Here is an idea of what to expect throughout the year.
Marching Band Camp begins three weeks before school
starts, at Chantilly High School. The first two weeks are 7:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
and 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. the third week is Tuesday through Thursday 6:00 p.m.
to 9:00 p.m. Marching Band Camp is
required for all Chantilly Jazz, Workshop Jazz, and Symphonic Winds students.
Marching Band Camp is optional for Concert Band students who may apply for
participation to this group.
Marching Band
All Chantilly Jazz, Workshop Jazz, Symphonic Winds and
Concert Band A students are required to participate in the Marching Band. The
Marching Band will play at home footballs games and two or three major
competitions. Marching Band competitions will occur on Saturdays. Hopefully the
football team is having a winning season and there will play-off games; these
are also held on Fridays or Saturdays.
In November at the end of the Marching Band season, there
is an awards banquet for Marching Band members and parents. This banquet is held
at Chantilly High School and is hosted by the Marching Band parents.
September - Tag Day
This is the first and largest fundraiser of the year. Proceeds go toward
expenses outside what is provide by the Fairfax County School System, i.e.
instruments, equipment, music, trip costs, uniforms. Last year we earned close
to $20,000.
ALL Band, Chorus, Orchestra, and Color Guard students are expected to
participate.
Students will canvas the neighborhoods, within the Chantilly High School
Attendance area, in teams of two, riding with a parent driver. Each student team
will receive a map specifying their canvas area. In exchange for a donation to
the Music Department, the students give a TAG or ticket for free admittance to
one of three specific music performances at Chantilly High School.
Breakfast is provide at 8:15 and Lunch at 11:30
The TOP THREE individual fundraisers will receive a prize. Canvassing in both
the morning and afternoon sessions greatly increases the chances of winning.
Parent Sign Up Form
Open to Orchestra Band Instruments, auditions are in late
September and the event is in early November. A successful audition qualifies
one to audition for All-State. The Orchestra is comprised of the top Orchestra
Musicians of Fairfax County, which makes the orchestra one of the finest of the
year. For this event top conductors from the nation are brought in for two days
of rehearsal and a performance concert the last evening.
Auditions for pit, percussion and battery will be held in
December for this extra curricular activity. Competitions will be held on
Saturdays in March. Rehearsals will be two nights a week, usually Monday and
Thursday.
Auditions for All-District Band are help in January. All
students in the Band program, with the exception of guitarists, bassists and
pianists, are encouraged to audition for the All-District Band (District 12).
Students must register through CHS in December. Requirements are posted in the
Band room. Please bring special physical needs to the attention of the Director.
Auditions are held the first weekend after winter break. Qualification for the
All-District Band may qualify a student to audition for the All-State Band.
This band ranks the highest honor a one can achieve as an
individual student. Auditions for the All-State Band are held the third weekend
in February. All-District Band may qualify a student to audition for the All
State Band. From District 12, the upper percentiles of students audition for the
All-Virginia Band.
April to August is audition time for placement in the
Chantilly Band program for the following school year. Dates will be announced.
Auditions are scheduled through the CHS band office. Course placement will be
made by director’s recommendation to Keith Taylor. All Jazz and Symphonic
Winds placement will be modeled after All Virginia Band, auditions, including
all major scales, chromatic scale, and sight-reading.
When the fall schedule permits, the Guest Artist Concert
highlights a known jazz and a symphonic musician invited to Chantilly High
School for an evening performance. There is a nominal charge for tickets at the
door.
See Auditions for information.
The Winter Concert is held one evening during December.
Participating groups include the Percussion Ensemble, Cadet Band, Concert Band,
and Workshop Jazz. There may be a nominal charge at the door for admission.
The Tiny Tots concert is held at CHS during the school
day for day care children. Symphonic Winds and Chantilly Jazz participate. The
combined efforts of the Choral, Band and Drama Department will present an
abbreviated form of the Holiday Spectacular.
The combined efforts of the Choral, Band and Drama
Department will present a two-night entertainment program geared towards
families and the Holidays. This is a popular program and is usually a sell out.
Tickets go on sale in November.
Participating in the All-District Band is a very high
honor. Students selected for the All-District Band participate in concentrated
practices the first weekend in February on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday ending
with a concert on Sunday.
All students in the Band program, with the exception of
guitarists, bassists and pianists, are encouraged to register for the District
12 Solo and Ensemble Festival. Requirements are posted in the Band room.
The Band Festival Concert is an evening of performance by
the Chantilly Band Pyramid, Symphonic Winds, and the Concert Band. The performance begins with an Elementary Honor Band, followed by the
Rocky Run Concert Band, Chantilly Concert Band, Rocky Run Symphonic Band, and
Chantilly Symphonic Winds. There is no admission charge for this concert.
