So we have two final events to finish the year off with.  With so much music happening at Notre Dame Collegiate, we need two nights to get through it all!

The first is a quick change due to the play this week.
 
Junior Panorama will be extended by 15 minutes to run from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM this week only.
 
Senior Panorama this week is postponed in light of the play.  Instead we will be meeting on Monday May 30 after school from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM.

​All Steel Panners will be performing along with the Stage Band on June 1, 2022 for the “Night At The Wolves’ Den” family event that night.  Call time for all musicians ins 5:30 PM

All Steel Panners are also being asked to complete a survey discussing possible activities over the summer months.  We have the opportunity to perform for the Seasons Retirement Facility in High River, as well as having been invited to participate in CariFest in Calgary on August 12 or 13, 2022.  I want all families to respond to the survey below to help me gauge whether or not these events are possibilities for our amazing musicians.  You need to log into your Christ The Redeemer Student Google Account to complete this survey.

We have a few minor changes and additional information regarding the Parade on Saturday, May 21.  Please see the following pieces of important information;

All Grade 7s, 8s and 9s are to meet at St. Francis deSales Catholic Church in High River by 9:15 AM.  Mr. Windsor will be on site at 8:45 AM.

Mr. Windsor will bring tubas, drumline, and the baritone saxophone, as well as a radio-flyer wagon with two bottles of water per student.

Students are responsible for bringing;

• Instruments
• NDC Music Jackets (they've already been distributed)
• Running shoes (colour doesn't matter, not hightops, Vans, flats, or other such shoes without shoelaces)
• A white shirt for under our jackets that is as light as possible
• An extra layer of shirt in case it's chilly or windy.
• Black pants
• Extra Reeds, Drumsticks or Valve Oil
• Sunglasses and sunscreen

See the map above for gathering points.  The Timberwolf logo in the Blue region is where we will be meeting by 9:15 AM (St. Francis deSales), and the Timberwolf logo in George Lane Park is where we'll be meeting after we get food from the Highwood Lions Club.

Still Looking For One More Parent Volunteer!  If you can help, please email Mr. Windsor at jwindsor@redeemer.ab.ca.

Please note that parking downtown will be challenging.  It may be best to drop your child off at the barrier by the library instead.

Thank you once again!  The Rotary Club in particular has been truly excited about our band participating, and contributed to help us produce a much stronger banner for our band this year!  I'm excited, and I hope you are too!

We are in the last month of music at Notre Dame Collegiate!  What does that mean for your students?  Read below for details about the Marching Band, the Family Night and the Year-End Concert.

We first start with the Little Britches Parade on May 21, 2022.  Students have already been practicing their marching formations and memorizing their music.  You can encourage them to continue their memorization work at home.

On May 21, 2022 at 9:15 AM all Grade 7s, 8s and 9s are to meet at St. Francis deSales Catholic Church in High River.  From there we will set up our formations.  We follow the instructions of the Rotary Club as they get the parade organized.  We will do the full route of the parade route.

Mr. Windsor needs at least 2, preferably 3 adults to accompany the group.  We have discussed safety and care regularly throughout the marching band, but as we will be more active in our performance than usual, I would like to have a few extra hands available to help students when a malfunction occurs, like a dropped stick, an untied shoelace, or an obstacle appears on the parade route.  If you can help out with this, please email me.

What students should have:

• Running shoes (colour doesn't matter, not hightops, Vans, flats, or other such shoes without shoelaces)
• A white shirt for under our jackets that is as light as possible
• An extra layer of shirt in case it's chilly or windy.
• Black pants
• A working instrument
• Sunscreen and Sunglasses

Mr. Windsor will provide the NDC Music Jackets (unless you own one) and water bottles.

Our Year-End Concert on June 8, 2022 will feature All Concert Bands and the String Ensemble.  We will also see various awards handed out that evening, including the NDC Music Hall of Fame Nominations and Inductions, and the Arlene Mann Memorial Arts Ambassadorship Award.  Tickets and details will be made available within the next two weeks.

We had a wildly successful band trip!  Since our trip, I've discussed such excursions with other band teachers who balk at the idea of a single teacher taking 100 students anywhere.  They obviously don't know NDC students.

