As announced, we’ll hold a sectional rehearsal for all brass and percussion on Monday night at TMH, 7:30-9:45 pm. Please complete this quick health screening form after 8:00 am on the day of rehearsal. Click here for the rehearsal plan. Please use the back door only (off the parking lot). The Hall will open at 7:00 pm for setup.

The Board is meeting on Tuesday to make decisions about rehearsals moving forward. If you have an opinion regarding health and safety at TMH, please speak to a Board member at rehearsal Monday (or contact them directly) to share your thoughts.

A couple “quick hits” news items:

1. After a year’s hiatus of required dues because of the pandemic shutdown, the Board has acted to reinstitute dues for full-time members. Dues are $100 per season for full-time members (September to July), regardless of the number of concerts of which you might opt out. You can pay by check payable to WSW, Zelle, PayPal, and Square — and we even accept cash! Please hand payments to Marge Hone, our intrepid treasurer; speak to her about details for Zelle. We’re working on a Venmo account (it’s a little trickier to set up than Zelle.) 
   
   If you have a concern about dues because of a personal financial situation, please speak to Marge; we try to work with everyone to accommodate periodic payments and more. 
   
   
2. Our organization depends on efficient communication with our members. Please remember that we operate two websites for the band, each with its own specific audience: 
   • www.westchestersymphonicwinds.org is our public-facing site. We periodically send emails to all audience subscribers to advertise our concerts. Eric Milkie is our webmaster. This site does not contain “inside info” for our members. (But a menu/link will soon be added for “Members Only” directing you to my site, below, just in case.)
   • wsw.ebernet.biz is the site I maintain for members. If you’re looking for answers about rehearsal/concert schedules, repertoire, finding the season brochure or concert flyer or press release, or any other resources that are member-oriented, you can most likely find it here. The weekly post emails I send are also archived here. This is your first stop for member information, so please bookmark the site if you haven’t already.
   • It goes without saying that reading the emails we send is critical. We’ve had a number of instances of confusion because emails simply weren’t read. Your participation pivots on keeping up with our announcements and new. 
     
     
3. What is a Gum-Sucker anyway? Here is an explanation, in Percy’s own words:

   A “Gum-Sucker” is an Australian nickname for Australians born in Victoria, the home state of the composer. The eucalyptus trees that abound in Victoria are called “gums”, and the young shoots at the bottom of the trunk are called “suckers”; so “gum-sucker” came to mean a young native son of Victoria, just as Ohioans are nicknamed “Buck-eyes”. In the march, Grainger used his own Australian Up-Country Tune melody, written by him to typify Australia, which melody he also employed in his Colonial Song for two voices and orchestra, or military band. – Program Note by Percy Aldridge Grainger

4. The Grainger House Museum and International Grainger Society are collaborating on this concert with us. There will be a lobby display of archival photos, programs, letters, and more, and we’re hoping that Barry Ould, the society president may be joining us that day.
   
   The Grainger House Museum (6 Cromwell Place in White Plains; walking distance from all the restaurants on Mamaroneck Avenue) will have an Open House on Saturday, November 13 from 1:00-3:00 pm. We have our dress rehearsal that morning (9:00-12:00), so please consider making plans to have lunch and then join us to explore the house where Percy lived and worked for 40 years, from 1921 until his death in 1961. “Fascinating” does not even begin to describe this place. I’m planning on going, and I hope many of you will too!

We’re getting some emails with questions regarding rehearsal today. There is no rehearsal today. As I posted on Wednesday:

• Rehearsal this week is tomorrow evening, Monday, September 20 for woodwinds and percussion at TMH, 7:30-9:45 pm.
• Rehearsal next week is Monday, September 27 for brass and percussion at TMH, 7:30-9:45 pm.

Please review this post if you have any questions regarding our return to TMH tomorrow night.

