newsletter
January 26, 2025

Weekly Newsletter - january 26, 2025

Sent 1/26/2025, 4:00 PM.

Congrats to all of our Jazz All-State students on great performances today.  The Jazz All-state concert is always a highlight of the year.

Speaking of Jazz, TOMORROW is the deadline to get your Jazz Festival sponsorships turned in!  And keep those concession donations coming in - see the Jazz Festival Help section below for details.

Don't forget, Feb 27, the deadline for getting student accounts paid is only 4 weeks away!

What's in this newsletter?

Here's what I have for you all this week:

• Jazz Festival Sponsorships - See how you can get our business community engaged in this amazing event - DUE TOMORROW!

• Jazz Festival Help - Plenty of opportunities to contribute to our Jazz Festival through volunteering and donations

• Volunteer Opportunities - Active volunteering opportunities listed here

• A word from Mr. Sayre - As always, make sure to read through his section

This week in band...

Wednesday 1/29

• 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM - Color Guard Sectional

• 7:00 PM - Basketball Game vs. Santa Fe (Band A) - Report Time: 6:15 PM

Thursday 1/30

• 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM - Percussion Sectionals

• 7:00 PM - Basketball Game vs. Sandia (Band B) - Report Time: 6:15 PM

Now on to the details...

Jazz Festival Sponsorships

We are still seeking sponsorships from local businesses to help cover the costs of putting on this massive event.  If you don't know, Jazz Festival is a 3-day event that occurs in February that brings together 40+ jazz bands and ensembles from around the state to perform their selections, and ends with an amazing jazz concert featuring the UNM Jazz I and Albuquerque Jazz Orchestra each performing with a well-known jazz professional.

Sponsorships are key to making this event successful.  If you own a business, have a family member who owns a business, know a local business that would be a great partner, or even would like to make a general donation to support the festival yourself - you can get all the details on the Jazz Festival Sponsorship page.  For convenience, I'm also including a link to the sponsorship letter and form here:

2025 Jazz Festival Sponsorship Letter 

2025 Jazz Festival Sponsorship Form 

Sponsorships are due by Jan 27, 2025.  If you have any questions, you can contact our Jazz Festival chairpersons at jazzfestival@eldorado.band.

Jazz Festival Help

Jazz Festival will be hosting 40+ bands from across Albuquerque and NM.  It takes a small army of volunteers to make it successful.  Perhaps you'd like to personally help to make this event great for the community.  There are positions for helping sell apparel, concessions, director check-in, serving lunch, etc., all available in smaller, manageable chunks of time.  If you want to be involved, click on the volunteer link below to signup for a slot that fits your schedule and interests.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D48ADAA2DA1FB6-54517822-jazz#/ 

Additionally, we sell concessions during the event to students and families that are attending the performances.  We rely on donations from you all to make that a success.  If everyone brings one donation, we'll have plenty of concessions to last the entire event.  Please donate according to the following:

• Freshmen - Drinks (please, no bottled water, we have plenty of that already)

• Sophomores/Seniors - Candy/Sweets (individually wrapped and no "small" candies like minis or individually wrapped mints - they are difficult to sell)

• Juniors - Salty Snacks (individually wrapped)

Items can be dropped of at school in the band room.

Volunteer Opportunities

Here are the current active signups available.  You can also always see any open volunteering opportunities on the Volunteering page.

• Jazz Festival Volunteers: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D48ADAA2DA1FB6-54517822-jazz#/

Have a great week!

Go Eagles!

JD

a word from Mr. Sayre...

Hello, Eagles!

We hope this message finds you energized and ready for another exciting week ahead. First, a big congratulations to all the band members who participated in All-State this month. Your hard work and dedication continue to make us proud!

As we approach MPA in March, this is one of the busiest and most important times for our program. It is crucial that all members are present at rehearsals to ensure we’re fully prepared for our upcoming performances. In addition to our scheduled rehearsals, we encourage you to work with your section leaders to find a time for sectional work for your Jazz or Concert Band section. A little extra practice with your peers will make a big difference!

Here’s what’s coming up this week:

• Tuesday During Zero Hour, we’ll have a visit from Dan Whistler from the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Program. He’ll share information about the incredible opportunities the AYSP offers. Don’t miss this chance to learn more about how you can grow as a musician!

• Wednesday, after school, we have Color Guard Class. Additionally, the A Band will perform at the girls’ basketball game. Call time is 6:15 PM, and the game starts at 7:00 PM.

• Thursday, we’ll hold Percussion Class from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Later, the B Band will perform at the boys’ basketball game. Call time is 6:15 PM, and the game starts at 7:00 PM.

• Friday, The Screamin’ Eagles Jazz Band will have the privilege of working with Glenn Kostur, Jazz Professor at UNM. Please come prepared to play through all of your tunes—it’s sure to be a productive and inspiring session!

Looking Ahead

We have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks, including several basketball games, the Fine Arts Assemblies on February 6th, and the Albuquerque/UNM Jazz Festival. The Jazz Fest is shaping up to be an incredible event, with over 50 performances scheduled and nearly 1,000 participants coming from across the area. Be on the lookout for volunteer sign-ups to help make this event a success!

All three EHS Jazz Bands will be performing on Thursday February 13th starting at 6:30 PM with Swing Wings at the PAC at the Jazz Fest.  Call time will be at 4:30 PM in the Choir Room (most students will likely already be there working the Jazz Fest).  This evening will include collaborations with some of our guest artists and our bands. Plan on coming to support your Eagles!

Thank you all for your continued hard work and positive attitude. Let’s make this week another step toward excellence. Keep up the great work, Eagles!

Here is the plan for the week.

Go Eagles!

Mr. Sayre