Family Night Out at Yager's Wednesday April 28th

April's Family Night Out is scheduled for Wednesday, April 28th, from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm at Yager's 727. As you have probably read or heard, Yager's has re-opened under new owners who are quickly establishing Yager's as a family friendly establishment. Yager's hopes to have their acoustic night set up and ready to go to entertain us throughout the evening. We will also benefit from the "All You Can Eat Spaghetti Night" for just $7.99 per person.

Please tell all your friends to join us. The Folsom High School Music Boosters will receive 20% of the proceeds if you bring the flyer that can be downloaded from our website www.FolsomMusic.org.

Bid For The Bands

The first annual Bid for the Bands will be opening on Friday, April 30th and will run through Saturday, May 15th at 8:00. You should have received an email (check your spam folder too!) that outlines how you can help. We need donations, bidders, and sponsors. If you are able to donate goods or services, please contact Lorie at http://us.mc1121.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=president@folsommusic.org. We are also offering sponsorship opportunities, all details our posted on our online auction page. Follow the links from our website at http://www.folsommusic.org/. Please don't keep our online auction all to yourself, refer the site to all your friends and click on the facebook button to post it on your facebook page.

FAMILY NIGHT PICNIC & JAZZ

The end of the year jazz concert is going to take take on a new theme this year, a family picnic at the high school outdoor amphitheater on Friday May 7th. Bring your picnic dinner and a dessert to share with everyone. The Boosters will provide water and sodas. All jazz groups will play and sing over the course of the evening, beginning at 5:00 pm.

Admission will be free, but of course donations are accepted:) Bring your entire family, grandparents, classmates and friends for this special night!

Volunteer Opportunities

Toni Carstens has once again volunteered to produce Jazz DVDs of the school year and is in need of a volunteer who would be willing to make copies of the DVDs and distribute them in June. She has everything you will need to get the job done so it will be an easy task.

If interested, contacted Toni at (916) 208-4539 or tcarstens2@sbcglobal.net.

Looking for a volunteer opportunity in the Fall? Toni also needs someone to help her with Marching Band uniforms. Give her a call for further information.

Woot Woot!!! Folsom Wins Big at Monterey Jazz Festival

Our advanced jazz groups just returned from the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival with top prizes. This Festival hosts the country's top jazz musicians who audition for a spot to compete at the Festival. The competition is tough! There were 48 Big Band audition submissions from 23 states, and the Festival accepted only 12 bands to compete. The vocal groups were just as competitive, including top LA performing arts schools.

Vocal Group Awards: Folsom High School Jazz Choir "I" took 1st place, with an Outstanding Soloist award going to senior student Nina Hadzi-Antich. Some of our students also got to participate in a clinic where they sang on stage, one-on-one, with Grammy-winning jazz singer Dianne Reeves.

Big Band Awards: Folsom High School Jazz Band "I" took 3rd place in a very close competition.

As winners, both the Jazz Choir and Jazz Band will get to play at the professional Monterey Jazz Festival, headlining Harry Connick Jr., in September.

Middle School Awards: (Finalists are not placed, just given section awards) Out of four possible Outstanding Section awards, Sutter Middle School took two, for the Saxophone and Trumpet sections.

An Outstanding Soloist award also went to Sammy Fulkerson, Folsom Middle School, for trumpet. A fun time was had by all. Congratulations to these very worthy winners!

Sonny Rollins Tickets Available

If you're looking for tickets to see Sonny Rollins at Mondavi Center in May, one of our Booster parents has them available for sale with free parking! Here's what the Mondavi Center says about the great tenor saxophone player:

"When Sonny Rollins picks up the tenor saxophone, the world listens. For more than half a century, he has played music with the majesty of a Greek god, and today remains one of the few surviving icons from a golden era of jazz that will probably never be equaled. "

The concert is Wednesday, May 19th, at 8:00 pm. The tickets are for two adults and two students, Grand Tier seating, for a total of $125.00, including a parking pass.

Please contact Dawn Ackerman if interested at (916) 985-9593 or ddga@sbcglobal.net.

Jazz Band I and Jazz Choir I to Perform at California State PTA Convention

The Jazz Choir I and Jazz Band I have been selected to perform at the California State PTA Convention on April 29th.

We're hoping showcasing our bright and talented students will remind the State why music education is so important. Good luck guys! We'll be cheering you on!

Car Wash Saturday April 17th

The Folsom High Music Booster Spring Car Wash will be held this Saturday 4/17/10 from 10am - 4pm at Folsom Middle School.

