First, the snow last week canceled a Port Chester elementary concert, which has been rescheduled for this coming Monday, which means the Middle School is not available on 12/16. The kind people at Port Chester have arranged to allow us to use the High School auditorium instead. Please be sure to go to Port Chester High School, not the Middle School, this week!
Port Chester High School is located at 1 Tamarack Road, Port Chester. Click here for the school website’s directions page. Park in the lot off Tamarack, come in the main front door, turn right to the end of the hall, then left into the Auditorium. It’s hard to miss.
Second, we will have two guests on Monday. MSgt. Bill Owens will be joining us for a first reading of the Arutiunian concerto. To be brutally honest, there were just too many wrong notes in our second reading of the piece last week. We simply cannot repeat that level of performance in front of our soloist. Please practice for note accuracy and come prepared. Our guest conductor, Amy Wilcox, will also be coming to rehearsal to rehearse Passacaglia by Ben Hackett. There are a “few notes” in that piece that need individual review as well. So don’t pack up your horn when you’re done with the Arutiunian!
In addition, we will work on all movements of the Elgar. See the complete rehearsal schedule here.
Lastly, we had an overwhelming positive response to the written WSW/NCB Exchange poll. I will be continuing the discussion with the NCB people next week while I’m in Chicago at the Midwest Clinic. (PS – Is anyone else from WSW going?)
So here’s a little Christmas gift if you are a member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME): Be sure to open your January 2014 copy of Teaching Music. Turn to page 30-31, and you’ll see WSW with soloist Lois-Hicks Wozniak on a two-page spread. The article, “The Renaissance Teacher,” explores the double lives of music educators. Both Lois and Curt are quoted in the article. We are really making the national scene!