The Chantilly Symphonic Winds and Concert Band perform at
this annual festival, the most important performance as a band, which is held on
a rotating basis at three schools within District 12. The students compete for
ratings by nationally acclaimed concert band judges. They also receive a rating
on sight-reading. There is no admission charge. Audition tapes of performances
may be purchased. Parents of performing students are strongly encouraged to
attend this event.
Held annually during the third Saturday of March, this
festival provides an opportunity for middle and high school musicians to share
their music in a competitive environment. Combos and jazz ensembles from
Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, West Virginia and the District of Columbia have
played at our invitational. A guest ensemble or recognized jazz soloist plays at
this festival as well.
The Big Band Society - Ed Walker Chapter provides $1,000
scholarships to three performers who plan to pursue a college degree with a
major or minor in music. Contemporary Music Center of Chantilly provides a $100
scholarship for the outstanding drummer. The judges choose scholarship winners.
This all-day event concludes Saturday evening with
performances by the three most outstanding bands. Trophies and scholarships are
awarded after the performance. The three bands are invited to join the Chantilly
Jazz and Workshop Jazz in a banquet that evening. Admission to the all-day
festival is free.
Auditions are taped and submitted by the student. Forms
are obtained from class and applications are signed by the teacher and mailed.
Notification and event date is by return mail.
Those students selected for the All-Sate Band have
concentrated practices on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before the Virginia
All-State Band Event. The performance is held the first weekend of April.
The festival is for solo and ensemble groups. The
Chantilly groups that participate are contingent on which groups have prepared,
i.e., Flute Choir, Clarinet Choir, Percussion Ensemble. All students are
encouraged to participate. Students prepare for performance in front of judges
for rating on individual merit, and medals may be earned. Students are required
to select and provide their own music. There is a minimal participation fee for
the student; there is no admission fee to listen to performances.
As the calendar permits, band and guard students and
their family and friends can participate in a fun evening of dining and musical
performances. Chantilly Jazz, Symphonic Winds, Workshop Jazz, Concert Band,
Percussion Ensemble, Drum Line and Color Guard present their Competition Package
after an enjoyable meal. Tickets are required.
The Music Department annually sponsors a spring trip to
participate in competitive band festivals. These trips provide students an
opportunity to perform for a wide audience and to see other groups from around
the country. Previous trips have included Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Orlando,
Florida, and New York City. The trip destination is chosen annually, in the
fall.
This four-day trip usually departs on Wednesday evening
returning on Sunday. The trip is chaperoned by Music Boosters parents. The cost
of the trip includes transportation by chartered busses, housing, festival
costs, breakfast and dinner each day of the trip. Students may help defray the
cost by participating in various fund-raisers, See section on Fund-raisers. The
main focus is competition performance but there is free time with scheduled
events as well. Fairfax County school rules apply to all students for the entire
length of this trip.
The Chantilly Jazz and the Touch of Class show choir
combine their talents to bring us four evenings of entertainment. Held mid-May,
seating is reserved and tickets are sold during lunch periods and after school.
This popular event traditionally sells out all performances.
Chantilly High School has a national reputation for
excellence in band performance. DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE has recognized both the
Chantilly Jazz and the Symphonic Winds. With this level of talent at our
schools, it is only fitting that you should be able to have a quality recording
to enjoy for years to come. To make this possible, and to give the students a
unique experience, the Chantilly Jazz, Workshop Jazz, and the Symphonic Winds
take a day trip, usually in May, to a professional recording studio in the area
to record some of their best pieces from the year’s performances. A copy of
the tape is submitted to DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE for professional evaluation.
Transportation by bus, use of the recording studio, and a copy of the finished
recording, professionally mixed and mastered are included in the trip cost,
which is set on an annual basis.
Symphonic Winds and selected members from the other bands
will play with the graduating seniors. Seniors are needed to play, however,
their participation is kept to a minimum. The Director will announce
participation.
Following graduation, uniforms and tuxedos must be
returned in good condition. Numbers in the garments must match those assigned to
each student at the beginning of the year. If any part of the uniform or tuxedo
is lost, you will be responsible for reimbursement, at the price listed in this
handbook. Part of the fee that you paid at the beginning of the year goes toward
the cleaning of uniforms and tuxedos. Cleaning is done during the summer so
uniforms and tuxedos are ready for the next school year. Refer to the Uniform
Section of this handbook.
At the end of the school year, all sheet music is to be
returned to the Band Director.
Instruments rented from the school are collected before
the end of the school year.
One evening near the end of the school year Band members
and parents assemble for a fun night to perform in concert one last time,
recognize and award outstanding student performance and participation during the
year, show slides of the good times experienced through the year, and to have
fellowship at a reception with food provided by Band parents.
There are other competitions, festivals, and events that
Chantilly Band groups attend during the year. These programs are subject to
change annually and are chosen by the Director of Bands. Parents will be
notified as events are chosen. The
students may pay travel expenses and/or part of registration fees.