Your students, simply put, stepped up.  They were amazing ambassadors of Notre Dame Collegiate, they contributed to moving equipment, were helpful and caring to one another, and were genuinely filled with joy.  Their Gold Medal and High Gold Medal performances at the St. Albert Rotary Festival of the Performing Arts coupled with fantastic and well-received shows in West Edmonton Mall were testaments to their hard work, and the fantastic feedback I got from everyone including Mall staff and the Hotel staff indicates just how wonderful your students are.  You should be proud of them!

Thank you to the many chaperones and helpers who made the trip possible and eased challenges such as trips to Long & McQuade or Shopper's Drug Mart while other things were happening.

Photos of the trip are still being accepted on the Discord or in Google Classroom.  Please share all that you can!

God bless!
Joel Windsor

The purpose of this trip is to get LIVE, In-Person constructive professional music educational feedback and unique musical performance experiences.  Although music education is our primary purpose, these trips also offer opportunities for personal and social growth, and we work hard to make sure students have these opportunities in a safe and caring way.

​Bus Company: Alberta Coach (from Okotoks, AB), two 55-passenger coaches
Hotel: Days Inn & Suites West Edmonton (10010 179a St NW, Edmonton, AB T5S 2T1)
Festival Performance Venue: Arden Theatre (5 St Anne St, St. Albert, AB T8N 3Z9)
Morning Performance Venue: Centre Stage, West Edmonton Mall
Evening Activity #1: Ed's Bowling, West Edmonton Mall
Evening Activity #2: Dragon's Tale Blacklight Mini-Golf & Crystal Labyrinth Mirror Maze

In unstructured times, students may be given some open time and space to enjoy some downtime, such as when we are in West Edmonton Mall.  In this circumstance the expectation that all students are aware is that they travel in groups of no less than three students (the "double-buddy system").  This means that if an issue were to ever arise for those students when they are not in direct supervision of an adult, there will always be at least two students together while the third gets help.  To that end, an adult chaperone will always be available at our designated meeting places to be easily found should such an issue arise.  This "double-buddy" system has always been a source of comfort for students, as they know they will always be with a peer, and that help is never far away if it is ever needed.

In the unlikely event expectations aren't followed we have a different system of growth than what would normally happen in school, Mr. Windsor calls a "3 Opportunities" system.

• After Opportunity 1 - The first time an expectation isn't met, a pastoral "shoulder-to-shoulder" conversation about what appropriate behaviour looks like, and guide them to making a better decision.
• After Opportunity 2 - In this instance, another pastoral conversation is had, but also in conjunction with a parent either by video chat or phone call to reinforce the lesson.  A reminder will also be shared with the student of the consequences of not succeeding at opportunity 3.
• After Opportunity 3 - By this time the student has had 3 chances to demonstrate learning and appropriate behaviour, and has been unsuccessful.  At this point we ask parents to come collect the student so that others can truly enjoy the experience better.  If that is not possible, they will accompany Mr. Windsor or another chaperone for the remainder of the trip.

In the event of an emergency (aside from contacting first responders when appropriate)

• We are blessed with staff and chaperones with medical first aid training.
• If it is a student emergency, we will use the contact information provided to the school to connect with families about the emergency.  Please ensure your contact information with the school is up-to-date.
• If it is an emergency from home and you need to contact Mr. Windsor, please send Mr. Windsor an email at jwindsor@redeemer.ab.ca (this goes straight to his phone), and he will manage the communication.  While we know you will want to communicate with your child, it is imperative you connect with Mr. Windsor first so that he can appropriately support your child in the situation.
• If we have a significant emergency affecting multiple people, we have a total of 12 adults on this trip who will work together quickly to disseminate information to families as fast as possible.

Please connect with any of the resources below if you have any additional questions.

It's been a long time coming.  And now it's here!  Band Trips are back!
We are currently planning two trips.  One trip is for the St. Cecilia String Ensemble only, and is a day trip to Airdrie for the Airdrie Rotary Festival of the Performing Arts.  The other is for every other band program, including Stage Band and Steel Pans, and it is a 2-night-3-day trip to St. Albert, with stops at St. Joseph's Basilica and West Edmonton Mall.

