Last week concluded with a virtual day that unexpectedly turned into a snow day! We hope everyone stayed safe while enjoying the rare inclement weather. It was wonderful to see pictures of our students making snow angels, sliding down hills, building snowmen, and having fun in the snow.

This week we have some students submitting virtual auditions for All-State, traveling to UGA for the annual JanFest honor band clinic, and our Winterguard’s first competition of the year at Kennesaw Mountain HS.

This Week at a Glance • CHS Announcements
1/13 – 1/17

2nd Round All-State Auditions Virtual Due to Inclement Weather

This information was posted in Google Classroom this weekend. Student Instructions for Recording of All-State Band 2nd Round Audition Videos
Each portion of the audition will be its own separate audition video that will need to be recorded

Second Round Requirements for Brass/Woodwinds:
Video 1: Lyrical Etude
Video 2: Technical Etude
Video 3: Quick Study Etude

Quick Study etudes will be available on www.gmea.org on Monday, January 13th

The Recording Process: For tracking purposes, students should start each etude video with the following verbal introduction: “My name is (First, Last), I am performing my (name of etude).” 
           Example: “My name is Chris Shumick, I am performing my Quick Study Etude.”

• The student will then perform the etude they are recording.
• Videos should be uploaded to YouTube, with the visibility level set as “unlisted.” Videos listed as “private” will be unviewable by the judges and will not be scored. YouTube will ask you this question after you select the video you are uploading:
• YouTube will ask for a name for the uploading video to be entered. The video name entered should simply just be the student’s name and the etude they are performing.
  Example: “Chris Shumick – Lyrical Etude”
• After all video files are successfully uploaded, links will be available that will be submitted by Directors using the submission form near the bottom of this document. Our students should submit their recordings to Dr. Carr using this link by Thursday or Friday (1/24). Dr. Carr has to upload them to GMEA by 1/25.
• Please note: Using a cell phone to record the videos, and then uploading from the cell phone to the YouTube app is one, and perhaps the easiest, method to create and upload audition videos to obtain video links to submit. 
• Recording Guidelines/Rules: The student’s face, hands, and instrument must be visible throughout the entire recording.
• Students should NOT wear clothing identifying the school they attend.
• The use of a metronome in any part of the recording is prohibited.
• Students will want to do a few test recordings and be careful of microphone placement to the instrument. Too close to the instrument may result in distortion, too far from the instrument will make it hard for the judge to hear the video clearly.
• The wearing of AirPods, in-ear headphones/monitors or over the ear headphones while recording a video is prohibited. Any use will result in the audition video not being scored.
• Students may have other people in their recording room to assist them in starting/stopping the recording, however the student performing should be the only ones visible in the video.
• Percussion students will need to tune the timpani after introducing themselves. The tuning will still need to be limited to 15 seconds for each drum and follow the handbook for the amount of reference pitches used. Middle School and Concert Band students will be able to hear all pitches but they will need to be produced by the student via keyboard instrument, pitch pipe, or tuning fork.  Symphonic Band students can produce one audible pitch (lowest note used on the 32” drum) OR use a tuning fork. No electronic devices or tuners are allowed.  
• All video submissions must consist of unedited, “raw” files, wherein both video and audio are recorded simultaneously for each of the etudes submitted. The use of splicing short clips together to form a complete video for any submitted etude is strictly prohibited. Additionally, the dubbing of external audio onto video files for any etude submission is not permitted. Any and all forms of electronic manipulation of submitted audition videos are expressly forbidden. This prohibition extends, but is not limited to, the addition of reverb, equalization of audio levels, pitch correction, or any other similar alterations and digital enhancements. Any suspicion of such manipulative practices or use of any form of artificial intelligence assistance will result in a comprehensive electronic investigation of the submitted file to ensure its authenticity.

UGA JanFest • January 16 – 18, 2025

We will depart CHS via bus on Thursday at 2:00PM. The hotel will serve breakfast each morning. Students will need money (~$40) for Dinner on Thursday, Lunch and Dinner on Friday. Parents, please arrive on Saturday to Hugh Hodgson School of Music • 250 River Road • University of Georgia • Athens, GA 30602 no later than 11:00AM. The students have staggered report times for their concerts depending on their ensemble placement, which we will learn on Thursday evening after we arrive. The first concert report time is 11:15AM and the final concert report time is 4:30PM. Because of this, students will be released to their parents at 11:00AM.

Winter Guard Competition • January 18 • KMHS

Our Winterguard team will perform at Kennesaw Mountain HS on January 18, 2025 at 2:45PM. Tickets are $12.00 and can be purchased at the door. Come out and support our Winterguard!

Abbreviated Itinerary
8:00AM Rehearsal
11:15AM Depart for KMHS
2:45PM Performance!
3:30PM Depart for Towne Center Mall (bring money for the food court)
7:15PM Retreat (scores & awards)
8:00PM Depart for CHS
9:15PM Arrive • Unload • Dismiss after everything is put away (approx. 9:45PM)

MLK Parade • January 20, 2025

Monday, our Marching Band will perform in the MLK Parade through downtown Carrollton. This is a required annual performance that our community looks forward to every year. Meet at CHS to load equipment at 9:00AM, in Unifrom by 9:30AM. The parade steps off at 11:00AM and we should be finished around 12:00PM.

