EIU Honor Band

A whole van full of EPGHS students rode down to Charleston, IL with me for an honor band at Eastern Illinois University. It was a two hour drive which wasn't ideal, but the day was worth it. All the students were fantastic all day and really had a great time learning.

The festival had three bands, including a Wind Symphony comprised of only players who had made district or all-state. EPGHS had members in all groups and it was great to hear from all the students about their varying experiences. I learned a lot from listening about rehearsals, the forum with composer Andrew Boysen, Jr., and masterclasses.

The picture above is the Festival Grey Band performing on the stage of the Dvorak Concert Hall. The facilities were fantastic at the brand new Doudna Fine Arts Center. The students were lucky to play for a packed house. I even had to stand to hear the fine performances!

Thanks to the school and parents for allowing us to have this opportunity!
- Mr. F

IMEA Concert Festival

The EPGHS Bands Department is very proud of it's All-District Concert Participants!

Mark R.(Senior) is shown here performing with the IMEA District 3 Concert Band.

He is one of about 30 trumpeters












The full HS Concert Band is pictured to the left.

It featured over 100 students from many different HS in Central Illinois.

The festival guest conductor is Dr. David Vroman, Director of Instrumental Activities at Bradley University.

Two EPG Band members were chosen to sing with the District 3 Choir.

Harrison H.(Senior -Drum Major/Bassoonist/Tenor Saxophonist)
Chris S.(Sophomore- Bassist)

Congratulations to all who performed in these fantastic groups.

Christmas Tunes

As you can see the JH and 6th Grade Bands are filling the band room in Gridley with great music. In addition to building their musicianship, they are rehearsing for upcoming the Holiday Concert in Gridley. The concert will take place at 7:00PM on December 18th in the EPGJH Gym. It will feature creative arrangements of classic holiday tunes, including a piece called Santa at the Symphony that also features music of classical composers. You will get a great experience at this concert on the 18th.

The band's are working so hard and the progress is evident. They are sounding more mature every rehearsal. I couldn't be happier as they progress as musicians. It's also nice just to get to know them better as we work together to make music. Please come support the Fine Arts here at EPGJHS.

Some of the JH Band clarinets, trumpets, alto saxophones, and percussionists rehearsing in early December.

We spend rehearsal time practicing good technique while preparing Carol for Christmas.

Delaney and Seth are focused on playing the right notes as the trumpets work out some fast passages.

This JH group is starting to get into some tricky passages in harder music.













The flute section during the same rehearsal with flying fingers!

Carol for Christmas is based on theUkrainian Bell Carol. It has become one of the most recognizible Christmas songs and it frequently used in movies.

Jeff performs his part on alto saxophone.

The band rehearses two days a week in the band room in Gridley.

They will be performing at contest and possibly at ISU in the upcoming semester.

Recording Session

Hello All!
Sorry for the short notice, but tonight's recording session that was scheduled for 6-8 has been canclled due to road conditions. I had some students concerned with the weather. I it re-freezes tonight things could get dangerous, so we will just postpone.

Please check here or the bands board for updates. Have a safe night.

Congratulations to Our Brightest!

The honor roll lists have been released on the school website for all grades. The EPG Bands are proud to have so many students on the honor roll. It's proven that the people who participate in music are able to succeed in many pursuits that require that higher level of processing. Please join me in congratulating these outstanding student-musicians.

5th Grade Beginning Band Honor Roll and High Honor Roll:
Ryan Coppejans, Emily Fletcher, MaKayla Harrison, Riley Hickey, Kamryn Keith, Trevor King, Peter Koos, Simon Niemtschk, Aaron Perdue, Karlie Uphoff, Ryan Baker, Lauren Boombarden, Abbey Brooks, Leah Denney, Jennifer Ehresman, Mitchell Endress, Ryan Filkins, Kayla Halvorson, Shelby Heffron, Faith Johnson, Adam Kuntz, Alexa Lowry, Alexandria Phelps, Makenna Phernetton, Clay Pinkham, Miranda Reeves, Shelby Roberts, Drew Rose, Jenna Rote, Nathaniel Schug, Samuel Steiner, Kourtney VanHoveln, and Madelyn Wilson.

6th Grade Band Honor Roll and High Honor Roll:
Cortney Ales, Basheer Becerra, Hayden Clements, Jessica Dillon, Morgan Henkelman, Jacob Hinshaw, Jacob Miller, Nate Myers, Dyllan Palmer, Christian Piercy, Nick Roberts, Nathan Schertz, Kole Carter, Rachel Kaeb, Sarah Luning, and Kayley Roth.

JH Band Honor Roll and High Honor Roll:
Luke Barnard, Marc Hartness, Ashlyn Hollonbeck, Blade Parish, Logan Thyne, Shaina Wolf, Caroline Eastman, Delaney Killian, Miranda Schlipf, Nader Abbed, Mollie Edwards, Amy Fairburn, Richard Grubic, Jenna Hughes, Oliver Kuntz, Sarah Rapp, Daniel Sanchez, Justin Skare, Jessica Welch.

