We're Getting Close to the End of the Year! |
A Night at the T-wolf DenThis evening features the 2 Panorama Steel Pan groups as well as the Woodshedders Stage Band. Call time for this event for musicians is at 5:30 PM in the Notre Dame Collegiate Band Room. The evening is for all NDC Families, and includes interactions with Hot Air Balloons, Free Mini Donuts, and a Classic Car Show alongside our live music. If you didn't get supper before arriving, you can buy it from the Il Forno Vagabondo Wood Fired Pizza truck that will be there. This should be a great evening of music and fun with the family! Our Theatrical Department continues tonight and tomorrow night showing "Bethel Park Falls", and Admission is By Donation. Support our other performing art! Doors open at 6:30 PM for the 7:00 PM shows. | 2021/2022 Final Concert and Awards ShowcaseOur First In-Person Event in 2.5 years! This evening features every musician in the Notre Dame Collegiate Music Department in Concert Bands or in Strings. It will feature performances by each of our groups, marching band, and a mass band performance highlighting our Grade 12 musicians. It will also include presentation of awards, including the NDC Music Hall of Fame Nominations and Inductions. We have a maximum capacity, so tickets must be presented for entry. Tickets are $5 per person over the age of 5 (free for 5 and under). You can purchase tickets online at ndcfinearts.ticksuite.ca. Tickets can also be purchased at the door until we are sold out. Please note that every musician has one complimentary ticket already assigned to them that does not require purchase, so every student can have one family member/fan come for free. Call time for all musicians for this event is at 6:15 PM for all ages. Students who can also help with the setup of the concert after school are welcome to do so, and will receive Community Service Hours for their assistance. |
We Look Forward To Seeing You at These Year-End Events!
Some Quick Announcements for Steel Pans
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
Summer Activities Survey
May 18 2022 UPDate for Marching Band
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
Parade Day Schedule
- 8:45 AM - Mr. Windsor will be at St. Francis deSales Catholic Church.
- 9:15 AM - All Grade 7s, 8s and 9s should be at the church by this time.
- 10:00 AM - Parade Begins
- After Parade - Go to George Lane Park, accept the generous gift of free food from the Highwood Lions Club.
- 12:00 PM - All Grade 7s, 8s and 9s meet beside the Public Washrooms in George Lane Park to prepare for Battle of the Bands.
- 1:30 PM - Absolute expectation of being finished.
Maps and Other Thoughts
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!
Original Post, Sent Out May 6, 2022 (with minor updates)
Marching Band - May 21, 2022
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
Stage Band and Steel Pans |
Year-End Concert and Awards Showcase
Massive Thank You For A Successful Band Trip!
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
Final St. Albert/Edmonton Trip Details
We need Alberta Health Care Number information on the trip. Students and chaperones can choose to bring their Alberta Health Care Card with them, or they can voluntarily provide their Alberta Health Care Number to Mr. Windsor. Regardless of what you choose, all participants, both students AND chaperones, must complete this form so Mr. Windsor knows what to expect.
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
Management, Discipline, and Emergencies
Communication during the trip is managed primarily through Discord and Email. If you would like to stay up-to-date on the activities of the trip, please join the Discord. If you need to communicate with anyone on the trip, please start by sending Mr. Windsor an email to ensure that communication happens most effectively.
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.
- 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.
What To Pack
- A working musical instrument, preferably yours with a bell cover
- Extra supplies (reeds, swabs, grease, etc., call Long & McQuade 403-244-5555 to order more)
- Your sheet music
- A pencil
- A bag lunch for day 1
- Cash, Debit Card or Prepaid Credit Card for meals for 2 dinners and 2 lunches
- Any homework assigned to you (there are 4 hours on the bus there and back again to get it done)
- A white no-logo shirt, black dress pants, black shoes and socks, and the NDC Music Jacket that Mr. Windsor assigns to you (or your own, if you own one)
- Pajamas
- Clothes for two days
- Swimwear as desired (there is a swimming pool at the hotel which will be supervised by an adult at all times so that safety guidelines are adhered to)
- Toiletries and Medication (Mr. Windsor and Chaperones are not responsible for students taking medication, and are not permitted to provide any medication to students including ibruprofen or tylenol).
- Personal Electronics can be taken at the students' own risk. Mr. Windsor will be using his own personal device with focus on Discord to enhance his communication, and students and parents are welcome to use it as well to enhance communication as well.
- Percussion equipment
- Steel Pans
- Music Stands
Finalized Schedule
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
5:15 PM - Board Bus and Depart for West Edmonton Mall
5:30 PM - Dining at locations of choice in the mall
6:30 PM - Meet and distribute to Dragon Tale Mini-Golf or Ed's Bowling
8:00 PM - Meet and leave the mall
8:30 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
6:30 PM - Meet and distribute to Dragon Tale Mini-Golf or Ed's Bowling
8:00 PM - Meet and leave the mall
8:30 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)
If you have any questions
Two Band Trips, All Band Students Involved!
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.
Wednesday, March 30 - Strings
- 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
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.
April 11-13 - All Other Bands
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)
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.

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.
What Else Should I Expect from the Music Program?
Thank you as always for your support, and most especially, your patience. Your students have worked hard, and they deserve to enjoy this reward for their hard work!
Our Christmas Concert date is December 8, 2021!
Details for StudentsStudents must have the proper uniform:
Call time is 6:30 PM. All students should be in the gymnasium with working instruments at 6:30 PM. Do not be late, as we need the half hour to be completely set up and tuned up. Access to the school will by the back doors. | Details for AudiencesWe cannot do in-person concerts yet, due to AHS space restrictions on our gymnasium. As a result, this concert will be streamed Live on our NDC YouTube page, most easily accessed on this website at music.ndcfinearts.ca/tv. There is no cost to attend, but a donations link will be made available on this blog and on the concert link as well. This is a one-time showing only, and will not be available after the concert ends. As the material we are playing is copyrighted, we cannot keep the video on YouTube after the fact. Therefore, just like in-person concerts, there is only one chance to see the show. Please book the evening to support our music students in their musical activities! You can still applaud and send cheers! Send comments and emojis to our students during the show! |
have you bought your vegetables yet?
Support the Fine Arts Parents,
who will be the reason trips can happen this year.
Quick Update for Families
Grade 7 MusiciansStudents have been working hard on their first sounds and on the theory needed to be able to read the music. At this point they have only a couple of deadlines arriving;
| Grade 8-13 MusiciansStudents have been assigned a number of tasks, including;
|
Christmas Concert Announcement
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.
Get Your Honey! Click Here or use the QR Code To Order!
STARTUP CLINICS FOR NEW MUSICIANS IS THIS WEEK!
Students MUST have working instruments for friday
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.
Grade 9-12 Students Are Our Mentors
- 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.
When Is This All Happening, and How Much Does It Cost?
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.
Students will need practice space 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!
Instruments have arriveD!
Don't pack more than you can handle tomorrow
- 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.
what if my instrument didn't arrive?
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.
Now That you have your instruments, what about jazz?
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!
When PowerSchool Fails, Discord Can Help
Earlier this week, PowerSchool had a province-wide outage. When it came back, my ability to email families was gone. It's back now (obviously), but I want better communication with my families than PowerSchool can do. That's why I'm asking parents to consider joining our Discord. This video explains how. | |
With Instruments come COncerts
Thank you For Your Support of Your StudentS!
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
Mr. Windsor
Mr. Windsor will provide you with some interesting hints, help, advice, and resources on this page.
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