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.