Sunday, December 13, 2009

12/13/09 UPDATE

Thank you to everyone who attended the Christmas Concert on Thursday. This will be the last scheduled weekly newsletter until after the holiday break.

PRESIDENT'S CORNER – Jim Lowery

My appreciation goes to all who helped with the refreshments at the Christmas Band Concert. With the attendance filling the library, it will be nice to have the next concert in the Fine Arts Center!

Thanks for those who helped with the delivery of Christmas flowers. Since Shae was unable to lift anything due to her surgery, the help from John, Kevin, and Jonathan moving the flowers was especially welcome. This continues strong as a fund raiser for the boosters.

I am thankful that the boosters were able to bring Christmas wishes to the staff. It was a special fall season and we are blessed with those who work with our children. While the hard work of marching season is complete, we still have opportunity to hear the talent of our children in the upcoming concerts.

As a member of the Lions of Mississippi All-State Band Committee, I am especially proud of our children that are a part of the 2010 band. (All four seniors-what a group!) If you want to hear the finest band musicians in Mississippi, travel with me to Ellisville in June to hear the concert before they travel to Sydney, Australia for parade competition at the Lions Clubs International convention in July.
See you in 2010.

DIRECTORS’ REPORT – Bruce & Cammie Carter

We were very proud of the Sixth Grade Band, the Concert Band, and the Jazz Band for their performances at the JA Band Program Christmas Concert on Thursday.

Thank you to Kristal Golden for organizing the refreshments for the concert, and to those parents who contributed items and helped with setup, serving, and cleanup.



The following students have indicated that they are planning to participate in the 2010 MAIS Concert Band Clinic January 7-9:

Caroline Burford
Annie Campbell
Samantha Hill
John Humphreys
Brandon Hutchins
Bryant Hutchins
Zack McWilliams
JP Pierce
Alex Ray
Jonathan Sandlin
Jace Stanley
Luke Strong
Jacob Theisges
Will Tribble

If your student is not on this list and wishes to participate, please send me an email so I can add them to the roster.

Clinic Details:

-Student Cost - $75 (checks made payable to JA Band, due by Tuesday, January 5)

-Students will have excused absences from school for the afternoon on Thursday, January 7, and all day Friday, January 8

-All students must stay at the Regency Hotel, where all clinic events will be held. Cammie & I will also be staying at the hotel to supervise.

-Students will be placed in one of two ensembles based on auditions Thursday afternoon, which will consist of a short prepared piece (30 sec - 2 min), two major scales, and a sight-reading exercise. We will assist our students with preparations for the auditions.

-Final concert, for parents and the public, will be Saturday, January 9, at 1:00 in the Regency Hotel Ballroom.

Please send me an email if you have any questions about the clinic.

PHOTO GALLERY - Wendy Hutchins

Here are a few photos from the Christmas Concert. These and many more are posted in the online gallery at JA BAND GALLERY.














Thursday, December 10, 2009

12/06/09 UPDATE

We hope the weather this weekend put everyone in the holiday spirit to enjoy the Christmas Concert on Thursday.

POINSETTIA SALE – Shae Lowery




CHRISTMAS POINSETTIA pickup is Tuesday. Thank you for your support of this fundraiser.

If you have any questions, please contact me at sclowery@jacksonacademy.org.


DIRECTORS’ REPORT – Bruce & Cammie Carter


The JA Band Program Christmas Concert will be this Thursday, December 10, beginning at 7:00 in the JA Library.

Percussion section members should report to the Band Hall by 6:15 Thursday to move equipment to the Library

Sixth Grade Band members should be in their seats in the library by 6:45. Attire for the concert will be Sunday dress up (coats and ties for the boys, pants or skirts knee length or longer for the girls).

High School Band members should be in the Library by 7:00. Attire for high schoolers is black for the boys and dark pants or skirts knee length or longer for the girls.

The concert will begin with the 19-member Sixth Grade Band giving its premiere performance with several traditional Folk and Christmas classics. The High School Concert Band will be performing a few "new" Christmas classics from film, radio and TV, including music from Home Alone, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, selections from A Charlie Brown Christmas, a crazy version of the James Brown classic retitled Santa’s Got A Brand New Bag, and the premiere of a modern/ jazzy arrangement Silent Night for Brass and Percussion by JA Alumnus Corey Carter.

