Author: Mark Follett

We hope you all had a wonderful summer break and are very exited to welcome everyone back for the 2022/23 season of DW Poppy Music! We have a full performance calendar including our traditional fall and spring concerts, the return of ESPRESSIVO, Poppy Jazz Cafe and last year’s amazing ESPRESSIVO: Summer Pops. We also will see the return of our district music festivals, the return to community music festival performances, the elementary honour band and honour choir, and hopefully even a Junior and Senior Music Tour!

STAYING IN TOUCH:  Students will receive a copy of the DW Poppy Music Handbook in the first few classes with all information about what we do here and the expectations for the performing ensembles. The site will also continue to be updated in the coming days and weeks as we get rolling, and will host regular resources and updates for parents and our community. For regular communication, students need to connect with us in TEAMS and parents/guardians should have emails up to date for notices, and for quick update. Anyone can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @dwpmusicdept for highlights through the year.

Band 8, 9 and 10 are asked to bring instruments to their first classes as we hope to play at least a little in our first classes. There will be a lunch-hour meeting on Friday, September 9 in the band room for all off-timetable classes (Choirs, Vocal Jazz, Jazz Bands and Senior Wind Ensemble) and those classes will begin the week of Monday, September 12.

• Off-Time Table Schedule for 2022/23
  • Junior Choir 8/9 and Senior Jazz Ensemble 10-12 – Monday/Thursday @ 7:15-8:45am
  • Senior Choir 10-12 and Junior Jazz Ensemble 8/9 – Tuesday/Friday @ 7:15-8:45am
  • Senior Wind Ensemble – Wednesday @ 7:15-8:45am and Monday/Friday @ Lunch
  • Senior Vocal Jazz – After-school – Monday & Wednesday @ 3:15-4:30pm

We have our first Music Parents meeting the evening of Wednesday, September 21 at the end of the grade 8 parent night (about 7pm – Grade 12 parents, I can touch base with you after the grade 12 meeting) and we encourage everyone to join us. We’ll outline our plans for the year, how you can support your child’s progress and how you can get involved

Enjoy your last week of summer holidays and we’ll look forward to seeing everyone and beginning to make music next week!

You can find a PDF copy of tonight’s program and the musical numbers we are performing this evening here… ESPRESSIVO 2022 Program

 

Due to the amount of electrical equipment we use in many of our ensembles, how and when would need to set it up off-site, and the continued unseasonable weather, Mr. Steeves and I have made the difficult decision to move ESPRESSIVO: Summer Pops back to DW Poppy Secondary School (23752 52^nd Ave) on June 8th. Click this link to purchase your tickets for ESPRESSIVO: Summer Pops online as all other details remain the same:

• 20+ Night Market Vendors
• 5 Food Trucks (Corndog King, Little Ooties Donuts, Big Red’s Poutine, Reel Mac & Cheese and Helms Kitchen – bring your appetite) 
• 5 Elementary Bands starting at 5:30pm(concluding with a joint massed performance with guests!)
• 9 DW Poppy Ensembles starting at 7:00pmending with our massed DW Poppy 8-12 Band & Choir

If the weather holds for us, we will be outside in the West Parking Lot with lots of tables and chairs for seating. If it looks like there is a chance of rain, we will be in the music wing, cafeteria, dramnasium and large gym with bleacher seating.

We are very excited to welcome everyone back to DW Poppy on June 8^th, and to host our grade 6/7 students here for their first live performance in more than two years! Thank you so much for your understanding and your ongoing support of your child’s interest in music. If you have any questions or concerns, please email Mr. Follett

Click this link to purchase your tickets for ESPRESSIVO: Summer Pops online.

Ticket purchase online puts you on our guest list, but please Print or Screen/Cap your receipt to bring with you as your ticket(s) for admission.

June 8, 2022 @ Thunderbird Show Park (24550 72nd Ave, Langley, BC)

From Cole Porter to Coldplay, Bluegrass to Bon Jovi, and Avengers to Led Zeppelin, join the bands and choirs of the DW Poppy Family of Schools for and evening of Live Music, Food Trucks & Night Market

• 5:00pm – Doors open at 5:00pm 
• 5:30pm – Elementary 6/7 Bands (Student Call Times TBA)
• 7:00pm – DW Poppy Musicians (Student Call Times TBA)

Tickets WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE SHORTLY! CHECK BACK AFTER THE EASTER WEEKEND

• $5.00 per person
• 12 and under – Tickets Free (but require a “12 and Under” ticket)
• Performers DO NOT require a ticket

Ticket purchase online puts you on our guest list, but please Print or Screen/Cap your receipt to bring with you as your ticket(s) for admission.

IN CASE OF RAIN

Weather dependent, the event may be moved to DW Poppy Secondary School with limited seating available. Please visit www.dwpoppymusic.com closer to the event for updates

Thank you again to Mrs. Gropp for running our Poinsettia Fundraiser again this year. It looks like we raised approximately $900 for individual student accounts so thank you all for supporting your child and music at Poppy!

As we head into the final week of school before winter break, a quick reminder that we have lots still going on in the band classes. All concert and jazz bands have their winter (audio-only) recording sessions next week for their holiday tunes:

• Band 8: March of the Magical Toys
• Band 9: Beethoven’s Fifth Christmas
• Band 10: Themes from the Nutcracker
• Senior Wind Ensemble: The Twelve Days of Christmas
• Junior Jazz Ensemble: Greensleves
• Senior Jazz Ensemble: Christmas Time is Here

These recordings will be made available by the end of next week!

