It was a pleasure to host the Grant Stewart Trio today at DW Poppy. We we joined by students from Mountain, Fine Arts, Fundamental and Garabaldi in Maple Ridge. Grant (on Tenor Sax), Paul Sikivie on Bass and Philip Steward on Drums performed 8 tunes for the students. They were some more obscure standards from Bud Powell and other jazz legends. They also did a 30 minute question and answer session with the kids, a highlight being a demonstration of how to begin improvising by “decorating” the melody, using Body & Soul as an example.

It was a great show and I have a few CD’s left. If you’d like one, bring in $10 cash. Ifs run out, I’ll order a few from Cory next week.

Thanks for having the kids there after school and supporting their music education!

We’ve now completed our first full week of music at DW Poppy. Musical theatre got rolling along with the choral and jazz programs and the Senior Wind Ensemble. Beginners have selected instruments and we hosted the elementary band rental night and first lesson on Thursday. 

We continue the tradition of bringing great artists into DW Poppy to work with our students this year. At the beginning workshop, out elementary students not only worked with Mr. Ablitt and Mr. Follett, but local profesional flautist Michelle Carlisle and clarinetist Colin Farquar, and thanks to Conn-Selmer, Vancouver saxophonist Brian Engstron and internationally renowned  trumpet player Rich Wetzel.

Our next guest will be New York Tenor Saxophonist Grant Stewart. In partnership with Cory Weeds and the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society, Grant’s trio will be putting on a show here at DW Poppy next Monday at 3:30. We expect all jazz students to attend, and encourage all our music students to join us, along with music students from RE Mountain, Langley Fine Arts, Langley Fundamental, and Garabaldi Secondary (Maple Ridge) for this phenomenal opportunity.

In the meantime, please remember that Student Commitment Contracts and Practice Routines we due yesterday. We’ve received many of them, but there are still a few to come in. Also, Junior Uniform, Method Book and Band Folder Orders are due this coming Friday, September 23. 

We hope to see lots of new and familiar faces out at the first music teacher parent meeting on Tuesday, September 20 after the grade 8 parent night at 8:00pm. It will be an intro to the program for some families and an opportunity to connect with parents interested in supporting their kids’ musical endeavours which we’ll aim to keep it brief at that hour.

Please remember to add your child’s concerts from the Music Handbook to your family calendar if you haven’t yet, and as usual, if you have any question, don’t hesitate to ask.

Mark & Wayne

With off-timetable rehearsals starting this week, we have lots of great things happening. The website will continue to be updated with the new calendar and such over the coming week, but please be sure to complete the Student Commitment Contract and read the 2016/17 Handbook that is coming home right now. 

Parents, we look forward to seeing you at 8pm on Tuesday, September 20 for the first music parents meeting. We also look forward to seeing everyone at 3:30pm on September 26 for the Grant Stewart Trio live at DW Poppy.

If you did not receive the email this weekend, please contact Mr. Follett with your current email address. We hope everyone had a great summer and welcome back!

The tour continued with more workshops, food and our first performance.

SWE and Band 10 had an excellent workshop with Tubist and conductor Alain Caszes while other students had some more time to explore the underground city. During our lunch break, a small group of us trekked across downtown to the iconic Schwartz’s Deli for the classic Montreal smoked meat sandwiches, pickles and cherry Cokes. 

After lunch, we performed for residents of Ambiance Ile Des Soeurs Senior Residence. The kids did an exceptional job and the residents were very touched by the kids’ show. We headded off to the Montreal BioDome (where the Penguins were a particular hit) and the Olympic Park for a spectacular view of the city.Dinner was at Le Piment 2 where we were entertained by a guitar and tenor sax jazz duo.

We were very proud of the kids today as they represented themselves, the music department and the school very well. Sunday is an early morning so hopefully they will grab a few more hours of sleep!

Today was jam-packed! After breakfast at the hotel, we headed into McGill for our workshops. SCC and Vox shared their time with Dr. Jean-Sebastien Vallee. He did some amazing work with the kids, a particular treat being their second run of Woodsmoke and Oranges. After lunch, Senior Jazz worked with Joe Sullivan. We focused on groove, which resulted in some great video of some of the trumpet section’s fancy footwork.

We had a great tour of the city given by our guide Oscar. This included the Place des Armes, the Notre-Dame Basicilica, and the underground city – 23 square kilometres of retail and office space networking underneath Montreal.

After a delicious dinner at Essence we headed off to Cirque Du Solei’s Luzia. It had amazing music (ask you kids about the Tuba and Xylophone tune), some amazing spectacles (ask about the giant falling water fish) and, well, just ask about the contortionist.

It was a great first full day in Montreal. 

After nearly meeting at DW Poppy, we headed off to YVR. A quick breakfast after our trip through security and we were on our way to Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport. The kids did really well on the flight, which was uneventful. Dinner at the hotel followed by some shopping, some time in the pool and we’re heading off to bed. Follow on Twitter, FB or Instagram @dwpoppymusic for updates throughout tomorrow’s adventures at McGill, on our walking tour and our visit to Cirque!

I sent an email yesterday, but a reminder that there will be no senior jazz band today. Get your recordings done (they were due MARCH 3!!!) and I’ll see you Monday.

 

 DW Poppy Music Parents’ Pub Night Fundraiser

• Saturday, April 2nd, 2016. 5:00-?
• Murrayville Town Pub (22070 48a Ave, Langley, BC V3A 8G3)
• Purchase your tickets at the concert on Wednesday, March 9^th at DW Popy
• Silent Auction , 50/50, Door Prizes  and more!
• Contact parent Sam Colliewith any questions.

Menu:

• Fresh rolls and butter
• Tossed Green Salad
• Classic Caesar Salad
• Hot vegetables
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Slow Roasted, AAA Canadian Roast Beef
• Gravy and Horseradish
• A choice of  a glass of local beer, a glass of local wine or a bar highball
• *********** Chicken or Vegetarian options available**************

This is a great event for parents to enjoy! Come out and have some fun while supporting the DW Poppy Music program. Meet other parents of musical students and bring a friend for a nice dinner out. Everyone is welcome!

Ticket order forms have been distributed at school or simply bring $25 per ticket to our concert on Wednesday March 9^th and purchase them there!

Students have received Global Coffee order forms at school this week. Orders are due on Friday, March 11 and coffee delivery will take place after Spring Break. Please contact Mr. Ablitt with any questions.

Congratulations to the cast, pit and crew of Footloose on a great run! It’s been six months of work and you should all be proud of your accomplishment!

With the show over, this is also a reminder that rehearsals are back to normal this week. SCC, SWE, RedHawk Voices, Junior and Senior Jazz are all on as usual and remember that SCC, SWE and RedHawk Voices are in final rehearsals for concert in 10 days so all hands on deck!