Ballard Performing Arts News | |
Student Coffee Fundraiser has started! | |
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We are 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 camp payments, 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):
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Arietta Blend - A medium roast with a mellow and smooth flavor. Notes of cardamom, tart, caramel and undertones of milk chocolate, strawberry and jasmine.
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Tempest Blend - As a bold and strong French Roast, it accentuates a dark and full body with a smoky finish. Notes of caramel, toffee, and orange and undertones of raspberry, hazelnut, and cinnamon.
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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 between October 18 – November 15. Coffee orders will be given to students at their music performance in December (Dec. 12 - orchestra; Dec. 13 - band; Dec. 14 - choir). Students should then deliver the coffee to their customers. Thank you for supporting the performing arts!
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Striving to Stand Out Fundraising Campaign | |
Bickersons Kick Off Event a Success!
Huge thanks to our amazing student performers, fabulous directors, our dedicated volunteers, and generous families and supporters for showing up on a rainy Monday to help us kick off our Striving to Stand Out Fundraising Campaign at Bickersons Brewhouse! Together we raised approximately $5,000!
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Why are we raising money?
We are Striving to Stand Out: Excellence, Access, and Community through the Arts! We want our BPA programs to Stand Out! We are raising funds to:
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Support excellent high-quality educational experiences.
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Provide access so ALL BPA students can participate fully in the program.
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Collaborate with professional performing artists to enrich our programs and create community through the arts!
How do we spend your donations?
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As you can see from last year’s expenses, the largest portion of our budget is allocated to human capital! With a program average student to teacher ratio of ~80:1, our programs would not be the highly-acclaimed and award-winning groups that they are without the support of our community of coaches, accompanists, and industry experts.
The BPA Booster Board is dedicated to supporting our directors’ efforts to bring in experts from the performing arts field to work with our students during full classes, instrument or voice specific sectional groups, as well as before and after school gatherings to support our theatre production, specialty performance jazz and fiddler groups. These professionals not only elevate the quality of our students’ educational experience, but they also provide access to hands-on, customized coaching that students might not have had the opportunity to experience privately, and more importantly…they connect our students and families to the broader performing arts community.
If you’d like to learn more about some of these amazing professionals, click here to read their bios.
This direct appeal is our primary fundraiser for the year aiming to raise $35,0000.
If every family donates $115 per student we will meet our goal in no time!
Check out the Striving to Stand Out campaign site and DONATE!
*The campaign will run until Nov 15, 2023.
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Fall Concert Series Starts Tomorrow! | |
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Mark your calendars and join us in the Ballard High School, Earl Kelly Performing Arts Center (PAC) for the upcoming concerts:
- Choir - Wed, Oct 25, 7:30 pm
- Band - Thurs, Nov 2, 7:30 pm
- Orchestra - Wed, Nov 8, 7:30 pm
The concerts are free and open to the public, so we truly hope to see you there! If you’d like to reserve your favorite seat while supporting Ballard Performing Arts (note: this is a totally optional fundraiser – no tickets are needed for the concert), you can do so here: https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/77293
The concerts won't be live streamed this year, but they will be recorded and you will be able to share a link at a later date with people who were unable to attend.
Students will report to school for a 6:30 pm call time, wearing their concert attire. Students who are wearing a tux need to purchase a tux shirt, studs, and cufflinks from Ted Brown Music in the U-District. If this is a financial hardship, please let your director know and they will help get a tux shirt for you! Students who are wearing a tuxedo will also need to wear black socks and black dress shoes. Students who are wearing a dress/skirt-top combo will need to wear black dress shoes.
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We're excited to announce that we have two new corporate sponsors joining us at the supporting level: Adobe Express and Fantagraphics. You can find all our current sponsors at the bottom of every newsletter and on our website home page. Please click on their logos to check out their websites! | |
Permission Slips Can Be TRICKY! | |
Permission slips for upcoming choir and band trips were handed out in class last week.