The program will conclude with the always popular High School Jazz Band, performing fresh arrangements of pop standards such as Santa Baby, Baby, It’s Cold Outside, and a hard swinging version of Jingle Bells.

Please join us to get in the holiday spirit. Come early – it will be crowded in the Library – and plan to stay late, to enjoy plenty of current and unusual holiday music.

John Humphreys traveled to USM Saturday to participate in the "Trumpet Day" with high school trumpet students from across the state as well as the USM Trumpet studio. It was a day of concerts, clinics, discussions, and lessons for trumpets only.



The JACKSON INDEPENDENT WINTER GUARD had a wonderful first week of preparation for their season. The girls learned the drill for the entire show and most of the equipment work during their rehearsals Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.

Thank you to Kate Bowman for preparing a spaghetti dinner for 20 on Friday and delivering it to the rehearsal.

The Winter Guard rehearsal schedule for this week:

Tuesday, December 8 – Weapons only, 4:00-6:00

Sunday, November 29, 2009

11/29/09 UPDATE

Just a few reminders as we return from the Thanksgiving break:

POINSETTIA SALE – Shae Lowery

The deadline for ordering Christmas flowers has been extended. Please send your order as soon as possible. Click on the poinsettia for a link to all the pertinent information:



DIRECTORS’ REPORT – Bruce & Cammie Carter



The JACKSON INDEPENDENT WINTER GUARD will begin preparing for its season this week. Guard parents, please make a note of the following schedule, as a few times have changed slightly from the original calendar due to facility and student availability.

The Winter Guard rehearsal schedule for this week:

Tuesday, December 1 – 4:00-8:00

Friday, December 4 – 2:00-8:00 (Dinner provided)
Saturday, December 5 – 2:00-8:00 (Dinner provided)
Sunday, December 6 (if needed-this will be announced at the end of Saturday’s practice) – 2:00-5:00

Thank you to Abbi Thomas, Mary Jo Thomas, Samantha Hill, & Annie Campbell for spending several hours today helping to paint drill sets on the winter guard mat.



As previously announced, the JA Band Program Christmas Concert will be on Thursday, December 10, beginning at 7:00 in the JA Library. Band class time in the coming weeks will be devoted to working on the holiday tunes for the concert.

The concert will begin with the 19-member Sixth Grade Band giving its premiere performance with several traditional Folk and Christmas classics. The High School Concert Band will be performing a few "new" Christmas classics from film, radio and TV, including music from Home Alone, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, selections from A Charlie Brown Christmas, a crazy version of the James Brown classic retitled Santa’s Got A Brand New Bag, and the premiere of a modern/ jazzy arrangement Silent Night for Brass and Percussion by JA Alumnus Corey Carter. The program will conclude with the always popular High School Jazz Band, performing fresh arrangements of pop standards such as Santa Baby, Baby, It’s Cold Outside, and a hard swinging version of Jingle Bells.Please join us to get in the holiday spirit.

Come early – it will be crowded in the Library – and plan to stay late, to enjoy plenty of current and unusual holiday music.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

11/22/09 UPDATE

We hope all band families and friends have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.

POINSETTIA SALE – Shae Lowery

The deadline for ordering Christmas flowers has been extended. Please place your order as soon as possible. Here is a link to all the pertinent information: JA BAND POINSETTIA SALE INFO

DIRECTORS’ REPORT – Bruce & Cammie Carter



Congratulations to the JA Band members pictured above for their achievements on Saturday at callback auditions for the Mississippi Lions All-State Band. The students earned the following placements:

Will Commarato – 2nd chair Trombone
Jonathan Sandlin – 3rd chair Trumpet
John Humphreys – 5th chair Trumpet
Kevin Lowery – 8th chair Baritone
Annie Campbell – 2nd Alternate on Flag (highest ranking among 9th graders)

We are extremely proud of these students. To have this number of students selected to the All-State Band is an accomplishment for any school, public or private, and to earn such high spots in the ensemble is a remarkable achievement. Over 800 students from around the state auditioned for the 125-member band. These students are all exemplary representatives of Jackson Academy and the JA Band.

