Burke Instrumental Weekly Updates

Students in Block 1/2 Orchestra, Block 4 Jazz Band, and Block 7 Concert band will NOT need instruments Tuesday through Friday this week.We will be spending time on Tuesday/Wednesday with a focus to de-stress and focus our minds for finals on Thursday/Friday.

Guard sectionals will be virtual this week on Tuesday from 7:00pm until 8:00pm on our TEAMS page. If you are unable to attend, please contact Ms. Faith.

When we return from winter break, we will begin the process of selecting band leadership for the 2021-2022 school year. This leadership team will be selected before spring and installed afterwards. Positions available are Drum Major, Section Leader, and At Large Member. These positions are available for any current 9th through 11th grade student.

The process for selection includes an application, interview, and audition (drum majors only). Applications are due by Friday, January 22 and can be located on the Files tab of our TEAMS page. Virtual interviews will begin the week of January 25. Drum major auditions will happen in April.

Please see Mr. Brubaker with any questions.

The prizes for raffles and incentives for students to raise will start to be distributed later this week. We ask that students who collected donations from a raffle winner deliver the prize to that raffle winner. In addition to raffle prizes, we will also be distributing incentive prizes for students. These are the prizes that students can keep. The raffle prize and incentive prize envelopes will be clearly marked. If students have questions, they should contact Mr. Brubaker or Ms. Bock.

With our transition to virtual instruction through November 20, this has thrown a wrench into our plans to distribute these prizes. We are considering a couple of options and will in announce in class when we have a solution.

Announcing the 2021 Nebraska Wind Symphony Wind/Percussion Scholarship Competition!

Scholarship awards of $1000 and $500 are available to two students who are:

• Resident of Nebraska or Iowa

• College-bound high school student, college undergraduate, or graduate student

• Enrolled as a full-time student in a Nebraska higher education institution for upcoming academic year

• Participation in a college band ensemble (concert, marching, or jazz) is required.

• Any major/field of study is acceptable

• Not already a recipient of the NWS Memorial Scholarship

The selected recipients may have an opportunity to play their solo selection with the Nebraska Wind Symphony at one of our concerts based on availability and programming. NOTE: We ask that the selection have an accompaniment arrangement available for band. See our website for a representative repertoire list.

Important Dates:

Application period: January 2, 2021 through February 22, 2020 (last Monday of February)

Selection Date: March, 2020

For more information (application form, application submission form, repertoire list) see: http://nebraskawindsymphony.com/scholarship

Application materials to be submitted electronically through the NWS website.

Send any questions about the scholarship or Nebraska Wind Symphony to: info@nebraskawindsymphony.com

While we are disappointed that we cannot host our annual BOCH (Band, Orchestra, Choirs Honors) Festival in person this year, we are very pleased and excited to offer a Virtual BOCH Festival in 2021. This Festival will take place on Saturday, January 30, 2021 from 8:30-5:00. Open to students in grades 9-12, offered will be numerous sessions for students and teachers, including mini-lessons.

Registration opens December 1. There is a cost that Burke can cover. Students who are interested in attending this event should email Mr. Brubaker (kyle.brubaker@ops.org) as soon as possible. Deadline to register: Saturday, January 9.

For more information, please visit: https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-communication-fine-arts-and-media/music/community-engagement/boch-festival/index.php

We have an exciting opportunity to earn $1000 plus tips this holiday season! Nebraska Furniture Mart will donate $500 per shift we are able to cover to wrap gifts. They will provide all supplies. We are requesting volunteer family members to cover shifts on Saturday, December 12th and Sunday, December 13th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Masks will be required to be worn at all times. Please review the time slots available on Sign-up Genius. Please wear either a Burke High School shirt or a BHS Band shirt; if you have a Santa hat, feel free to wear it to really get into the holiday spirit! Email Secretary@OmahaBurkeBand.com or call 402.679.2833 with any questions. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090548A8AE2AA7FF2-nfmgift

These are great ways to earn money for our group doing things that you would normally be doing anyway.

Amazon Smile:
Purchase items from Amazon through this link and we receive 0.5% of the purchase on eligible items with no additional cost to you. You can use the Smile.Amazon.com link below to save and help the program out!!
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/26-0503761

TAGG app:
Local businesses, restaurants and services registered with Together a Greater Good (TAGG) send a portion of your purchase to the band with no additional cost to you. Rates depend on the business. Once the app is downloaded, select Burke High School and then Burke Band as the organization to scan and submit the receipt.

http://portal.togetheragreatergood.com/public/download

Parents –

Over the past few weeks, the PTO has been sending you reminders on the various ways that it supports our school, teachers, and students. In addition to the many things the PTO supports for our teachers and students, the PTO also supports our athletic teams and clubs by donating money back when a parent donates $125. This is an easy way for our team to raise some extra dollars. Please read more about the PTO’s efforts below and consider donating to Cash Instead of Bash.

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LOYALTY to our Students:

As a PTO, we recognize the value and importance of education. Through our fundraising efforts, Buke PTO supports a variety of activities to enhance our students’ learning environment. Your donations help us:

• Provide ten $500 scholarships to graduating seniors to help offset the cost of their college education.
• Purchase ACT prep books for Burke juniors to help them do their best on college admission tests.
• We assist the school during events such as the Academic Recognition Program, Homecoming, Prom, and we work hard to recruit future bulldogs at the Eighth Grade Open House.

To learn about the impact on our students, click here.

Your donation will ensure that we are able to continue to support these and other activities at Burke. Please show your support by accessing our website at Cash Instead of Bash.

In order to increase communication among the boosters, we have created a group on the Remind App. The group is named “ Instrumental Music Boosters”. You can join by downloading the Remind App, click on Join a class, and enter @faf2bc2. Or you can join via text by entering this number 81010 and text this message @faf2bc2.

Please contact me at president@omahaburkeband.com or call me at 402-714-966 with questions.

“We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience.” ― John Dewey

Kyle Brubaker

Director of Instrumental Music

Burke High School

P: (531) 299-3949
E: kyle.brubaker@ops.org

W: www.omahaburkeband.com

Be instrumental at Burke!