Category Archives: Concert Band

2019 Carmel Bands Winter Ensembles Raffle

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Carmel Bands Winter Ensembles Raffle!

The raffle package includes:

  • FOUR tickets to the Broadway smash “Hamilton-An American Musical” in Chicago. Saturday, June 22nd. 8:00 pm  performance
  • One night stay in a nearby hotel
  • $100 cash

Ticket Pricing:
$20/ticket
3 for $50
*A maximum of 1000 tickets will be sold

Tickets go on sale beginning Friday, February 1st at our annual Carmel Bands Winter Ensembles Community Night. You can also purchase your ticket(s) from your favorite guard or drumline student beginning the week of February 4th

Tickets will also be available for the general public to purchase every Thursday night from 7:00-8:00 pm in the Carmel High School Band Hallway (Entrance 29)

The winning ticket will be pulled in early April and will be broadcast live on Facebook! Winner need not be present to win.

Please check out carmelbands.org/winterraffle to review the official Raffle rules.

 

This raffle is conducted under Gaming License #147096

2016 Fall Band Concert

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2016 Fall Band Concert

Join us at our Fall Concert Band concert, a journey through “Music History 101”!

Wednesday, October 5
CHS Auditorium

6:00 pm
Gold Freshman Band
Blue Freshman Band
Wind Symphony I

7:30 pm
Wind Symphonies IV, III & II

$5 Adults
$3 Seniors/Students

Tickets available at the door or at https://www.ticketracker.com/store/selecteventtickets/96894

Jazz a la Mode 2016!

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Join us for one of Carmel Bands most anticipated events every year, Jazz a la Mode! This 3 night event features our 4 Jazz Bands performing in a “club” environment, as our Band Room is transformed into a jazz cafe. Pie, coffee and soft drinks are served to our audience pre-show, as they are treated to the jazz stylings of a student-led combo!
Plan to attend one of the 3 nights, April 21, 22 or 23! Doors open at 6:30 pm each evening for dessert and pre-concert music. The Jazz ensembles begin playing at 7:30 pm.

Tickets are $10 for adults / $7 for students/seniors and are available now at https://www.ticketracker.com/store/events/279
Tickets at the door will be $12/$9.

Get yours now, as this event is very popular in our community and tickets will go quickly! You won’t want to miss it!

Congratulations to IMEA Performers!

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Congratulations to Wind Symphony II on a beautiful performance Saturday, January 16 at the Indiana Music Educators Association (IMEA) Conference in Fort Wayne! Kudos also to our students who performed at IMEA in the following All-State Ensembles:

Charlie Harriman – All-State Jazz Ensemble
Claire Bruns – Jr. All-State Band
Sylee Kanetkar – Jr. All-State Band
Stephanie Zhang – All-State Orchestra
Gayatri Balasubramanian – All-State Orchestra

All of the directors are extremely proud of Wind Symphony II and their performance on Saturday at the IMEA Conference. Being selected as a featured performer is a milestone for Wind Symphony II and the Carmel Band Program. Thank you to the students for all their hard work and preparation and the parents for all of their support along the way!

Fall Concert “Accolades”

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The 2014-2015 school year was a banner year for the concert band programs in Carmel-Clay Schools. From Clay Middle School performing at the Music For All National Festival to Wind Symphony 1 being named the Indiana State Champion all concert groups reached new levels of performance and dedication. Please join us at the “Accolades” concert to celebrate our success and look forward to an exciting new year!

Wind Symphony 2 to perform at IMEA Conference

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CHS Wind Symphony 2 to perform at State Music Educator Conference

The Carmel High School Band Department is happy to announce that the CHS Wind Symphony 2 has been invited to perform as a ‘featured ensemble’ at the Indiana Music Educator Association Professional Development Conference in January of 2016 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Over 900 music educators attend this conference each year from Indiana. As a featured ensemble, Wind Symphony 2 will perform for Band Directors from around the state, college music education students and of course, for family and friends of the program. Former performing groups include Lawrence Central HS Wind Ensemble, Penn HS Wind Ensemble, Carmel HS Wind Symphony 1 just to name a few.  Wind Symphony 2 is the first “second band” in the history of performing bands at this conference to be invited as a ‘featured group.” Mr. Kyle Young and Mr. Chris Kreke conduct Wind Symphony 2 at CHS.

Associate Director of Bands, Kyle Young and one of the conductors of the ensemble said, “We are very excited for this opportunity for the students of Wind Symphony 2 to perform as a featured group at the Indiana Music Education Association Convention in January.  This is a first for the Carmel Band program and a huge accomplishment of those students were part of the ensemble last year and submitted the recording.  The preparation for this performance will be very rigorous, but we look forward to sharing in this journey together!”

CHS Director of Bands, Michael Pote, said, “Carmel Bands is extremely proud of CHS Wind Symphony 2’s invitation to perform at the Indiana Music Educator Association’s State convention in January. The honor of performing for music educators from all over the state of Indiana is an honor usually attributed to only  the top bands from Indiana high school band programs – to have a “second” band be invited is a first for the convention and a testament to the talent and hard work of Carmel High School students and staff.”

