We have another big chunk of things to share this week. Thank you for staying informed!
Congratulations to our High School Band for earning the Sweepstakes Award at this year's LMEA District VI Large Ensemble Festival! The Sweepstakes award is given to groups who receive a grade of A (or 1) from every judge at the festival, and is the highest score possible! We are all extremely proud of our amazing young musicians!
Our High School Band was visited Thursday afternoon by Dr. Charles Taylor from UNO. Dr. Taylor had some excellent comments and suggestions for our students (especially our clarinets!). Thank you to Dr. Taylor for sharing his time and talents!
Congratulations to Sam Korn, Cooper Belletto, Zoe Heim, Jack Roane, Isabel Pringle, Livy Best, and Noah Barberot, who will be practicing and performing with the District VI Honor Jazz Band this weekend! These amazing musicians will perform Sunday at Noon at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, and we invite everyone to come out and hear them play.
It's official -- the Haynes Jazz Band will be performing next month at Lakeside Mall! We invite everyone to come out and cheer us on at the Vets Skylight in Lakeside Mall.
Saturday, April 15
9:30 am - setup
10:00 am - perform
12:00 pm - tear down
We have several schedule adjustments to our regular practice routine, as follows. Thank you in advance for ensuring that your student is present at every rehearsal as we prepare for our upcoming performances!
Tuesday March 28 - no practice
Thursday March 30 - no practice
Saturday April 1 -- 5:30 pm Set-up and Decorating
Sunday April 2
12:30 -- Band Room opens
1:00 -- students arrive and finish setting up
2:00 -- Performance
3:30 -- clean up, tear down, etc.
The Taste and Tunes concert and banquet is our largest performance of the year (and our only fundraiser).
WE NEED YOU (Parents, Guardians, Supporters) to be a part of Taste and Tunes! Our students deserve the highest quality instruments and music, and Taste and Tunes is the best way we can provide these items for our students.
We will be holding a Silent Auction for this year's Taste and Tunes, and we need YOU to contribute! We encourage you to share gift cards, unique items (including store-bought items, gift baskets, etc.), or even gift cards for your favorite venue. Let us know how you can help via the Sign Up genius link below.
We also have need of several additional food items. Please consider contributing your favorite meal or snack. Let us know what you will be bringing via the Sign Up genius link below.
Taste and Tunes Sign Up Genius 2023
We will be enlisting our students to create various forms of Publicity (including posters, videos, etc.) to draw a bigger audience, and we can't wait to share some of their fun (and probably quite original) products!
Online tickets for Taste and Tunes are now available for purchase via this link:
If you have friends or relatives who would like to make an online donation toward our Band, we also have a link for that:
We have also received this year's schedule for Parish Festival. We invite all of our parents and supporters to join us at the East Jefferson High School auditorium to cheer for your favorite young musicians! Yes! Parents are welcome to meet us there, and to watch as our students perform.
Please note that Middle School and High School groups will perform on different days. Middle school students will have pizza before leaving for Festival. Please consider sending a yummy drink with your student this day. Students should wear their "Sunday Best" outfits, or their school uniform.
High School Band (Wed. March 29)
8:15 - check in to 1st period, then report to Band Room
8:20 - load bus
8:25 - depart for EJ
8:40 - arrive EJ
9:00 - perform
9:40 - watch Meisler MS (if time allows)
10:00 - depart EJ
10:15 - arrive Haynes, unload report to 2nd period
Middle School Bands (Thu. March 30)
10:30 - students report to Band Room (quick lunch)
11:00 - load bus
11:15 - depart
11:25 - arrive EJ
11:45 - combined warm-up (on stage)
12:15 - 6th grade perform
12:35 - 7th & 8th perform
1:00 - load bus
1:15 - depart EJ
1:30 - arrive Haynes
Our Jazz Band One will again perform for the Bill Evans Jazz Festival at Southeastern La. University in Hammond, on Thursday March 30. We will again be asking for our parents to provide transportation. Here is our tentative schedule:
2:30 --- depart Haynes
4:30 --- warm-up
5:15 --- perform
6:00 --- dinner (details TBA)
8:00 --- return to Haynes
The Haynes Academy Band has again been invited to perform for the Special Olympics Track and Field Meet at Pontiff Playground on Friday March 31! We will wear our Band t-shirts and black pants this day.
9:15 called out of class
9:30 depart for Pontiff
9:45 in our seats
10:00 event begins
11:00 return to Haynes
11:30 go to 3rd period
Students may pick up their ordered shirts and sweatshirts at any time. Thanks to everyone who purchased a shirt, and who wears it proudly to show their support of the Haynes Academy Band!
Our High School Band has resumed our weekly practices on Tuesday and Thursday until 5:00 pm. Attendance at these practices is required to participate in future performances. Thank You to all of our students who attend every rehearsal!
This week is our Large Ensemble Assessment! We hope everyone has been practicing!
No matter your school of choice, Band is one of the most fun and rewarding activities you can join. You will immediately make tons of new friends, find a "home" on campus, and become an active member of your school community from Day One. Most schools also offer some form of Band Scholarship for participating in Band. (Many of these scholarships are not related to being a Music Major -- instead they are focused on students who just want to PLAY FOR FUN!)
We have had several college Band Directors on our campus this year, and EVERY ONE of them has shared some of the benefits to our young people of playing music in college. From having an instant circle of friends, to fun activities, to all of the obvious musical and artistic opportunities, College Band is a great choice for students.
We strongly encourage all of our students to explore the musical offerings at your school of choice. Please contact Mr. Phelan if you would like additional information.
Our 7th and 8th graders are pretty solid on both "Serengeti Dreams" and "Incantation and Ritual", and our final rehearsals before the Superintendent's Assessment are this week. It is imperative that our 7th and 8th graders come to the Band Room for the first few minutes of lunch, to hear each other and to play together. Please encourage your student to drop in for the first few minutes of lunch.
Please ensure that your student has their own copy of Essential Elements Book 2, so they do not fall behind. Remember: Focus on one measure at a time as you learn.
We invite our Middle School musicians to join us for High School Band practices on Tuesday and Thursday.
We are improving on "Asturias" and "Character" and are looking forward to our festival performance next week. Students should remember to focus on one or two small items as they practice.
Every student should have their own copy of the Essential Elements for Band Book 1, as well as a supply of reeds, valve oil, etc. Please let Mr. Phelan know of any instrument problems or concerns.
We invite our Middle School musicians to join us for High School Band practices on Tuesday and Thursday.
We look forward to seeing everyone soon!