This trip is a day-trip only on March 30, 2022.  Trip details are as follows;

• 9:00 AM - Departure from Notre Dame Collegiate
• 10:00 AM - Arrival at the Polaris Centre in Balzac, AB, listen to other performances
• 10:30 AM - Warm Up and Tune Up
• 11:00 AM - Performance at the Polaris Centre
• 11:15 AM - Workshop
• 11:45 AM - Depart for Cross-Iron Mills for Lunch
• 1:00 PM - Return to Polaris Centre to listen to musicians
• 2:00 PM - Departure from Polaris Centre
• 3:00 PM - Arrival at Notre Dame Collegiate

We will need 1 female chaperone to join us on this trip.  It will include a performance, adjudication and workshop at the Airdrie Rotary Festival of the Performing Arts.
​Permission forms will be available in SchoolCashOnline, and need to be completed by March 11, 2022 along with the submission of fees.  The fee for the excursion will be $50, and includes bus transportation and the festival.

We are in need of 7 more chaperones for this trip, both male and female.  This trip will not happen without parent support in the form of chaperones (I currently only have 2 parents who have emailed me committing to chaperoning).  The final fee is $150 (thanks to the HRCFAPA), which will cover hotel accommodations, bussing, festival fees with adjudication and workshops, extra performances, breakfasts and downtime at West Edmonton Mall.  View the tentative schedule below.

​Monday, April 11, 2022
8:45 AM - Departure from Notre Dame Collegiate (pack bag lunches)
1:30 PM - Arrival at Arden Theatre in St. Albert, Alberta
2:00 PM - Grade 7 Concert Band Warmup and Performance
2:45 PM - Junior Concert Band Warmup and Performance
3:30 PM - Senior Concert Band Warmup and Performance
4:30 PM - Depart Arden Theatre
5:00 PM - Arrival at Days Inn West Edmonton, Check Into Rooms
5:45 PM - Board Bus and Depart for West Edmonton Mall
6:00 PM - Dining at locations of choice in the mall
6:45 PM - Meet and distribute to Dragon Tale Mini-Golf or Ed's Bowling
9:00 PM - Meet and leave the mall
9:30 PM - Arrive at Hotel
10:00 PM - Evening Prayer
10:30 PM - Lights Out

Tuesday, April 12, 2022
7:30 AM - Wakeup Call, Breakfast, Get Dressed
8:30 AM - Depart Hotel
9:00 AM - Arrive at Mall, set up for Concert Bands Performances
10:00 AM - Performance on the Centre Stage at West Edmonton Mall - Concert Bands
11:00 AM - Mall Downtime including getting Lunch
12:30 PM - Meet and Depart Mall
1:00 PM - Arrive at Arden Theatre in St. Albert
1:50 PM - The Woodshedders Warmup and Performance
2:30 PM - Junior and Senior Panorama Performances
3:30 PM - Depart Arden Theatre
4:00 PM - Arrive at West Edmonton Mall, Downtime
5:30 PM - Students should get supper now
6:45 PM - Meet and distribute to Dragon Tale Mini-Golf or Ed's Bowling
9:00 PM - Meet and leave the mall
9:30 PM - Arrive at Hotel
10:00 PM - Evening Prayer
10:30 PM - Lights Out

Wednesday, April 13, 2022
7:30 AM - Wakeup Call, Breakfast, Get Dressed
8:30 AM - Check Out of Hotel Completely
9:15 AM - Arrive at Mall, set up for Woodshedders and Panorama Performances
10:00 AM - Centre Stage Performance at West Edmonton Mall - Stage and Steel Bands
11:00 AM - Mall Downtime including getting Lunch
1:00 PM - Meet at Agreed Upon Meeting Location, Disembark from Edmonton
5:30 PM - Arrive back at Notre Dame Collegiate, be picked up by parents (Parents, please park in the back parking lot)

Permission forms will also be available in SchoolCashOnline, and need to be completed by March 24, 2022 along with submission of the fees.  If finances are an issue, please contact the front office of the school to discuss options, as there are some.
Please note that this trip is being strongly subsidized by the school division and by the High River Catholic Fine Arts Parents Association (HRCFAPA), for which we are extremely grateful.  These subsidizations are why fees are only $150.

