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2/7/2024 0 Comments

Dear Wildcat Band Families,

Happy February! This past weekend, the Wildcat Band went to Pat’s Peak for the 2024 ski trip! We are so glad we had the opportunity to go skiing, snowboarding, and tubing once again. The conditions were great for our winter activities. Some of the students who attended the trip learned how to ski and snowboard for the first time by taking a lesson provided by Pat’s Peak staff. Tubing was also offered for those who wanted to enjoy the snowy scenery but did not want to ski or snowboard. Ski patrol was not needed this year, as there were no major injuries from the mountain activities! There are highlights from our trip on our Instagram: @wildcat_band_pride.

Since returning from winter break, the Wildcat Band has started to prepare for upcoming events, such as the High School Jazz band and Junior Jazz groups, who will be doing another performance at WHS on Thursday, April 4th at 7:00 PM. The Spring Vertical Concert, which will be in the WHS Gymnasium on Tuesday, May 7th at 7:00 PM. As it’s always been, this concert will consist of performances by grades 4-12. For the high school band, some of the pieces being performed this season include: Arabian Dances composed by Brian Balmages, Hawkeye Overture composed by Robert Sheldon, and The Great Locomotive Chase by Robert W. Smith. Following that performance, the High School Jazz and Concert Band is performing at the Outdoor Pops concert on Thursday, May 16th on Wilmington’s Town Common. Also, for any band students grades 8-11: Jazz band auditions will be held on Tuesday, March 26th from 2:30-5:00. The music was just posted this week, so be sure to practice, and best of luck!

We hope to see you at all of our upcoming performances!!!

Alicia Gardner, Social Media & Communications Chair

1/3/2024 3 Comments

Dear Wildcat Band Families,
Happy New Year! We can’t wait for what 2024 will bring to us! Here is what’s been happening recently!
Last month (and year), the winter concerts were held! 7th, 8th, and high school bands had their concert on December 12. 5th and 6th-grade students performed on December 14. The high school band and the 8th grade band performed a combined piece called “Blue Sky Horizon” by Randall Standridge. Out of the 5 pieces played by the high school band, one of them really stood out: “Rhapsody in Blue”, conducted by George Gershwin. The piece closed out the high school concert, with junior Dean Ciampa on piano, which was one of the major components of the piece. Along with Dean, throughout the concert, the following high school students performed solos: Alex Kennedy, Cassie Tibbetts, Alicia Gardner, Ava Kennedy, Vibhush Sivakumar, Adam Davis, Matthew Mozuch, and Michael Dynan. We appreciate everyone who came and supported us in the bands!
Coming up in early February is the band ski trip for the high school band! This year, we are headed to Pat’s Peak just like last year. Students will be skiing, snowboarding, and even tubing! We will take a bus to our hotel, stay overnight, head to the mountain, and have a great day. The ski trip will take place February 2nd through February 3rd. We hope we get the perfect conditions so we can have a great experience like we did last year.
Now that it is the season for winter sports, the Pep Band is back! Students from the high school band were chosen to play in a small group. They will attend basketball and hockey games. Some of the instruments in the Pep Band that are not in the concert band include the bass synth, electric guitar, bass guitar, and electric keyboard. Similar to marching band, the Pep Band performs popular songs, such as “Feel This Moment” by Christina Aguilera and “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars. The Pep Band will be at the gym in WHS for basketball games, and Breakaway Ice Center in Tewksbury for hockey games, so come support!
We can’t wait to see how 2024 goes, and we hope all of you have a great new year as well!
- Alicia Gardner, Social Media & Communications Chair

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8/8/2023 0 Comments

August Update

Dear Wildcat Band Families,
In less than two weeks, the Wildcat Marching Band will be headed off to Camp Nokomis for Band Camp! About 90 students will be going to Band Camp this summer, including our 8th grade subfreshmen. We will depart on Sunday, August 20th, and return to Wilmington on Thursday, August 24th. Students should arrive at the Wilmington High School parking lot at 6:30 am on August 20th, and buses will leave at 7:30 am after they are loaded. The packing list for camp is listed on the Wildcat Bands website under Band Camp Info. The list includes required items and clothing, optional items, prohibited items (gum!) and how to label luggage.
Since the school year is also approaching soon, the 2023-2024 WHS Band Calendar has also been posted on the Wildcat Bands website. This calendar includes dates and times for evening rehearsals, football games, parades, concerts, and other events. However, these dates and times can change, so make sure to check for the website for any updates.
We are looking forward to seeing everyone at Band Camp!
Alicia Gardner
Social Media & Communications Chair