The JA WINTER GUARD will begin preparing for its season after the Thanksgiving break with a rehearsal on Tuesday, December 1, 4:00 – 8:00. The guard members will learn the drill for the show on the following weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, December 4, 5, & 6). All guard members have been given a calendar for all winter guard events. Lenny Westmoreland, who wrote the drill for this fall’s marching show, will be writing the JA Winter Guard show as well.

Cammie would like to thank John Humphreys, Jonathan Sandlin, Kevin Lowery, Annie Campbell, and Samantha Hill for taking time this afternoon to help prepare the mat for the Winter Guard. Special mention to John for “taking a fall” for the guard.



As previously announced, the JA Band Program Christmas Concert will be on Thursday, December 10, beginning at 7:00 in the JA Library. All class time in the coming weeks will be devoted to working on the holiday tunes for the concert.

The concert will begin with the 19-member Sixth Grade Band giving its premiere performance with several traditional Folk and Christmas classics. The High School Concert Band will be performing a few "new" Christmas classics from film, radio and TV, including music from Home Alone, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, selections from A Charlie Brown Christmas, a crazy version of the James Brown classic retitled Santa’s Got A Brand New Bag, and the premiere of a modern/ jazzy arrangement Silent Night for Brass and Percussion by JA Alumnus Corey Carter.The program will conclude with the always popular High School Jazz Band, performing fresh arrangements of pop standards such as Santa Baby, Baby, It’s Cold Outside, and a hard swinging version of Jingle Bells.

Please join us to get in the holiday spirit. Come early – it will be crowded in the Library – and plan to stay late, to enjoy plenty of current and unusual holiday music.


Wednesday, November 18, 2009

11/15/09 UPDATE

POINSETTIA SALE – Shae Lowery

The deadline for ordering Christmas flowers is this Thursday, December 19th.

The flowers are provided by a JA patron and are really beautiful!! They will be "dressed", which means they will have foil or plastic around them so they won't leak.

Here is a link to all the pertinent information: JA BAND POINSETTIA SALE INFO


DIRECTORS’ REPORT – Bruce & Cammie Carter

Thank you to the JA Jazz Band members who performed at Raider Night last Tuesday. The performance was enthusiastically received by the crowd in attendance, and the students seemed to truly enjoy performing beside the members of the Vamps.

Congrats to the JA football team on the successful conclusion of their Championship season Friday night. The band members contributed to the JA spirit at the game with their enthusiastic playing in the stands throughout.

Congratulations to JA Band members John Humpheys, Will Commarato, Kevin Lowery, Jonathan Sandlin, Alex Ray, Bryant Hutchins, Annie Campbell, Samantha Hill (the only eighth grader in the state auditioning on flag), and Abbi Thomas for auditioning on Saturday for the Mississippi Lions All-State Band. These students worked for many months preparing for the auditions, which drew hundreds of students from predominantly public schools around the state.

Further kudos to the five JA Band members whose auditions earned them the right to return on Saturday, November 21, for further callback auditions. Trumpeters Jonathan Sandlin and John Humphreys were rated in the top ten of over 100 trumpets from all over the state. Will Commarato is rated second from among about 70 trombones, and Kevin Lowery is a top-four baritone. JA has not had a baritone representative on the Lions Band for many years. Annie Campbell is the first flag member from JA in several years as well. Good luck to all of these students on Saturday.

The JA WINTER GUARD will begin preparing for its season with a rehearsal on Tuesday, December 1, from 4:00 - 8:00. The guard members will learn the drill for the show on the following weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, December 4, 5, & 6). All guard members have been given a calendar for all winter guard events. Lenny Westmoreland, who wrote the drill for this fall’s marching show, will be writing the JA Winter Guard show as well. All the girls seem excited to begin learning the program.

As previously announced, the JA Band Program Christmas Concert will be on Thursday, December 10, beginning at 7:00 in the JA Library. All class time in the coming weeks will be devoted to working on the holiday tunes for the concert. The Sixth Grade Band, Jazz Band, and Concert Band will perform.


PHOTO GALLERY- Wendy Hutchins

JA Band pictures can be viewed at the JA Band Gallery online. If anyone has band photos to add to the gallery, please send them to Wendy Hutchins at wendy.hutchins@salliemae.com.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

11/08/09 UPDATE






















SECRETARY’S CORNER – Karen Humphreys


Thank you to everyone who donated items for the third quarter reception for the Parklane band on Friday, especially to Hope Burford for picking up and delivering the Chick Fil A sandwiches.