Non-Binary Students - At Notre Dame Collegiate we respect the dignity of every individual and strive for solidarity and peace.  The NDC Music Department is a Safe Space, and we wish to extend that beyond our classrooms and into our off-campus activities.  To properly honour and respect the dignity of those who identify as non-binary, we must be ready to provide them with the support they need, especially in hotel accommodation circumstances.
If you have or are a student who identifies as non-binary and would like to discuss hotel accommodation needs with me, please send me a private confidential email to jwindsor@redeemer.ab.ca so we can set you up for success.

Marching Band.  All Grade 7s, 8s and 9s (and Seniors who elect to participate) will be participating in their first-ever Little Britches Parade on the May Long Weekend, and Senior Panorama (and perhaps Juniors as well) may perform in George Lane Park as well.  We begin learning the basics necessary for marching success in ... March.  All 75 students involved in these bands will be learning and memorizing Raider's March and Kings & Queens to perform in the parade.  They will also be working on a third song for the Battle of the Bands.

We have a now confirmed date for our Christmas Concert, and it is on December 8 at 7:00 PM.  It will only be available online, Live, and only once at music.ndcfinearts.ca/tv.

Students are reminded that all of our music courses are performance-based courses, and therefore these performances are mandatory.

This is Mr. Windsor's favourite fundraiser.  Buy vegetables for your family, or buy them for the Food Bank at the time of year they need it most!  Support the Food Bank, support your family, support local farmers, and support the NDC Fine Arts.  Best fundraiser ever!

Hello all!  The year has begun nicely, and student musicians are making headway on their work for music classes.  This is a quick update regarding deadlines that are fast approaching.

Marks will be entered into PowerSchool on the dates mentioned above.  If a student has not completed an assignment, the mark will reflect the amount they've completed.  A student can always upgrade their mark at any time.

As of right now, we have a restriction on the occupancy of our gymnasium to one-third fire code capacity.  Unfortunately that number happens to be the same as the number of students in the music program, leaving no room for an audience.  I need to plan for these events right now, so I've had to make the decision to operate a livestreamed concert.

This is not the same as last year.  We will not be doing pre-recordings.  We will also be playing copyrighted music (all standard Concert Band and Stage Band music is copyrighted, and so cannot be made available publicly even in recording - Mr. Windsor's arrangements last year were copywritten, it's just that he gave the school permission to play).  As such we must do something different this year.

Our Christmas Concert is confirmed scheduled for Wednesday, December 8, 2021.  We will be streaming from the gymnasium Live, and families will be able to watch from home.  Here's what this means for you this year;

• Families will be encouraged to send messages through the stream as comments, and students will be able to see the comments, likes and shares on the big screen in the gymnasium while we are playing.
• Students will likely be remaining after school for much of the day on Friday, December 10, 2021.  This is not an optional activity, every student is expected to participate in the performance as a major component of the Band class mark.
• We cannot save the stream for legal reasons, nor make it available for consumption after the livestream is done.  Therefore families need to plan to attend the concert that night and that night only.

We're also exploring other options and strategies to make this work, which is why the date is currently tentative, but please plan for this kind of Christmas event.

I am very excited to have our Startup Clinics happen this week for our Grade 7s and other new musicians this coming Friday, October 1!  Here is what to expect for these clinics ...

While this should seem obvious, and easily achieved for the vast majority of you, what might not be as obvious is that students will need reeds and their instrument care kits.  Without those, some of the features of the clinics will be lost.
Tuba players will have their at-school tubas available for use, so will only need to remember their tuba mouthpieces.
New Alto Saxophone Players should also have their saxophones there that day.

Our students will be working directly with select students in Grades 9 through 12 to learn the following skills;

• How to safely assemble, care for, and disassemble their instruments
• How to properly use every part of their instrument care kits
• Proper posture, holding technique, and proper breath control
• The fingerings/slide positions for the first six notes of the Concert B-flat Scale
• How to read music for their instrument
• The first theme of a brand new piece of music.

