Saratoga Music Boosters

SARATOGA MUSIC BOOSTERS WORKS WITH SARATOGA SCHOOL UNION DISTRICT AND SARATOGA HIGH SCHOOL TO PROVIDE MUSIC PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 4 THROUGH 12.

SARATOGA MUSIC BOOSTERS SUPPORTS SARATOGA UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT (SUSD) AND SARATOGA HIGH SCHOOL (SHS) BY HELPING ITS MUSIC DIRECTORS, WHERE NEEDED, TO ACCOMPLISH THEIR VISIONS TO OFFER THE BEST MUSIC PROGRAMS, MUSIC CLINICS AS WELL AS MANY ENRICHING OPPORTUNITIES TO ITS STUDENTS. THIS INCLUDES ENSURING ALL MUSIC STUDENTS HAVE THE POSSIBILITY TO ATTEND IMPORTANT PERFORMANCES THAT REQUIRE TRAVEL REGARDLESS OF THEIR FAMILYS FINANCIAL SITUATION.OVER THE 2023-24 FISCAL YEAR, SARATOGA MUSIC BOOSTERS SUPPORTED THE FOLLOWING SARATOGA HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC PROGRAMS AND MUSIC STUDENTS:BAND (175 STUDENTS INCLUDING MARCHING AND CONCERT BAND), JAZZ BAND (35 STUDENTS), COLOR GUARD (31 STUDENTS), WINTER GUARD (29 STUDENTS), WINTER PERCUSSION (77 STUDENTS), ORCHESTRA (167 STUDENTS), AND CHOIR (41 STUDENTS).SUMMARY OF EVENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS RECORDED FOR THE 2023-2024 ACADEMIC YEAR FOR EACH MUSIC PROGRAM:CHOIR BENEFITTED FROM MUSIC CLINICS AND TRIPS:- CHOIR PERFORMED AT THE WVC INVITATIONAL CHORAL FESTIVAL AT WEST VALLEY COLLEGE AND ALSO HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH DR ANDREA RAMSEY.- 5 STUDENTS ATTENDED THE REGIONAL HONOR CHOIR AT CHABOT COLLEGE.- CHOIR PERFORMED AT 3 DIFFERENT HOLIDAY EVENTS: THE SARATOGA TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY, THE FOOTHILL CLUB AND THE COMBINED CONCERT WITH LOS GATOS HIGH AND RMS CHOIR.- ONE STUDENT WAS ACCEPTED TO THE ALL-STATE CHOIR.- SHS CHOIR ENSEMBLE ATTENDED A VERDI OPERA RIGOLETTO' AT OPERA SAN JOSE.- 6 STUDENTS PERFORMED AT THE CMEA SOLO ENSEMBLE FESTIVAL AT SAN JOSE STATE.- CHAMBER CHOIR ATTENDED THE SJSU CHORAL INVITATIONAL EVENT.- CHOIR STUDENTS TRAVELED TO SEATTLE WHERE THEY WERE CONDUCTED BY DR. GISELLE WYERS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SCHOOL OF MUSIC. CHOIR ALSO PERFORMED A PIECE COMPOSED BY KATERINA GIMON AS A WORLD PREMIERE EVENT.- SHS CHOIR WAS VISITED BY POMONA COLLEGE GLEE AND BOTH GROUPS ENJOYED A GREAT EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE.JAZZ BAND LIST OF PERFORMANCES:- HELD A NOVEMBER CONCERT WHICH INCLUDED THE COLLABORATION OF SHS CHOIR STUDENTS.- ATTENDED THE LINCOLN CENTER AT STANFORD. THE LAST SERIES OF CONCERTS FEATURED BAND, SMALL BAND, AND JAZZ BAND WHERE THE LATTER INCORPORATED PIECES BY TONY GLAUSI.- ADVANCED JAZZ II WAS FEATURED FOR A SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, AS PART OF THE SARATOGA FOOTHILL CLUB PUBLIC EVENT SERIES: AN EVENING OF JAZZ. ALUM CHARLIE YUN FORMED PART OF THIS ENSEMBLE FOR THE EVENING AND A SHS STUDENT FROM CHOIR WAS A VOCALIST.- HOMESTEAD JAZZ BAND UNDER THE DIRECTION OF MR. BURN WERE INVITED TO THE END OF YEAR SHS JAZZ BAND CONCERT. BANDS, COLOR GUARD AND SHS SYMPHONIC WIND ENSEMBLE LIST OF TRIPS AND ACHIEVEMENTS:- THE SYMPHONIC WIND ENSEMBLE WAS ACCEPTED INTO THE CALIFORNIA ALL STATE MUSIC EDUCATORS CONFERENCE (CASMEC).- AT THE CUPERTINO TOURNAMENT OF BANDS HELD AT CUPERTINO HIGH SCHOOL, SHS MARCHING BAND HAD AN OVERALL THIRD PLACE AND COLOR GUARD ACHIEVED 2ND PLACE.