Attention all parents! Many music students took out car wash tickets to sell over the last three weeks. This week is the final week to sell these tickets. Tickets are $5 each and a book of 10 were passed out to those that felt they would sell them.

Tickets and/or ticket money is due back this Friday, April 16th. The money and unsold tickets can be returned all week to the 1st period TA's or to Mrs. Castro in the office. Please ensure all money is turned in as a check. Cash cannot be accepted by the Band Office.

Next Saturday's Car Wash will be manned by two shifts, 9:30 - 1:00pm and 12:30 - 4:00 pm. The Boosters will be providing a pizza lunch to those that help out. There are sign-up sheets posted for students in the Band Room.

Parents that are interested in helping out please contact Randy Strebe 934-8278 email rstrebe@pacbell.net.

Thanks, Randy Strebe

Wine & Jazz Nominated for "Best of Folsom Event"! VOTE NOW!

The Boosters' Folsom Wine and Jazz has been nominated for "Best of Folsom Event 2010" by the web site http://www.myfolsom.com/, so log on and vote! Once you're on the web page, click on "Best of Folsom 2010," then scroll down to # 33 and vote for the Wine & Jazz event.

Tell your students, families and friends!

Help Save Sacramento State Vocal Jazz Program

The Folsom music programs are not the only music programs currently threatened by budget cuts. There's a strong chance that Sacramento State University will eliminate Kerry Marsh's vocal jazz program next year at the University. And there's no guarantee the cuts to the University's jazz programs would stop there.

Sacramento State University had a blossoming vocal jazz program, to be sure, in 2003. But when Kerry Marsh and Julia Dollison arrived on the scene that year, they began an exciting transformation of vocal jazz study at the University. The program has grown to three vocal jazz groups. The students are learning "new, innovative approaches to contemporary vocal jazz." The Sacramento State vocal jazz groups have won numerous Downbeat awards under Marsh's direction, including several student awards for music arranging, and many of our Folsom students have gone on to study under Kerry, Julia and Steve Roach, the jazz band director.

Kerry and Julia had earlier announced that, due to the high probability that vocal jazz would be cut at the University, they had found new opportunities in Colorado and would be moving. Fortunately for us, they have decided to stay in Sacramento no matter what the outcome at Sacramento State. Their collaboration with Folsom High School over the years has been invaluable!

As you're writing your emails and letters to our school District and State legislators to save music in our Folsom schools, please add Sacramento State officials to your list and plead with them not to cut this outstanding music program and the opportunities it provides our students. Contact information for your correspondence can be found below. Links to the Sacramento State vocal jazz web page and to Kerry and Julia's latest CD featuring the music of Maria Schneider (getting rave reviews!) are also provided.

Ernie Hills, Chair, Music Department
Capistrano Hall Room 0109
Sacramento State University
6000 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95819
hills@csus.edu

Jeff Mason, Dean, College of Arts & Letters
Mariposa Hall
Sacramento State University
6000 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95819
mason@csus.edu

http://www.csus.edu/music/JAZZ/

http://www.artistshare.com/home/project_experience.aspx?projectID=225&artistID=108

Santa Cruz Jazz Festival Photos

If you'd like to order professional photos of your student taken at the Santa Cruz Jazz Festival, visit http://www.mandomorlos.com/. Click on "Online Events," choose "Santa Cruz Jazz Festival," enter password "jazz," and you're in to view the photos and order.

The photos will be posted there for a limited time.

Congratulations Mr. Wersky on Distinguished Service Award

On February 20, 2010, Don Wersky received the Distinguished Service Award by the California Band Directors Association. According to Meryl Wamhoff, General Manager of the Delta Center for the Arts and a Board member for CBDA:

"This recognition is one of the highest honors in the music teaching profession. Mr. Wersky has served on the executive board of the California Band Directors Association (CBDA) for more than ten years and has committed more than thirty years of his life to teaching public school music. His service to the State's students and the music teaching profession were deemed invaluable by the membership of CBDA."

The award was presented during the annual CBDA convention banquet. CBDA is the State's professional organization of band directors. Don has been a teacher and friend of the Folsom middle schools and the high school music program for many years. From all the Booster parents and students whose lives you've touched, Congratulations Don!!!!

All-Terrain Vehicle For Sale

An ATV was recently donated to the Music Boosters and we are offering it up for sale. Make an offer! If interested, contact Mary Slusser at mcslusser@comcast.net or (916) 320-8137.