Tips for filling out paper permission slips correctly (so we don’t have to waste time tracking you or your student down)!
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Please complete these 2-sided forms in blue or black ink so the photocopies can be read.
- Students should write their name on the form (most forget and leave them blank.)
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Student signature and date are required on page 1.
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Parent signature and emergency contact info is required on page 2!
- Permission slips must be turned in on (or before) the due date written at the top of the form.
- Put signed permission slips in the secure mailbox located in the band room.
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Jazz Concert at the Royal Room Tonight | Tues Oct 24
All the jazz band groups will be performing their Fall concert at the Royal Room. For those who haven't been there, it's a great venue to listen to jazz music, order some food, sit back, relax, and listen to the amazing music our kiddos produce. Call time and doors open at 5:30 pm. Show starts at 6:30 pm. The Royal Room does charge us $350 to be there for the evening, so we are asking for a suggested donation of $10 per family to help offset this fee if you are able. Below is a link where you can pay online ahead of time. This will help reduce any congestion at the door the night of the show, although we'll have volunteers to accept donations the night of the show as well. This is not a required fee, please only contribute if you can comfortably do so.
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/af0f8857-246d-4aca-ace9-687d097b37ba
Meet Our New Jazz Coach!
This year we have a new Director for Jazz II. We're so excited to welcome
Alexis Rosenberg to our Ballard High Jazz family!
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Alexis Rosenberg is a jazz saxophonist and educator based in Seattle, Washington. She grew up in Los Angeles where she initially developed her passion for jazz music, and went on to study at the University of Oregon, where she received Bachelor degrees in Jazz Studies and Music Education. Some of her performance achievements include touring in Europe with the Oregon Jazz Ensemble, headlining a show with her original compositions at the Jazz Station, performing at the North American Saxophone Alliance Region 1 Conference in 2019, and partaking in gig opportunities throughout Oregon when requested. As an educator, she taught music full time for two years at Illinois Valley High School, was a clinician at the McKay High School Jazz Festival in 2022, and taught sectionals/ensembles for local high schools as a college student. She recently relocated to Seattle where she will be teaching Jazz II at Ballard High School, teaching lessons, and playing local gigs. She is looking forward to working with everyone in Jazz II this year!
Upcoming Dates
Mark your calendars for these marching band rehearsals and upcoming performances:
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November 2nd - Navy Band Visit with optional dinner, followed by Band Fall Concert, 7:30 pm.
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November 11th - Veterans Day Parade, call time 7:30 am.
Upcoming Marching Band Performances
The band will be attending the Veteran’s Day Parade in Auburn on Nov. 11th. We need one more chaperone and help with uniform return. Please sign up to volunteer.
Navy Band Joining Fall Concert Nov. 2 - Dinner tickets on sale now!
This year’s fall concert is going to be something a little different and very exciting! Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble will play the first half of the fall concert and the Navy Band will close out the show. Students will also be able to engage with the Navy Band musicians for instrument specific masterclasses after school, and then choose to share a meal with them before the concert. This meal will be catered by Taco del Mar, and will include a choice of: veggie (beans and rice) or meat burrito bowl bar; veggie (beans and rice) or meat taco bar with (2) flour tortillas or (2) hard corn taco shells. Each ticket will be $20 and ticket sales will close a week before the concert, on October 26th. Please buy your ticket early to better help us plan this event. Tickets can be bought on Zeffy. Remember you don’t need to add a contribution to Zeffy - you can just choose "other" and put in zero.
We also need a few adult volunteers to help with directing students to their classrooms and setting up and cleaning up the dinner. You should be able to have some dinner. Please sign up to volunteer.
Navy Band Northwest is one of 14 bands in the United States Navy, and they are stationed on Naval Base Bangor in Kitsap County. Members of Navy Band Northwest hold music degrees from some of the most prestigious music schools and conservatories in the world and perform over 400 concerts a year for audiences exceeding one million people. The Navy Band Northwest Wind Ensemble is one of the premier professional wind ensembles in the Pacific Northwest and we are so lucky to get a chance for our students to perform alongside them!