The Parklane band students and directors went on and on about how thankful they were that we fed them. We had enough food to feed everyone, including our band parents. Thank you!


DIRECTORS’ REPORT – Bruce & Cammie Carter

The JA Jazz Band, which is comprised of our older students, with assistance from some guest musicians, will be performing during Raider Night on Tuesday, as described on the flyer above. Jazz Band members should report to the Assembly Hall by 6:00 on Tuesday evening, dressed in black dress pants, black dress shoes, and a black dress shirt.

Congrats to the JA Raider football team for their big win on Friday. The victory earns them a spot in the MAIS Class AAA Division I Championship game against Jackson Prep on Thursday, November 12, at Mississippi College at 7:00 pm. There will not be time to perform the halftime show, but the band will perform as a pep band throughout the game.

All band members need to be at MC by 6:15 pm on Thursday, in band t-shirts, jeans, & JA sweatshirts or jackets if needed. They must wear the band t-shirt to identify themselves as band members at the gate. Carpools will be organized to get students to and from the game Thursday evening, if you desire. Look for an email from Jim Lowery with details about organizing the carpools. For those parents who are transporting their own students, we will send a map to MC with an indication of where we will meet, when the information is available.

Good luck to the JA Band members who are auditioning for the Mississippi Lions All-State Band on Saturday, November 14.

Please make a note of the JA Band Program Christmas Concert on your calendar. The concert, which will include performances by the Sixth Grade Band, the Jazz Band, and the Concert Band, will be Thursday, December 10, at 7:00 pm in the JA Library.

Concert season also brings the opportunities for honor band clinics for our students.

The MAIS Concert Band Clinic is held each year in January for student musicians from independent schools around the state in grades 7-12. This year the clinic will be held January 7-9, 2010, at the Regency Hotel in Jackson. All participants are required to stay at the hotel. Cammie and I will also be staying at the hotel and providing supervision throughout the clinic. A general schedule:

Thursday, January 7 – Clinic begins at 1:00 pm. All students check in to the clinic and the hotel, and sign up to audition for placement in one of two ensembles. The first rehearsal for both ensembles is in the evening.
Friday, January 8 – Rehearsal blocks in the morning and the afternoon, pizza dinner and entertainment for all students in the evening.
Saturday, January 9 – Rehearsal block in the morning, concert for parents and the public in the afternoon.

Cost is still being determined, but will be approximately $75 per student for the clinic, $40 for the hotel (quad occupancy), and as desired for meals that are not provided. The clinician for the first band will be Mr. Shaw Furlow, Band Director at Copiah-Lincoln Community College. Mr. Furlow always brings dynamic music to share with the students and an engaging teaching style. The selection of a clinician for the second band is still being finalized.

Some of our junior and senior students will also be auditioning for some of the area university honor band clinics, including the following:

MSU HONOR BAND CLINIC with clinician Mark Camphouse, January 28-30

ALL-SOUTH HONOR BAND CLINIC at USM, with clinicians Paula Crider, Denton Stokes, & Dr. Timothy Rhea, February 11-14

MID-SOUTH HONOR BAND CLINIC at Ole Miss, Febrary 18-20



Sunday, November 1, 2009

11/01/09 UPDATE







Congratulations to the JA Band for receiving Superior ratings from the three band judges, the percussion judge, and the color guard judge at the MAIS Marching Band Festival on Saturday.

MESSAGE FROM JA PRESIDENT PETER JERNBERG:

The Jackson Academy Family continues to be so very proud of the incredible excellence of our total band program. The past two weekends, the Jackson Academy Band has performed on a national stage and the stage of the state of Mississippi. They continue to reflect the excellence of Jackson Academy across, both, our nation and state.

We express our deepest gratitude to our young people whose tireless dedication, allows our program to continue the rich tradition of being champions and also continuing to perform in an all superior and unsurpassed manner. Also, we commend the outstanding leadership of our band staff (Bruce Carter, Cammie Carter, Paul Heindl and Steve McCartney). We would also like to express our deepest appreciation to our band boosters and parents who sacrificially give in a fashion that allows our program to continue to excel at the very highest level.

