Now Playing: Music advocacy PSA by Boston Pops conductor, Keith Lockhart. This PSA is sponsored by the Music Educators National Conference: The National Association for Music Education. Visit their website for some cool stuff!

WHY SHOULD STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN SCHOOL MUSIC?

"Our comprehensive review process looks at artistic awards and achievements, as well as consistent involvement in the arts, including music. Being involved in music for four years in high school is a significant plus factor to admission (at UW)." -Paul Seegert, Assistant Director, Office of Admissions, University of Washington.

"Students who participated in an 'enriched, sequential, skill building music program' dramatically increased their reading and math performance". - Nature, May 23, 1996“Years of studying music notation transfers to enhancing reading and language skills. Reading music 1) is a left to right procedure, 2) requires the individual to continue without stops and starts, and 3) requires sustained concentration to a written symbol”. –Why Music Is Basic: The Value of Music Education, Bruce Pearson, Ed.

 
"Music Education opens doors that help children pass from school into the world around them - a world of work, culture, intellectual activity, and human involvement. The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music." - Gerald Ford, former President, United States.

2010 WHS Summer Music Camp

August 25-27 & 30-31 2010

Here we are already in August. I don't know about you, but I get a little depressed on August 1. Maybe I start thinking about school before you do! I hope you have all had a great summer so far.

Summer music camp is for ALL band and percussion students and is a time for us to rebuild our summer chops into something we can use the first week of school. Please plan on being at all dates for this week. If you cannot attend all days, please plan on being at what you can. This is an important time for us to get to know knew students, catch up with the old students and start learning the music we need for football games. Our first game is Thursday, September 2!

I am mailing letters home soon giving you the final details. The schedule is a little different this year and I am still ironing out the details, including unexpected schedule changes with other groups and teams using the school that week.

Thanks for a great year and have good summer.

WHS JAZZ

Rehearsals begin at 6:10 (AM) on Tuesday, September 7. Audition materials will be made available and auditions will be the second week. Remember that jazz is once again a WHS class that you take for credit. If this is a seventh class for you, you must complete a waiver form before you can take it for credit. I will have those forms at class. If you have not registered for jazz yet, you may still do so once school has started. It is my intent to have two jazz bands this year. The ability to do this depends upon the instrumentation available.

All-Northwest & All-State

Honor Band, Orchestra & Choir

2011 is an All-NW & All-State year. Auditions for these groups will be done at school in the Fall. However, you should start working on your audition material now. Below is a link to the Washington Music Educators Association, who manages these groups. Please go to their website at www.wmea.org and download the instructions and see what you need to practice for your audition.

Orchestra: Assigned music: 

Wind Ensemble:  Assigned music: Graduation music. Required culminating assessments: WHS Graduation (6/10).

Symphonic Band:   Assigned music: Graduation music. Required culminating assessments: WHS Graduation (6/10).  

Jazz Ensemble:  Assigned music: Required culminating assessments:

"Music is about communication, creativity, and cooperation, and by studying music in school, students have the opportunity to build on these skills, enrich their lives, and experience the world from a new perspective." - Bill Clinton, former President of the United States.

WHS Commencement Ceremony: All junior and sophomore band members perform at the prestigious event. Details available above.

Making a Difference
One of the many wonderful things about music is the way it brings together all kinds of people. Just spending five minutes around the band or choir room at Woodinville High School you see it for yourself. From the choir student who sings hip hop for fun to the orchestra student who aspires to play in a professional symphony, all of our students benefit from the WHS music programs. The Music Boosters organization at Woodinville High School exists for the sole purpose of supporting the instrumental and choral music programs that our children enjoy. Like all volunteer organizations, we rely entirely on people from all walks of life in our community to help us make a difference. We rely on you! If you haven't had a chance yet to join the WHS Music Boosters, please take a moment to print out and complete the form below.  We greatly appreciate your financial support at any level! And please consider all the other ways that you can support the music programs. Listed below are some of the upcoming events sponsored by the Music Boosters.  Please take a moment to see if you can contribute a few minutes of your time:
•   Being a chaperone at competitions
•   Setting up punch and cookies for a reception at the Pathways Concerts (March)
•   Helping with the main music department fundraiser for the year, the Holiday Silent Auction ( Thursday December 10), including: participate on the planning committee, setting up tables/auction items, procuring auction items ( see related article on Mr. Lucas website), assisting with auction checkout (cashier, etc), helping to collect and tally auction bid sheets, help in putting together gift baskets, clean up and tear down after the auction, other miscellaneous jobs as needed
•   Chairing or co-chairing the Pops Concert (May), participating on the Pops Concert Planning committee, preparing fruit/slicing desserts the afternoon of the Pops concert, decorating tables for the concert, assist in beverage/food pickup for the concert, helping with post-concert tear down and clean up, Pops concert publicity, misc. jobs as needed

If you are able to lend a hand in any way, we will find a job for you!  Also, all music parents, whether a financial supporter or not, are welcome to the Booster meetings (usually the 2nd Monday of the month) to find out what's happening and to voice your opinion.  Thank you for being involved in your children's music and helping us provide strong support for the music programs at Woodinville High School.

For more information or to sign up to help, please contact Mr. Lucas and he will put you in touch with the boosters leadership.

Eric Lucas has been the Director of Instrumental Music and Performing Arts Department Chair at Woodinville High School since 2001. He teaches Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble and Rock Guitar. Mr. Lucas has also been an adjunct professor at Bellevue College and is a member of the Music Educators National Conference and served four terms as president of the Northlake Music Educators Association. His WHS Orchestra was selected to perform at the 2010 WMEA Biennial Conference.

Mr. Lucas began his B.A. (Music) studies at Biola University, completing that degree at Seattle Pacific University and his M.A. in Music (Conducting) at Central Washington University. Mr. Lucas studied conducting with Mr. Larry Gookin, Dr. Paul Elliot Cobbs, Dr. Karyl Carlson and Mr. Ray Lutke and trumpet with Stanley Freidman, Robert G. Feller and Thomas Gause.

Mr. Lucas is a member of Kappa Delta Pi, a 2009 WHS PTSA Golden Acorn recipient, a 2007 recipient of the SEPAC Outstanding Service Award, a 2006 WSU Educator of Excellence, the 2006 WHS Ashler Masonic Lodge Educator of the Year, a 2006 Who's Who Among American High School Teachers recipient and a 2004 National Society of High School Scholars "Educator of Distinction". He also served as the 2005 All-Northwest Honor Band Organizing Chair.

Mr. Lucas has performed throughout the west with the Biola University Symphonic Winds and the Central Washington University Wind Ensemble and performed for President Ronald Reagan in 1984. He currently performs with The Tempos, a local dance & swing band and the Greenwood Concert Band. Mr. Lucas and his wife Deborah reside in Bothell and are proud of their children. Their son David is a Music Education Major and Chemistry Minor at Central Washington University and their daughter Kathryn is a Communications Major and Hospitality Business Management minor at Washington State University.