Symphonic Band Concert Added - January 24
On January 24, 2006 the McCracken Middle School Symphonic Band and Niles North High School Wind Ensemble will be presenting a concert at 7:00 PM in the McCracken Middle School Gym. The Niles North Wind Ensemble is currently preparing for their performance at the 2006 Illinois Music Educators Association All-State Conference. This concert will serve as their pre-conference performance.
Program information on it’s way!
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Posted: December 14, 2005 | PermaLink
McCracken Band at Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic
Just a reminder that on n Friday, December 16 at 11:00 AM the McCracken Middle School Symphonic Band will be serving as a demonstration group at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. Gary Barton (bio below) is presenting a rehearsal lab session. The session will take place in the Grand and State Ballrooms on the 4th floor of the Palmer House. There’s a free shuttle from the Hilton that picks up and drops off by the coat check.
The Rehearsal Lab Sessions were introduced by the Midwest Clinic last
year:
The Midwest Clinic is pleased to present a series of six rehearsal labs, designed to provide rehearsal instruction to band directors in the most concrete, practical way that we can. Held in the Grand and State Ballrooms at the Palmer House, these are not clinics but actual rehearsals that pair middle school and high school bands with noted
rehearsal technicians. These rehearsals will include warm-up techniques and sight-reading, as well as rehearsals of pieces familiar to the bands. They are not intended to be polished run throughs, but dynamic learning opportunities that work toward building a sound and an understanding. The added benefit is that they have been planned with you in mind!All rehearsals lab are presented in the round to give you your vantage point of choice. The schedule of shuttles that run between the Hilton and Palmer House has been increased to accommodate these events.
The repertoire used will be:
- Superior Band in Sixteen Weeks - Quincy Hilliard (Warm-ups, etc…)
- An Irish Rhapsody - Clare Grundman
- Song for the Winter Moon - Walter Cummings (Sightreading)
- A Sailor’s Odyssey - David Bobrowitz
I hope to see you there! Happy Holidays.
Gary Barton received the B.M.Ed. from the University of Louisiana - Monroe and the M.S.Ed. from Indiana University. He currently teaches at the Baker Sixth Grade Campus in LaPorte, Texas where he also works with all aspects of the middle school and high school band programs. His twenty-eight years of teaching have included positions in Meridian, Mississippi, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Jonesboro, Arkansas. In addition, Mr. Barton served as an Adjunct Instructor of Euphonium and Tuba at Arkansas State University for five years. He served as a member of the faculty of the Indiana University Summer Music Clinic for High School Students for twenty-five years. Mr. Barton is a past-president of the Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association and the East Central Mississippi Band Directors Association.
Mr. Barton has been published in The Instrumentalist, The Texas Bandmasters Association Review, The Leblanc Bell, British Columbia Band Talk, and The NBA Journal. He served the National Band Association as Southwestern Division Chairman (1998-2002), Board Member (2000-2002), and Second Vice-President (2002-2004). He is currently serving another term as NBA Southwestern Division Chairman and is a member of the Board of Electors for the NBA Bandmasters Hall of Fame, housed at Troy State University. He was the 1996 Baker Campus Teacher of the Year and was a 1998 inductee into the Band World Magazine Legion of Honor. Mr. Barton holds memberships in Phi Beta Mu, the American School Band Directors Association, the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, the Association of Concert Bands, the Texas Music Educators Association, and the Texas Bandmasters Association. Mr. Barton has made presentations on the campuses of Kansas State University, Marshall University (WV), Plymouth State University (NH), Mississippi State University, Georgia Southern University, and Henderson State University (AR). He has served as clinician and adjudicator in fifteen states.
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Posted: December 10, 2005 | PermaLink
Winter Concert
The McCracken Winter Concert is almost here! This concert features the McCracken Middle School 6th Grade Glee Club, 7th Grade Concert Choir, 7th Grade Swing Choir, 8th Grade Swing Choir, and Symphonic Band.
