Upcoming events:
Drake Honor Jazz Band
Volunteering Opportunities
Urbandale Solo & Ensemble Festival
Perry Band Olympics
UHS Concert Bands + Percussion Ensembles Concert
Hoover Jazz Festival
Northwest Blue Note Jazz Festival
Iowa Jazz Championships
Drake Honor Jazz Band
Tuesday February 6
Itinerary can be found here
Congratulations to the students selected for the Drake Honor Jazz Band. The Drake University Honor Jazz Band festival is an opportunity for the most talented students from high schools around the region to play together and work with the respected jazz musicians on the Drake University faculty. The festival has four grade level bands that include the following Urbandale students:
The evening concert will be held in the Performing Arts Hall in the Harmon Fine Arts Center at 7:00 pm and is free and open to the public.
Volunteerism:
We are currently in need of volunteers for our Solo and Ensemble Festival on Thursday, February 8th and Perry Band Olympics on Saturday, February 17th. Please consider volunteering and click the link below in order to get signed up!
https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/785327232092/false#/invitation. Thank you! We appreciate your help and support!
Solo/Ensemble Festivals: ALL STUDENTS PLAN TO ATTEND BOTH EVENTS
– Urbandale Solo Festival: Thursday, Feb. 8th – Band Solo and Ensemble 2024 – UPDATED
– Perry Band Olympics: Saturday, Feb. 17th – CLICK HERE FOR SCHEDULE
Families are encouraged to attend our Solo and Ensemble Festival next Thursday evening. The event will be held within our music wing from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Note for Perry Band Olympics: We WILL NOT be taking buses to the Perry Band Olympics this year. Students should check the schedule attached above and arrive approximately 1 hour prior to your assigned time. With the recent tragic event at Perry High School, the event is being hosted by North Polk High School. North Polk graciously offered to host the event and all money raised (entrance fees, concession sales, etc) will be given to the Perry High School Band program.
North Polk High School
13930 NE 6th St, Alleman, IA 50007
Other Reminders
• Students should have their own original copy of the music
• Music can be ordered through Reiman’s Music, JW Pepper (online), or other music outlet
• Keep practicing
Concert Band Performance:
Friday, March 1 2024
Time – 7:00 PM performance, standard itinerary: on-site at 6:20, rehearsal at 6:30
This concert will feature both UHS Concert Bands and two percussion ensembles. We hope to see you there!
Hoover Jazz Festival
Saturday, March 2, 2024
Time: TBA
Jazz I will be performing in the morning at Hoover High School.
Northwest Blue Note Jazz Festival
Saturday, March 2, 2024
Time: Jazz II 2:00 pm performance
Time: Jazz I 3:20 pm performance
Time: Jazz III 5:50 pm performance
Jazz I, II, and III will be performing at Waukee Northwest.
Saturday March 2nd will be a full day of performances and clinics. An itinerary will be posted soon with details about the day.
Iowa Jazz Championships
There is the possibility of Jazz I attending the Iowa Jazz Championships. This date was not included in our calendar. If you are a member of Jazz I, please add Tuesday April 2, 2024. If invited to perform, the Iowa Jazz Championships take place at Stephens Auditorium at the Iowa State University campus
Civic Music Association Scholarships
The Civic Music Association of Des Moines was established in 1925. Their mission is to engage, enrich, and educate the central Iowa community through provocative, world-class musical performances by legends and rising stars. They offer some fantastic scholarship opportunities for students offering funding that can be used for music lessons, instrument rentals/purchase, and summer camps/programs. Applications are accepted through April 1st! https://civicmusic.org/studio/scholarships/
2024-25 Band Placements
Band placements for the 2024-2025 concert bands will take place shortly after spring break. Students will be assessed on the following skills:
Music reading – sight-reading via the “sightreadingfactory.com”
Technique development – Major scales and chromatic scale
Tone quality
History: attendance habits, quality of participation, and attitude.
A list of requirements for each concert band can be found HERE. Let us know how we can help with your preparation!