15K, 85% of $15-30K and 90% of $30K and up.

With almost 200 students in band and Guard, it is within reach to bring in $30,000. Let's get at least 120 students participating to reach our goal!

Fundraiser dates: 08/26/26 through 09/13/26

Why this fundraiser? WiddyUP is a fun, video fundraising platform where students make awesome videos to safely share with friends and family via email to raise money for our band program. 50% funds raised goes directly into participating students’ band accounts as fundraising credit. Remember, it’s a travel year and credits can be applied to trip expenses!

Widdy Up does not share or sell the students’ information or contacts or use the contacts outside of this fundraiser.

Take Action This Weekend: Use this link to sign up, personalize your account and enter your contacts emails for the campaign. This will take about 15 minutes.

More details: See the Cut Time messages from this past Wednesday at 6pm or yesterday (Saturday) for more details on how to set up your account and make your videos for the email fundraiser!

Let’s Goooooo!

Robyn Fodor & Deanna Glidden

Fundraising Coordinators

wpbandfundraising@gmail.com

🚨 DON’T MISS OUT — SPONSORSHIPS & DEDICATIONS ARE DUE AUGUST 31!

We’re getting close to our FINAL deadline for Band Sponsorships & Student Dedications, and we’d love to see more of our band families take advantage of this opportunity!

All forms, payments, artwork/ads and dedication photos must be submitted by August 31st in order to be included in this year’s printed band program.

📧 Submitting Your Forms Is Easy!

Completed Sponsorship and Dedication forms can be scanned or simply photographed and emailed to me at wpbandprogram@gmail.com. Need forms? Click here!

Paying by check? Attach the check to the completed form and have your student turn both in to the Band Room/directors. Checks should be made payable to Winter Park High School Band.

💳 Prefer to Pay by Credit Card?

Sponsors: Once the sponsorship form is submitted, a secure credit card payment link can be provided directly to the sponsor to complete their payment.

Student Dedications: Parents and family members may also pay by check or credit card. If paying by credit card, a secure payment link can be provided once the Dedication form is submitted.

🎺 Have a Sponsor in Mind? NOW Is the Time!

Your own business, your employer, a favorite local business, or a company your family already has a relationship with are all great places to start. If you’ve already spoken with a potential sponsor, now is the time to follow up and make sure their form, payment and artwork/ad are submitted by August 31st!

🧡 Want to Honor Your Student?

Student Dedications are a wonderful way for parents, grandparents, family members and friends to recognize their favorite band student or section with a special message and photo in the program.

💰 REMEMBER — THIS IS A BAND TRIP YEAR!

This is about more than getting an ad in the program. Both sponsorships and dedications earn fundraising credit back to your student’s band account, which can help offset band expenses and the cost of the upcoming trip.

A little effort now can mean money saved for your family later!

⏰ Please don’t wait until the last minute! We need everything submitted by August 31st so we can meet our program printing deadline.

Questions, need a form, or need help getting a sponsorship submitted? Please reach out — I’m happy to help! See attached the packet with sponsorship and dedication forms and information regarding how to submit.

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

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS ARE BACK!

And just like that… MARCHING SEASON IS OFFICIALLY HERE!

Our Sounds of the Wildcats took the field Friday night against Windermere for the band's first football game of the season and what an exciting way to kick things off!

A HUGE THANK YOU to all of our incredible volunteers who jumped right in! From chaperoning and food crew to uniforms and everything in between, you helped make our first Friday night a success. We truly couldn’t do it without you!

But my friends… this was only the beginning!

Want to join us for an upcoming game? First, make sure you are ADDitions APPROVED for the 2026-2027 school year.

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

Then head over to our Football Volunteer SignUpGenius and pick your Friday night!

Football Volunteer Sign-Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080A49A8AE22A02-65163027-football

One game down… and an entire marching season of memories to go!

Jennifer Mullins

WPHS Band and Colorguard Volunteer Coordinator

🎺 Hello, Wonderful Band Families! 🎶

We have officially sized all students for their marching uniforms! 🎉 Yay for us!

We are still waiting on the remaining Marching and Guard shoes. If your student has not received their shoes yet, no worries—we are working on it!

🏫 Summer Uniform – Away Game at Apopka High School

Friday, August 28, 2026

🔸 Instrumental Students

• 2026–2027 “For All Mankind” Show Shirt — tucked in
• Khaki or Beige Shorts
• Black or brown belt
• Black crew socks
• Athletic sneakers or marching shoes
• 💧 SOTW Water Jug — Yes, it is part of the uniform!

🔹 Color Guard Students

• 2026–2027 “For All Mankind” Show Shirt
• Plain black, form-fitting shorts
• Neutral-colored sneakers and socks
• Supportive athletic sneakers only
• 💧 SOTW Water Jug
• Questions? Please reach out to a Color Guard Captain for specific Guard uniform details.

📣 When in doubt, check the newsletter and Director itineraries for the most current uniform information.

Let’s keep our students looking sharp, confident, and performance-ready! 🎺🥁

Let’s have a great second away game!

💛 Your Uniform Chairs -
Vanessa Fleming & Damaris Lima Olmeda

wphsbanduniforms@gmail.com

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

August 28: Football Game

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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