Although they are student mentors, they are experts and an extension of Mr. Windsor.  I have the high expectation of our new musicians that they will treat their Grade 9-12 with the utmost respect, as though they were professional musicians and extensions of Mr. Windsor.

It's free, and it's happening on Friday, October 1, 2021 during the school day.  There is no after-school commitment for this, and students will still be catching the busses at the end of the day.

Grade 7 (and 9) students will be missing all their other classes that day in addition to having their regularly scheduled band class.  Grade 8 new musicians will be missing all their other classes that day.

In other words, it runs from 8:40 AM to 12:20 PM.  By the end of the day, new students will be able to play a large portion of their first song, and will have created a relationship with an older musician who they can rely on for extra support throughout the year.

Especially after these startup clinics, students will need safe practice space at home.  Students will be making unusual, sometimes challenging sounds on their instruments.  This is normal, and needs to be encouraged on their path to success.  Please help them have space and time without distraction for great practicing at home.

Students, don't forget to log your practice minutes in the Discord!

If you have any questions about any of these things, please feel free to open a #windyj-ticket in the Discord!

Many of your instruments arrived today!  So tomorrow we will deliver each of these instruments to you.  Mr. Windsor is here to give you some tips.

Students are going to be likely to want to carry their instruments home, or take them on the bus.  They are of course encouraged to do so (unless they have tubas).  But plan for it.

• A flute can go in a backpack.
• A clarinet might fit in a backpack, but only if there aren't lots of other books to take home.  It's Friday, so it will likely be carried by hand.  On busses, they can easily sit on someone's lap, but should never be opened on the bus (things will fly everywhere).
• A trumpet will be carried by hand, and sit in laps on busses (again, don't open them so you don't lose any pieces).
• A trombone will be carried by hand, and will fit in between a student's legs on the bus while their backpack is on their lap.
• Tubas have already been assigned their secondary tuba.  Parents need to come to the school sometime soon to bring the secondary tuba home.  Students should have a pocket of their backpack reserved for their tuba mouthpiece.
  

Then you didn't get your order completed in time.  That's okay.  Mr. Windsor is going into the city on Saturday.
If your student doesn't get their instrument on Friday morning, please call Long & McQuade when your student gets home.

• Call 403-244-5555 and ask for the Band Department.
  
• Ask about the status of your instrument.
• If your order just needs to be sent to the school, ask them to set it aside for Mr. Windsor.  Let them know I'm coming on Saturday.
• Send me a message (on the Discord is best) to let me know to look for it.

With any luck, everyone will have an instrument by Tuesday morning's class.

Students are encouraged to join the Jazz Band (sometimes called a Stage Band).  Trumpet and trombone players are normal instruments in such a group, and flute players and clarinet players can learn saxophone as a secondary instrument in Jazz Band.  NDC has these saxophones available for a very reduced rental cost of only $50 for the whole year.  Aside from having the right instrument, there is no cost to being in Jazz Band.
We play rock, swing and latin music.  Last year we played "Gimme Some Lovin'", "Everybody Have Fun Tonight", and "In the Mood" as examples.  We'd love to have more Grade 7s join our group!
The Woodshedders, NDC's Jazz Band, rehearses on Wednesdays after school until 4:45 PM.  If your students are also involved in after-school sports, we make arrangements so that they can keep both commitments.
If your student is interested in joining, please ask them to contact me on the Discord, or just bug me in class about it tomorrow!

Now that instruments are here, we'll be teaming up Grade 7s with older students to help them learn the basics.  The only logical next step after that is for them to show you, the families, what they can do!  More announcements about that will be coming soon.

We can't wait to start making music, thanks entirely to your support!  God bless!

Hello!

You are receiving this message because you now have new fees attached to your SchoolCashOnline account based on orders you placed.  This will include rentals for secondary instruments for Stage Band, NDC Music Jackets, Panorama T-Shirts, and/or 2020/2021 Concert Season DVDs.

Please arrange for payment of these orders as soon as possible.  I can only release what you have purchased to you once payment has been submitted.

Thank you very much!

Joel Windsor, MME, RMT
​Music Specialist, Notre Dame Collegiate