Marching Band Camp News!

Music Boosters present Senior Scholarships

The SPHS Senior Awards night was held on June 4 where scholarships were presented. Booster President Mike Fletcher presented 23 senior scholarships totaling $15,400 to those music students who had applied. We congratulate the following seniors and thank them and their families for the years of wonderful music you have given our community:
Faith Abraham, Matthew Brannen, Derek Bergner, Anthony Canarie, Will Carter, Jonathan Clement, Dillen DeMille, Jennifer Gerry, Harry Gingrich, Kaiya Hansen, Christopher Harle, Elizabeth Hardy, Blake Hawley, Chad McLeod, Sean Martin, Kyle Moran, Matt Morey, Kate Murray, Samuel Ouellette, Greg Reinhold, Alex Roy, Olivia Whitton, Tyler Wilburn

Three (3) individual scholarship awards were also presented:

Elaine Wolfson Memorial Scholarship
Elaine Wolfson was the Vocal Director in the South Portland School Department for many years. She retired in June 2001 due to health reasons. The purpose of this scholarship is to keep Elaine’s work continuing for years to come. The recipient must be a four (4) year student of the South Portland High School Chorus program; they must be attending a College or University to major in Music Education, Music Performance, Music Theater or Music Merchandising; they also must have been involved in music related extra curricular activities the entire four (4) years at South Portland High School.

This year’s recipient of the Elaine Wolfson Scholarship in the amount of $500 is Matt Morey. Matt will be attending USM for music and theater arts.

Andrew David Gerke Memorial Scholarship
Andrew David Gerke was a SPHS graduate; Class of 2003. While here, Andy was a very active member of the instrumental band program, particularly the Marching Band. Following his graduation he traveled in Germany and then attended UMO, attaining a degree in Engineering. In the years after leaving SPHS, Andy continued to be involved with our music program. He returned each year to be an instructor with our Marching Band where his enthusiasm, hard work, dedication and fun loving spirit made him a natural role model for the students he was working with. Through example, he showed our students the importance of pushing themselves academically as well as musically, and the importance of community involvement. On April 14 of last year, at the age of 24, Andy died in a car accident. As a tribute to this wonderful young man, who touched so many lives of the students and parents here at SPHS, his family, represented here by his sister Kate McAlister, and his friends here on the stage, asked that donations be made to a memorial scholarship fund. This is the 2nd year this annual scholarship is being awarded. It is given to a band student who exemplifies the excellence that Andy personified in academics, music and civic responsibility.

This year the Andrew David Gerke Memorial Scholarship for $1000 is awarded to Greg Reinhold. Greg will be attending UCONN majoring in engineering. The scholarship was presented by Andy's sister Kate McAllister (SPHS grad), friends and fellow SPHS grads Alex Mills, Kyle Norris (class of 2003); Kathy Foss (class of 2000) and last year's recipient, Laura Patriquin.

Presidents Scholarship
It is presented at the discretion of the Music Booster President and with the approval of the Board to a music student who has excelled during their years in the music program; someone who may need some extra financial support to continue to move forward with their plans for higher education.

The first recipient of the President’s Scholarship in the amount of $1000 is Kyle Moran. Kyle will be attending the Maine Maritime Academy.

2010-2011 Music Booster Board

President: Mike Fletcher
VP Special Events: Steve Laberge & Rusty Quinn
VP Bingo: Mark Jackson
Secretary: Maggie McNiece
Treasurer: Christina Davis
Publicity: Chuck Igo
Fundraising: Cindy Fletcher
Web Master: Dewey Hendricks
Membership: Robert SanGiovanni

Scholarships

The South Portland Music Boosters are providing $37,938.00 in scholarships this year.

The Music Boosters are proud to announce that they are awarding 23 Senior Scholarships this year for a total of $15,400.

They are also providing scholarships to 59 Middle School and High School students to attend summer music camps. The total amount being provided for these scholarships is $20,038.