Board actions

At last evening’s Board meeting, we discussed the input received from individual conversations at rehearsal on Sunday. We agreed that the COVID landscape continues to evolve, and there is certainly no way to predict anything at this point. We discussed all the ongoing safety factors with due gravity, and included Dr. Ron MacKenzie in our conversation. The Board has decided to take these actions, with Ron’s full endorsement:

• We will return to rehearsals at TMH on Monday, September 20, with reduced numbers of participants in sectionals for the next two weeks (see schedule below). This will allow for physical distancing between players. There is no rehearsal at Masters on September 19.
• We have confirmed with TMH that we will have access to use the MERV filtration system connected to the air conditioning system. In addition we will use the stage fog exhaust fan to further the air circulation.
• Any player scheduled to play for the Fall Concert who is not comfortable attending these sectionals should contact David Church. Use the email he has shared or personnel@westchestersymphonicwinds.org. Note that absences will not be counted against the two allowed per cycle.
• TMH has confirmed that they continue to require all performers at rehearsals to be vaccinated.
• TMH has confirmed that masks are now required of all audience members during performances. However, since we are abiding by their vaccination policy and there are no audience members at our rehearsals, masks are not required during our rehearsals. Any player who feels safer to wear a mask throughout the rehearsal, or during non-playing portions of the rehearsal, is welcome to do so.
• The Board will ask again for individual input from players during these two weeks of sectionals and then make decisions concerning upcoming weeks, whether to continue sectionals or return to full ensemble rehearsals at TMH. Although we have access to the tent at Masters through October 10, at this time we have no active plans to use the tent and have Sunday rehearsals again.

Sectional schedule

• Please plan for sectionals as follows:
  • Monday, September 20, 7:30-9:45 pm at TMH – all Woodwinds and Percussion
  • Monday, September 27, 7:30-9:45 pm at TMH – all Brass and Percussion
• Rehearsal plans for each sectional will differ and will be posted by the Friday before each sectional. For now, both sectionals should definitely plan to work on Posy and In a Nutshell.

Thank you for your continued support as we navigate these evolving waters.

I want to acknowledge a couple things

First, I want to acknowledge that many in our ensemble have been through a lot in the past weeks. The devastation of Ida affected many in ways both large and small. And the anniversary of 9-11 today evokes raw memories in every possible way. Gathering tomorrow is not only important as a first step in our continuing recovery from the pandemic as an ensemble, but gathering together at this time is a huge step for us all to support each other as we navigate the waters of these turbulent days. 

A few quick reminders and details for tomorrow:

• We are rehearsing again in the tent at The Masters School, 49 Clinton Avenue, Dobbs Ferry, from 3:00-5:30. It’s easiest to park right on Clinton.
• Please bring a music stand. We’ll have access to the same white folding banquet chairs that we had in the spring. (If those were uncomfortable, you’re welcome to bring your own chair or stool.)
• We are excited to welcome new full-time members and new sub players!
• Folders will be distributed. You do not need to download/print your own music this time. However, if you intend to rehearse from an iPad, you can download the parts that were distributed to us originally as PDFs in this folder. (And I apologize for the glitch with the link last time.)
• We are sight-reading through the entire program, as is our custom at the first rehearsal of every cycle. Our primary goal is to familiarize everyone with tempi, basic insights into each work, and how all works on the program contribute toward the concert theme, which honors the life and work of Percy Aldridge Grainger.
• The Masters School requires all guest artists to be vaccinated. If you have not submitted your vaccination card to David, you must do so immediately.
• Please complete this health form tomorrow, Sunday, after 8:00 am.
• Midway through the rehearsal, we will spend a short amount of time discussing our safety protocols, our plans to return to TMH on Monday nights, and ask for your input. We will also briefly describe the new download option offered by Candlewood Digital, and how this will affect future production of CDs.
• I believe we still have access to the porta-potties down by the turf field, but the school has removed all the additional portable facilities elsewhere on campus. 
• Please keep in mind that all posts, rehearsal schedules, future concert dates, and lots of important resources are available on my site for members at wsw.ebernet.biz. If you don’t find an answer there, email me.

This is a challenging program, but one that I believe you will enjoy and be excited to rehearse and perform. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow and making live music again with you!