Trojan Band to Perform at GMEA

Being selected to perform at the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) In-Service Conference is a highly competitive process in which bands submit a recording to be considered for the opportunity. This year, only 3 high school bands were selected for this honor and our Carrollton High School Wind Ensemble’s submission was one of them. This is the first time in the history of Carrollton City Schools for an ensemble from Carrollton High School to be selected to perform at the GMEA In-Service conference.

The students will perform a program highlighting Carrollton and our history of excellence in the Arts. We will open with an Irish fanfare to pay homage to Carrollton’s namesake Charles Carroll of Carrollton, an Irishman and the oldest surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. Later in the program, Mr. Hall will guest conduct a march that he first conducted as the band captain at UGA in 1963. Former Carrollton City Schools Superintendent Dr. H.M. Fullbright witnessed Mr. Hall’s performance in Jesup, GA before hiring him as the band director at Carrollton many years later! William Cooper, class of 2009 and current trumpeter with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, will be featured alongside Mr. Trumble as trumpet soloists with the band. Ms. Menendez and Mr. Nelson will each guest conduct a piece on the concert, and to top it off, we will perform pieces by Will Pitts, class of 2004, and Katahj Copley, class of 2016 including the world premiere of Copley’s newest work The Wayfinder. The world premiere will include antiphonal trumpets and triangles performed by former students, and former student teachers.

We will perform the program in Carrollton on Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at 7:00PM in the Mabry Arts Center and again as part of the state conference in Athens, Georgia in the Classic Center Theater on Friday, January 31, 2025 at 8:45AM. Both concerts are FREE and open to the public. This is going to be an outstanding celebration of our community and we hope that you will be there to cheer us on!

Auburn University Honor Band • February 27 – March 1

We also have 1 student representing us in the 2025 Auburn University Honor Band! He discovered the opportunity, asked for a recommendation, submitted his application, and was selected through a highly competitive process. Congratulations Hunter Moore! We know that you will represent Carrollton with pride!

Upcoming Events • Download and Share on Social Media

These are the larger events throughout the year. Please mark your calendars, download, and share on social media as we get closer to the event to help us advertise. Thank you for spreading the word!

Upcoming Dates

Be sure to subscribe to the calendar • www.chstrojanband.com/calendar • Some calendar events stopped syncing after we transferred to CutTime. Be sure to subscribe to this Google Calendar — the CutTime calendar automatically syncs to this one. All you have to do is click the “Add to Google Calendar” at the bottom after visiting http://www.chstrojanband.com/calendar to subscribe. The photo below shows you where to find it.

January

• 13 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• 14 • WE Rehearsal 3:30pm – 6:00pm
• 16 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
  • UGA JanFest
• 17 • WG Rehearsal 3:45pm – 6:15pm
  • UGA JanFest
• 18 • WG Competition at Kennesaw Mountain HS
  • UGA JanFest
• 20 • MLK Day • No School
  • MLK Parade 11:00AM
  • MLK Ecumenical Service • MAC • 
• 21 • WE Rehearsal • 3:30pm – 6:00pm
• 23 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• 24 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 9:00pm
• 25 • WG Camp • 9:00am – 12:00pm
• 27 • WE Rehearsal • 3:30pm – 6:00pm • MAC
  • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• 28 • WE GMEA Preview Concert • 7:00PM • MAC
• 30 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• 31 • WE GMEA Performance • 8:45AM • Classic Center, Athens, GA

February

• 3 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• 6 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• 7 • WG Rehearsal 3:45pm – 6:15pm
• 8 • WG Competition at River Ridge HS
• 10 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• 13 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• 17 – 21 • Winter Break • NO SCHOOL
• 24 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• 27 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• 28 • WG Rehearsal 3:45pm – 6:15pm

March

• 1 • WG Competition at Harrison HS
• 3 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• 6 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
  • Pre-LGPE Concert • MAC
• 10 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• 13 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• 17 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• 20 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
  • LGPE • TBD
• 21 • WG Rehearsal 3:45pm – 6:15pm
  • LGPE • TBD
• 22 • WG Competition at Villa Rica HS
• 24 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• 27 • WG Rehearsal 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• 28 • SAPA Championships • TBD
• 29 • SAPA Championships • TBD
• 30 • SAPA Championships • TBD

April

• 3 • Spring Band Auditions
• 7 – 11 • Spring Break – NO SCHOOL
• 19 • Band Awards and Party
• 22 • Jazz Performance Evaluations
• 26 • Solo & Ensemble
  • Prom

May

• 1 • Band BBQ
• 6 • Spring Concert
• 16 • Graduation • Band Performs
• 20 • Finals • 1st and 2nd Block • Early Release 12:30pm
• 21 • Last Day of School Finals • 3rd and 4th Block • Early Release 12:30pm

July – Tentative

• 3 • 4th of July Parade Practice
• 4 • 4th of July Parade
• 14 – 18 • Band Camp Week 1 • 8:00am – 5:00pm
• 21 – 25 • Band Camp Week 2 • 8:00am – 9:00pm