This year the Boosters are also awarding 3 other scholarships - The Elaine Wolfson Scholarship ($500), The Andrew Gerke Memorial Scholarship ($1000) and the Presidents Scholarship ($1000)

SPHS CHORAL GROUP SHINES IN NYC

A choral group of 39 students from SPHS, under the direction of Bev Hosic, traveled to NYC from April 15-17. While there they competed at the Festival of Music held at Montclair State University in NJ. They won first place in their division with a gold rating! They were also presented with the award for the most respectful group at the Festival.

The students also sang at St Johns Cathedral in NYC. During the whirlwind trip, they visited Times Square, attended the Lion King show on Broadway where they got to meet and talk with some of the cast; a trip to the Top of the Rock; a dinner/dance cruise on the Hudson River, to mention but a few of their activities.

The Boosters would like to congratulate the students and choral director Bev Hosic for representing SPHS and the community in such an admirable fashion. Great job gang!

Instruments bought and sold here ...

JAZZAPALOOZA AT EVENTS ON BROADWAY

Every year our Middle School and High School band directors provide our jazz students with an experience in jazz music that is unique and educational. In the past the teachers have organized clinics with well known area jazz musicians followed by an evening concert, with the Boosters providing the shirts and food for the students.

This year the teachers decided to provide the students with the experience of playing an actual jazz gig. The event was held in conjunction with the Events on Broadway hall. They have an ongoing Sunday night Jazz supper featuring such bands as the Portland Jazz Orchestra and the Don Doane Band. On Sunday April 11, it featured the Jazz Bands of South Portland Schools with performances by the Mahoney and Memorial learning jazz bands and their regular jazz bands; and performances by the SPHS jazz band, jazz combo and the Jazz Ensemble. Students were accompanied by 2 members of the Portland Jazz Orchestra - trombonist Dr. Chris Oberholtzer (also professor at USM) and trumpeter Craig Skeffington (also SPHS band director).

The bands played to a packed house (very packed and hectic) of family, friends and local jazz enthusiasts; they got to experience having an audience right there in front of them - not sitting in an auditorium.

The Music Boosters provided the Jazzapalooza t-shirts for all the students. At the end of the night, the owners of the Events on Broadway made a donation to the Andrew Gerke Memorial Scholarship Fund which goes to a SPHS graduating band student.

The Boosters would like to thank our teachers for continuing to seek new ideas and experiences for our kids. We would also like to thank Events on Broadway for it's participation and donation to the scholarship fund.

Choral Trip

The South Portland High School Singers, a group of 39 singers comprised of Chamber Singers and Chorus students, will travel with 11 dedicated adults to the city that never sleeps, New York. This trip has been the focus for many months and as April 15th looms ever closer, the excitement is palpable. The singers will begin their experience in Times Square and attend an evening performance of “The Lion King” at the Minskoff Theatre and then speak directly to the actors immediately after viewing this visually and aurally stunning musical. Friday morning the group will compete in the Festival of Music held at Montclair State University against other singers from as far away as South Carolina and Oakville, Ontario. Another performance in the recently completely renovated St. John the Divine Cathedral will take place on Saturday from 11:15-11:45 AM. Students will also participate in a hands on workshop entitled Musical Theater Song and Movement held in a Manhattan rehearsal hall with working a Broadway music director and choreographer. Rounding out the trip will be the Hard Rock Café, a DJ Dinner Cruise in New York Harbor, a trip to Central Park , Top of the Rock Observatory, and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. We will arrive home after midnight on Saturday, April 17th, having had the experience of a lifetime!

Many thanks go out to the students and parents that have hauled bottles and sung mini concerts for elderly citizens, sold cookie dough and saved their hard earned money. The South Portland Music Boosters supported each singer with a $100.00 donation toward the trip. This is hugely appreciated.

So if you happen to be in New York City from April 15-17, please join the audience as the South Portland High School Singers take the stage.

SP Winterguard gets gold medal!

Congratulations to the SPHS Winterguard on wrapping up their season with a gold medal performance. The finals were held at Old Orchard Beach HS on March 21. Our young ladies earned the gold medal with a perfect score of 4 stars in all categories. Great job ladies - we are very proud of you.