Congratulations to all,

Peter Jernberg

PRESIDENT’S CORNER – Jim Lowery

The last 10 days have been incredibly busy! I have had two 12 hour bus rides, watched 2 performances in the Alamo Dome, watched a performance at Raider Field during the MAIS Marching Band Festival, enjoyed Sea World and 6 Flags Fiesta Texas, a Riverwalk boat ride and participated in my last Senior Night in the rain. Many of us worked in the time between those activities preparing to host the festival. Connie has already sent an email on how so many of you helped to make our effort a success. I did not get to see many of you from my location in the parking lot on Saturday, but I was able to see a lot of you working from a distance and hear that a few of you won raffle prizes from our exceptional raffle. My special thanks to Tim McWilliams for again helping control access to the band parking area. The fact that the gate receipts were higher meant that spectators were not entering through our gate.

I was able to attend the Friday pep rally. Watching the beginner band participate was awesome!
December brings the Christmas Concert and Flower Sales. Take a deep breath, relax a little and get ready to hear our talented students in concert.

POINSETTIA SALE – Shae Lowery

Can you manage one more fund raiser for the band? Everything helps.

The Christmas Flowers make really nice gifts. Do you need a present for a Sunday School teacher, your child's teacher, or Aunt Hattie who"doesn't need anything"? How about decorations for your office?

The flowers are provided by a JA patron and are really beautiful!! They will be "dressed", which means they will have foil or plastic around them so they won't leak.

Orders need to turned in by November 19th. The flowers will be delivered to the school for pickup on December 8th.

An order form and pictures of last year's flowers will be coming in the next day or so.

The flowers are:
6" Red Poinsettias - $16.00
8" Red Poinsettias - $29.00
6" White Poinsettias - $16.00
8" White Poinsettias - $29.00
6" White Cactus - $16.00
6" Amaryllis - $16.00
6" Paper Whites - $14.00

DIRECTORS’ REPORT – Bruce & Cammie Carter

It was another good week for the JA Band. Thank you to JA President Peter Jernberg, Secondary Dean Keith Branning, and Dean of Student Affairs Bill Bunch for coming by the band hall after our return on Tuesday to congratulate the students for their achievements in San Antonio.

Take a look at the Jackson Academy homepage, where a photo of the band performing in the Alamodome is part of the slideshow. Click on the caption at the bottom of the photo to read the news blurb and any comments placed by visitors to the site, including the following:

You guys were outstanding. I enjoyed your program very much. I was blown away by the size of your band and your young ages, but you really stood out among the crowd. Well executed and very professional.

Kudos, JA!

Billy from Fort Worth, Texas

Thank you to the Sixth Grade Band members who performed with the high school band at the pep rally on Friday. They seemed to enjoy the experience, and their musical contributions were appreciated. Also at the pep rally, Bryan Eubank of Raider Radio introduced the high school band members to the crowd and recognized them for their successes in San Antonio:












In spite of the inclement weather Friday night, we were able to recognize the Senior Band members during pregame. Will Commarato, John Humphreys, Kevin Lowery, & Jonathan Sandlin, along with their parents, were introduced to the crowd and recognized for their achievements over their years at JA. Congratulations to these fine young men, all of whom have very bright futures ahead. Photos of the seniors with their parents are included in the photos below.

Many thanks to Connie Hill and all the other JA Band Boosters who worked so hard as gracious hosts at the MAIS Marching Band Festival on Saturday. With the great weather and all the smiling faces which greeted the visitors to our campus, it was a positive experience for all involved.

This Friday the first playoff football game will be at home vs. Parklane. We will follow the usual home game schedule, with pep tunes in the stands first and second quarter, performance of the show at halftime, a break third quarter, and drumline in the stands fourth quarter. We will spread the word if we learn of any changes to the schedule. Students need to report at 5:30 on Friday in half uniform for the pregame rehearsal.

One schedule note, if the football team wins the game on Friday, then next game will be on THURSDAY, November 12, at Mississippi College.

The Jazz Band will be performing at Raider Night, which will be Tuesday, November 10. We will announce the details in class and in next week’s newsletter.

The JA Band’s focus now turns to the winter concert season. Good luck to our older students who will be auditioning for the MS Lions All-State Band on November 14.

