Mt Carmel Band, Color Guard, Orchestra, Jazz

Calling All Parents!

Our SAT Team needs YOU!

At long last, we have been given the go-ahead to host the SAT on Saturday, May 8, 2021.  Mt. Carmel Music (Band, Orchestra, and Guard) relies on the funds generated as a test-site host to pay for our music and guard coaches, instruments, and program essentials.

We have 300 students registered to take the SAT on Saturday, May 8.  We need 21 proctors and 5 hall monitors.  Prior Experience is not required. Test Proctor and Hall Monitor Training materials will be provided, and Q&A sessions conducted via Zoom.

Volunteering as an SAT proctor or hall monitor is an alternate method for making your suggested annual family donation supporting the music and guard program.  The volunteer shift on test day is from 6:30 am – 1:00 pm.

Please take a moment right now to complete this interest form Volunteer Sign Up

Without you, we can’t administer the test according to standard College Board requirements.   We will lose out on the funds generated from this event, and students will not be able to take their SATs.

For additional information, please contact Jessica Lane at satvolunteers@mchsband.com  or Stephanie Gragg at satadmin@mchsband.com

The Mt Carmel Marching Band | Color Guard | Orchestra from Brett Alan on Vimeo.

Our discount card fundraiser is off to a good start, with most of the students downloading the App!

To ensure the fundraiser’s success, we encourage parents to download the App so that we parents can reach out to our contacts.  It is so easy and can be done in three steps.

Step 1 From your App Store, download and install “Scoreboard FR”

Step 2 – Sign in using the same name and password your student uses for the App.  This links you to your student, and they will get credit for any sharing you do.

Once you are signed in, you can easily share with your contacts

Step 3 – Click the Share Button, then click Share Image and select the methods to share (text, email, social media).  All your contacts receive is a simple message about the fundraiser with your student’s information and a link to make the purchase.

That’s it!

• The discount card is nationwide, so it makes a great gift.
• Works like an App on your phone, so no coupons or book to carry around.
• Has over 4000 discounts in San Diego
• More discounts added on a regular basis
• $14 dollars for each card sold goes back to the Mt. Carmel Music Program

SAT  Program

The SAT Proctor Program serves as a significant fundraiser for the Mt. Carmel High School Music Foundation.  It is one way for parents to offset their suggested family donation. Moreover, hosting the SAT provides a service to the students in our area by offering local test sites.   Provided that all remains on track with PUSD and state guidelines, Mt. Carmel will host the first SAT on Saturday, December 5th.

We are still in need of a few SAT Proctors and are reaching out to our SAT volunteers (veterans and new) to help us fulfill our needs.  If you have not already done so, please complete the brief Google Form even if you are unavailable at https://forms.gle/MjYU6MFofgygrBbf7.  Your prompt response is sincerely appreciated.

If you no longer wish to be contacted regarding the SAT fundraiser, please indicate that on Google Form link below:
https://forms.gle/MjYU6MFofgygrBbf7

Information Night and Mock Classroom for SAT

The SAT Team plans to hold an Information Night and Mock Classroom Training on November 11th and November 18th during Wednesday night rehearsals.  The training will take place in the band room beginning at 6:00.
If you need additional information, please contact a member of our SAT Team. Your help and support are greatly needed and much appreciated.
The SAT Team
Stevie Gragg, SAT Administrator Support SATAdmin@mchsband.com
Jessica Lane,  SAT Volunteer Coordinator SATvolunteers@mchsbband.com
Kim Garcia,   SAT Volunteer

Trunk or Treat Fun

Keeping with the Mt. Carmel Marching Band tradition. Parents decorated their vehicles and provided candy for goodie bags. Students enjoyed the car show and took goodie bags home to enjoy a Halloween treat.

Special thanks to the Coleman, Lane-Gutierrez, Josafat, Lund, Medina, Graff, Phillips, Matsuba, McPherson, and Martin families for decorating their vehicles and adding some Halloween fun.