- AT THE FOOTHILL TOURNAMENT OF BANDS HELD AT FOOTHILL HIGH SCHOOL, SHS MARCHING BAND HAD AN OVERALL 1ST PLACE AND COLOR GUARD ACHIEVED 2ND PLACE.- AT THE 20TH ANNUAL FOLSOM FALL FESTIVAL HELD AT FOLSOM HIGH SCHOOL, SHS MARCHING BAND PLACED 1ST IN ALL CATEGORIES INCLUDING COLOR GUARD.- 20 SHS BAND STUDENTS WERE ACCEPTED BY CALIFORNIA ALL-STATE BAND. BETWEEN SHS BAND AND SHS ORCHESTRA STUDENTS, SHS WERE THE 3RD MOST REPRESENTED AND THE SMALLEST SCHOOL IN THE CALIFORNIA ALL-STATE. THE PERFORMANCE WAS HELD IN SACRAMENTO.- 14 KIDS WERE ACCEPTED INTO THE SANTA CLARA COUNTY HONOR BAND AFTER AUDITIONING AND THEY WILL PERFORM UNDER CONDUCTOR JERRY JUNKIN, ONE THE WORLDS MOST HIGHLY REGARDED WIND CONDUCTORS.- THE SHS SYMPHONIC WIND ENSEMBLE WAS INVITED TO PERFORM AT CASMEC. FEATURED GUEST ARTISTS AND CONDUCTORS INCLUDED JASON SHIUAN, MICHAEL BOITZ, SEAN CLARK, CHAVADITH TANTAVIROJN, DR. JOHN ZARCO, NORMAN DEA, JONATHAN JOW, NAOKI TANIGUCHI, JONATHAN HOSTOTTLE, MICHAEL PAKALUK, JOHN BURN, CRAIG BRYANT, AND AARON SHAUL.- AN SHS DRUM MAJOR WAS INVITED TO PERFORM AT THE CITY OF LONDONS NEW YEARS DAY PARADE.- DR TERRY LONGSHORE, CLINICIAN, WORKED WITH OUR PERCUSSIONISTS.- SHS HOSTED CMEA WHERE FAMILIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND AND WATCH PERFORMANCES AND SIGHT-READING.WINTER PERCUSSION (WP) AND WINTER GUARDFOR A SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND, WINTER PERCUSSION HAS TWO GROUPS: WINTER PERCUSSION OPEN (WP O) AND WINTER PERCUSSION A (WP A). WP A IS THE NOVICE GROUP.- THE VARSITY TEAM (WP O) AND WP A ATTENDED THE FIRST WP NCPA SHOW AT FREMONT HIGH SCHOOL. OUR VARSITY GUARD TOOK SECOND PLACE AND WINTER PERCUSSION A TOOK THIRD PLACE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE GROUPS- WINTER PERCUSSION PERFORMED AT AMERICAN CANYON HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE SECOND WP NCPA.- WINTER GUARD COMPETED AT FREMONT HIGH SCHOOL.- WINTER GUARD ALSO PERFORMED AT THE WGI REGIONAL AT JAMES LOGAN HIGH SCHOOL.- WINTER PERCUSSION ATTENDED THE WGI SOCAL POWER REGIONAL (WORLD CLASS) COMPETITION.- WINTER PERCUSSION ATTENDED THE WGI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN DAYTON, OHIO WITH EXCELLENT RESULTS. THEY MADE IT TO THE FINALS PLACING 9TH OUT OF 110 GROUPS. THE LAST TIME SHS WENT TO WGI WAS IN 2015 ACHIEVING A SEMIFINALS RANKING.- SHS WINTER PERCUSSION APPLIED AND WAS ACCEPTED TO ATTEND THE MIDWEST CLINIC IN CHICAGO THIS DECEMBER, 2024 WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE DURING THE UPCOMING ACADEMIC YEAR. ORCHESTRAS YEAR IN REVIEW:- EIGHT CALIFORNIA ALL-STATE BAND AND ORCHESTRA STUDENTS FROM SHS WERE ACCEPTED- A CONCERT EXCHANGE WITH DUBLIN HS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA WAS A TRUE JOY TO HAVE- SHS ORCHESTRA ATTENDS THE HOMESTEAD MUSIC FESTIVAL WHERE NOT ONLY DO THEY PERFORM, THEY EXERCISE THEIR MUSICAL VOCABULARY IN REAL TIME BY WRITING THINGS DOWN AS THEY LISTEN TO OTHERS PERFORM- SARATOGA STRINGS WERE INVITED TO PERFORM AT THE MIDWEST CLINIC IN DECEMBER. THE MIDWEST CLINIC IS AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR NEARLY 80 YEARS WITH 18-20K INTERNATIONAL ATTENDEES ANNUALLY. ALL 50 US STATES AND OVER 40 COUNTRIES ARE REPRESENTED AT THE CONFERENCE. WITH 150 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES REPRESENTED, PAST STUDENTS HAVE BEEN RECRUITED BY COLLEGES FROM THE PERFORMANCE AT THE EVENT. PIECES PERFORMED INCLUDE SONGS FROM MY OHMA, COMPOSED BY DR SOO HAN, DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRAL STUDIES AT THE REVA AND SID DEWBERRY FAMILY SCHOOL OF MUSIC AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY, BE EVER THE HOPE BY COMPOSER JAY KENNEDY, ALSO PERFORMED WAS A COMPOSITION FOR STRING ORCHESTRA AND JAZZ COMBO BY AN ALUM AND INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED TRUMPETER AND BAND LEADER, TONY GLAUSI.