As previously announced, the JA Band Program Christmas Concert will be on Thursday, December 10, beginning at 7:00 in the JA Library. We originally had hoped to have the concert in the new Performing Arts Center, but the facility will not be finished until January. The Sixth Grade Band, Jazz Band, and Concert Band will perform.

Thanks to all for your support throughout this exciting marching season. Your students could not achieve what they do without that support.

JA BAND Schedule for the week:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday – Rehearsal 2:00 – 2:46
Friday – Home football game, Report time 5:30 in half uniform, guard and horns on the asphalt, percussion in the band hall

PHOTO GALLERY

Thanks to Sue Guindon for helping to take photos this weekend. The following pictures and many more can be viewed at the JA Band Gallery online. If anyone has band photos to add to the gallery, please send them to Wendy Hutchins at wendy.hutchins@salliemae.com.

Pep rally Friday, with the Sixth Grade Band:




















Senior Recognition:

Eric, Will, & Betty Commarato:
















Shae, Kevin, & Jim Lowery:



















Karen, John, & John Humphreys:
















Pam, Jonathan, & Rike Sandlin:



















Band parents working hard to set up for the Festival on Saturday:
















Drum Majors Will Commarato and John Humphreys accepting awards from MAIS Director of Activities Les Triplett and MAIS Band Division President Kelli Wallace:













Wednesday, October 28, 2009

CHRISTMAS CONCERT

The JA Band Program Christmas Concert, which will include performances by the Sixth Grade Band, Jazz Band, and Concert Band, will be THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, at 7:00 pm in the JA Library.

Hope to see you there.

Monday, October 26, 2009

10/26/09 UPDATE












Congratulations to the JA Band for their achievements in San Antonio! The trip was a wonderful experience for our students and families. Look for more details & photos below.


Quick schedule update: All band rehearsals this week (Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday) will be only during seventh period class time – 2:00 – 2:46.


PRESIDENT’S CORNER – Jim Lowery

What can I say about my last trip to a Bands of America event? I have not seen in the events I have attended seen our band interrupted for standing ovations during the show! That was the top to my final journey. So much went well due to work on many fronts. Thanks to Pam Sandlin who served as trip coordinator for this event. To all those parents who rode the bus, the schedule went so much as planned. We even adjusted well to the 10:45 PM performance time on Saturday. We did not even lose a chaperone. Luke Strong had the best time: He chaperoned 5 parents at the Alamo! Thanks to Chief Wendy for keeping us together. To Joe Mardis, Mark Hatch and Paul Heindl, thanks for allowing me to enjoy the “comforts” of the bus! To all those who help with the load, unload, load, unload, load, unload, load, and unload work for this trip… WELL DONE! For those who help with field preparation, sitting in the stands at the 3 minute mark is another WELL DONE. Thanks for the support in the stands. On many of the trips I have taken with the band, we have not had a fan base in the stands. Thanks to all of you that took of your time to support our children in San Antonio. Thanks for the support on the home front that communicated with the press box during the web stream of the show.

Now, on to the next projects…

1. Don’t forget Senior Night at the Friday football game. These four guys have done much to insure the success of the JA Band for the future. I again observed many instances of their mentoring on the trip. Don’t forget. We will need assistance for the field show.

2. We need all of you to be available for the MAIS Marching Festival at Raider Field on Saturday. If you are not already assigned a job, please be available. The raffle has an enormous value. Sell all the tickets you can; I can print more! I am printing the program as I write this. Thanks to all who sold ads to make the program the largest we have produced. Thank Sue Guindon when you see her on Friday and Saturday for her help with the layout of the program. This has become profitable for the band boosters through the hard work of many.

3. I have been asked to have the band boosters participate in Raider Night. What a good way to showcase a JA advantage! We should be proud of what our children have accomplished and share that! As plans come together, we will communicate with you.

Signing off to zzzzzzzzzzz! Jim

MAIS FESTIVAL REPORT- Connie Hill

1. I need volunteers to sell raffle tickets at the game Friday night. Last year several of the dads walked the track and the stands selling tickets and the reception from the JA fans was phenomenal. I really want that again this year. If you are passionate about our BOA Class A Champions band and want to let everyone know that you are a proud band parent come help us sell raffle tickets Friday night at the game. We will need you there for pre-game and until half-time. Please let me know. crhill725@comcast.net

2. We still need volunteers for concession stand.

3. I need helpers to put up 4 canopies at 9:00 Saturday morning.

4. I need 4 cash boxes or bags. We need to keep gate ticket sales, raffle ticket sales, program sales and shout-out sales all separate. If you have one please let me know.


