Great Concert Wednesday Night!!

Great Concert Wednesday Night!!

What a great concert on Wednesday night.! The Cocoa Beach Jr Sr High School students performed very well and looked amazing. Who knew they cleaned up so well? I also enjoyed the festive atmosphere from all the parents and audience members. It is truly a pleasure to work with such great parents and students, you are all appreciated. Special thank you to the band booster board for their support in making the event run so smoothly and making everyone feel welcome. And special thank you to Mrs. Campbell for putting together the program and donating the printing from her travel business. What a great concert! I am so proud! Chuck Brooker

December 15 - Washington D.C. Trip Payment Due

December 15 - Washington D.C. Trip Payment Due

The Next installment of the Cocoa Beach High School Spring Band trip is due on December the 15th. Please check your accounts and either pay online or send in a check before Tuesday- This is exam week and we don't want to forget. You may send it in on Monday as well. I am so excited we are going to Washington D.C. !!!!!

Marching Band - Great Disney Performance

Program News - 12/13/2009

Cocoa Beach High School Marching Band - Great Disney Performance! The marching band had a great performance at Disney on Thursday! Under adverse conditions the parted the skies and dried of the stage with their smoking hot performance! It was very exciting opportunity to play for the visitors from all around the country! The students were very well received by the crowd and the adoring parents. Special thank you to all of the band chaperons on the trip for making this a very special experience for our students. Your help during the event and all day at the Magic Kingdom was appreciated and welcomed. It is great to have such supportive parents. Marching Band - Great Disney Performance!

Cocoa Beach Parade

Mark you calendars The Cocoa Beach Christmas Parade is on December the 12th. We will line up around 12noon at the Cocoa Beach Library. We should be done by 3pm. Don't forget Parade practice on December the 8th right after school. (2 hours) This practice is for practice for the parade and for the Disney Performance as well. Chuck Brooker

Congratulations! Selectees for 29th annual Florida State University Tri-State Band Festival

Congratulations to Cocoa Beach HS senior, Emily Bobo Flute, Junior, Matthew Brooker
-- French Horn, and Junior, Taylor Twiddy on Oboe!

They have been selected to participate in the 29th annual Florida State
University Tri-State Band Festival!

Their selection to this Honor Festival was determined in large part based on a
superb recommendation written by their band director (Chuck Brooker) on their behalf. Scores of
band directors wrote hundreds of magnificent recommendations for their finest
students-but only 1 student in 3 was chosen for Tri-State. They are among the
high school musical elite in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.

The 28th annual Florida State University TRI-STATE BAND FESTIVAL AND CONDUCTING
CONFERENCE, December 3-6, 2009,  is designed to provide rewarding musical
experiences for high school band students and their directors.

Each year the festival features nationally and internationally renowned guest
conductors and resident Florida State University faculty in a busy schedule of
concerts, master classes, and professional clinics.

Let's pass along our congratulations to these fine band students.

2009 PALM BAY HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BAND FESTIVAL

The Palm Bay High School Instrumental Music Parents Association in concert with the Florida Bandmaster's Association is proud to present the 2009 Annual Marching Band Music Performance Assessments on Saturday, October 24, 2009 at the Palm Bay High School stadium. Approximately 2,200 students representing close to 15 high school bands from all over Brevard County will perform for a crowd of over 4,000 marching band enthusiasts during the 8+ hour event. The Marching Festival is the highest profile event for the combined high school instrumental music programs in District 10, garnering the most public attention and attendance of any high school music event for the year.

Each band will present a 10-minute program of complicated field maneuvers while performing exciting and highly technical musical scores. Auxiliary corps presents a visual accent to the music utilizing silk flags, rifles, sabers, and other creative props. A panel of highly respected and professionally accomplished judges from the Florida Bandmasters Association will critique and score each band in their respective areas of music, marching, percussion, and auxiliary. The scores will result in a composite rating ranging from "Poor" through "Superior." Each band is judged on its own merit against a set standard, rather than as a competition between bands.

This is the most important event of the fall music season for all district high school instrumental music programs. Each band’s rating is an official assessment of the program’s overall success in the area of music education. Directors and students alike practice and perform with serious intention, often starting rehearsals in the summer, weeks before the school year begins.

