One More Day to GiveBIG!

BPAB’s GiveBIG campaign ends May 3! Please share the link below with family, friends, and co-workers and encourage them to support BPAB ASAP!! https://www.wagives.org/organization/ballardperformingarts

Our 2023 GiveBIG Goal is to raise $6,000 to repair or replace well-loved instruments, uniforms, and other critical equipment. Our talented student musicians put a lot of heart and soul -- as well as wear and tear -- into the school-owned instruments. As a result, we have numerous banged up instruments, shabby uniforms, and ailing pieces of equipment that are in desperate need of repair or replacement. 

We have raised $500 so far! Help us meet our goal of $6,000! 



*We have an anonymous donor who has agreed to match the first $2,000 we raise! Donate now to help us take full advantage of this generous gift.

Check out BPAB’s Give Big Page.

Senior Spotlights are Here!

Seniors - it’s your time to shine. You emerged from the pandemic with grace, you continued to play, sing, act, and dance through it all —and you’re almost ready for your next steps. Let us celebrate YOU! 

This week’s featured seniors:

Lina McRoberts

Arden Rathkopf

Adriana laufert 

Autumn Bailey 

Jessa Sorensen

Aitana Moreno

Casey Middleton

Elliot Jakupcak

Read all about them in the Senior Spotlight doc.

SENIORS! Please fill out this quick form and submit a photo so we can honor you in the newsletter and on our social channels via our Senior Spotlight series. Look for the QR Codes in the music and theater classrooms!

Band

Volunteers Needed

There are a lot of performance opportunities left for our students this year. To support them as they showcase their talents, please consider signing up to volunteer for one of the 31 volunteer slots available. Slots are listed in the Sign up Genius.



Upcoming Band Performances

May 5 - Marching Band Practice after school.

May 6 –  CWU Jazz Festival. (Call time 7:45 am.) Jazz 1 plays at 2 pm, Jazz 2 plays at 4 pm. 1 pm clinic with bass player John Clayton. **We are in need of 3 chaperones for this event. Please sign up here.  

May 12 – Marching Band Practice after school.

May 17 – Marching Band at Syttende Mai Parade (tentative 4:30 pm call time).

May 23 – North High School band festival at Lincoln (all three bands and percussionists).

May 26 – Brass Band Plays at Reubens 5:30-6:30 pm.

June 2-4 – Brass Band at Honkfest. Time TBD (Friday or Saturday or both).

June 4 – Joint concert with Wind Ensemble North Seattle College at 3 pm.

June 7 – Symphonic Band performance with Whitman.

June 8 – Final Spring Band Concert.

June 9 – Ballard FC game: Vocal Jazz National Anthem; Drumline Halftime Show; Brass Band after the game.

June 13 – Final Jazz concert at the Royal Room, 5:30 pm load in, 6:30 pm downbeat.

Save the Dates for Band Camp!

Band camp this year is Sept 8-10. This will be a full weekend away for all band students to bond and learn how to march! More details soon.

Choir

Choir State Solo Ensemble Report

25 choir students traveled to Ellensburg for the State Solo and Ensemble competition this past weekend! Our five ensembles and five soloists performed with heart and musicality and received superior and excellent ratings from the judges. So much hard work and preparation went into getting to this point. Thank you for representing Ballard so well!  Bravo to all!

Upcoming Dates

Wednesday, May 17th

Chamber Choir performs at Bergen Place Park at 4:30 pm for Syttende Mai.

Tuesday, May 30

OSPI Superintendent’s 50th Anniversary Art Show

During school day

Benaroya Hall

Vocal Jazz performance

Thursday, June 1

Spring Choir Concert @ BHS, 7:30 pm

All choirs

Orchestra

Fiddlers Performance Recap

Thank you to everyone who came out or ordered food for the dine-out event at Shawn O’Donnell’s! The Ballard Fiddlers put on a fantastic show and had the entire pub rocking! Special thanks to Mr. Valdez, Fiddlers coach Kat Bula, and Shawn O’Donnell’s for supporting this amazing group and raising funds for BPA.

 Symphonic Orchestra at Elliot Bay Music Festival

On May 15, Symphonic Orchestra will be attending the Elliot Bay Music Educators Association Festival at Garfield High School. There will be an adjudicated performance/clinic and students will get to watch and support other SPS orchestras. Permission slips and more details will be coming soon!

Theatre

For questions about Theatre Arts classes that meet during the school day, email Mr. Riley’s theater substitute, Ms. Indira Rampersad at igrampersad@seattleschools.org.

Theater Classes

Did you know we have theatre classes at Ballard High School? The acting class is working on two and three person short scenes and will then move on to audition technique, resume writing, and playwriting with writing specialist Rachel Atkins.Theatre tech are currently working on set design models. 