Check the photos page for pictures from three different performances. (Video of the finals performance will be posted at a later date.)

MMEA State Jazz Festival

What do you get when you combine 89 bands from 40 schools totaling over 1100 kids, plus parents and staff?

(A) A group needing a lot of food
(B) A huge logistical challenge
(C) A lot of volunteers needed
(D) A challenge for which the South Portland Music Boosters was well prepared
(E) All of the above – and just call it the 2010 MMEA State Jazz Festival.

The weekend of March 26 & 27 was by all accounts hugely successful. A few statistics from these 2 days…
> 78 adults and 60 student volunteers
> Over 3,000 volunteer hours
> Almost 2,000 paid attendees
> 1,360 slices of Pizza, 500 Hot Dogs, 120 Baked Potatoes, 40 pounds of Bananas, and 42 pounds of Apples consumed (plus chips, soda & water, coffee, candy and assorted baked goods).
> 48 plaques awarded for achieving a “1” rating.
> 40 outstanding musician awards presented
> 24 trophies presented for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place performances

Friday afternoon and evening saw competitions in 5 categories in 4 locations around SPHS: gym, band room, chorus room, and auditorium. Each location needed timers, judges, sound engineers, and equipment organizers. Each competing band also needed a home room, a guide from place to place, a warm-up room, and to get their pictures taken. Planning and logistics played a major roll in how well the festival went.

FRIDAY RESULTS
Division 1 Combos
1 Westbrook
2 South Portland
3 Nokomis

Division II Combos
1 Fryeburg Cool
2 GSA Eccentricity
3 Cheverus

Multiple Jazz Bands
1 Westbrook
2 South Portland
3 Cape Elizabeth - Repertory

"B" Multiple Combos - Auditorium
1 Cape Elizabeth -Thursday
2 Old Town 2
3 MDI (Crumb)

"B" Multiple Combos - Band Room
1 GSA Audacity
2 GSA Dusk
3 Westbrook Bluenote

On Saturday, 34 bands competed throughout the day in three divisions. The top three scoring bands in each division returned for an evening performance before a packed auditorium and 5 judges.

SATURDAY RESULTS
Division I
1 Westbrook
2 South Portland
3 Noble

Division II
1 Fryeburg
2 Nokomis
3 Cape Elizabeth

Division III
1 John Bapst
2 MDI
3 Old Town

AND THE WINNER IS ........

Last night it was all those fortunate enough to be in the audience for the MMEA High School Jazz Festival Night Finals. Whether you were a band student, a music director, a parent, a family member, friend or a judge - you witnessed an amazing night of jazz music provided by some very talented young people from around the state. It is hard to believe that all these kids are only 15 - 18 years old.

Congratulations to our 3 bands - Jazz Band - 2nd place in their division; Jazz Combo - 2nd place in their division; Jazz Ensemble - 2nd place in their division !!!!

We are all very proud of them and pleased by their performances as well as the help they provided during the weekend. They not only had to perform, but they were also busy greeting buses, escorting the other 88 bands to their home rooms, warm up areas and performance areas, helping with stage set up, running judge score sheets from performance sites to the tabulator, and doing a variety of other odd jobs that I found for them. We also had several band and chorus students who were not in the jazz bands who came out to help. It was a true team effort. The visiting band directors complimented our kids on the job they did. They were very impressed.

I would like to thank all the volunteers who helped out - parents, family members, our music teachers). No matter how small you feel your contribution was, we appreciate it. This type of event takes almost an army of people, so even a half hour of assistance is very much appreciated. With the exception of having 10 bands arrive at the school by 1:30 on Friday (when school didn't get out until 1:50) the event ran smoothly. We heard nothing but compliments from all involved - guests, judges, visiting band directors - on the service we provided, how friendly and helpful everyone was, how many people we had ("everywhere we turn there's someone in red wanting to help us"), how organized we were. As people were leaving the Night Finals - around 9:30 PM - and when fatigue was really setting in for many of us, the fatigue was washed away by the number of judges, band directors and parents from other schools who came up to me (and I am sure came to others) and offered their thanks and congratulations on a wonderful weekend. (I politely turned down their requests that we host it again next year).