Photos from the event are available to download. Go to
https://www.brettalanphotography.com/Clients/MCHS

Meet Our Staff and Coaches

April Leslie
April is a San Diego native who plays the clarinets and saxophones. April received her Masters in Music from Azusa Pacific University. She is an in-demand freelance musician both locally and internationally performing various styles and genres of music (classical, jazz, pop, etc.). Some of the groups she performs in include: the Classics Philharmonic, California Chamber Orchestra, Diversions Trio, Left Coast Quintet, JAMB, San Diego Symphony, The Saxations, The Sully Band, Stellita’s Grove, Manny Cepeda Orchestra, and the Ira Liss Big Band. April also has a successful private lesson studio where she loves sharing her passion for music with her students!

Francesca Savage
Francesca was educated at SDSU and continued her musical explorations at UCSD. She has performed orchestral and chamber music in Europe, Mexico, and throughout Southern California. Her passion is helping others find their musical voice.

She is a member of Caprice Strings Ensemble, performing over the past 20 years with an extensive repertoire that embraces baroque, classical, and contemporary works – from Bach to Mozart to Gershwin and The Beatles.

She thinks her viola students at Mt Carmel are amazing!!!

Donation Match Program

You can make your family donation go even further by checking to see if your place of employment has a donation matching program.  Participating companies include:

• Bank of America, HP, General Atomics, Sony, Northrop Grumman, and Qualcomm.

We are registered with giving organization including:

• Benevity and Network for Good

If you would like to make your family donation now, click here.  Donations can be made in full or in monthly increments.

What’s New In Band and Color Guard

Wednesday Night Rehearsals Are Back Beginning October 28th!

Marching band rehearsals on the football field return to Mt. Carmel.  Rehearsals run from 5:45 – 7:30 October 28, November 4^th, 11^th, and 18^th.  Rehearsals are marching only.  Students do not need to bring their instruments for the first rehearsal but will need them for subsequent rehearsals.   Parent volunteers are required to assist with safety precautions before and during the practice.  Click here for the SignUp Genius link to secure your volunteer slot.

Students will practice in Big Basic Blocks (similar to what would have been taught during summer camp.) Participation is optional. For those participating, a signed permission slip is required. Permission slips were sent to the students last week.  If you have questions, please contact Ms. Francis at jfrancis@powayusd.com

We will observe all PUSD mandated safety requirements, including temperature checks and health survey questions of all participants.   Masks will be mandatory for all participants and volunteers.  All students and volunteers must wear a mask at all times.

Modified Trunk or Treat on Wednesday, October 28th

We know how much the students and parents look forward to the annual trunk or treat event, seeing the decorated cars and collecting candy.  While we cannot hold this event in our traditional format,  we have a limited number of spaces available for families who would like to showcase their Halloween-theme decorated vehicles.  Spaces are open on a reservation-only basis through SignUp Genius.  We are not allowed to distribute candy from any vehicle.  Instead, a prepackage candy bag will be available for each student. Click here to read the participation guideline and click here to signup to donate candy, decorate your vehicle, and help out with the rehearsals.

Wednesday Theme Days

In keeping with MC traditions, band students are encouraged to participate in the fun weekly Wednesday theme day contest by dressing up and sending in photos to Catalina Nyberg, Band President.  Photos will be posted on the MCHS Band website. Student leadership selects a weekly winner.

What’s New in Orchestra

Our Clinicians are back!
Our instrument-specific clinicians are back and teaching once a week virtual, small-group sessions during class. Welcome Back to:

Maya Ginsberg – Violin
Francesca Savage -Viola
Michael Taggart – Cello
Mackenzie Leighton – Bass

Tuesday Evening Practices
Pending approval from the PUSD school board, we hope to bring back the Tuesday evening String Orchestra in-person rehearsals beginning with the second trimester.  Plans are still being finalized with more details to follow.

Important Parent Volunteer Information and Training

As we begin to reopen our schools, the health and safety of students and staff is paramount.  The California Department of Public Health has established several requirements for training students, parents, and staff on best practices designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Please see the presentation below, this is intended to satisfy all current training requirements.

 https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1e9j89b8cyb1w3wNbBIDw7vMnjgSAwEsYdE1KiDv0wfE/edit?usp=sharing

Once you read the PowerPoint, please sign your name on the document below in order to receive credit:

https://forms.gle/K4WJS53WpvwaxkyC7