The Palm Bay High School Instrumental Music Program has proudly hosted the Marching Festival for over 13 years. Volunteer parents and students of the Palm Bay High School Instrumental Music Program coordinate, staff, and manage the logistical production of the event for the District 10 Florida Bandmasters Association.

Host sponsorships help off-set the expenses incurred by the PBHS music program in production of the festival. Benefits of sponsorship include having your name or business published in the program. Host sponsors will also he announced throughout the event. Host sponsorships can be secured by calling Jim Tonti at (321) 890-3779.

The public is invited to attend the Marching Festival which begins at 3:00 PM with Stone and Southwest Middle Schools’ performance of our National Anthem. The gates will open at 1:30 PM with the first band ready to perform at 3:30 PM. A full concession is available throughout the entire event. Tickets are $5.00/adult and $3.00/student (children 3 yrs and younger are free) and are available at the gate the day of the festival. Parking is available on site for $3.00/car. There is also going to be a Program/Parking Combo offered for $5.00. Festival tee-shirts and programs will be available for purchase as well.

For more information, contact the Palm Bay High School Instrumental Music office at (321) 952- 5905.

CBHS Students selected for USF Festival of Winds Opus 35

Congratulations!
The Following band students have been selected from the CBHS
band program to participate in USF Festival of Winds Opus 35:

John Roth - Bassoon
Clarrise Quandt - F.Horn
Kayla McCracken - Clarinet
Andrew Huang - Clarinet

The University of South Florida School of Music's, Honor Festival of Winds is an opportunity for musicians from all over the state to come together and make great music while working with amazing clinicians. Students are recommended to the Festival of Winds staff through their Band Directors, and are accepted based on past achievements and future potential. Accepted students audition on the first day and are placed in one of three ensembles for the duration of the Festival. While here, they spend 4 wonderful days on campus, making new friends and great memories, while attending some great concerts and social events. The Festival celebrates its 35th anniversary this year.

Festival Dates are - Thursday, December 3, 2009
--- Sunday, December 6, 2009

Sincerely,
The Festival of Winds Opus 35 Staff

Cocoa Beach Free Concert Oct. 14, 2009

Special Invitation!

The Cocoa Beach High School Wind Ensemble will present a Concert of Thanks.

The free concert will be presented on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 in the Cocoa Beach Jr. Sr. High Schools Performing Arts Center at 7:30pm.
The Cocoa Beach band families invite all of those unsung heroes that dedicate their lives to helping others -- as Firefighters and Paramedics, in Hospitals,
in Law Enforcement Agencies, Military Branches and Space Flight , past and present, retired and active, and their families and friends. We want you to come
and receive a concert of thanks from our band and school family. You are appreciated!

The Cocoa Beach Wind Ensemble will play songs from America including Armed Forces Melodies, American Marches, Popular favorites and even a few pop extras
to thrill you. We promise you will feel thanked, appreciated and hopefully re-energized about your dedicated and compassionate careers.

This is a free concert -- no charge - We will have collection bins on site to collect food donations for local food banks to help families in need.

If you are on duty and on call as I know many of you will be- please still allow us to honor you at the concert and leave when you are called -- just bring your
vehicles and we will have special parking for all on call fire trucks, police and ambulances and others for easy departure.

For particular questions about the concert- please email Chuck Brooker at brooker.chuck@brevardschools.org

Connecting the Dots

This excerpt is from the article "Connecting The Dots" in the Sunday, April 26, 2009 Macon Telegraph newspaper. The article in its entirety can be found at the following link http://www.macon.com/151/story/694214.html.

I believe the answer why all students (traditional, MYP, IB, etc.) need to be offered accessible opportunities to music education is apparent once again in this article.By 4:45 p.m., I was headed northbound on I-75 for the Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) banquet, sponsored by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators Foundation. As chairman of the foundation, I'm supposed to be in the receiving line to greet STAR students and their teachers by 6:15 p.m. If anyone asks, I followed the flow of traffic. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.I won't go into much detail, but the banquet was held at the Buckhead Hotel Atlanta and it's undergoing renovations. It's right across Lenox Road from Lenox Square, but the hotel's sign was nowhere in sight. Fill in the blanks, please.

