5th Grade Band Notes

We will be kicking off our annual Chocolate Bunny Fundraiser at next week's Tuesday afternoon rehearsal! The kids will all receive a packet that includes a collection envelope, an informational sheet, and an order form. Please ask your son or daughter to show this packet to you when they get home next Tuesday so it does not get lost in the shuffle! The fundraiser will run for 2 weeks and end on Tuesday, February 24th.

• Each chocolate bunny sells for $6.00 and profits will be used for equipment and music scholarships for the 5th Grade Band. For those new to the program, we are usually able to provide a $125 scholarship over the summer to any student interested in taking private lessons on their instrument. In order to make that happen, we have to raise enough funds with this bunny sale. Students are not eligible for a summer scholarship if they do not participate in the sale.

• Students do not have the bunnies yet- they will be delivered on Tuesday, March 17th. At this time, students will bring their bunnies home and deliver them to the buyers.

• Students should collect the money when taking orders. Checks can be made payable to Lisle Band Parent Organization (LBPO).

• Please include your child’s name in the memo line of any checks.

• Orders are to be turned in on Tuesday, February 24th at after-school band practice. If your order contains lots of cash, we ask that you please write one check to the LBPO for easier transport of money.

• These bunnies are absolutely delicious and will be delivered in time for Easter!

A big thank you to Mrs. Barrette who has volunteered to lead the fundraiser! We will also need a few more parent helpers to help organize the bunny orders after school on Monday, March 16th from about 3:00-4:00 and to help pass the bunnies out to the students on Tuesday, March 17th from about 3:45-4:45. Please consider volunteering for one or more of these times. We could not do what we do without the support of our parents!

I would like to tell you about a fun upcoming event that you may want to consider attending. On Saturday, February 14th, the Lisle Junior High Jazz Bands and the Lisle Senior High Jazz Bands will perform an evening of Big Band jazz at our annual Cabaret Night. There will also be a special performance from the Lisle Alumni Jazz Band. This is always perhaps the most anticipated event of the year for the Lisle Band Department and it promises to be a night of great entertainment. In addition to being a great performance opportunity for the jazz band students of the Junior High and High School, this event serves as our band program’s biggest fundraiser each year. We decorate the Junior High gym and fill it with tables to sit at and from 7:15 PM to 10:00 PM you can enjoy refreshments and watch the progression of jazz bands beginning with the 6th graders and ending with the top high school band. You can also participate in a Grand Raffle and a Chinese raffle and have the opportunity to win some very cool prizes. This evening of good food and great jazz music raises funds for scholarships, clinics and equipment.

Just to clarify, the 5th Grade Band members do not participate in this event nor are they required to attend but it will be a great opportunity for them to see the groups that they will hopefully be part of in the future. The Lisle Band Parents do a phenomenal job of organizing this event and we hope you will consider attending.

Our next band concert will be on Tuesday, March 24th. The students have already received the music for this concert and have been making great progress on it in the last few weeks! This concert begins at 7 PM and will be held in the Lisle High School South Gym. Please mark your calendars and you can expect more detailed information about this concert as it gets closer.

Due to school being canceled on Monday, all Monday lesson groups will make up their lesson TOMORROW at the same time.

9am- Group 5 Clarinets

9:30am- Group 9 Clarinets

10:00am- Group 11 Trumpets

10:30am- Group 10 Saxophones

11:00am- Group 1 Flutes

Last Friday, January 30th was a very special day for our Lisle band program. Our Jazz Ensemble, consisting of primarily juniors and seniors, performed in Peoria at the Illinois Music Educators' Association State Conference. It is a very big honor to have been invited to perform at this event and the students did an absolutely wonderful job. Out of the 17 students in the band, nearly all of them began playing their instruments in the Schiesher 5th Grade Band. I think it goes to show that the great things that are happening in 5th grade band are just a precursor to even greater things in the future. The skills that the students are learning this year are a great foundation for them to move forward and excel in our band program as the years go on.

Here's a trombone player attracting a herd of cattle.