Spaghetti & NOPA

Don't forget that all Spaghetti Supper tickets must be purchased by the end of class on Friday. If you and/or your family are planning to eat, please purchase your tickets through us.  It will cost you more at the door that night and with only 150 tickets available for purchase that night, you might leave hungry.  We also have several more spots that need to be filled on the volunteer list for that night.  The shift will not conflict with the orchestras' performances!

**Please note that the tentative NOPA meeting for next week has been cancelled**

Trip Fundraiser Updates

Shop HyVee this weekend and share the love with the NCHS Orchestra & Choir Toronto trip!  Please feel free to share the flyer with all of your friends and get that Thanksgiving shopping done Saturday or Sunday at the HyVee on 1403 N Veterans.  The flier must accompany you at checkout for us to receive our share of the receipts, and we have more copies at school if you would like them.  Click here to sign up to bag for tips if you and/or a parent are going on the trip.

Cookie dough sales also kicked off yesterday - if your student didn't bring home the info, please see below:

Due Date:  Nov 18, 2019

Product Delivery:   Dec 16, 2019 (MUST arrange for product pick-up after school)

Checks Payable:   Unit 5 Music Parents Association

Payment:  Must be collected at time of order

ILMEA Update

Detailed ILMEA information for those students going to ONU on Nov. 16th will be available soon, but there are a couple of things that we need to take care of ASAP.  Students should bring in $9 cash for lunch that day.  They will have their fill of everything Olivet's cafeteria has to offer, and tickets must be purchased in advance.  The only other option for lunch would be to bring a sack lunch (and students without a ticket may not be allowed into the cafeteria). 

We will transport the students to the festival that day but are assuming that since this is a high-level honors concert, parents will be in attendance and will take students home.  If this is not the case for some reason and your student needs a ride after the concert, we need to know immediately so that we can plan.

Hauntcert Thank You's!!!

Huge thank you's go out to the many volunteers (and alumni) who helped make our 25th Hauntcert celebration such a big success!!! It was a fantastic evening and everything from the music to the tech lined up to present a really polished show. We never could have done what we did without the help of so many people and everyone's efforts were so greatly appreciated.  Thanks again for everything you do to help support our student musicians!

Spaghetti Supper Ticket Orders and Volunteer List

If you, your family, or your student would like to eat dinner with us the night of the Spaghetti Supper (Mon. Nov. 11), please print, complete, and return this order form with your money by FRIDAY November, 1st.  A reminder, no one has to pay to hear any performances, only if they choose to eat.  Tickets are more expensive at the door and in a limited quantity.  Order by Friday to ensure you get food!

Our performance will begin at 6:40 pm and information will be posted soon regarding our rehearsal that afternoon after school.  

We are also responsible for providing volunteers to work a shift that evening - please click here and sign up to work the NCHS Orchestra shift from 4:45-6:00 pm.  This is the Unit 5 Music Parents Association's biggest fundraiser of the year and money comes directly back to our music organizations.  Your time is greatly appreciated!!!

Canada Update

Don't forget the deadline to sign up for the choir/orchestra trip to Toronto is Nov. 15th.  You can click here to go to the trip blog that contains all of the necessary information regarding how to sign up, the most updated itinerary, etc. Our first fundraiser (cookie dough) for the trip kicked off today and there are still several spots left for bagging for tips at HyVee this weekend, click here to sign up to help fund your trip!

Last Minute Hauntcert Details

Don't forget that call time is 6:00 pm tomorrow (concert begins at 7:00) and students are wearing their complete uniforms.  Any students staying after school to help with various jobs are more than welcome to hang their uniform in my office, stash some food in my fridge, etc.  We are still in need of more refreshment donations - please click here to let us know if you can help us out.  Refreshments can be dropped off at the tables outside of the auditorium. We would also love to have pictures of the event tomorrow.  Please consider tagging, sharing, etc. pictures that you take to our various orchestra social media sites!  If you have not been to a Hauntcert before please know that this concert is standing room only, if you want a seat you should plan to arrive early...

Orchestra & Choir Are Headed North!!!

The choir/orchestra trip to Canada, summer of 2020 is a go!  Please click here to read an important update about the trip and instructions on how to get involved.  This trip is open to all current NCHS orchestra members.  

Hauntcert Refreshment Donations

Time to roll out the post-Hauntcert cookie parade!!!  We need over 65 dozen cookies for the big event. Please use this sign up to let us know if you can help us out with this momentous task of feeding hundreds. All items must be store bought and in their original packaging.  We are also in need of more parents to help us decorate during the Tuesday night dress rehearsal.  Please click here to let us know you're coming!