About the Indiana Music Educators Association

Indiana Music Education Association (IMEA) is a not-for-profit professional membership organization for music teachers, kindergarten through collegiate levels. Membership is currently around 1100 active teachers, with approximately 100 retired members, and 700 collegiate members (who are music education majors). IMEA provides professional development opportunities for music teachers, as well as extracurricular performance and learning opportunities for Indiana music students.

Other IMEA projects: annual professional development conference for music teachers – continuing renewal units and graduate credit possible; all-state experiences – Children’s Honor Choir, Middle School Honor Choir, Honor Band, Future Music Educators Colloquium; IMEA sponsors two workshops for beginning music teachers and a quarterly state journal, INfORM.

Carmel Clay Schools – Best Community for Music Education

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Carmel Clay Schools Celebrates Nationally Recognized Music Program

Carmel, Indiana – The NAMM Foundation has named Carmel Clay Schools among the Best Communities for Music Education in the United States.

On, Tuesday, May 19, 2015, Dr. Nick Wahl, Superintendent of Carmel Clay Schools received the special certificate from Mr. Steve Purcell, District Manager for Paige’s Music of Indianapolis during one of the ‘in class’ concerts given by the high school band program.  Paige’s Music is a local member of NAMM.  The National Association of Music Merchants sponsors this prestigious award each year through the NAMM Foundation. 

Carmel Clay Schools been named one of 388 school districts in the nation as a Best Community for Music Education by The NAMM Foundation. The district is recognized for demonstrating an unwavering commitment to providing comprehensive music education for all students.

The Best Communities for Music Education survey acknowledges and celebrates schools and districts, their administrators, teachers, board members, parents and students across the United States for their commitment to and support of music education. Participants in the survey answer detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and other factors in the community that affect access to music education for all students. More than 2,000 schools districts / schools participated in the survey.

In completing the survey for the award, Mr. Soo Han, Director of Orchestras and Department Chair of the William H Duke Center for the Performing Arts at Carmel High School, said, “We are so fortunate to have the finest elementary and middle school music teachers in the entire country. Each teacher’s approach and style of teaching students is unique and varied, but at the core are practices based in world class pedagogy and love and passion for kids.  What we accomplish at the high school level would never be possible without our amazing elementary and middle schools teachers.”

About The NAMM Foundation:

The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its nearly 9,200 members around the world. The Foundation advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.

Wind Symphony 1 – ISSMA State Champion

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Carmel’s Top Band Earns 2015 ISSMA State Championship

On Saturday, May 9th, The Carmel High School Wind Symphony 1 earned the 2015 Indiana State School Music Association Concert Band State Championship title with an incredibly memorable performance!  The literature performed by the concert band included:  “The Screamer March” by Fred Jewell/ed. Kopetz,   “Archangel, Raphael who leaves a House of Tobias” by Masanori Taruya and “Southern Harmony” by Donald Grantham. Recordings of each composition, made during the competition, may be found on the Carmel Bands YouTube channel.

Following the competition, Carmel Director of Bands, Michael Pote, composed the following letter to the students, families and colleagues:

Dear Students, Families and colleagues,

The Carmel Band Family is extremely proud of Wind Symphony 1’s State Championship performance on Saturday, May 9. The student’s efforts during the past few months to prepare for this event have been inspiring. The challenge of the literature chosen for this group was formidable and the students rose to the challenge! Their final performance on the stage at Lawrence Central was an emotional and exciting effort. The ultimate goal is not a bigger trophy but a performance that they will remember and take with them for a long time after they have moved on from Carmel high school.

It is also important to recognize the parents that have been supportive of their young musicians effort since the very first day they started playing an instrument. Their support of the arts, along with our incredible team of middle school band directors, have allowed the entire high school band program to create memorable performances for many years.

These kinds of accolades truly are the result of a “village” of people working together to create opportunities for young musicians.

Sincerely,

Michael Pote

Director of Bands

Three highly respected conductors adjudicated the 16 finalist bands. Those 16 bands qualified for the competition during the previous weekend where 53 bands started the competition.  The judges included:  Mr. Gary Markham, Retired Supervisor of Instrumental Music, Cobb County Schools, Marietta, GA, Dr. Cody Birdwell, Director of Bands, University of Kentucky, Mr. Eric Rombach-Kendall, Director of Bands, University of New Mexico.

Carmel Associate Director of Bands, Kyle Young said, ““We couldn’t be more proud of musicians in Wind Symphony 1. These students have worked together the entire year to push the ensemble to new heights.  No matter the demand of literature, the extra hours of rehearsing, the students continuously rose to the occasion and that was represented Saturday in their performance.  The one constant goal we had was to give a performance that was not only technically thrilling, but also creating an emotional connection, together and with the audience.  They achieved this goal and went beyond our expectations!  This will be a performance that will not be forgotten by the students, directors and parents in attendance.“

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the 31-year history of ISSMA concert band championships, this is the first year there was a tie for First place.  Carmel shares the championship with Penn High School from Mishawaka, Indiana.