PARENT FIELD CREW REPORT – Rike Sandlin

I’m very proud of the excellent support the parents gave the band on the field in San Antonio. The speed and precision of entrance, set-up, and exit, as well as the level of effort at the truck, provided our students a great example of strong work ethic and also our commitment to them. I’d also like to thank those parents who came up to the school and helped unload the truck Sunday evening when it arrived from San Antonio.

At this Friday’s football game we plan to put the show on the field at half-time again. Although this will be a bit more relaxed and not as many hands are needed, your help will be appreciated. We will need a few extra helpers to step in for the senior parents (Commaratos, Humphreys, Lowerys, Sandlins) as they will be dressed to participate in the senior recognition ceremony.

At the Saturday MAIS festival, we will again perform the show. Although this event is not as large as BOA, it is important that we handle the pit and props very similar to the way we did in San Antonio’s competition. For those with MAIS duties, we may need to work out some relief to allow you to help with the 1:00 JA Band performance.


SAN ANTONIO TRIP REPORT – Pam Sandlin


Well, we made it to San Antonio and back safely! That alone is an accomplishment, but it’s very important to note that we did it on time and without much trouble – given the number of people going and the exhausting schedule, that’s nothing short of miraculous!

Thank you to everyone who helped make the trip a success. Everyone was willing to step up and help in any way asked in San Antonio, which I greatly appreciate. Although I cannot possibly thank everyone individually, I did want to mention a few people specifically. Thank you to Karen and John Humphreys and Frances Anne Dallaire for providing snacks for the band; Terri Fisher and Sid Pierce for their help with meeting Jason’s Deli on Saturday; Wendy Hutchins for serving as head chaperone and making sure their children were well taken care of; Jim & Shae Lowery for keeping the count at every stop and helping in many other ways; and Joe Mardis, Mr. Hatch, and Mr. Heindl for driving the truck. Thank you especially to Kristal Golden who helped in more ways than I can name.

It was also wonderful to get to know many of the parents and families better. It was a great trip, and I’m pleased that everyone had a fun time.


DIRECTORS’ REPORT – Bruce & Cammie Carter

Thank you to all the students for their hard work and exemplary behavior on the trip this past weekend. We are extremely proud of the way they conducted themselves. For those who were not able to join us at the event, please talk to your students about the incredible experience of performing in front of a crowd of 20,000 or so, who gave the band two standing ovations during their Finals exhibition performance.

We received several congratulatory emails from people who had attended the event, including the following, from a parent of a student in the LD Bell Band, this year’s Super Regional Champions.

From: Kathy Nobles
Date: Sun, Oct 25, 2009 at 10:16 PM
Subject: Congratulations
To: bcarter@jacksonacademy.org

Mr. Carter,

I just wanted to extend a congratulations to your band for winning the Class A, Outstanding Visual and General Effect awards in the BOA San Antonio competition this past weekend. Three of my children have gone through the band program with the HEBISD. Currently, my middle son is a trombone player in the LD Bell Marching Band.

Saturday evening, as we sat through the 14 finalist bands, we periodically heard about this one band who had 29 kids and how amazing the performance was. When I finally realized that it was the Jackson Academy Band...and when I saw the performance, I was completely amazed and impressed with the show.

I personal would like to extend my appreciation for what your band represents and what you are doing for these kids. I have sat through four years of BOA competitions and never, NEVER have I experienced the crowd reaction that I experienced Saturday night. These kids have such a wonderful opportunity ahead of them. Their talent is absolutely amazing - especially at their young age.

Thank you so much for allowing them to show those of us who almost take advantage of what our kids are offered and give us an opportunity to see how that, it's not in the numbers, it's in the kids and how they show how much they love music.

This school has a wonderful program and I can only hope that I will see you again in future years and future competitions. It was a performance that I will never ever forget. It will be forever engrained in my memory.

Again, thank you!

Kathy Nobles


And this one, from the brother-in-law of a Texas band director friend of ours.