I missed the receiving line portion of my duties. The program honors 21 region winners who come from throughout the state. Large, medium and small systems are represented. The Region 6, Middle Georgia, STAR student is Brandon Munda from Houston County High School. His STAR teacher is Laura Byrd. He joined 20 of the brightest students in the state, but only one could be the 2009 STAR student, who turned out to be Annie Wang, from George Walton High School in Cobb County. The runner-up is Emily Bragg from Columbia County's Greenbrier High School.During the program, WSB reporter Jeff Dore interviewed each student. Their interests ranged from electronic engineering to math and philosophy to political science to Arabic and international relations.For those Georgia Tech fans, more of the STAR students -- five -- were headed to Yellow Jacket land than anywhere else. Yale and Harvard claimed three apiece, followed by Brown, Dartmouth, Princeton, Emory, Auburn, UGA and Indiana University.

Granted, these students are brilliant, but what would you guess linked them together? Was it their math skills? These students shared one common trait. All 21 were proficient musicians. Hmmm. Why are the first things cut music and art? The data linking high educational achievement and the arts is miles long. Why do we not get it? I would bet this class of STAR students is not unlike the 50 classes that preceded them. Students obviously connect the dots between achievement and the arts. Why can't we? That's a question even this group of bright students are unable to answer, because no matter your angle of approach, it doesn't make sense.

Charles E. Richardson is the Telegraph's editorial page editor. He can be reached at 478-744-4342 or via e-mail at: crichardson@macon.com.

Congratulations Cocoa Beach High Winter Guard!

The Cocoa Beach Winter Guard received a 1st place for their team routine at the National Twirling Unlimited Winter Guard and Baton Competition in Seminole Florida on February 8th.

Flag Soloists Emily Bobo received 3rd place, Laura Bobo received 2nd and place and Chelsea Heywood received 1st place.

Rifle soloists Kaitlin Guseman received first place. Nicole Moser received 1st place for her duet. Sydney Smead received 2nd place in the Model category. Dominique Russell received a 3rd place for her freestyle and technical solo, a 2nd place in the model, and strut and a 1st place in her best appearing category.

The girls did a great job representing the Beach not only with their talents but with their fantastic and positive attitude! Go Beach!

Lindsey M. Brooker

Cocoa Beach High Winter Guard Competition

On Sunday February 8th 2009 The Cocoa Beach Winter Guard along with the Marching Minutemen Feature Twirler Dominique Russell, will compete in the Twirling Unlimited Winter Guard and baton competition in Seminole Florida on the other coast.

This event will bring Winter Guard and baton teams from all around the United States together in competition. Cocoa Beach will compete in both Team and individual solo Categories. The guard members are led by coach Lindsey Brooker. Good Luck Girls!

Winter Guard Members:
Chelsea Heywood, Captain
Laura Bobo, Captain
Emily Bobo
Roberta Spensley
Jorden Tschernia
Kaitlin Gusmen
Nicole Moser
Sydney Smead

Music In Education

A great letter from a teacher in Orange County, CA:
"As I watched the inauguration yesterday, I was struck by something in addition to the historical significance of the event. When it comes to the highest degree of ceremony in our land, we turn to that which is often the first to be on the chopping block in tough financial times: the arts. There was singing, poetry, an ensemble of some of the most talented and accomplished instrumental solo artists in the world, discussion of the particular painting featured at the luncheon, grand marches played by a band. Because great societies are often measured by their progress in the arts, we seem to understand intrinsically that these things belong, yet we are often unwilling as a society to preserve them in our education system. For every artist who blessed the nation with their gift yesterday, there was someone who had initially recognized their talent, nurtured it, guided its technical preparation, encouraged its development. Someone introduced Yo-Yo Ma to the cello, and put Aretha Franklin on a stage.

These things do not just happen by accident.The next time you hear the suggestion to cut the arts out of the schools because it's "nice, but not necessary," imagine yesterday without the arts... a walk to a podium, an oath, a speech, a walk to whatever comes next... no parades, no balls. Imagine the band members who played "Hail to the Chief," told in middle school that music would not be offered in their school any more. Imagine if Itzhak Perlman never held a violin. Imagine the featured choir given over to the directorship of someone with no vocal training because the chorus position was cut. These things are happening every day, and someday we may be faced with a quickie courthouse ceremony rather than royal pomp and circumstance befitting a presidential inauguration.

Think about it."Please forward -