Concert Bands Performance
January 9, 2020 the Concert Bands will perform their Winter Concert. The 8th Grade Band will open the concert.  Please join us for a great concert at 7:00 PM.  Call time for band students is 6:20 PM.   Admission is $5 for adults and students; all activity passes are welcome.   Concert Attire is detailed here.
LIVE STREAM – Share with family and friends.  This concert will be live streamed at: http://www.j-hawks.com/live beginning at 7:00 p.m. on Jan. 9^th.
Due to copyright laws it will be streamed live; it will not be archived for on demand viewing.

Special Guest: Dr. James David – University of Colorado
The Urbandale Wind Symphony will be premiering a new work by Dr. James David entitled “Heartland Verses.” Students will have the unique experience of working with Dr. David prior to the premiere. You will not want to miss this exciting performance!

Dr. James M. David (b. 1978) is an internationally recognized composer who currently serves as associate professor of composition and music theory at Colorado State University and is particularly known for his works involving winds and percussion. His symphonic works for winds have been performed by some of the nation’s most prominent professional and university ensembles including the U.S. Army and Air Force Bands, the Dallas Wind Symphony, and many more. You can find his bio here.

Wind Symphony & 5^th Grade Band Concert
The Wind Symphony will join this year’s 5^th grade band for a concert on January 16^th at 7:00 p.m. This will be a great opportunity for our newest band students to hear where they are heading, and for our most advanced students to remember how it all began.  Admission is free.

Band Summit (Feb. 1, 2020)
The 11^th Annual Band Summit will include all band students in grades 7 – 12. The day will start at 8:00 a.m. for high school students. It will include sectionals with local professionals and a full group clinic rehearsal in the morning.  The afternoon will include high school bands serving as mentors and teachers for younger band students.   The day will include a pizza dinner together before an early concert at 5:30 PM.  The concert will feature joint performances with UMS & UHS students together.

The goals of the band summit are to have fun learning about and playing music together.  It is also designed to ease the transition for middle school students as they gear up for high school band.

A detailed schedule for the day will be published here.  The pizza dinner will be paid for by the Performing Arts Booster Club band fund.  The concert will be free. Thank you to our volunteers who have signed up to help serve at this event! It’s a great opportunity to meet the next generation of J-Hawk Band members.

Photos for Band Summit
If you have photos that might be perfect for the Band Summit video, please email or provide a link to Mr. Doggett by January 17, 2020 for possible inclusion.

The Jazz Colloquium
Help Needed:
At this year’s Jazz Colloquium on Saturday, February 8th, 2020, we need around eleven more volunteers to help support the event. Available shifts are in four hour blocks between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Positions include working the concession stand, selling tickets, and manning the auditorium entrance. Thank you to those of you who have already signed up. Your time and efforts are greatly appreciated! The sign up link can be found here – http://signup.com/go/WmGzJr

The Event:
The Urbandale Jazz Colloquium (workshop) will be held February 8, 2020. Urbandale will host 12 bands giving performances in the PAC all day (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.).  Please consider coming to hear a few of these performances.  The performance schedule will be posted on the website soon.

For Urbandale students, a detailed itinerary will also be published shortly.  It will be an all day event for all jazz band students.  Admission is $5 for adults and students.  (participants – free).

*Special Guest Performance: Iowa Women’s Jazz Orchestra
UHS Performing Arts Center – 12:30 PM

Since it’s inception in the fall of 2017, the Iowa Women’s Jazz Orchestra has been dedicated to reaching middle and high school students and educators across the state through performance, education, and advocacy. With gigs at notable events such as the Dorian Music Camp at Luther College, the Iowa Jazz Championships, and the Iowa Bandmasters Association Conference, IWJO has inspired thousands of student musicians of all levels by featuring the highest quality local female jazz musicians and by performing the compositions and arrangements of local and international women jazz composers and arrangers. In turn, we hope to encourage Iowa band directors to equalize the gender imbalance of their jazz band programs and showcase a directory of some of the finest musicians in the state.

Check out their website here.

Southeast Polk Jazz Festival
Feb. 15, 2020.  A more detailed itinerary will follow.  In the meantime, the performance times are as follows:
12:35 PM – Jazz Band One
3:35 PM – Jazz Band Two
Note: we are working directly with Mr. Brimeyer to coordinate between the two events on this day.

Solo & Ensemble Festivals
Many band students are preparing for two solo & ensemble festivals this spring.   The Urbandale Solo / Ens. Festival will be held the evening of February 13, 2020.   The Perry Band Olympics will be held on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020.
Students who are participating should work on the following tasks right away:

1. Order their official copy of the music from Rieman’s or another music outlet.
2. Contact their accompanist to schedule rehearsal times. (Their accompanists are posted on the bulletin board in the band area)
3. Soloists should have weekly lessons with the band staff or private teacher.
4. If they are playing in a small ensemble, they should be rehearsing with their colleagues regularly. An ensemble-coaching schedule will be posted in the near future. A copy of this schedule will also be posted here.
5. Practice, practice, practice.

Student Recommendations (a teachable moment)
Spring is the time of year when many students seek recommendations for scholarships, camps, college admissions, and summer jobs.  This is a teachable moment for parents and faculty to help children use mature etiquette in asking for recommendations.  Please consider reviewing these tips with your child(ren).  These have been adapted from guidelines used at Port Washington High School, NY. 

1. Remember letters of recommendation are not entitlements; they are earned.
2. Ask for a letter of recommendation in person. (We are writing the recommendation for you, so you should be the person to ask.)
3. Provide all of the necessary information in an organized manner (and in writing)
   • To whom the recommendation should be written
   • For what purpose it is being written
   • Does the reader of the recommendation provide any instructions? If so, include them.
   • What is the deadline?
   • Provide an envelope with the reader’s name/address, etc.
   • If the writer is to comment on your participation, honors, awards, etc., provide a list of your participation, honors, awards, etc. (called a curriculum vitae, or c.v.)
4. Ask at least 2 weeks before the deadline. (It takes time to craft a well-written recommendation that reflects the uniqueness’ of the student.)
5. Ask someone who knows you.
6. Assess your behavior now and in the past. (Ask teachers who know you best and have seen your best efforts.  Don’t expect a letter if you’ve made little or no contributions to the class)
7. The letter of recommendation is not for your eyes
   • Sign the waiver if one is provided. Do not ask if you can see the letter. It is up to the writer to make that choice. These letters are generally confidential and should at least be sealed and most likely mailed directly by the writer.
8. Say Thank You!