Congratulations to the band students who represented our school so well at the PEI Band Days festival on Thursday at UPEI. Both the Gr. 8 and the Gr. 9 Concert bands had excellent performances and earned very positive adjudications. Thank you for your support, and a big thank you to the parents who helped move instruments back to the school at the end of the day. Gr. 8 and 9 band students will have pizza at lunch tomorrow in the band room 🍕

Tomorrow is going to be a whirlwind of a day! The students have all had band rehearsals today (except 9A and I visited their classroom to update them), and this schedule has been reviewed carefully with each group. For reference, here is what is happening minute by minute 🙂

*If there are any band parents or guardians who might be willing to help chaperone/supervise the students while they are at UPEI, or to help us to return larger instruments to the school at 2:15 pm, please contact me today at ampeters@edu.pe.ca. Thank you!

Thursday, April 11th: Grade 9 early am band is canceled.

GRADE 8 SCHEDULE

8:30 am: Grade 8 band students to meet (in UNIFORM with their INSTRUMENTS and BAND MUSIC) at the new Performing Arts building (Directions to the UPEI Performing Arts Centre: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Waa8GYdKBW5hSNFw8)

8:45 am:  Grade 8 Band Students: Set up instruments at UPEI

9:00 am-9:30 am: Warm-up off stage

9:30 am-10:00 am: Grade 8 Band adjudicated Band Days performance

Following their adjudicated performance, students will listen to school bands in the theatre

11:30 am: Load bus at UPEI, Grade 8’s  to return to East Wiltshire in time for lunch and afternoon classes

GRADE 9 SCHEDULE

Grade 9’s Students will attend the Bluefield musical in the morning (9:30-11:30) and will travel directly to UPEI following the performance.

8:45 am: Mrs. Heather Campbell will ask grade 9 band students who play instruments that will not fit on the bus to load them in her truck (Tubas, Baritones, Tenor Saxes, Trombones, Bass Clarinets)

Grade 9 Band students will take their smaller INSTRUMENTS, BAND MUSIC, and LUNCHES on the band bus to BLUEFIELD. *Students will need to WEAR UNIFORMS (vests can be put on after the musical) as they will not have time to change before heading to UPEI.

9:30-11:30 am:  Grade 9 students will attend the Bluefield musical performance and sit together

11:30 am:  Band students will take the first bus leaving  Bluefield

11:45-12:00 pm:  Grade 9 Students arrive at EWS from Bluefield and will switch buses to head to UPEI in uniform.  LUNCH TO BE EATEN ON THE WAY 

12:15 pm:  Grade 9 Students arrive at UPEI and set up instruments

12:30 pm-1:00 pm:  Grade 9 Band warms up offstage

1:00 pm- 1:30 pm:  Grade 9 Band adjudicated Band Days performance

2:15 pm:  A bus has been booked to transport Grade 9 students back to EWS in time for regular dismissal. Mrs. Campbell will transport the large grade 8 and 9 instruments back to EWS. If necessary, Mrs. Peters will do additional trips to get everything (piano, amp, instruments) moved

Thank you, and I hope to see some of you tomorrow at UPEI for some great performances!

PEI Band Days: EWS performs this Thursday (April 11)

The Grade 8 band performs at 9:30 a.m.. Parents are asked to please drop students off at the new Performing Arts building at UPEI by 8:30 a.m.. If there are students who cannot make arrangements for transportation on Thursday, they are asked to please let me know tomorrow. Uniforms (including black pants, white long sleeved shirts, band vests, and dark shoes) are required for the festival. Following their adjudicated performance, students will listen to school bands in the theatre. A bus has been booked to take them back to East Wiltshire at 11:30 a.m.. 

The Grade 9 band performs at 1:00 p.m..  The bus will pick them up at East Wiltshire at 11:45 a.m. in order to arrive at UPE in time for set-up and a formal warm-up at 12:30 p.m., followed by their adjudicated performance on stage. Uniforms (including black pants, white long sleeved shirts, band vests, and dark shoes) are required for the festival performance. A bus has been booked to transport students back to EWS in time for regular dismissal.

If there are any parents or guardians who might be willing to help chaperone/supervise the students at UPEI please let me know (ampeters@edu.pe.ca). Thank you!

You can find the full three day schedule of Band Days performances here: PEI BAND DAYS SCHEDULE

Updated Events Schedule

Thursday, April 11th: PEI Band Day at UPEI (Performing Arts Centre) Grade 8 and 9 students will participate

Wednesday, April 17 and Thursday, April 18: Grade 9 band trip to NS and NB

Wednesday, April 24th: National Youth Band of Canada concert at Bluefield. Grade 7, 8 and 9 Band students will attend the concert which begins at 10:00 a.m.

Thursday, May 9th:  Beginning Band Day at Athena Consolidated in Summerside. Grade 7 band students will participate. 