HS Band Honor Roll and High Honor Roll:
Michael Barnes, Tyler Murrah, Alyssa Byers, Anna Eastman, Joseph Feeney, Lauren Kapraun, Hannah Larson, Kate Flanagan, Grace Yuill, Nathan Murrell, Liz Nicolay Becca Trapp, Robert Dickison, Jessica Bigger, Andrew Durham, Danny Hermes, Jennifer Mudd, Megan Pala, Mark Rhodes, Emma Trapp, Robin Eastwood, Harrison Hakes, and Jerry Larson.

Congratulations, keep up the good work, and we hope to have more on this list as the year goes on!

Halloween Show Link

If anyone would like to see some of the pictures that Mr. Mock took at the show he has given me the permission to post this link. Please enjoy.

https://67.158.191.226/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.flickr.com/photos/truthattendstoitself/sets/72157608536126104/

Thanks again to everyone for your hard work. I know the food pantry and community appreciates the donations.

The Season Ends

The Halloween Show marked the end of a tremendously successful season for the Marching Titans. The show was a success. The band performed well and the younger students are still talking about how much fun they had. The band parents collected boxes of canned goods that were taken to the food pantry to help families in need during the holiday season.

The competitive season ended in a decisive victory over two of our biggest 1A competitors, Tri-Valley and Farmington Central, by placing 2nd overall at Mahomet-Seymour. The Drum Majors and Percussion also came away with caption awards.

The MT came away with 12 trophies in all this season and were just a few points from a perfect record. It’s evident that all the preparation in the Summer months paid off for the band.

Thanks to all the parents, administration, and community members who made this fantastic season a reality for the students.

6-8 Pops Concert

The 6th grade and JH bands brought the music of the movies to EPGJHS. The audience really enjoyed a treat as the bands performed music that fit our theme of "Muisc in the Movies".

The 6th grade band showcased how they "rock" with Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. This is of course from the smash hit Rocky series. Everyone was impressed with how much they've grown since the last concert.

The JH Band was in for a surprise when they realized that Indiana Jones himself would be guest conducting them for this concert. Well not really, but Mr. Freesen was dressed to do his best impression of the adventurer.

The JH Bands music included some highlights from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as well as the famous opening music from Star Wars. They brought the concert to a loud close with the Raiders March from Indiana Jones. John Williams originally composed all of the aformentioned scores and there isn't a more iconic writer for these young musicians to learn about.

Please join the groups in gridley for their next performance at the EPGJHS Christmas Concert on December 18th.

Bradley Honor Band Itinerary

Congratulations to Adam Burton and Kate Flanagan for being selected for the honor group at Bradley! Here’s how this works.

Tuesday November 11th – First rehearsal
6:00PM – Doors open
6:30PM – Seating/Warm up
7:00PM – Rehearsal
9:00PM – Dismissed

For this rehearsal you need to make arrangements to get to there on your own. I got double booked and cannot go. Maybe one parent or the other can drive. Please let me know if this is impossible and I will try to work it out.

Arrive on time with music that should be sent in the mail to your house. Let me know if you do not have it so I can check with Dr. Vroman. You do not need to pay the fee. The band has money budgeted for these things. Do your best and learn a lot to bring back to our band.

Tuesday November 18th – Festival Day
7:45AM – Leave from the HS
8:30 AM – Seating/Warm up
9:00AM – Rehearsal
12:00PM – Lunch in Dorms
1:30PM – Back to rehearsal
4:00PM – Rehearsal Ends
4:30PM – Symphonic Winds Rehearsal Observation
5:00PM – Dinner/Movie
6:45PM – Warm up in the basement
7:30PM – Concert downbeat

Dress for the concert is black/white just like our concerts. White button up with black pants, black socks, black shoes. Don’t forget this stuff!

I will take you there and be in attendance all day. You may ride back with a parent or back with me. If leaving with a parent make sure to check out with me first.

Mahomet Moments

Here are a few photos from the Mahomet-Seymour competition. More posted sometime!

Photos are courtesy of Tyson Joye. Please contact him if you would like prints of any of his work.

Mahomet-Seymour Bulldog Competition

Well I'll be the first to tell you I was shocked and excited by the outcome of the MS Competition. I had been telling the students all week to go out and have fun at their last event, regardless of placement because I knew we were up against some tough competition. The MT really rose to the challenge!

The Marching Titans placed 2nd Overall, 2nd Drum Majors, 3rd Percussion in class 1A. We competed with some heavy hitters such as Farmington Central, Tri-Valley, and Paxton-Buckley-Loda.

You can find scores and a link to the full recap here: http://www.ilmarching.com/scores_indiv.php?c=195

We enjoyed a fantastic lunch put on by the MTPs. They always give us a great end to our season. Thank you to all the parents who helped support this event and the MT all season!

Millikin Honor Band

Marching Band Might be wrapping up, but that does not mean we slow down!

A month or so ago a handful of EPG's best high school instrumentalists were nominated for an honor band at Millikin University which will be lead by professor Neal Smith.

The following students were selected to represent EPGHS at the festival:
Jessica Bigger - Euphonium
Daniel Hermes - Alto Saxophone
Mark Rhodes - Trumpet

These three talented musicians will be heading to Millikin University with Mr. Freesen for a day of sessions and rehearsals that will give them an experience they can't get in our high school band program.

