Cedar Ridge High School Low Brass Ensemble: 2013 Midwest Clinic Performance Program

CEDAR RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL

LOW BRASS

C H O I R

THE ROUND ROCK INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT presents the

CEDAR RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL

LOW BRASS

C H O I R

MARK CALIMA, RYAN BRITTAIN, RICK RODRIGUEZ, MEGAN WIKE Directors

THE 67TH ANNUAL MIDWEST CLINIC

AN INTERNATIONAL BAND AND ORCHESTRA CONFERENCE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2013 路 9:00 A.M.

McCORMICK PLACE WEST, BALLROOM W375E

CONGR ATUL ATORY LET TER S

CEDAR RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL LOW BRASS CHOIR

EUPHONIUM

TROMBONE

BASS TROMBONE

TUBA

NICHOLAS ROOCH 12th grade

ALEX TALMON 12th grade

KHEDRIC EMERY 11th grade

BRENDON MOLINA 12th grade

PETE SCOTT 11th grade

D.J. ROPER 11th grade

JACQUEZ BOYD 10 th grade

KYLE STOETZEL 10 th grade

LYRIC LUDDEN 10 th grade

JARED WARBURTON 11th grade

ANDREW BURRIS 10 th grade

LEXI PAYTON 10 th grade

GRANT MIDDLETON 10 th grade

JACKIE LUNA 9 th grade

PERCUSSION

VOCALIST

TRUMPET

ELISE LEDBETTER 11th grade

DEVIN GARRETT 12th grade

SEAN YI 12th grade

ISABEL DELWEL 12th grade

FRENCH HORN

AVINDA DESILVA 11th grade

JOEL WRIGHT 12th grade

TATE GREGORY 11th grade

MEGAN NGUYEN 11th grade

CHRISTIAN GOLD 12th grade

VISHAL KALE 11th grade

LAUREN SMAJSTRLA 12th grade

JESSICA LUEDKE 11th grade

MEREDITH SHOULTS 12th grade

JASON PARK 11th grade

PROGRAM CEDAR RIDGE FANFARE........................................................................................................................................................................... GABE MUSELLA

(2013 RBC Music)

The fanfare is built with two main components — the opening triplet motif and the lyrical theme at Letter A. The music drives to a climax that leads to an extended solo passage for the timpanist. The brass section re-enters at Letter E, culminating in a brief call and response. The tension begins to mount again at Letter G as the lyrical theme returns in the form of a canon in augmentation. The work comes full circle with the return of the opening motif at the conclusion.

This piece is dedicated to Philip Geiger for his dedication to music education. His selfless devotion to directors, both young and not so young, since his retirement from Westfield High School (Spring, Texas) is exhibited in his countless clinics and consultations. Mr. Geiger has had a profound effect on numerous educators, including the composer of this work and the conductor of the Cedar Ridge Low Brass Choir, Mark Calima, a 1997 graduate of Westfield High School.

ALLEGRETTO FROM SYMPHONY NO. 7..........................................................................LUDWIG VON BEETHOVEN / ARRANGED BY AUSTIN SWACK

(2013 RBC Music)

This transcription of the second movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony is dedicated to Mark Calima and the Cedar Ridge Low Brass Choir’s performance at the 2013 Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. The transcription is set antiphonally with a trombone quartet set opposite of a tuba/euphonium quartet with a timpanist separating the two groups in its original key of A minor. This orchestration creates a large spectrum of timbres and colors in the low brass choir that are explored throughout the arrangement.

Beethoven’s 7th Symphony premiered in 1813 in Vienna. The second movement, marked “Allegretto,” is set in the symphony’s parallel minor key of A minor and is made distinct by the use of the long-short-short rhythmic motif that pervades the entire symphony. The arrangement is set in A-B-A form (altered from the A-B-A-B-A form of the original) and features a fugue before ending with the same chord that opened the work. The Allegretto was so well-received at its Vienna premier that it had to be immediately encored. A Viennese newspaper also noted that the Allegretto was “the crown of modern instrumental music.”

