Dear BVW Band Families,

It was a pleasure to visit with parents this week. If you missed conferences, but would like to visit about your student's progress in band please feel free to email Mr. Love or Mr. Ramsey at any time!

This week we resume our evening rehearsals as we return to a "normal" schedule and hopefully some better weather! 

On Monday afternoon, March 1, music and instructions for 2021-2022 ensemble placements will be posted. Any student in grades 8-11 that intends to play in band and / or jazz band for next year will need to complete a placement hearing.

Schedule at a Glance
  
This Week:
Tuesday:
 *Winter Guard: 6 – 9 PM (BV District Office Gym)
*JPG (MS): 6 – 8 PM
*Symphonic Band Rehearsal: 5:30 – 6:30 PM
*Wind Ensemble Rehearsal: 7 – 8 PM
 
Thursday:
*Concert Band Rehearsal: 6-9 PM
*Winter Guard: 6 – 9 PM (BV District Office Gym)
*JPG (HS): 6 – 8 PM

Next Week:
Tuesday:
 *Winter Guard: 6 – 9 PM
*JPG (MS): 6 – 8 PM
*Symphonic Band Rehearsal: 5:30 – 6:30 PM
*Wind Ensemble Rehearsal: 7 – 8 PM
 
Thursday:
*Concert Band Rehearsal: 6-9 PM
*Winter Guard: 6 – 9 PM
*JPG (HS): 6 – 8 PM
 
Have a great week!
 
Mr. Love

Dear BVW Band Families,

Not much new information this week. Parent / Teacher Conferences take place this week. Whether your student is "in-person" or "virtual" for their band experience, we will use the same link for sign-ups. You can access the conference sign-up form HERE. Please note that the school is shutting off conference sign-ups at 7 PM today.

No evening rehearsals this week except for Winter Guard. Due to the loss of rehearsals due to inclement weather days and schedule adjustments at the school, we will be modifying the timeline of our recording for this next virtual concert. Please also stay tuned for information regarding our spring concerts which we hope to have fully in-person. Likewise we are making some adjustments to leadership auditions for marching band. Those will be communicated directly with studnts.

​We look forward to visiting with many of you during conferences this week.  

Schedule at a Glance
  
This Week:
Parent / Teacher Conferences - see additional communication for sign-ups

Tuesday:
*Winter Guard: 6 – 9 PM (exact times TBD)
 
Thursday:
*Winter Guard: 6 – 9 PM

Next Week:
Tuesday:
 *Winter Guard: 6 – 9 PM
*JPG (MS): 6 – 8 PM
*Symphonic Band Rehearsal: 5:30 – 6:30 PM
*Wind Ensemble Rehearsal: 7 – 8 PM
 
Thursday:
*Concert Band Rehearsal: 6-9 PM
*Winter Guard: 6 – 9 PM
*JPG (HS): 6 – 8 PM

 
Have a great week!
 
Mr. Love

Dear BVW Band Families,

We hope you are all staying safe and warm with the arctic blast that has descended upon us this week! With that, just a courtesy reminder to make sure you have enrolled in the BAND APP. In the event that inclement weather requires us to alter or cancel activities such as our upcoming evening rehearsals, we will communicate such announcements via the BAND App. If you haven't used the app think of it as a more secure method for group texting or a closed social media platform that enables us to share information within the band very quickly. 

A final reminder that the enrollment process concludes this week. If you haven't yet, please check out our enrollment brochure. Again, we welcome you to reach out with any individual questions you might have related to band. We've had many excellent questions regarding marching band and other aspects of the program. No web blog or brochure can cover every possible question, so again, please feel free to send us an email!

Conferences take place next week. Whether your student is "in-person" or "virtual" for their band experience, we will use the same link for sign-ups. You can access the conference sign-up form HERE.

Best wishes to our BVW Winter Guard as they begin their competitive season this week by submitting their first video performance! We hope to be able to share some of their performances via our BAND APP and social media over the coming weeks, as they have been working VERY hard since November to prepare their show!
 
Schedule at a Glance
  
This Week:
Tuesday:
 *Winter Guard: 6 – 9 PM - Competition Recording
*JPG (MS): 6 – 8 PM
*Symphonic Band Rehearsal: 5:30 – 6:30 PM
*Wind Ensemble Rehearsal: 7 – 8 PM
 
Thursday:
*Concert Band Rehearsal: 6-9 PM
*Winter Guard: 6 – 9 PM
*JPG (HS): 6 – 8 PM

Next Week:
Parent / Teacher Conferences - see additional communication for sign-ups

Tuesday:
*Winter Guard: 6 – 9 PM (exact times TBD)
 
Thursday:
*Winter Guard: 6 – 9 PM

 
Have a great week!
 
Mr. Love

BVW Band Families,

Go Chiefs! Or if you aren't into football - be sure to root for your favorite commercial this weekend!

Please check out Information added this week about Solo & Ensemble festival. A terrific opportunity for students!

This week begins the enrollment process. If you haven't yet, please check out our enrollment brochure – while primarily focused on our incoming 9th grade students for next fall, it still has useful information for ALL of our band students. As always – if you have questions about how to fit band into your schedule, please make sure to visit with one of the directors. The addition of virtual ed for next year will free up many schedule issues enabling students to have even more options to to take courses in an area of interest!