We will be leaving at 7:15AM from the HS. The concert will take place at 7:30PM on the fantastic Kirkland stage in Decatur. Contact the music office for more information.

Metamora Recap

The Marching Titans had a fantastic showing at the Metamora Parade and Field Invitational on October 11th.

The MT performed a show that brought some audience members goosebumps and tears. It was a technically impressive show as well an emotional one. The band came away with 7 trophies in all.

Awards recieved are as follows:
1st Place Class A Parade Drum Majors
1st Place Class A Parade Percussion
1st Place Class A Parade Overall
1st Place Class A Field Drum Majors
1st Place Class A Field Percussion
1st Place Class A Field Winds
1st Place Class A Field Overall

Not too bad for our first ever parade competition. This competition was the half way point for us. We have one more show remaining. That will take place on Oct. 18th at Mahomet-Seymour High School.

The students always talk about how much the love Metamora. I think they enjoy watching the 20 some other groups. It doesn't feel bad to win big either.

Recaps of the competition can be found here: http://www.ilmarching.com/scores_indiv.php?c=193

Video on the Web

Follow the links to see us on www.youtube.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znIz_XrDRYY
Pekin Performance - Sept 20th
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvF0f9-Ciws
Pekin Awards Ceremony(1st Winds 1st Overall)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsZLH3xzpto
Geneseo Performance - Sept 27th

Predictions for the Week of Oct. 11th

As predicted by the staff of www.ILMarching.com

Metamora Parade and Field Invitational: Metamora, IL (field predictions only).
Class A: El-Paso-Gridley is having a great season thus far, and we think they’ll win this class. Our pick: El Paso Gridley
Class AA: Our pick: ROWVA
Class AAA: Our pick: Herscher
Class AAAA: 2 picks here. If Eureka makes the night show at ISU, they won’t be performing here. If that happens, Our pick: Pekin. If Eureka doesn’t make the night show, Our pick: Eureka
Class AAAAA: Our pick: Macomb
Grand Champion Our pick: Macomb

Metamora Information

Itinerary for the Metamora Parade/Field
Oct. 11th 2008 – Metamora, IL

8:45AM: Drumline (including pit)/Drum Majors Call
9:15AM: Run-Through/Load bus
10:00AM: Depart from EPGHS
10:45AM: Arrive at MTHS, Metamora IL/Dress immediately
11:39AM: Step off for the parade component
12:10PM: Hydrate/relax – Stay in uniform unless permitted by Freesen
12:45PM: Leave the lot for warm up
1:25PM: Depart for Gate
1:45PM: Performance
2:00PM: Off the field - Meet for announcements/change
5:30PM: Seated for the 1A,2A,3A awards(DMs change at 5)
6:15-9PM: Eat Dinner, Watch Bands. Sit together!
9:30PM: Seated for 4A, 5A awards
9:45PM: Awards Ceremony
10:00PM: Load Bus
10:10PM: Depart from MTHS, Metamora, IL
10:45PM: Arrive at EPGHS and unload.

Make sure you have ALL your materials (Instrument, all uniform parts, reeds, show shirts, etc.) and triple check! After we perform you are required to be in your “show” t-shirts. This is considered part of the uniform and you will be marked down without it.

- Be on time. “To be early is to be on time. To be on time is to be late. To be late is to be dead.”
- Be respectful. The people assisting us today, parents, students, judges, etc., are there to help. They deserve your respect.
- Be appropriate. Any inappropriate actions could affect your grade or future performances.
- Be proud. We represent EPGHS on and off the field.

Perform and present with intensity and POWER!
Go Marching Titans!!

Homecoming Schedule

Freesen’s Schedule for Homecoming

7:15AM: MT Rehearsal at the Stadium
Lunch
12:45PM: Band call for the assembly
1:00PM: Pep Assembly (Fight Song, Show, Stands Tunes, Hey Baby)
3:00PM: Parade line up #15 (Parking Lot)
3:30PM: Step off
4:15PM: Dinner (Cafeteria)
6:00PM: Call for the game. In uniform
6:50PM: Pre-game sequence
7:00PM: Homecoming Game vs. the Fluffy Bunnies

Hope this helps give you an idea of what's going on tomorrow. Make sure we are on time and ready to go.

Season Snapshot

We are so thankful to have a great photographer traveling with us this season. All photos in this post are courtesy of Tyson Joye.

Articles

Greetings!

I just checked the school website (www.unit11.org) and we have an article posted on the homepage. You can find it by clicking this link, http://www.unit11.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=4&Itemid=26

I also believe we will be featured in the El Paso Journal and the Gridley Villiage Times this week or next.

Welcome!

Welcome To Titan Bands Online

This blog is currently serving a communication tool for the bands of El Paso-Gridley. Please bookmark this address and return often.

You can look foward to all kinds of things being posted on this site, such as event information, reviews, and multimedia.

I look forward to using this site as another way to communicate with staff, students, parents, and the El Paso-Gridley Communities.

In Music -

Mr. Freesen