RYAN BRITTAIN, CONDUCTOR

AND HOW!.................................................................................................................................................................................................. RYAN GEORGE

(2013 FORNINE Music)

The expression “and how” is used to strongly emphasize or agree with something someone has just said or done. All but extinct in modern societal vernacular, this phrase would have been heard rather often during the exuberant age of flappers and prohibition. AND HOW! reminisces somewhat on the musical styles of the Roaring 20’s and puts the solo clarinet in the limelight.

Had the piece been performed back then, the ensemble and soloist would no doubt have been met with accolades of “and how!” after the rousing conclusion.

AND HOW! was commissioned by the Cedar Ridge High School Low Brass Choir for their performance at the 2013 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and is scored for solo clarinet, four trombones, two euphoniums, two tubas, and two percussionists.

MEGAN WIKE, CLARINET

SKY MUSIC..........................................................................................................................................................................................SARAH SANTA CRUZ

(2013 Tapspace)

Sky Music is written for seven percussionists accompanied by low brass octet. While there are a few technically challenging passages for the brass players, the ensemble is primarily carried by the percussionists. The low brass sounds provide a warm background and occasional melodic lines that give the work depth unattainable by percussion alone.

Sky Music was written to be a musical representation of a person’s flight with an unknown destination and the many colorful images experienced along the way. One listener may envision scenes of skies with beautiful coloration and cloud patterns, while another may experience the nostalgia of a euphoric time in life. The interpretation is meant to be dependent on the listener and will invariably be different for each person. Sky Music was commissioned by the Cedar Ridge High School Low Brass Choir for their performance at the 2013 Midwest Clinic and the Cedar Ridge Percussion Ensemble for their performance at the 2014 Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Conference.

RICK RODRIGUEZ, CONDUCTOR

CHICAGO CITY.....................................................................................................................................................................................SATOSHI YAGISAWA

(2013 Brain, distributed by Bravo)

“While attending the 2012 Midwest Clinic, I had the pleasure of enjoying some fine Italian cuisine (despite being in America!) with Akira Toda, musical director of the Neo-Tubium brass ensemble. We chatted about all things musical, and Mr. Toda implored me to consider a new work. The ambiance of the restaurant and other enjoyable feelings we shared from that Midwest visit thus inspired Chicago City.”

For the professional bari-tuba ensemble, this is a very accessible piece that can also be enjoyed by a wide range of playing abilities. Neo-Tubium just performed the work with Arisa Makita and Ayaka Sato, euphonium, and Hiroaki Mitsugi and Hidekazu Takahashi, tuba.

“We are honored to have the Cedar Ridge High School Low Brass Choir present the work’s American premier.” – Satoshi Yagisawa

BLUE SKIES....................................................................................................................................... IRVING BERLIN / ARRANGED BY LENNIE NIEHAUS

(2010 Kendor)

Blue Skies exemplifies composer Jerome Kern’s famous quote — “Irving Berlin has no place in American music — he is American music.” While Berlin’s exact birthplace is unknown, he and his family migrated from Tolochin, Byelorussia to New York in 1893. Berlin’s first major international hit was the song Alexander’s Ragtime Band in 1911, which sparked a worldwide dance craze.

Having composed hundreds of songs, Berlin’s works include ballads, dance numbers, and love songs that significantly influenced the genre of popular song in America for much of the 20th century. Berlin was a familiar face in the Broadway and Hollywood music scene throughout his lifetime and contributed a total of seventeen complete scores for Broadway musicals. Of all his accomplishments, Berlin is perhaps best known for his song White Christmas, which won the Academy Award for Best Song of the Year in 1942.

Blue Skies was composed in 1926 for Rodgers and Hart’s musical Betsy. Although the musical had a relatively short lifespan, the song itself was an instant success, with the audience allegedly demanding an excess of twenty encores on opening night. Since its debut, Blue Skies has been recorded and achieved great success by artists such as Al Jolson, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Willie Nelson.

This arrangement of Blue Skies for low brass choir is a remarkable testament to the song’s versatility. Niehaus successfully tailored the song in such a way that the playful tune soars over the warm, inviting sounds of the brass section. It is our hope that this rendition of Blue Skies leaves the audience feeling as though there will be “nothing but blue skies from now on.”

