Band is going to Indianapolis!
Posted Thursday, November 7, 2013 10:50 AM

Raider Band Request

Friday November 1, 2013

Dear Stuart Graduate,

 

The J.E.B. Stuart High School Band would like to thank you for your donations at the homecoming football game!  Your generosity makes many things possible for our students and allows them to achieve at high levels.  This year the Wind Ensemble (our most advanced concert band) has been invited to perform at the National Concert Band Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana March 6-8, 2014.  The Wind Ensemble is one of 8 groups nationwide that has been selected through an audition process to perform on the festival stage.  On the back of this form you will find a copy of our invitation letter so you may read more about the event.

While receiving an invitation to this event is a great honor, it unfortunately costs a great deal and is more expensive than our usual spring trip.  Our students have been assessed a fee of $650 each to participate in this event and this covers food, lodging, the festival itself along with half of the cost of an $8,000 bus bill.  After students make their final payment, the band still owes $4,000 on the bus bill to make our trip a reality.  The school system has already aided us with this event as we have received approximately $20,000 in new instruments over the past few weeks.

We are asking you once again for a donation to help pay for our outstanding bill and help send our students to this amazing event.  Anything you are able to contribute will help us a great deal. 

Please make checks payable to: J.E.B. Stuart HS and write Band Indiana in the memo section.

Please send donations to: 

Brian Thomas                                                     or donate by PayPal on our website:

J.E.B. Stuart High School Band                                    www.raiderband.org

3301 Peace Valley Lane

Falls Church, VA 22044

 

Please consider attending our next concert on December 11 at 7pm so you can hear the wonderful music that our students make.  Thank you for your consideration!

 

Respectfully,

 

 

Brian Thomas

J.E.B. Stuart High School Bands

(703) 824-3971

bcthomas@fcps.edu

 

July 17, 2013

Dear Mr. Thomas,

On behalf of the Music for All staff and the Board of Directors, it is with great pleasure that we extend an invitation to the J. E. B. Stuart H.S. Wind Ensemble to perform as an Invited Band at the National Concert Band Festival.  Your ensemble will perform in Butler University’s brand new Schrott Center for the Performing Arts.  The Festival is part of the 2014 Music for All National Festival presented by Yamaha. Based on the recommendation of our distinguished listening panel of evaluators, who are some of the most respected music educators in the country, we are pleased to extend this invitation and esteemed recognition to your outstanding ensemble.     

Your selection to perform at the Festival was made from an outstanding pool of ensembles.  You and your students should be commended for your exemplary commitment to excellence. You will have an opportunity to perform on a national stage in front of music educators, fellow student musicians and parents from across the nation.  We are very excited to include you and your students in this very unique educational setting.

You will receive a detailed Festival Information packet in late August.  Please read this as it gives you vital information to start your planning process.  Please don’t hesitate to contact Haley Sparks in our office should you have any questions.  She can be reached at haley.s@musicforall.org or 317.524.6238 

This invitation to perform at the 23rd annual Music for All National Festival is a tremendous honor.  The finest bands in the United States have performed in the National Concert Band Festival. We look forward to the J. E. B. Stuart H.S. Wind Ensemble representing your school, community and state in this rich tradition of excellence in music education, in Indianapolis, March 5-8, 2014.  Again, we send you our very best wishes for the coming school year and we look forward to working with you leading up to and during the 2014 Festival.

 

With sincere congratulations,

Eric L. Martin