Band Class Fees
Every music class has an annual fee to help pay for buses, trips, uniforms, sheet music, and other supplies that support the students and the program. If you’ve forgotten whether you’ve paid or not, check on zeffy.com!
Please click here to pay your annual Band Class Fee.
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Choir Class Fee
Every music class has an annual fee to help pay for buses, trips, uniforms, sheet music, and other supplies that support the students and the program.
Please click here to pay your annual Choir class fee.
Upcoming Dates
- Wednesday October 25th- Fall Choir Concert
- Saturday October 28th - Concert Choir with Apollo 5 at St. Mark’s - 2 pm (1:45 pm call time) rehearsal and evening concert
- Friday November 10th - Vocal Jazz at Meadowdale High School*
- Wednesday November 15th - Concert Choir at CWU Choral Classic - all day*
- Tuesday December 5th - Vocal Jazz Caroling*
- Saturday December 9th - Chamber Choir and Tenor Bass at Seattle Seachordsmen
* Chaperones and drivers will be needed - please contact Sally, BPABChoirRep@gmail.com if you can help.
Fall Choir Concert in the Performing Arts Center at Ballard High School 7.30pm, October 25th
Call time for students is 6.30 pm. This concert will feature all choirs, including the smaller vocal groups, and is free for friends and family. You can reserve a seat and support BPA, using this link: https://www.showtix4u.com/events/401. If you get to showtix4u’s home page, just type in Ballard High School and you can get your fall concert reserved seats there. We won't live stream the concerts this year, but they will be recorded and you will be able to share a link at a later date with people who were unable to attend.
Chaperones needed!
Vocal Jazz needs 2 more drivers to make a total of 5 drivers, with 1-2 who are able to stay for the day, to accompany them to Meadowdale High School on November 10th. It’s a no school day (Veteran’s Day).
Concert Choir will be spending a long day at Central Washington University on November 15th and need three chaperones to accompany them. You will be treated to a full day of performances from our choir and others and will see our choir working with coaches during the day. Please let Sally, BPABChoirRep@gmail.com, know asap if you're able to go.
You will need volunteer level A in order to attend the various trips throughout the year, so please apply for that if you wish to accompany the choirs. https://www.seattleschools.org/departments/volunteer/volunteer-application-process/
Concert Choir Performance with Apollo5 at St Mark’s on October 28th
We're excited to announce that our Concert Choir was invited to perform with the British professional a cappella group Apollo5 during the Seattle stop of their US tour. The concert on October 28th will be in the evening at 7:30 PM at St. Marks Cathedral on North Capitol Hill. Students will get in for free since they are performers! Family members can purchase tickets using this link. Apply the code Apollo5Family to your cart to reveal a discounted $10 ticket.
The following is a tentative schedule for Saturday, October 28th:
- 1:45 pm-3:30 pm Final Clinic and Rehearsal at St. Marks
- 7:00 Call time for evening concert
- 7:30 pm Concert time!
*Students will be responsible for their own transportation. Carpooling with other choir members is definitely an option!
More about Apollo5:
Praised for their powerful singing and distinctive sound, the award-winning British vocal ensemble Apollo5 proves how dynamic only five voices can be. With such small forces they are able to showcase each individual voice while still achieving their critically acclaimed blend.
Whether performing jazz, pop, classical, or even early sacred music, they are known for their exceptional communication with audiences, frequently performing from memory. Apollo5 enjoys a busy world-wide concert diary, as well as being committed to providing inspiring musical opportunities for young people and communities.
Congratulations to our Choir students who performed at the Fall Fundraiser at Bickersons
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Upcoming Dates
Nov 8 - Orchestra Fall Concert
Save the date!
Mr. Valdez has applied for both Symphonic and Chamber Orchestras to attend the Central Washington University Orchestra Festival on Saturday, March 9th. Mark your calendars now so as many students as possible can participate!