Hauntcert Tech Week Schedule (Chamber, Intermezzo, & Sinfonia Orchestras)

Monday - 3:30-6:00 pm rehearsal (bring stands & cellos - we will be rehearsing with percussion)
Tuesday - 6-9 pm rehearsal (bring cellos, this is dress rehearsal - do NOT wear uniforms)
Thursday -7 pm show (call time 6:00 pm, wear uniforms, bring cellos)

**All electric instruments (violin, viola, guitar, bass, piano, etc.) need to have EVERYTHING with them for all rehearsals this week**

Orchestra Spirit Days

As we make our way into Hauntcert week, all orchestra members are invited to participate in a show of team spirit with the following themes:

Monday: Jersey Day

Tuesday: Disney Character Day

Wednesday: Pajama Day

Thursday:  Hauntcert/Orchestra T-Shirt Day

Canada Trip Survey

We have been faced with a number of delays from our travel agent trying to get our orchestra/choir trip to Canada finalized.  Please click on the link to the Google form for our most recent update, itinerary, and a survey that will take about one minute to complete.  We need to have as many surveys completed by Thursday as possible to help us determine whether or not this will become a viable trip. We need your input to determine how we move forward from here, and apologize greatly for all of the problems we have had with the organization of this event. We earnestly seek your advice as to how the delays from the travel agent and the unexpected price increase from what we were originally quoted effect your decision!

Orchestra Update

We are still in desperate need of a room monitor for Monday's Columbus Day ILMEA auditions at Bloomington High School from 10:15-1:15pm.  Our students are unable to audition if we don't provide someone to staff the room. Please email Mrs. Siebenthal asap if you would be able to help out with this easy job!

Please help remind your Chamber, Intermezzo, and Sinfonia student on Tuesday morning that they are to report to orchestra 2nd hour for their last combined rehearsal before tech week.  We are very concerned about them forgetting that morning following the three day weekend... Outside section coaches will be brought in to assist us at the very beginning of the day and it is critical that we don't have to waste valuable time hunting kids down. 

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!!!

ILMEA Room Monitor

ILMEA requires that we provide room monitors at auditions, and the NCHS Orchestras are in charge of providing the monitor for one of our string rooms at Bloomington High School.  If you are available on Columbus Day, Oct. 14 from roughly 10:15 am - 1:15 pm we really need your help.  The job simply entails making sure that the student who shows up outside the room to audition matches up with the audition number assigned to them and letting the judges know the candidate's number.  As the auditions are blind, you remain in the room in case the student has any questions - they whisper them to you and you ask the judge on their behalf.  A simple, yet critical job that will stop the audition process completely if we don't staff this position.  Please email Mrs. Siebenthal as soon as possible if you would be able to help out on Columbus Day.  Thanks!

Volunteer List

We still have a couple of very critical jobs left for Hauntcert XXVI - we are looking for someone to help organize our junior high ushers and show them how to "work the crowd" after the show for donations.  We are also hoping that someone might be able to act as photographer and help commemorate our anniversary with some pictures.  Only about half the numbers of volunteers needed for decorating are filled as well.  Please consider volunteering a couple hours of time to help us out!!!

Photo Booth Props

The orchestra is planning to again have a photo booth spot in the Fishbowl at the Hauntcert and we are interested in any props that people might have.  If you have anything we could borrow for this purpose, please send to school with your student.  Thanks!

Hauntcert Decorations

We are still in (desperate) need of decorations for this year's show.  If you have anything related to 25th/Silver anniversary, any old general Halloween decorations you no longer want that we could spray paint, or any white, gray, black fabric or tulle we could use to make a bunting on the stage, we would really appreciate it.  We are also looking for battery donations (double and triple A and a few nine volt) and would like to borrow a number of extension cords and power strips.  Our MC this year is also looking to borrow a crystal ball (the kind a fortune teller might use).  If you have any of the above items that we could use, please send them to school by the end of the week so that we can effectively plan at our NOPA meeting next week. 

Hauntcert Volunteers Still Needed

While we have made some headway on the Hauntcert volunteer list, there are still a number of jobs we need assistance with.  Please thoughtfully consider donating some of your time to this event and help support our musicians!  Click here for the volunteer sign up list. We are also in immediate need of someone to fill our refreshment chairperson for this year.  It's a fairly simple, yet critical job that just involves helping to organize the parent volunteers for our post-concert refreshments. Please contact Mrs. Siebenthal if you would be willing to help us out with filling this position.

NOPA

Our next NCHS Orchestra Parents Association (NOPA) meeting will be on Tuesday October 8th at 7 pm in the orchestra room (rm 50).  Doors J around the back of the building will be unlocked.  We will continue to plan Hauntcert and could really use thoughts and ideas!  Please join us - all orchestra parents are welcome to attend.

Hauntcert Rehearsal #2 Reminder

Date:  Wednesday Oct. 9
Time:  3:30-6:00 pm
Personnel:  Chamber, Intermezzo, and Sinfonia Orchestras
Misc:  Cellos should bring their instruments like the last rehearsal and all students need to bring their folding music stand.  Students should be picked up promptly at 6:00 pm (pickup location TBA)