Online Recordings

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Recordings are the same way! Sometimes a musical concept can be frustrating and difficult, but listening to a good recording gives us a "picture" for how the music was intended to sound by the composer. Here are some good places to check out recordings of the music we are currently working on:

Madelia Concert Band:

"Rush" -(Contest Piece)

"On a Hymnsong of Lowell Mason" -(Contest Piece)

"Choreography"

"Journey to Diablo Canyon" full length version

Madelia Junior High Band:

"Beyond the Seven Hills"

"Ceremonium"

"A Scottish Ballade"

"Groovee"

Introducing Mr Zimmerman

Hopefully your summer has gone well. It is hard to believe it will soon come to a close. My name is Mr. Zimmerman and I am exited to continue the legacy of fine music performances at Madelia High School.

I want to thank all of the students that joined us on July 10th for the Madelia park days parade. It was great meeting all of the students that came out. The summer music program is currently underway and will continue through August 25. Please email me at eric.zimmerman@madelia.k12.mn.us if interested in joining.

Hopefully you get a chance to take your instrument out a couple of times before school starts. This will be an exciting year in band. I am looking forward to it!

Mr. Zimmerman

Farewell

Once again, it has truly been my privilege to be the Director of Instrumental Music for Madelia Community Schools. As I reflect on the past ten years, the memories and the music we made in rehearsals and performance is the legacy of the hard work and commitment of all of the students. I hope that you will continue to participate in the bands and make wonderful music in the future.

Thank you for all of the well-wishes, the parties, the special gifts and the laughs. I plan on creating a shadow box filled with many items from "the Madelia experience." I will check in from time to time to see how it is going - and I sincerely hope that it is going well!

Take care and all the best, always!
--Mr. E.

Making Decisions

By now you all have heard the news. I have accepted a teaching position for next year at Mankato East Junior High School. I want to write a little bit about decisions. Those life-changing decisions are never easy to make. As you get older, you realize that every decision has a ripple effect on many different people. Such is the case with this decision.

You should know that we are seldom able to "choose" when these big opportunities for change are offered - we have to take them as they come. Was I "looking" for a change? Not really. But I can't decide when opportunities like this are going to come along - they just do. It could have been next year, or the year after that. But it wasn't. It was now. This job is an opportunity for me to "get a life" as I told the students - an opportunity to do the things I always want to do but never seem to find the time.

Will I miss Madelia and the students in the band program - you bet. Will the bands at Madelia "survive" without me - you bet - IF - the students continue to strive for excellence and stick it out. The students are (and always have been) in charge of the program. As I am fond of saying "my baton doesn't make sound." The best thing band students can do is to approach the new year as an "opportunity" to get even better, and to do everything they can to support and help the new director.

Madelia music students should know by now that they have an incredibly supportive group of parents and community members that want them to do well. This new "community member-at-large" expects that too!

Almost there

We are almost at the end. It seems hard to believe sometimes, but other times it seems like it has taken forever! You know what I mean. That's just the way it goes. Even though the end of the year is rapidly approaching, we still have a bunch of stuff to do and we have to make the most of the time we have. Hopefully this will be a good week to get some stuff taken care of - lots to do!!!!

"Checking it off the list"

It has been a busy 3.5 months. There have been many things I have been involved in that are in addition to my regular MHS duties and they have taken an extraordinary amount of time. For those of you who don't know me very well I am someone who makes lists. I have found it extremely helpful to write down all the "things that must get done" even if compiling the list can be a little depressing at times! In any case, with the MAD Jazz performance last Monday and then formal picture day on Thursday I realized that they were the last of the "big things" on "the list!" It is amazing how good it feels. All year long as I complete another event or a big project I always make a big sweeping gesture in the air and "check it off the list."

Now let's not kid ourselves - there is a lot to do before school wraps on June 2 - but these things will be much more manageable - now that "the list" is smaller! The phrase must include the work "check." Have fun!

"And we're back!"

After a whirlwind 96 hours we are back! Above is the group of students on stage following the band performance and the Acrobats of China show. All in all it was an excellent tour. I will have more later, but as they say..life goes on - on to the jr high festival on Thursday - work to be done! Later.

HERE WE GO!

The tour is upon us! We leave on Wednesday at 10:00 p.m. from the east parking lot doors. Although it seems like there remains lots to do (and there is!) at least I feel like we will get it all accomplished before we leave - we don't have any other choice!!! Today we got out of school at 9:30 a.m. due to snow and I spent all afternoon working on things for tour, the junior high band festival, summer camp , spotlight on senior citizens, and a variety of other things - never a dull moment! I feel like I accomplished a lot though.

Congratulations, part II

Congratulations to MAD Jazz for their superior rating today at solo / ensemble contest! Excellent work. Congrats also go out to the soloists and accompanists for all events - playing a solo for a judge is truly one of the hardest thing we can ever do as a musician. Even if the result wasn't what you hoped for - it is the process that is important. You won, simply by going and doing! I'm proud of all of you!

Congratulations!

Congratulations, Concert Band! The band traveled to USC High School on Monday for the Minnesota State High School League's Large Group Contest. The band performed Mannin Veen by Haydn Wood and Persistence by Richard Saucedo. Both pieces were on the Class I literature list which is the highest (hardest) level of music. The band received scores of 32, 38, and 38 on a 40-point scale. This means the band received an overall rating of Superior.

This marks the 10th consecutive year that the Madelia Concert Band has received superior ratings at contest and the 7th consecutive year that the band has done so performing Class I literature. Way to go!

What is truly impressive to me about this is that we are a 9-12 band with around 70% of the students in grades 9-10. Most of the bigger districts have a 9-10 band and an 11-12 band. The 9-10 bands usually compete performing class III literature. So our MCB 9-10 graders have really done impressive work! It is great working with student musicians who work hard during rehearsals and perform wonderful music with expression, sensitivitiy, and maturity.

MCB members - give me your comments on our contest performance!