The Carmel Wind Symphony 1 has performed in 22 of the total 31 ISSMA State Finals competitions. Of the 22 years, Carmel placed in the top five, 15 of those years with championships coming in 1999, 2013 and now 2015.  For more information on Carmel Bands, go to: www.carmelbands.org

ISSMA STATE CONCERT BAND FINALS PLACINGS

State Champion – Carmel
State Champion – Penn, Mishawaka
3rd Place – Avon
4th Place – North Central, Indianapolis
5th Place – Goshen
6th Place – Columbus North
7th Place – Lawrence Central, Indianapolis
8th Place – Castle, Newburgh
Finalist – Bloomington North
Finalist – Concord, Elkhart
Finalist – Floyd Central, Floyds Knobs
Finalist – Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers
Finalist – Jasper
Finalist – Lafayette Jefferson
Finalist – Munster
Finalist – Warren Central, Indianapolis

About ISSMA (Indiana State School Music Association)

The mission of the Indiana State School Music Association, Inc. is to provide educationally evaluated music performance activities for the students and teachers of the State of Indiana; to assist in the development of performance oriented assessment of state and national musical academic standards, and to offer educational support to fulfill this mission. For more information on ISSMA, go to:  http://www.issma.net

 

Creekside Band Director to Present Clinic

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CREEKSIDE MS BAND DIRECTOR SELECTED TO PRESENT SESSION

AT MIDWEST INTERNATIONAL BAND & ORCHESTRA CLINIC

Carmel, Indiana – Mr. Christopher J. Grifa, Co-Director of Bands at Creekside Middle School in Carmel, Indiana has been selected to present a clinic at the prestigious Midwest International Band & Orchestra Conference in Chicago, Illinois to be held on December 16-19, 2015.  Selected from hundreds of applicants, Mr. Grifa will present his clinic “Achieving Your Ensemble Sound; it’s Fundamental!” to conference attendees.   When asked about the emphasis of his clinic, Mr. Grifa said, “I am deeply honored and excited to be invited to present my session at the 69th annual Midwest Clinic in December. The incredible music educators who present at The Midwest Clinic each year inspire me, and it means the world to me that I will have the opportunity to pay forward what the clinic has given me throughout my career.”

In his 11th year of teaching, Mr. Grifa co-directs all of the bands at Creekside Middle School along with Ms. Wendy Higdon. He is a sought after clinician for young bands, high school bands, marching bands and Drum Corp International Drum and Bugle Corps all across the nation.  As an author, Mr. Grifa has been published in INform Magazine (published by the Indiana Music Education Association) with an article on using technology in the music classroom.  He is currently scheduled to publish an article in “The Instrumentalist”, a world-renowned music education publication in the summer of 2015.  Mr. Grifa resides in Westfield, Indiana with his wife, Suzy, and puppy, Mickey!

About Creekside MS Bands

Creekside Middle School consistently produces some of the best young bands in the nation year after year. The Creekside Wind Symphony was a “Rehearsal Lab” Band at the 2014 Indiana Music Educators Association Conference and a featured performance band at the 2013 IMEA conference. 

The Creekside Wind Symphony performed at the 2013 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic as a featured band.  While at Midwest in 2013, the Creekside Wind Symphony also was a “Rehearsal Lab” band for Ms. Linda Gammon, a renowned band educator from Virginia.  Mr. Grifa’s ensembles have consistently received Gold Awards, including several “Gold with Distinction” Awards at the Indiana State School Music Association Organizational Contests.

About Midwest International Band & Orchestra Conference

What began as 120 music directors meeting for six hours in a Chicago YWCA gym has now become the annual four-day band and orchestra conference known as The Midwest Clinic: An International Band and Orchestra Conference. For the past 67 years, musicians, educators and people passionate about music education of all skill levels have gathered in Chicago for the largest music conference of its kind.

With more than 17,000 attendees from all 50 states and more than 30 countries, The Midwest Clinic offers guests interested in music education an array of clinics and exhibits, as well as access to music and teaching icons. The conference will also focus on industry trends and future topics in business and music education.  For more information, please visit: www.midwestclinic.org

Wind Symphony 1 is 2nd at ISSMA State Finals

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Wind Symphony 1 is 2nd at ISSMA State Finals

Carmel High School’s top performing concert band competed in the final round of the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) Concert Band State Championship on Saturday, May10th and earned second place in the state wide competition.

The band, one of 16 finalists, performed three selections: “Scarecrow Overture” by Joseph Turrin; “Shepherds Hey” by Percy Grainger; and “Hymn to the Sun” by Satoshi Yagisawa. Other high school concert area bands performed Saturday included North Central HS(5th place), Lawrence Central HS (3rd Place), Avon HS(1st place).  Final placings for all of the bands may be found at: www.issma.net

Wind Symphony 1 is comprised of 9th – 12th grade students at Carmel High School who are the top woodwind, brass and percussion students in the program. The band is the 2013 and 1999 State ISSMA Champion, and has been a regular finalist in the competition for the last 25 years, placing in the top five finalists 19 times.