sumner high school

2008-09 Jazz Ensembles Tryouts-Information

We’re looking forward to having another great year in 2008-09 with the award-winning Sumner High School Jazz Ensembles.  The Sumner High School Jazz Ensembles are year-long elective classes for those students who are already in the band and would like the additional challenge of being in a high-achieving competitive Jazz Program.  Students (grades 9-12) are selected by tryouts and are placed in one (or possibly both) Jazz Ensembles (depending upon the instrumentation and student-numbers).  Students may be given the chance to participate in both ensembles if there is a need for more students and instruments to fill the sections.  Both groups participate in concerts, competitions and other events throughout the school-year.   Instrumentation for each Jazz Ensemble will include:

• 5 Saxes (2 altos, 2 tenors, and 1 bari)   
• 4-5 trombones
• 5 trumpets
• 1 bass player (upright & electric bass)
• 1-2 drummers
• 1 vibes player
• rhythm section:
  1-2 piano players 
  1 guitar player

The Jazz Ensembles meet daily and they are graded credit classes (they have the same attendance expectations as all other Sumner High School classes).  The students in the classes are responsible for their own transportation to Sumner High School.  The daily class schedule is:

• Jazz Ensemble ‘A’ 5:55-6:45AM
• Jazz Ensemble ‘B’  6:40-7:25AM

Jazz Ensemble Tryouts-Information:

Prior to the tryouts there will be a special student & parent meeting from 7:00-800PM Tuesday May 6th at the Sumner High School Band Room.   Tryouts will occur during the week of May 12-16, 2007 – all tryouts will be scheduled after school and will be held at the Sumner High School Band Room.  The tryouts will be scheduled in 5-minute slots:

Students will be able to sign-up for the tryout-slots at the May 6th meeting.

Students will need to play:

• a short sight-reading selection
• “the best of” . . . (30 seconds of anything that shows your best playing)
• Brass: range-check (high-notes)
• Drums: style-check (swing/latin/rock)

Results will be posted by May 21 Wednesday (they will also be distributed to the Middle Schools) and students will have the Jazz Ensembles added to their 2008-09 year-long class schedule.  Jazz Ensemble is an elective addition to being in the regular band classes, so all Jazz Ensembles students must also be in band.

Good luck and we look forward to another outstanding year.

1) Regular Daily Class-Times:

• Jazz Ensemble ‘A’ Rehearsal - 5:55-6:45AM
• Announcements (both groups) - 6:40-6:45AM
• Jazz Ensemble ‘B’ Rehearsal - 6:45-7:25AM

  I will arrive and open the Band Room by about 5:35AM daily.

  We start on-time every day. Plan on arriving at SHS each day no later than 5 minutes before class starts. Drive safely.

  There will be no rehearsals during the late-start days or when there are weather related school delays (we will distribute a phone-tree to inform you ASAP when classes are delayed or cancelled.

  You need to remain on the SHS Campus after you arrive and you are not allowed to leave SHS after classes are over.

  Sumner HS attendance and tardy policies as outlined in the student handbook apply for these zero-period classes as well. Transportation to classes is your responsibility, so make sure your ride is reliable. All zero-period absences need to be cleared through the SHS Attendance Office just like for any other class. Just like in all of your classes:
  “Assisting students in establishing lifelong habits of reliability and promptness is an instructional objective in this particular course. Progress towards this goal will be measured, at least in part, by tracking student attendance. Therefore, a student’s grade or credit in this class may be adversely affected by reason of tardiness or absence.”

  There are no “make-up” rehearsals – when you miss a class, the entire group is affected – we rely on each other.

2) Other Expectations:

you must have your instrument, music, and pencil at every rehearsal. If you are sharing a part and the music, make copies of any pieces you may be taking home to practice (if you are absent and you have the only set of parts, the person you are sharing with cannot rehearse). Store the group music folders in the jazz ensemble slots in the Band Room, not in the instrument
closets or you instrument case.

If you are involved in any before-school activities (clubs, etc.), please let them know that you are enrolled in a zero-period graded class and that class attendance is the priority. If there are special attendance situations and we discuss them in advance, we can probably work things out. If you just skip out of Jazz Ensemble rehearsal without any notification to me, you will be considered truant and it will be reflected in your class grade and potentially in your performance-status with the group. Missing class in order to finish other class homework instead of attending Jazz Ensemble rehearsal is not excusable and lets a lot of people down.

3) We are planning on doing great things this year. Be organized and prepared for each day and work hard in rehearsals. Get a good night’s sleep and let’s make these classes the best way to start every school day! (especially on Friday treat-days) Thanks
for making a very big commitment to be a part of our 2007-08 groups.