The Winter Concert will be performed at 1:45 PM and 7:00 PM on Monday, December 12th in the McCracken Middle School Gym. The program follows:
- Symphonic Band and Combined Choirs
- Star Spangled Banner
- 6th Grade Glee Club
- Winter Sleigh Ride - Traditional, arranged by Sally K. Albrecht and Jay Althouse
- Peace (Shalom Chaverim) - Israeli Folk Song, arranged by Sally Albrecht
- A Turkey Knocked at My Back Door - Elizabeth Gilpatrick
- Symphonic Band
- A Sailor’s Odyssey - David Bobrowitz
- A Renaissance Festival - Claude Gervaise, trans. by Kenneth Singleton
- 7th Grade Concert Choir
- Stephen Foster: America’s Own - Stephen Foster, arranged by Alan Billingsley
- Symphonic Band
- An Irish Rhapsody - Clare Grundman
- Whip and Spur - Thomas Allen, arranged by Ray Cramer
- 7th Grade Swing Choir and 8th Grade Swing Choir
- Cantar! (Sing!) - Jay Althouse
- Combined Swing Choir Boys
- Poison Ivy - Words and Music by Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, arranged by Kirby Shaw
- Combined Swing Choir Girls
- Stop! In the Name of Love - Words and Music by Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland and Edward Holland, arranged by Roger Emerson
- 7th Grade Swing Choir and 8th Grade Swing Choir
- What a Wonderful World - Words and Music by George David Weiss and Bopb Thiele, arranged by George David Weiss
- Combined Choirs
- That Dixieland Sound - Words by Don Sesig and Nancy Price, Music by Don Besig
It’s going to be a great show!!!!
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Posted: December 6, 2005 | PermaLink
Wisconsin Honors Band Festival
This past weekend I had the distinct pleasure of conducting the “Illinois” Band at the Univeristy of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Honors Band Festival. It was an amazing weekend. The kids were terrific, worked hard, and hopefully enjoyed themselves. I certainly did. Thank you to everyone at the university of being great hosts. We performed:
- “Illinois” Band - Wisconsin Honors Band Festival
- A Sailor’s Odyssey - David Barbowicz (Grand Mesa Music)
- Korean Folk Rhapsody - arranged by James Curnon (Jenson/Hal Leonard)
- A Renaissance Festival - arranged by Ken Singleton (Grand Mesa Music)
- Symphony No. 4 for Winds and Percussion - Andrew Boysen, Jr. (manuscript)
I was quite humbled work with the other guest conductors for the other bands who are all amazing musicians. Dr. Scott Tobias (Appalachian State University) conducted the “North Carolina” Middle School Band and Michael Kaufman (Grand Ledge High School) conducted the “Michigan” Middle School Band. James Keene (University of Illinois) conducted the High School Honors Band. John Culvahouse (University of Georgia) conducted the “Georgia” High School Band. Linda Hunter (Montana State University) conducted the “Montana” High School Band.
- “North Carolina” Middle School Band - Scott Tobias, conductor
- On Wings of Eagles - Mark Williams
- Ballade - Daren W. Jenkins
- Novo Lenio - Sam Hazo
- “Michigan” Middle School Band - Michael Kaufman, conductor
- Joy - Frank Ticheli
- Suite in a minor mode - Dimitri Kabalevsky, arranged by Seikman
- As Winds Dance - Sam Hazo
Adam Frey served as the guest soloist in residence. He was amazing! What an unbelievable virtuosic and wonderful musician.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Bands were stunning in how polished their performance of some very difficult literature was.
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Wind Ensemble - Thomas L. Dvorak, conductor
- American Salute - Morton Gould
- Euphonium Concertino - Kevin Kaska (Adam Frey, euphonium)
- Dance Folatre - Claude T. Smith
What a great festival and weekend!
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Posted: December 5, 2005 | PermaLink