From: Rob Borowicz
Date: Sun, Oct 25, 2009 at 1:19 PM
Subject: High School Band magic

I witnessed a truly magical moment on Saturday night in San Antonio. Lisa and I were at the Alamodome for the BOA (Bands of America) Regional Marching Band Competition in which Eric our 15 year old son was marching in. About 50 schools from Texas and Oklahoma and Mississippi participated in Preliminaries on Friday and Saturday with finals Saturday night.

Most of these schools were 5A (biggest) with bands numbering more then 200 students and including opulent presentations. But competition at this contest included all school sizes including 1A {smallest} schools as well and best in class awards given out at all levels.

After the 14 finalists performed (most of them 5A and huge) the BOA staff did something cool. They asked the 1A overall winner to perform their program and they accepted. We'd watched incredibly large programs just blow us away with their big and loud bands one after another and along comes the "Jackson Academy" from Jackson Mississippi to perform their winning program. Instead of using the entire football field at the huge Alamodome, Jackson used a patterned and colorful tarp about 90 feet by 90 feet to redefine their playing field. Instead of a Colorguard of 50 or more girls these guys had maybe 8. Instead of a huge array of brass and woodwinds and drum line these guys had maybe a dozen. Instead of a huge "pit" of Xylophones and Bass Drums and such these guys wheeled out a platform train of 4 platforms pulled by a small 4X4 with 2 full trap set drummers, 2 keyboardists {on one platform) and a general percussionist on chimes, congas etc. on the last.

Jackson proceeded to perform a melody of classic Blood Sweat and Tears tunes just nailing them all. Their trombone player lit it up with a huge fat sound, 2 different trumpeters took solos and just sailed. The 6-8 colorguard girls did their dance routine, stopping at times and picking up flutes and clarinets and took their own solos and played in the choirs! Contrasted against the huge programs we'd just seen these guys paled in size but by no means in affect.The crowd roared in approval afterward and they received a standing ovation.

Way cool....

Our school (Austin Bowie) was awarded 4th overall in the finals and we beat out fine programs from Sugarland (Houston) and Cedar Park (Austin area).

-Bobby B


I can’t think of a better testament to the power of the experience for our students, staff, and parents. Thank you to everyone for your support in making it all possible.

Cammie and I would like to add our “thank yous” to those mentioned above. Special thanks to Pam Sandlin for all her work over the past six months or so organizing every aspect of the trip. Her efforts not only made it affordable, they also enabled us to design the trip exactly the way we wanted it to be. Thanks as well to staff members Steve McCartney, Paul Heindl, & Mark Hatch for their assistance on the trip.

Thank you to Connie Hill and all the other parents who have been working hard to prepare for the MAIS Marching Band Festival this Saturday, October 31. Here is a schedule for the day:

10:45 – Opening Ceremonies, National Anthem by JA Brass Ensemble
11:00 – Copiah Academy Band
11:15 – Canton Academy Band
11:30 – Oak Hill Academy Band
11:45 – Starkville Academy Band
12:00 – LUNCH BREAK
12:45 – Hillcrest Christian School Band
1:00 – Jackson Academy Band
1:30 – Hinds Community College Eagle Marching Band
1:45 – Raffle Drawings
2:00 – Awards

Many of the students will be assisting during the morning at the festival. All students need to report to the band hall to dress in uniform and prepare for warmup by 11:30.

The JA BAND schedule for the week:

TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, & THURSDAY – Rehearsal 2:00 – 2:46

NOTE: Randy Dickerson will not be teaching private lessons as usual on Tuesday. He will be contacting his students to reschedule, as band members continue to prepare for Lions Band auditions in a few weeks.

FRIDAY – Home football game vs. Magnolia Heights – all students report at 5:30 for pregame rehearsal. We will play pep tunes during first and second quarters, perform the show during halftime, and the drumline will play in the stands during fourth quarter. Also at halftime, senior band members Will Commarato, John Humphreys, Kevin Lowery, and Jonathan Sandlin will be recognized with their parents. All band members will march back to the band hall as a group at the end of the game.

SATURDAY – MAIS Marching Band Festival – All students report by 11:30 to dress and prepare for warmup. The JA Band performance time will be 1:00.


PHOTO GALLERY – Wendy Hutchins

Here is just a sampling of the many photos that will be uploaded to the online photo gallery: JA BAND GALLERY