ELISE LEDBETTER, VOCALIST

TU-BEL CANTO.....................................................................................GIACOMO PUCCINI; PIETRO MASCAGNI / ARRANGED BY MICKY WROBLESKI 1. Intermezzo sinfonico from Cavalleria Rusticana

2. Recondita armonia from Tosca

3. Nessun dorma from Turandot

(2013 Manuscript)

Tu-Bel Canto is a unique arrangement of arias and other operatic material by two significant Italian composers of the late 19th century — Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) and Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945). The first movement derives from the Intermezzo from Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. This famous orchestral interlude follows a high point in the opera when Alfie discovers that his wife Lola has been cheating on him with Turiddu.

“Art, in its mysterious way, blends the contrasting beauties together…” These lyrics, based on the romanza Recondita armonia, accurately describe the captivating way that Wrobleski paints a picture of love and adoration in the second movement. At this point in Puccini’s opera, the character Mario Cavaradossi, played eloquently in this arrangement by the tuba soloist, compares the beauty of his love Tosca to that of a painting of Mary Magdalene.

Nessun dorma (English: None shall sleep) is one of the most famous Puccini arias and forms the basis for the third and final movement of this piece. The theme of the aria is love at first sight, an outpouring of infatuation by the character Calaf (also a tuba soloist in this arrangement), upon seeing Princess Turandot for the first time. In light of the fact that the 2012-2013 Cedar Ridge High School Low Brass Choir’s submission recording for the 2013 Midwest Clinic also included an arrangement of Nessun dorma, this is an appropriate and special way to conclude the piece.

We are honored to share the stage with such a well-respected and worthy musician as Gene Pokorny and would like to thank him for this memorable performance. We would also like to thank Micky Wrobleski for dedicating such a wonderful arrangement to the Cedar Ridge High School Low Brass Choir and his dear friend Gene Pokorny.

GENE POKORNY, TUBA JIM VAN ZANDT, CONDUCTOR

BRASS KNUCKLES......................................................................................................................................................................... DANIEL MONTOYA, JR.

(2013 Montoya Music)

A set of brass knuckles is a devastating weapon. Small and compact, they are capable of unloading a tremendous amount of damage on the target with little warning. Daniel Montoya, Jr.’s Brass Knuckles is similarly conceived — a pugilistic gutshot wrapped up in a tight package. The title itself is a bit playful as a reflection on the nature of the ensemble andthe orchestration itself — a mix of brass and percussion instruments with the punchy capabilities of such a lean and powerful group.

The piece is cast in a tripartite form, with rambunctious exterior sections outlining a disoriented, slow middle. The action involved is not unlike any number of famous scenes in films that depict a sensational prize fight. The opening fisticuffs are aggressive and brash, like two wild fighters in their prime swinging for an instantaneous knockout. The rhythm, a curious alternation of 5/8 and 7/8 meters, seems to shout out the title of the work with vicious aplomb. In the aftermath of the initial blows, the texture thins and a sequence of duets emerges — a duo marimba ostinato that accompanies two agile euphoniums, followed by another for horn and trombone. One might imagine the fighters circling, simultaneously dodging and defending themselves while searching for the opening that would lend them the advantage. From here it builds back to another melee over the constant rhythmic battering of the percussion. The music alternates in this manner several times, with fierce exchanges countered by limber sparring, until finally the action stops with a tremendous punch from the tutti ensemble.

What follows is a chorale of sorts for the brass, building from the lowest tessitura of the group upwards. The initial presentation is skewed and discombobulated, with strange chord progressions and tense unresolved dissonances. In this moment, the fighter protagonist seems down for the count, unable to pull himself back up. The entry of the trumpets, however, signals a moment of heroic resilience. A twinkling of mallet percussion then urges the motion forward, with ascending melodic lines demonstrating the return to the action. From there, the ride to the end is a furious one, with the brilliant technique of the euphoniums, in particular, nearly incessant for the remainder of the work. The flurry of notes takes on the valiant character of the rising combatant, stepping courageously back into the fray. At last, the material from the opening of the work returns with an even more aggressive spirit as a precursor to the ending — a mad rush of blows, finally being resolved with a vicious, terminal haymaker.

