Stamford High Black Knights Marching Band

The Stamford Jazz Ensemble spent the day at Western Connecticut State University on Friday, April 25 for their annual Jazz Festival, featuring Jimmy Heath and Cedar Walton as guest artists. The ensemble played a set of three charts for adjudication: "Salt Peanuts" featuring Xavier Rosario, Michael Galgano, Dan Bishop and Omi Batan; "Greensleeves" featuring John Mahoney and Matt Van Houten; and "Boogie Stop Shuffle" featuring Matt Van Houten, Michael Singer, Ethan Gooding and Alex Beltran.

The ensemble then got a 30-minute clinic with adjudicators John Mastroianni and David Ruffles, two professional performers and teachers of jazz. The gentlemen rehearsed rhythm and timing with the group, and clarified points of dynamics and articulation.

We are also proud to announce two students from the Stamford Jazz Ensemble who have been offered 50% scholarships to the WCSU Summer Music Camp, July 20-26, 2008: Xavier Rosario (trumpet) and Kristen Morgan (baritone).

The highlight of the day was the performance by The Airmen of Note, the United States Air Force Jazz Ensemble. They played energetic and dynamic charts such as "Four on Six," "ESP," and "I'll Be Seeing You." The clinics that followed were organized by instrument, and the students got to ask questions and hear demonstrative playing with the Airmen. Check out mp3s of the Airmen here!

Congratulations to the Stamford Jazz Ensemble on a successful year of growth and musical progress. New heights have been reached with this group, and their sound has become more sophisticated. Be sure to check out the Stamford Jazz Ensemble at the Spring Concert at SHS, on Thursday May 22 at 7:00pm. The Concert Band and Winter Percussion will be performing as well.

Check out the pictures!

Stamford Winter Percussion gets coverage by the best in sticks and mallets, Vic Firth. Check out the video from warm-up on the website:

http://www.vicfirth.com/features/WGI2008/video/stamford1HQ.html

Stamford Winter Percussion returned yesterday from their trip to Dayton, Ohio for WGI World Percussion Championships. Two overnight bus rides, four days of drumming, and one earthquake later, SWP returns to their hometown as finalists in the Scholastic Open class, with a final score of 91.30.

Stamford Winter Percussion performed Thursday afternoon in preliminaries, amid tough competition from Pacifica High School, among others. They finished 4th in their round, getting a pass to semifinals, in which they placed 8th. The students gathered nervously after the performance, but broke out into cheering and tears when the staff told them they made it to finals.

With the pressure off and one last performance of "Teenage Wasteland" to go, Stamford knocked out a great show in the University of Dayton arena and placed 6th in the nation in PSO, out of 41 total ensembles in Open.

We congratulate the students on a very successful season, especially the seniors who are now done with Stamford Winter Percussion: Michael Galgano, Kristen Morgan, Lisa Buzzeo, Lauren Eitelmann, Ashley Strain, Atiya Judson-Saunders, Derek Vernazza, Laura Reynolds, Deangelos Floyd, Genesis Garcia, Omi Batan and Tom Gasparrini, Percussion Captain.

We extend much gratitude to the wonderful instructors who made this season possible. Tim Holcomb, Chase Bronstein and Sal Flores carried the ensemble through a tough month of competition, and their arranging, teaching and expertise led to a level of excellence never before reached by Stamford Winter Percussion.

Finally, once again, this trip would not have been possible without the Stamford High Band Parents Association. The parents booked the hotel and bus, chaperoned, cooked, cleaned, shopped, and most importantly, supported their kids. To all the parents who attended the trip, we all thank you for working so hard and for being there for the ensemble. We would be nowhere without you!

• Check out the scores from the Finals!
• Check out the pictures!

Despite threats of thunderstorms, the rain held off long enough on April 12 for Stamford High School to host the 2008 MAC Winter Percussion Championships. With units from all over the tri-state area in attendance, the crowd was big and loud. The food was great, the ensembles rocked the gym and the event was run with almost no incidents.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2008 MAC Championship
:

On Saturday, April 5, Stamford Winter Percussion competed in its last MAC show before MAC Championships and the big trip to Dayton, Ohio. Precision and unity combined with heartfelt passion created a performance that impressed the judges and connected with the audience. The students were rewarded with a score of 94.00, a big jump from their previous 89.20 at the Coatesville WGI Regional.

This is an incredible achievement at this point in the season, with less than two weeks separating Stamford Winter Percussion from their preliminary performance at WGI Championships in Dayton. Next weekend is the MAC Winter Percussion Championship, held here at Stamford High School, beginning at 5:00pm. Get there, get loud and get excited - we're in the home stretch.

Check out the pictures!

Saturday, March 29 was the second WGI Regional Competition for Stamford Winter Percussion. After a three hour bus ride into Pennsylvania, Winter Percussion performed in prelims with precision and accuracy. The afternoon was spent rehearsing in the sun and checking out the competition. Later that evening, the students brought "Teenage Wasteland" to a new place by performing their most passionate and energetic show so far.

With a score of 89.20, Stamford won 2nd place, and is well on their way to becoming Open Class finalists. Their next show is this Saturday, April 5 in Shelton, and following that, Stamford High School hosts MAC Winter Percussion Championships on Saturday, April 12 at 5:00pm.

Check out the photos!

This Saturday, March 15th at Naugatuck High School, the Stamford Winter Percussion performed their energetic, newly Open Class, show "Teenage Wasteland."

Finishing 2nd in Open Class, with a score of 88.50, SHS continues to move forward with musical excellence and bringing those scores up. Stamford Winter Percussion competes again at the Coatesville, PA WGI Regional on Saturday, March 29th.

Check out the Pictures!

The Stamford Jazz Ensemble competed against ten other bands at the 16th Annual Norwalk High School Jazz Festival tonight. To the students' surprise and delight, SHS took 1st Place, earning their first trophy this season.

This was an outstanding performance by the Stamford Jazz Ensemble, featuring the following soloists: John Mahoney (guitar) and Matt Van Houten (alto saxophone), Greensleeves; Arielle Rubin (clarinet), Hannah Hoffman (piano), Dan Bishop (bass) and Alex Beltran (drums), Angel Eyes; Xavier Rosario (trumpet), Michael Galgano (guitar) and Hannah Hoffman (piano), Salt Peanuts. We are also proud of the students who received the Outstanding Soloist Awards: Hannah Hoffman and Omi Batan (drums).

This ensemble has truly come a long way this year, and we are very proud of these fine musicians. The Stamford Jazz Ensemble will perform next at the Western Connecticut State University Jazz Festival on April 25th. We thank all the parents for their photography, recording, applause and support. Congratulations Jazz!

Check out the Pictures! Miss the show? Listen to the audio.