Friday, May 10th: Band Program Orientation Concert for grade 6 students (at East Wiltshire). All four bands will perform (7, 8, 9, and Jazz)

Wednesday, May 29th: EWS Spring Concert 7:00 pm

We will follow an adjusted early morning band schedule this week to allow the grade 8 and 9 band students to have final rehearsals before the PEI Band Days festival:

Tuesday, April 9th: Grade 9 early am band (Grade 7 early am band is canceled for this week). Students who will be participating in the provincial science fair are excused from this rehearsal.

Wednesday, April 10th: Grade 8 early am band, Jazz Band after school from 3:00-4:00 pm

Thursday, April 11th: Grade 9 am band is canceled. Grade 8’s will meet at the new UPEI Performing Arts Building at 8:30 am for PEI Band Days performance. Grade 9’s will travel to UPEI from EWS for their performance in the afternoon. Directions to the UPEI Performing Arts Centre: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Waa8GYdKBW5hSNFw8

Students are asked to please make every effort to attend all early morning and after school rehearsals so that we can work together to prepare our music for spring performances.

Due to the weather forecast, and the fact that a number of students are unable to attend this afternoon, jazz band rehearsal is canceled after school today.

Grade 9 band trip payments can be made through the SchoolCash online program (instructions were sent out by Mr. Cusack early in the school year). Cash or cheques may also be turned in to the main office. Please call the school if you have any questions. Thank you!

On a March 13 podcast episode of his and brother Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast, retired NFL star Jason Kelce gave fans more context on his musical background, on the things that band taught him, and why he thanked his school band director when he retired from the NFL.

“I tell people this all the time. I really think playing band and playing music in general has allowed me to excel in other things,” including sports. “With band, in my opinion, if you want to learn the importance and the value of practice, nothing will teach you that more clearly than an instrument.” 

You can see the interview here: https://fb.watch/rbVjz9bxSD/

Or read a summary in this article:

https://parade.com/news/jason-kelce-debates-return-musical-roots-retirement-march-2024

I now have a commitment on Wednesday afternoon and I will be not available to direct the Jazz Band rehearsal at the usual time. Jazz band will rehearse on Thursday afternoon from 3:00-4:00 for this week only. I apologize if this creates any inconvenience. Thanks!

I hope that everyone enjoyed the March Break and the Easter long weekend with family and friends. We are going to have a very busy spring with lots of exciting events and performances! Please note the dates below, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

*All students who are traveling on the Grade 9 Band trip to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on April 17-18 are asked to please send in their $160 payment no later than Friday, April 5th. A detailed itinerary for the trip will be posted in a few days.

We will follow the regular early morning band schedule this week:

Tuesday, April 2nd: Grade 7 early am band 

Wednesday, April 3rd: Grade 8 early am band, Jazz Band is canceled after school

Thursday, April 4th: Grade 9 early am band, Jazz Band after school from 3:00-4:00

Students are asked to please make every effort to attend all rehearsals so that we can work together to prepare the music for spring performances.

Upcoming Events

Thursday, April 11th: PEI Band Day at UPEI (Performing Arts Centre)

EWS Grade 8 Concert Band performs at 9:30 am

EWS Grade 9 Concert Band performs at 1:00 pm

Wednesday, April 24th: National Youth Band of Canada concert at Bluefield. Grade 7, 8 and 9 Band students will attend the concert which begins at 10:00 a.m.

Thursday, May 9th:  Beginning Band Day at Athena Consolidated in Summerside. Grade 7 band students will participate. 

Thursday, April 11th: PEI Band Day at UPEI

The Grade 8 band performs at 9:30 a.m.. Parents are asked to please drop students off at the new Performing Arts building at UPEI by 8:30 a.m.. Uniforms (including black pants, white long sleeved shirts, band vests, and dark shoes) are required for the festival. Following their adjudicated performance, students will listen to school bands in the theatre. A bus has been booked to take them back to East Wiltshire at 11:30 a.m.. 

The Grade 9 band performs at 1:00 p.m..  The bus will pick them up at East Wiltshire at 11:45 a.m. in order to arrive at UPE in time for set-up and a formal warm-up at 12:30 p.m. followed by their adjudicated performance on stage. Uniforms (including black pants, white long sleeved shirts, band vests, and dark shoes) are required for the festival performance. A bus has been booked to transport students back to EWS in time for regular dismissal.

• Families and friends are welcome to come and join the audience and there is no cost for admission. Please note that the public is only allowed into the theatre between performances, so please plan to get there with ample time to be seated.

You can find the three day schedule of Band Days performances here: PEI BAND DAYS SCHEDULE

April 17th-18th (Wednesday and Thursday): Grade 9 Band trip to perform in music festivals in NS and NB

• Grade 9 BAND TRIP PAYMENTS ($160) are due on Friday, April 5th.
• Please refer to the previous post (which includes another link to a SLIDE SHOW) for details: Band TRIP Information

Wednesday, April 24th: National Youth Band of Canada concert at Bluefield. Grade 7, 8 and 9 Band students will attend the concert which begins at 10:00 a.m.

Thursday, May 9th:  Beginning Band Day at Athena Consolidated in Summerside. Grade 7 band will participate. 

Spring Concert:  Tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, May 29th at 7:00 p.m.