- DURING THE MIDWEST CLINIC SHS ORCHESTRA WAS ABLE TO WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CHARLES YUN (VIOLIN, SHS 2019) AS HE JOINED THE TONY GLAUSI QUARTET, ANOTHER ALUM THOMAS LIM JOINED SHS ORCHESTRA WHEN THEY PERFORMED SHOWSTOPPER APART FROM THE MULTIPLE STUDENTS WHO WERE ALSO FEATURED THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAM.- MS. ISABEL MCPHERSON WILL CONDUCT A PIECE ON THE PROGRAM FOR SARATOGA STRINGS AT THE MIDWEST CLINIC.- PARTICIPATED IN THE SHS HOSTED CMEA FESTIVAL THE NUMBERS ARE AS FOLLOWS:5TH GRADE INSTRUMENTAL: 135 (THIS INCLUDES ALL THREE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS SARATOGA, FOOTHILL AND ARGONAUT)RMS BANDS (WOODWIND, BRASS, PERCUSSION, MARCHING): 186 RMS CHOIR: 25RMS ORCHESTRA: 170COLOR GUARD: 12RMS ORCHESTRA: ANOTHER GREAT YEAR FOR UPPER STRINGS EDUCATION WHERE RMS ORCHESTRA WINTER AND END OF YEAR CONCERT PERFORMANCES ARE HELD AND ENJOYED BY THE COMMUNITY.- STRING STUDENTS PREPARE FOR ALL-STATE AUDITIONS- 10 RMS STUDENTS WERE ACCEPTED INTO THE CALIFORNIA ALL STATE - 4 FROM BAND AND 6 FROM ORCHESTRA. THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR IN ROW WHERE AT LEAST ONE ORCHESTRA PLAYER MADE IT INTO EVERY SECTION.- STUDENTS WERE PREPARED FOR CMEA SO THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY WILL BE EVALUATED- CMEA WAS A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY NOT ONLY TO RECEIVE ADJUDICATOR FEEDBACK BUT TO LISTEN TO OTHER ORCHESTRAS: ADVANCED LISTENED TO MONTA VISTAS ORCHESTRA, AND CHAMBER LISTENED TO FISHER MSS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA.- THE ADVANCED ORCHESTRA ENSEMBLE HAD A ZOOM CLINIC WITH DR SOO HAN SINCE THEY PERFORMED A PIECE COMPOSED BY HIM AT THE CMEA FESTIVAL. - 90 RMS ORCHESTRA STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO TAKE THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TRIP WHICH INCLUDED A SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE IN DISNEYRMS BAND AND COLOR GUARD: ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR OUR BAND AND COLOR GUARD STUDENTS.- RMS MARCHING BAND HAS ONCE AGAIN PICKED UP A TRADITION THWARTED BY COVID: PERFORM DURING THE LOS GATOS HOLIDAY PARADE.- INSTRUMENT SECTIONAL COACHES WERE MADE AVAILABLE ALL YEAR ROUND WITH SPECIALIZED INSTRUCTION EVERY COUPLE OF WEEKS.- RMS BAND PREPARED 11-12 PIECES FOR CMEA- 4 RMS BAND STUDENTS WERE ACCEPTED IN CALIFORNIA ALL-STATERMS CHOIR FIRST YEAR IT IS OFFERED IN SCHOOL DAY:- LEARNING BASICS, SIGHT-READING AND PRACTICING PIECES IN CHOIR- CHOIR IS TAKING LESSONS FROM THE KODALY ELEMENTARY 333 CHORAL METHOD BOOK AND THIS KNOWLEDGE IS REINFORCED WITH THE MUSIC THEORY BOOK, A YOUNG SINGER'S JOURNEY.- CHOIR ALSO ATTENDED CMEA5TH GRADE MUSIC: THIS YEAR EVERY STUDENT WAS OFFERED AN INSTRUMENT.SMB INSTRUMENTSTHIS YEAR THIS ORGANIZATION WAS PLEASED TO PURCHASE INSTRUMENTS AS THE MUSIC PROGRAMS IN ITS SCHOOLS NOTED AN UPTICK IN ATTENDANCE. THIS ALLOWED ALL STUDENTS THE POSSIBIL