As much as it takes an army of people to do this, it does take some hard working people to take the lead. I would like to especially thank the steering committee for all their hard work preparing for this in the weeks (actually months) prior to the weekend: Rusty Quinn, our VP of Special Events who was the Chair person and oversaw the whole event; Steve Laberge, our other VP Special Events, who was in charge of the concessions (imagine trying to calculate the amount of food needed to serve over 2000 people for 2 days!!); Cindy Fletcher for doing so much work on site, as well as behind the scenes at home working with the volunteer list; Pete Everest - in charge of set up and making sure the hundreds of chairs, music stands etc were set up in the 4 performance sites and 4 warm up areas; Chuck Igo, in charge of publicity and who worked throughout the weekend (even on his birthday); Dewey Hendricks and Jim Landau who took care of all the scoring and printing of certificates for the bands and soloists; Robert Sangiovani who designed and took care of the festival shirts - the kids loved them (saw a lot of parents wearing them too!); Carol Sobczak who recruited advertising with our local merchants; Jean Esposito who worked on the steering committee and seemed to be covering about 20 some odd jobs at the same time during the weekend; Kathy Carmichael who took care of the volunteer coordination.

And finally a big thank you to our HS Band Director Craig Skeffington - who this weekend was there as the SP band director as well as the MMEA Jazz VP. When I pulled out of the parking lot at 11 PM Saturday - Craig was still there taking care of last minute things. We appreciate all you do for and with our kids.

Thank you to all. We are all very proud of our kids, but they should be proud of us also for being there to provide them with such wonderful opportunities.

Mike Fletcher, President
SP Music Boosters

MMEA Middle School State Jazz Festival

March is “Music In Our Schools” month and the great sounds continue. Congratulations to the South Portland Middle School Jazz Bands for their excellent showing in the MMEA Middle School State Jazz Festival held Saturday, March 20 at Nokomis. Both the Memorial and Mahoney Middle School Jazz Bands earned a “1” rating for outstanding performance with Memorial Middle School placing 3rd overall.

S. P. BANDS EARN 4TH PLACE FINISH AT BERKLEE

Two of our jazz band, the Combo and the Ensemble, traveled to Boston on March 13 for the 42nd Berklee High School Jazz Fest. The Combo placed 4th in their division. It is composed of Sam Ouellette, Eric Quinn, Matt Brannen, Matt Clement, Will Carter, Blake Hawley and Eric Landau. Blake Hawley received one of 3 Outstanding Musician awards presented in that division. The Ensemble tied for 4th in their division. It is composed of Joey Hendricks, Jenny Fletcher, Brian Weden, Sam Ouellette, Chad McLeod, Alex Roy, Eric Quinn, Chuck Key, Maggie Soloman, Hannah Huggins, Dillon DeMille, Matt Brannen, Matt Laberge, Brandon Powell, Olivia Whitton, Blake Hawley, Will Carter, Matt Clement, Colin Huggins and Eric Landau.

The day featured clinics that the students were able to attend, given by world class jazz musicians, tours of Berklee College, performances by some of Berklee's bands as well as being able to listen to other high school bands from around the US.

Our congratulations to all the students for a job well done!. We are proud of you

HS Musical - Bye Bye Birdie big success

Congratulations to all the cast and crew who worked so hard on this year's musical - Bye Bye Birdie. They were rewarded with 2 weekends of fun and amazing shows. Once again, the talent and hard work of our students were showcased - they are truly amazing. They are wonderful representatives of their school, their music program, and their community.

Congratulations also to Steve and Jane Fileo who once again directed and produced the show. You provide the opportunity for our kids to learn and grow.

And of course, thank you to all the parents who work in the background getting the food ready, the hair curled just right, the costumes ironed, the sets built and painted, the shirts, flowers and other mementos made, the tickets sold, the ads sent out, the audience seated. It is truly a "family" team effort.

To see some pictures from the performances, click on the Photos button to the left.