One Act Play Festival 

May 18, 19, & 20 - 7:30 pm

Rehearsals have begun! Tickets for the One Act Plays are available for purchase at https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/74036. 

This spring, six student directors have selected five plays to bring to the Ballard stage, all of which explore what it’s like when reality itself comes into question.

Elliot Jakupcak directs Sure Thing by David Ives, a comedy that follows two strangers in a coffee shop who navigate a conversation with something no one else gets: the chance to start over when you say the wrong thing.

Ella Papineau directs The Yellow Wallpaper by Cameron Colwell and Georgia Drinan. Based on the chilling short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, this play follows a new mother confined to her bed as she tries to make sense of the figure she keeps seeing in the pattern on her bedroom walls.

Autumn Bailey directs The Support Group from Hell by Jeffrey Harr, a dark comedy that follows a teen who joins a support group with members that are far more strange (and possibly supernatural) than she was expecting.

Izzy Rampersad and Milo Palmer co-direct The Hallmarks of Horror by Peter Bloedel. In this “whirlwind tour of horror tropes,” scientists attempt to explain what makes scary movies as scary as possible. The resulting demonstration is much more ridiculous than intended.

Up, All the Way Up? is a new play written and directed by Rose Champion, which follows a woman in the late 19th century as she writes the obituary for the peculiar and mysterious death of a millionaire on a mountain.

The district only pays for teachers’ salaries; everything else we have to raise or donate.

Spring Student Coffee Sale Fundraiser through May 10

We will be partnering with Caffe Appassionato in Magnolia once again to sell delicious 12 oz bags of coffee to family, friends and neighbors. This is an important fundraiser for your student if they are currently a freshman, sophomore, or junior. For every $14 bag purchased under their name, students will earn $6. That $6 is credited to that student's account and those funds can then be used for the July payments for camps that happen the first weeks of school, or program fees in the fall, and they can even be transferred to a younger sibling when a student graduates. Sales without a student name or marked general will go to the music ASB account to help with music program support. 

Choose from four delicious blends (in both drip ground and whole bean): 

Arietta Blend - A Medium Roast with a mellow and smooth flavor. Notes of cardamom, tart, caramel and undertones of milk chocolate, strawberry and jasmine.

Tempest Blend - As a bold and strong French Roast, it accentuates a dark and full body with a smoky finish. Notes of caramel, toffee, orange and undertones of raspberry, hazelnut, and cinnamon.

Espresso Blend - A bright and smooth Italian roast. Perfect for silky smooth espresso or robust drip.

Decaffeinated - A French Roast that is smooth with a caramel finish. Notes of blackberry, almond, and toffee, and undertones of vanilla, cinnamon, and tangerine.

Orders can be placed online on the Schoolpay page: https://shorturl.at/BKMW6. Coffee orders will be given to students at their music performance in June (June 1 for choir; June 6 for orchestra; June 8 for band). Students should then deliver the coffee to their customers. Thank you for supporting the performing arts!

BPAB Board Invites You to Join Our Team!

We have many open positions to fill for next school year. Some are short-term jobs, some are roles that can be done completely over email (no meetings involved), some are year-long jobs with monthly meeting committments, ensuring you will make new friends and feel part of an amazing team of other parents (without embarrassing your teenager)! No experience necessary!

Open Positions:

• Co-President
• Fundraising Chair
• VP Communications
• Social Media Lead
• Student Directory Coordinator
• Dine Out Coordinator
• Co-Chair Fall Direct Drive/Brewery Event
• Spring Mattress Sale Coordinator
• Co-Chair Spaghetti Dinner
• Co-Editor Newsletter
• Graphic Designer (event posters/graphics)
• Uniforms Lead Coordinator
• Photo and Video Manager

Interested? Email bpabvolunteers@gmail.com and/or come to our May 9th meeting at 6 pm in the BHS Library to learn more about these open positions.

Seniors: Fill out Your Senior Salute Form!

Seniors–it’s your time in the spotlight to be recognized for all the work you’ve done over the last four years. Fill out this brief questionnaire and submit a favorite photo from your time in band, choir, orchestra, or theatre.

Check out the videos from the NYC Choir Trip!

Check out past performances any time on our YouTube and Vimeo channels.

Give a Teacher Some Appreciation!

BPA Families, please consider sending a personal thanks to the BPA directors, and other BHS teachers and staff, via the PTSA's online Teacher and Staff Appreciation Padlet, which we will present on Wednesday, May 10 (during May 8-12 Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week). The Padlet will be open for signing through May 5. Click here for more information.