Orchestra Class Fee
The annual orchestra fee ($155) helps to pay for buses, trips, uniforms, and other supplies that support students and the program. Click here to pay: https://www.ballardperformingarts.org/orchestra-1
Bickersons Performances
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Bravo Fall Play | Sonnets for a New Century | |
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Personal and Powerful Sonnets for a New Century
In their first performance of 2023, the Ballard Playmakers wrote and performed their own monologues, deeply personal and beautiful pieces on adolescent life, school, love, and friendships that surround us every day - a delicate and emotional glimpse into those around us.
Ms. Miller Shor, Director of Theatre, worked with students to create a 90 minute play as a devised theatre performance with inspiration from Josè Rivera’s Sonnets for an Old Century. Students took this inspiration and ran with it, with a minimalistic set, fog, and two moving atmospheric musical performances. An outstanding ensemble cast, we can expect to see more student-created shows this year. Looking forward to the next production? stay tuned...
-Rose Champion
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BREAKING NEWS!
The musical this spring will be…THE ADDAMS FAMILY!
Auditions will be held the week after Thanksgiving break. Stay tuned for more information.
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The district only pays for teachers’ salaries; everything else we have to raise or donate. | |
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Coffee Sale Fundraiser October 18 - Nov 15
Our coffee sale is on! See the Featured News section for details.
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Donate to the Striving to Stand Out Fundraising Campaign | |
This direct appeal is our primary fundraiser for the year, aiming to raise $35,0000. The theme of the campaign is: Striving to Stand Out: Excellence, Access, and Community through the Arts.
We want our BPA programs to Stand Out! We are raising funds to:
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Support excellent high-quality educational experiences.
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Provide access so ALL BPA students can participate fully in the program(s) of their choice.
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Collaborate with professional performing artists to enrich our programs and create community through the arts!
If every BPA family donates $115 per student, we will meet our goal!
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*The campaign will run from Oct 16 - Nov 15, 2023.
For more information about how we spend the money, please see the blurb in the Featured News section of this newsletter.
Become a Sponsor for the 2023-2024 School Year!
If you own a business (or know of a business) that would benefit from advertising on our programs, website, and newsletters, click here to learn about all the perks of becoming a corporate sponsor.
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Calling all Bake Sale Volunteers!
We will have a bake sale at each of the fall concerts (held at BHS). Use the following links to sign up to bake, donate, or work at the bake sale table!
Newsletter and Communications Volunteers Needed!
We want to keep our community informed about upcoming events but we are currently running on a skeleton crew. Please sign up here if you're interested in learning more about our weekly e-newsletter and other digital communication platforms. Our newsletter team has graduating seniors and will not be back next year, so it is imperative that we start training replacements sooner than later. Thanks for considering!
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Check out past performances any time on our YouTube and Vimeo channels. | |
Discount for White Christmas Tickets! | |
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One of our amazing BPA parents works at the Fifth Avenue Theatre and is generously extending a friends and family discount to our performing arts community. They are producing White Christmas this holiday season. The show opens December 1, previews start last week of November. Use the promo code SNOWFLAKE to get discounted tickets!
Nationwide Reading
Seattle Public Theater is excited to be a part of ENOUGH!’s Nationwide Reading, and we look forward to bringing these six vital plays to our community on Nov 6, 2023 at 7 pm:
- THE SMILES BEHIND by Niarra C. Bell
- A CALL FOR HELP by Pepper Fox
- rOunds by HJ Kennedy
- A DISORDERLY HOUSE by Sam Lee Victor
- NO PROSPERING WEAPONS by Justin Cameron Washington
- THE MATTER AT HAND by Valentine Wulf
These plays were selected out of 244 submissions from 36 states by a panel of renowned playwrights and will receive their premiere at @kennedycenter [@kencen on Twitter] as the cornerstone of a nationwide, multicity reading on Nov 6, 2023!
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Thank You to Our Sponsors | |
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