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By rwhatley, April 27, 2011

This Friday, the Pershing Choirs and Orchestras will be leaving for Dallas for a competition and festival. The final information can be found below. Please spread the word to others attending the trip, as it is difficult for Mrs. B and Mr Whatley to relay information during this long week of TAKS testing. Thanks for your flexibility and understanding.

Buses will be arriving at 12:30 on Friday and we will be  leaving as soon as we get all of the luggage on board.

Things we need before your child can attend the trip:

1. NOTARIZED MEDICAL FORM –sent home several weeks ago—must be signed in front of a notary)

2.  ALL CANDY MONEY TURNED IN

PROCEDURES FOR FRIDAY:

ON FRIDAY BRING LUGGAGE TO SCHOOL – (Room 413) IN THE MORNING AS WE WILL LOAD AS SOON AS THE BUSES ARRIVE.

CHAPERONES MAY ALSO BRING LUGGAGE AT THIS TIME

ONLY 1 SMALL LUGGAGE PIECE WILL BE NEEDED (to be packed in bus luggage area)

ONLY 1 BACKPACK/ OR SMALL TOTE FOR THE BUS

(bring blanket/sleeping bag, plenty of snacks and water –bus WILL NOT stop on the way to Dallas).

ALL MOVIES FOR THE BUS MUST BE G OR PG RATED—NO EXCEPTIONS.

CHECK LIST (Given out at Parent Meeting) FOR OTHER ITEMS

STUDENTS WILL CALL ON SUNDAY WHEN THE BUS GETS TO CONROE (SO YOU CAN PLAN ACCORDINGLY TO PICK YOUR CHILD UP ON TIME FROM PERSHING).

READ ALL OF THE INFORMATION.SENT HOME –PARENTS CHECK LUGGAGE.

If you have any further questions, please call Mrs. B or e-mail Mr. Whatley ASAP as it is the best way to reach us.

Thanks for your time. We are excited for a great trip to Dallas with your children!

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By rwhatley, September 20, 2010

It’s that time of year again! The annual TMEA All-Region Orchestra auditions are coming up on Saturday, October 16th. This year, auditions will be held at Beckendorff Jr. High school in Katy. (The physical address is 8200 S. Fry Rd., Katy, TX 77494) All participating students will be responsible for providing their own transportation to the audition, and will need to remember to bring their instrument, a folding music stand, their Region audition music, and a pencil to mark the cuts when they are announced.

If your child is planning to audition and has not yet turned in the Region Entry Form and the $15 entry fee, please contact Mr. Whatley immediately and inform him of your intent to audition.

Participating students must arrive by 8:30 a.m., but are encouraged to arrive a little earlier in order to ensure ample warm-up time before the audition so as not to feel extra rushed or nervous. Students are only required to stay until all students who perform on their instrument have finished their audition. For example, Bass players cannot leave until all bass players in the Region have finished auditioning. This means that since there are normally about 200 violins to audition, violin players may not be able to leave the audition site until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. If the audition runs that long, there will be a lunch break in between. However, it would be a good idea for students to bring snacks in case they get hungry. Also, due to a lot of sitting time, students should bring a book to read and plenty of homework if they have it. (iPods and cell phones are allowed, but must be turned off and distributed into a box when students enter the audition room). If a student is caught with any electronic device (other than a silent metronome) in the audition room, he or she will be disqualified from the competition, but will still have to remain in the room until the end of the audition.

Results will be announced several hours after the completion of each audition. Therefore, it may be late in the evening before violin results are announced. Rather than waiting on site for results, please leave your name and phone number with Mr. Whatley and he will call you with results when they are posted.

In preparation for region auditions, Mr. Whatley will be holding sectional rehearsals for the last several weeks leading up to the audition. This mainly involves students in the Chamber Orchestra, but any students planning to audition for Region are welcome and encouraged to attend. Rehearsals will be held before and after school in the Orchestra Room (411). A complete schedule can be found here: Region Sectional Rehearsal Schedule 2010.

Good luck to all those auditioning! Keep practicing!