A note from KPU Music…

For any students who are considering a career in music or would like to simply continue to develop their musical talents at the post-secondary level, Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Music Department is holding its next Music Information Session on: Tuesday, January 9, 2018, 7:30 pm in Room 1030 at KPU Langley (20901 Langley Bypass). Individuals who are interested in attending the information session should RSVP by emailing: music@kpu.ca

Call for interest… DW Poppy Parent/Staff/Alumni band for Jazz Cafe

We have Poppy Jazz Cafe coming up on February 21, 2018 at the Fort Langley Community Hall (tickets will be released after the break) but it is about time that I put together a new group for this event. I am looking to see if there are any parents, staff or alumni interested in “putting the band back together” for this show. I’ve done this with great success at my last two high schools and I’ve been at Poppy long enough that I think it’s time.

The goal is to show that just because you’re not playing full-time any more doesn’t mean that you have to walk away from music completely. If you played band in high school or beyond and are even remotely interested, please email me at mfollett@sd35.bc.ca so I can get a sense of who might be available. (I may even be able to provide a horn for you if needed.) I’ll send music out once school is back, we’ll have a rehearsal on the evening of January 30 and play 2 or 3 tunes (think early September Jazz Band 8/9) at Jazz Cafe. If you’re interested, or know someone who might be, please email me and I’ll see what we can put together.

Hope to hear from lots of you!

Mark

Fundraising Balances are Updated

musicMoneyFundraising balances are posted in the band entryway. These are updated to include Neufeld’s from November, Poinsettias and the first Global Coffee order. You can apply this balance towards your second junior tour or senior tour payment. Please confirm that the amounts make sense and if you have any questions, please see Mr. Follett.

Thank you! ESPRESSIVO 2017 was a huge success!

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Wayne and I are in the middle of our run of elementary holiday concerts so my apologies for the delay in the sending this out, but now that the dust has mostly settled from ESPRESSIVO 2017, we wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for all their hard work and the support everyone showed our kids that evening. We’re very excited to say that we have made over $8000 and are still receiving funds for the last few Silent Auction items.

A few notes:

  • There are a just a few auction items still awaiting pickup. We’d greatly appreciate wrapping that up before the holidays if at all possible. Please mail me at mfollett@sd35.bc.ca and we can organize a pickup time this week either in the music room or the office.
  • There is a very nice pair of sunglasses left behind. Let me know if you lost a pair.
  • Mark your calendar for December 5, 2018 and we hope to see you then!

Thank you to all the families, business and organizations who donated items to our Silent Auction. Also a thank you to TNT Wraps, Helm’s Mobile Kitchen, Shake & Cheese and Big Red’s Poutine for offering food service for our event. To all the parent volunteers who made the evening happen, especially Cathy Gropp and Laurel Horn who spearheaded the evening, it would never have happened without you.

Thank you all so very much for your ongoing encouragement and support of your child’s love of music!

ESPRESSIVO Details

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ESPRESSIVO 2017 is finally here! The event the kids, Wayne, I and many of the parents have been working towards happens this evening. Here are few details to make the most of your evening:

Tickets: If you purchased tickets, you can check in outside the band room when you arrive starting at 5pm. Seats are first come, first serve so if you have a large group or are particular about where you are, don’t arrive too late.

If you didn’t get a ticket: Our 450 table seats are sold out (which we’re very happy to announce), but you can still attend by donation and sit in the bleachers as mentioned in the last post. We hope to see you there!

Dinner: There will be dessert and coffee through the evening but if you’re having dinner with one of our food trucks (Big Red’s PoutineWingsHelm’s Mobile Kitchen and Shake & Cheese), please arrive allow time for your meal to be made. Trucks will be serving from 5-7pm. If you haven’t been before, you’ll wait for a bit after you’ve placed your order as most everything is made fresh. Please give enough time to eat. Trucks all accept cash and some will take credit/debit as well.

Call/Performances: The first band (Senior Jazz) plays at 6:30pm. Call for all musicians is 6:15 (in uniform, ready to go) and we have three sets that will each run approximately 40-50 minutes with two 15 minute intermissions. Please be understanding that times are approximate. It’s a busy evening and we do our best to keep it moving. Students who are not performing in a given set are asked to find a seat in the bleachers to listen to the show and support their peers.

Guest Ensembles (Mass Choir and Honour Band): Mass Choir is closing the first set and Honour Band is opening the second set this year. We ask these musicians to be here for the 6:15 call as well so they can hear the groups before them.

Activities through the evening: We have a silent auction, BBQ draw, 50/50 draw, balloon pop, popcorn sales and more. Please remember these activities all support the activities of the students performing this evening so please give generously. We will be able to accept cash and cheques (payable to DW Poppy Secondary School) throughout the evening.

Clean-Up: As is tradition, many hands make light work and we ask that all DW Poppy Music Students stay at the end of the evening to assist with cleanup. The gym, band and choir rooms all need to be ready for classes on Thursday morning and the tables and chairs need to be ready for pickup. If you can help, we greatly appreciate it if you stack matching chairs and tables as directed by our volunteers.

One Final Note: Thank you to everyone who is helping out tonight and to Cathy and Laurel who have spearheaded this evening. Your work makes a huge impact on the opportunities we can offer the students so thank you all so very much!

ESPRESSIVO is Sold Out, but you can see the show

We’re pleased to announce that ESPRESSIVO 2017 is officially sold out, but you can see the show. While we have no table seats left (which include the desserts etc.) if you didn’t happen to get a ticket, you can see the show. We are opening the bleachers tomorrow evening for admission by donation as we want to ensure everyone sees the kids play if they want to.

I’ll post a final update this evening so check back tomorrow morning. See you tomorrow evening!

Only 74 tickets left for ESPRESSIVO, so if you haven’t yet, order them ASAP!

EspressivoHolidayCelebration2015Just a reminder that ESPRESSIVO: Holiday Celebration is just around the corner on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 and tickets are almost sold out. As of this morning, there were only 74 left so if you haven’t got yours yet, go online at https://espressivo2017.brownpapertickets.com quickly before they are gone. A few reminders:

  • Dinner: Remember, our food trucks will be serving from 5-7pm and most everything is made to order so please allow enough time to enjoy your meal. All trucks accept cash – debit and credit may be available.
  • Student Call: The show will start at 6:30pm so we ask that all students be here, in uniform ready to go no later than 6:15pm. (Please note, that will not be enough time for them to get food before the show).
  • Activities to support the kids: We have popcorn sales, our raffle, 50/50 draw and silent auction through the evening that all help to raise money to support your children’s musical activities here at Poppy. We will be able to accept cash and cheques that evening and, in advance, thank you so much for your generosity!

We have a great night of ahead and we look forward to seeing everyone there, so don’t miss out. Visit https://espressivo2017.brownpapertickets.com and get your tickets today!