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3/15/2023 0 Comments

March Update

Dear Wildcat Band Families,
This week, the band is going on the 2023 Band Ski Trip! The Wildcat Band is heading up this Friday night 3/17, for a nice full day of skiing on Saturday, 3/18. We have 41 students attending the trip, all with varying skill levels. Many of the students coming up with us will be trying to ski/snowboard for the first time – taking lessons that will set them up for a full day on the slopes. Pats Peak reported today that they received 30 inches of snow yesterday… they must have knew we were coming... Students will get back to WHS by 6:00 on Saturday, 3/18.

With the end of the year slowly approaching, we have auditions for both concert and jazz band coming up! Our concert band auditions are for solos in the upcoming spring concert and will be held on Thursday, March 16th in class. The next auditions are for jazz band in the 2023-2024 school year. The audition music is posted in the HS & 8th Grade Google Classroom, and the audition date is TBD. Make sure you practice before auditions! Best of luck to all band members auditioning in the upcoming few months.

The band has some performances in the next two months that we have been working toward! The jazz band will be performing in the Pops Concert on Thursday, March 30th. This concert will be at 7:00 PM in the Joanne Benton Auditorium at Wilmington High School auditorium (tickets will be sold at the door, however, students may purchase tickets in advance through Mr. Ferrara). We will also be hosting our first annual (surprise) guest artist that will be playing on two songs! Our Concert Band performance will be on May 2nd in the Wilmington High School Gymnasium. This concert will feature all Wilmington Band Students, ranging from grade 4 to 12. We are looking forward to seeing you at all of our upcoming performances!!

Lastly, do not forget to buy raffle tickets for our calendar fundraiser. They are $5 for one, or $10 for three. Reach out to any high school band member to purchase your tickets!

-Marni McBride (Media and Communication Chair)

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2/14/2023 0 Comments

February Update

Dear Wildcat Band Families,

In the past month, the band has been working very hard on music for our upcoming concert in May (May 2nd – save the date!). The first pieces of music we received and have been devoting the most amount of time to are The Bare Necessities, arranged by Paul Murtha, and How To Train Your Dragon, arranged by Sean O’Loughlin. Although they are not quite concert ready, these two pieces have come a long way since we first started working on them. How To Train Your Dragon is our most challenging piece of music for the concert, and all the effort that is being put into it is helping us grow immensely. Next, we received Kyiv, 2022, arranged by Brian Balmages. Written about the war between Russia and Ukraine, this piece is very moving and is essentially a “song of hope” for the people of Ukraine. Written to contrast Balmages earlier work, Moscow, 1941, where Russia was painted as a hero fighting against German advances, Kyiv, 2022, retells the story using the same melodic material, only now used to paint Russia as the aggressor. Balmages incorporates the Ukrainian National Anthem to represent the people of Ukraine. This piece will be performed at our May 2nd Concert in the WHS Gymnasium.

Our newest addition to the folder is On A Hymnsong Of Philip Bliss, arranged by David R. Holsinger. This piece is a collegiate level piece of music, and it adds diversity to our program as it is both slower and more peaceful than our other selections. There may be an additional song added, and we will keep you posted!

As we have been working on these pieces, we have also been adding different things during class to keep the band on their toes. We began working in small mixed-instrument groups, picking our own music and working together without Mr. Ferrara’s conducting. This is a work in progress but will be continued for the rest of the year. These groups are giving students independence in their musical studies, as well as a way to work with peers they don’t usually get to work with. We also recently had a free seating day in class! All stand partners got to choose where in the room they wanted to sit, and had the opportunity to sit next to friends in different sections. This made the class very fun, and we are looking forward to doing it again! Lastly, we are very excited to announce the 2023 Band Ski Trip on March 17-18. All paperwork and the first payment are due Friday, February 10th. We are very excited about the band events coming up in the future!!
-Marni McBride
Media and Communication Chair

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