Director's Report: Redwood Music
Happy 2009 from the Redwood Music Department and SUSD Instrumental Music!
We hope you and your families had a restful winter vacation and are ready for the second half of the school year. Of course, we must always look back to see where we are headed, and what an exciting Fall semester it has been for our students!
Since our last update, the Redwood Marching Band and Auxiliary had an incredibly blessed marching season, taking home a handful of honors at the Santa Cruz Band Review, the Foothill Band Review in Pleasanton and the Los Gatos Childrens’ Holiday Parade, and had some surprise TV time while honoring our armed forces at the San Jose Veterans’ Day Parade. A sincere thanks goes out to all of our great chaperone volunteers, our chaperone coordinator Susan Bancroft, and our fearless truck drivers Mike Culbert and Barry Chaffin for all of the hard work. For more detailed coverage of the Redwood Marching Band and all other Saratoga music groups, don’t forget to bookmark saratogamusic.org and stay updated with the latest news, awards, handouts for upcoming events, and more!
All of our groups are now in “full steam ahead,” and as you could see at our annual Winter concerts, all of our extraordinary young musicians have been hard at work! All groups looked and sounded wonderful, and we were proud of each and every one. We were especially thrilled to watch the debut of our beginning band and orchestra, and even more excited to see the developing musical talent of all who performed. Bravo to all of our beginning students on a great first performance – you are awesome!!! Kudos to our fantastic music staff for sharing their knowledge and passion with our students: Mrs. Dugan, Mrs. Amador, Mrs. Camphouse, Mrs. Krijnen, Mr. Krijnen, Mr. Taniguchi, Mr. Tom Wyant, and Mr. Frank Wyant. Additionally, thank you to the Saratoga Music Boosters for their invaluable support, and all families and supporters of music here in Saratoga who allow our students to have such superb musical experiences!
As most of you have heard, we received our greatest surprise in early December, when we were informed that the Redwood Marching Band and Auxiliary was accepted to march in the parade for the 56th Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20, 2009 in Washington, D.C.! We were completely astounded at the news, and even more proud of the accomplishment of the students. This honor was indeed a team effort, and one earned by the talent and potential of our young performers!
It was certainly been an intensive whirlwind of last-minute work putting together a trip of such magnitude in just a little over a month, but also incredibly exciting to have been offered the opportunity to participate in such an historical event. We offer our sincere gratitude to all marching band parents and families for their support, to the Saratoga and California communities for their congratulations and donations toward helping send us across the country, to our Superintendant Lane Weiss and Redwood Principal Kelly Green for their enthusiasm and immediate support and assistance upon hearing the news and in helping us prepare for the trip, to Anne Kolb for her exceptional help in organizing information and finances, and to the SUSD staff and school board for their gracious support and blessings.
Redwood will depart for the east coast on January 18 and return on the 22nd. Until then, if you wake up early enough, you may be able to hear us during our intensive morning practices while we refine our routine and boost our endurance for the non-stop 1.5-mile route. We appreciate all of your good wishes, and hope that you will hold a good thought for us and look for us on your TV, marching down Pennsylvania Avenue, on January 20th!
Mrs. Wyant & Mr. Jow
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