Also, our summer schedule for marching band has been released. 
 
Schedule at a Glance
  
This Week:
Tuesday:
 *Winter Guard: 5 – 8 PM
*JPG (MS): 6 – 8 PM
*Symphonic Band Rehearsal: 5:30 – 6:30 PM
*Wind Ensemble Rehearsal: 7 – 8 PM
 
Thursday:
*Winter Guard: 5 – 8 PM
*JPG (HS): 6 – 8 PM

Next Week:
Tuesday:
 *Winter Guard: 5 – 8 PM
*JPG (MS): 6 – 8 PM
*Symphonic Band Rehearsal: 5:30 – 6:30 PM
*Wind Ensemble Rehearsal: 7 – 8 PM
 
Thursday:
*Winter Guard: 5 – 8 PM
*JPG (HS): 6 – 8 PM
*Concert Band Rehearsal: 6-7 PM

 
Have a great week!
 
Mr. Love
 

The Kansas State High School Activities Association will be hosting a virtual Solo & Ensemble festival this spring. There will only be one level of adjudication – normally students participate in the Regional event and then qualify by rating to perform at the State event.
 
Students may perform any published solo for their instrument, with a time limit up to 5 minutes. Students may record at home or at school. Recordings will be uploaded for adjudication in early April. Students may opt for comments only or to receive a rating on their performance.
 
If there is a published accompaniment for the solo, then students must be accompanied by a pianist. Blue Valley West maintains a list of accompanists in the area which can be found here: http://bit.ly/BVW_Accomp
 
Costs for participation:
Entry fee: $12
Accompanist Fee: $75 – $125 average depending on the number of rehearsals you schedule
Music: varies – each student must have an original copy of the music purchased from a music vendor. www.jwpepper.com is an excellent resource.
 
Ensembles:
Students may form small ensembles. These must perform and be recorded together. Interested students should visit with a director.
 
Solo and Ensemble Festival is terrific way to expand your performance skills. While the format is different this year, students are highly encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity. If you have questions be sure to speak with a director and your private lesson teacher if you have one!

From the Desk of Mr. Love:
 
Dear West Band Families,
 
You may have noticed that you are currently receiving 2 emails from the band. We are in the process of switching our weekly newsletter over to a service called MailChimp which enables us to provide a more visually engaging and user-friendly interface for sharing all the information you and your student needs to keep up to date with the Blue Valley West Bands. ALL the information in our weekly newsletter can be found at our updated website: www.bvwestband.com. Take a moment to check it out!
 
For those that prefer to engage with social media, we’ve also done some updating there. We have a new Facebook page to better promote band activities: https://www.facebook.com/bvwestbands
 
Into Twitter? Announcements get posted to our feed there as well: https://twitter.com/BVW_Band
 
Same for Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bvw_band/
 
Make sure to check out the calendar on the website for rehearsals and events coming up!
 
Lastly, enrollment is right around the corner. Please check out our enrollment brochure – while primarily focused on our incoming 9th grade students for next fall, it still has useful information for ALL of our band students. As always – if you have questions about how to fit band into your schedule, please make sure to visit with one of the directors. Also, our summer schedule for marching band has been released. At this time we are planning for a normal schedule of summer activities for ALL of our band members to help build stronger connections within our band family and to set us up for success as a program as we navigate our of “COVID times” and into the 3rd decade of our outstanding program’s history!
 
Schedule at a Glance
 
This Week:
Tuesday:
*Winter Guard, 5-8 PM
* JPG (MS) 6 – 8 PM
 
Thursday:
*Winter Guard, 5-8 PM
*JPG (HS)  6-8 PM
 
Next Week:
Tuesday:
 *Winter Guard: 5 – 8 PM
*JPG (MS): 6 – 8 PM
*Symphonic Band Rehearsal: 5:30 – 6:30 PM
*Wind Ensemble Rehearsal: 7 – 8 PM
 
Thursday:
*Winter Guard: 5 – 8 PM
*JPG (HS): 6 – 8 PM
 
Have a great week!
 
Mr. Love

​While this year has been anything BUT normal, we are excited to begin our preparations for a return to the marching field this coming summer! Please take a moment to view the information about our plans for summer and fall marching band activities! We are looking forward to taking our first steps together into the next chapter of the Blue Valley West Band history!

​Enrollment information for ALL BVW Band members, regardless of grade level. Please check out the information. Have an 8th grade sibling? Know an 8th grade band member? Please be sure to pass along the information to them as well!

If you have any questions about band enrollment In the coming weeks please visit with a director. Ensemble Placement Hearings will take place in the late spring.

To better prepare for our upcoming March concert, and to offset the challenges posed by COVID and the Hybrid format, each of our ensembles will have a series of evening rehearsals leading up to our March concert recording sessions. As always, students are expected to attend all rehearsals and performances, including both our in-person and virtual students. That said, as per the handbook, please communicate with your director regarding any potential conflicts or COVID concerns in advance. We are more than happy to work with you as we begin to make a return towards a more typical band experience. Early communication is always key to finding positive solutions!

Our March concert will be a pre-recorded event, however, we are very optimistic that we will be able to offer an in-person performance for our final concert series in May.