Concert Bands also have their solo and chamber music presentations in class next week:

• Band 8 and 9 have solo performances in class on Monday and their Chamber Ensembles (Duets, Trios, Quartets, Quintets) and their Full Recording Session on Wednesday.

• Band 10 have their Chamber Music and Full Recording Session on Tuesday and solo performances in class on Thursday

• Senior Wind has their Recording and Chamber Ensembles on Wednesday.

Please encourage your grade 8-10 child to take a few minutes and play their solo work and to share the recording the receive of their chamber group.

We are excited to be able to present our Fall Showcase Concerts on November 17 and 18. We are working within the PHO guidelines to ensure everyone is as safe as possible, please remember to

1. wear your mask,
2. hand sanitize,
3. sign in for contact tracing (online below or at the door)
4. keep 2 (two) empty seats between family groups.

There are QR codes and links to access our online concert programs and online Contact Tracing form posted at the school but for ease, here they are one more time:

• Junior (8/9) Fall Showcase Concert Program
• Senior (10-12) Fall Showcase Concert Program
• Online Contact Tracing as per district and PHO guidelines (Paper sign-in is also available at the door)

At the end of the evening, please exit the school through the south doors and walk around the school (to your left!) and meet your child at your vehicle or at the covered area outside so that we can leave the lobby area free for students to pack up for the evening.

Thank you for joining us and enjoy the show!

Dear Poppy Music Families,

Based on the responses we received to our call in mid-October, we’re looking forward to our two nights of music next week. As it’s been a while for us and the experience of concerts here at Poppy is new for many of our students, here are the details

• Grade 10-12 students are performing on Wednesday, November 17^th
• Grade 8 & 9 students are performing on Thursday, November 18^th
• SETUP: Setup will take place each day after school from 3:00pm until we’re done (usually around 3:45) and all music students are expected to assist with at least one setup this year. There are shows now, in March and in June. Setup Sign-out lists will be posted once the Dramnasium is ready for the show.
• UNIFORM: Black with optional Red Accents (Poppy Ties or Scarves for grade 10-12 students can be purchased from Mr. Follett)
• TICKETS: Admission is by donation at the door (all proceeds support your child’s music activities here at Poppy) – We are asking that you register ahead so we can gage our audience size against our capacity for the Dramnasium
• CALL TIME: Arrival time  for students is 6:40pm in uniform. Students need to sign in for the evening in the band room or choir room and their performance will begin at 7:00pm
• CLEAN UP: We will ask parents to exit the gym through the south doors and then have all performers quickly assist with clean up after the concert. Sign-out lists will be posted when the rehearsal and performance spaces are ready for morning classes (Usually about 15-20min post-concert).

As we are working within the COVID protocols for the evening, a few notes and reminders:

• All audience members, as well as all students except for woodwind and brass players during their performances, are required to wear masks while in the school
• All audience members are asked to sign-in for contact tracing
• Please leave two (2) empty seats between family groups in the audience
• At the end of the evening, we ask that all audience members exit through the south doors of the gym (the audience’s left) and meet their children outside or at their vehicle after the concert rather than congregating in the lobby during cleanup.
• While we do not expect to be over capacity for the evening, please let us know how many audience members your child will have with them for their concert here: https://forms.office.com/r/k8BMFnSrpN

Thank you all for supporting your child’s love of music. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns and we look forward to seeing you here in the Dramnasium next week.

Mark & Jered

Dear DW Poppy Music Families,

 

Concerts:

Thank you to everyone who responded to our survey regarding performances this year. With 98% responding that, assuming there are no changes to current circumstances, concerts either could or sould go ahead this year, we will be organizing our Fall concerts for November17 and 18 as follows:

• Senior Night of Music for all grade 10-12 students on Wednesday, November 17
• Junior Night of Music for all grade 8 & 9 students on Thursday, November 18.
• Both concerts will start at 7:00pm

Further details will follow next week regarding call times, concert setup, and how the evenings will work, but please put the evening(s) related to your family aside. I will be following up with families with concerns to see how we might better address any, but know that while we look forward to going ahead with this important educational experience, your child’s safety is our priority. If you have further concerns, please let us know.

 

Fundraising:

FUNDRAISING IS BACK! Each student in the music department has their own account that they can raise money towards music department travel and other music expenses. While we may currently not be traveling this year, funds are bankable year-to-year while your child is in the program so these funds will be available until they graduate from music. Any unsued funds can either be passed on to younger siblings in the program or go to support DW Poppy music as a whole.

Poinsettia Sales:

One of our most successful fundraisers every year is Poinsettias. Order Forms are attached and hard copies are available at the school.

• PAYMENTS NEED TO BE BY CHEQUE Payable to the DW Poppy Music Department
• Orders must be in an envelope and dropped in the RED BOX on Mr. Follett’s office door no later than November 19^th.
• Poinsettias need to be picked up the afternoon of Friday, December 3

Music Parent Cathy Gropp (cgropp@sd35.bc.ca) has coordinated this fundraiser for a number of years and is graciously continuing, but please let me know if you are able to assist her as we usually end up with ½ the band room full of plants on pickup day.

 

Thanks so much for continuing to support your child’s love of music and we look forward to seeing you on November 17 or 18!

 

Mark and Jered

 

PS – Save the dates as we hope to also be able to go ahead with the following performances:

• March 7 & 8 – Junior and Senior Spring Nights of Music
• June 8 – ESPRESSIVO: Summer Pops