CONDUCTORS MARK CALIMA

Mark Calima is in his fourth year as the Director of Bands at Cedar Ridge High School and in his tenth year as a music educator. His responsibilities include conducting the Wind Ensemble and overseeing the Cedar Ridge Raider Marching Band, Jazz Band, and Color Guard. Mr. Calima is a 2004 cum laude graduate of the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in music education.

Prior to opening Cedar Ridge, Mr. Calima started his career in 2004 as the Assistant Band Director at Bammel Middle School in the Spring Independent School District (Spring, Texas). The following five years he was the Associate Director of Bands at Westfield High School in the Spring Independent School District. During this time, his bands received superior ratings from the University Interscholastic League (UIL) in both marching and concert band. His concert bands also received consistent “Best in Class” awards at festivals across the state of Texas. In 2003, while serving as the lead visual instructor of the marching band, the Westfield “Big Red” Band was crowned the Bands of America Grand National Champion Band.

While at Cedar Ridge, Mr. Calima’s concert and marching bands have received exclusively superior ratings from the UIL as well as “Best Overall Group” at every music festival attended. While only in the school’s infancy, the Cedar Ridge Band has also had many other successes in both the concert and marching settings under his care. Accolades include: 2011 4A UIL Area D Marching Finalist, 2012 5A Area D Marching Finalist, 2013 Bands of America Grand Nationals Finalist Band, and most recently having the Cedar Ridge Low Brass Choir appearing as a featured group at the 2013 Midwest Clinic.

Mr. Calima was the founder and director of Houston Area Summer Wind Ensemble (HASWE), which was a non-profit summer band camp for Houston area high school musicians. The goal of the camp was to provide “high level instruction for low cost.” The camp thrived from the summer of 2004 through the summer of 2009 and was supported by Drum Corps International’s “ExSIGHTment of Sound” Organization. Mr. Calima was awarded the 2009 “Who’s Who among America’s High School Teachers” and was Cedar Ridge High School’s very first “Teacher of the Year” in 2012.

Mr. Calima’s personal and professional influences include: Philip Geiger, Diane Vasquez, Gary Markham, Richard Floyd, Dick Clardy, Tom Bennett, Eddie Green, Matthew McInturf, Robert Herrings, Trent Cooper, Rick Ghinelli, Jim Van Zandt, Rick Rodriguez, Ryan Brittain, Megan Wike, KC Michel, Jeff Soloman, Philip Stanton, Brian Eisemann, Ryan Rambusch, Richard Crain, Gabe Musella, Jodie Rhodes, and Bert and Perla Calima.

Mr. Calima’s professional affiliations include the Texas Band Masters Association, Texas Music Educators Association, and the Texas Music Adjudicators Association.

RYAN BRITTAIN

Ryan Brittain is in his fourth year as the Associate Director of Bands at Cedar Ridge High School in the Round Rock Independent School District. He is a Houston native as well as a 2010 summa cum laude graduate of the Moore’s School of Music at the University of Houston, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in music education. While in college, Mr. Brittain was under the batons of Tom Bennett, David Bertman, and Franz Kreger, where he held the status of principal horn in both the Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra.

In conjunction with finishing his degree in the spring of 2010, Mr. Brittain had the privilege of being hired and aiding in the preparation of Cedar Ridge High School’s opening in the fall of 2010. Bands under Mr. Brittain’s direction have received consistent University Interscholastic League (UIL) Sweepstakes Awards at Concert and Sight-Reading Contest, as well as Best in Class awards at various festivals throughout Texas. Most recently, the Cedar Ridge Raider Band was named a 2013 Bands of America Grand National Championships Finalist Band.

Mr. Brittain grew up in the Spring Independent School District (Spring, Texas), where he was a member of the Bammel Middle School Band program under the direction of Charlotte Royal and Diane Vasquez, as well as a member of the Westfield High School Band, under the direction of Philip Geiger and Jodie Rhodes. Mr. Brittain was a four-year Texas All-State French Horn player and ranked first in the State his senior year. He was also a part of the Westfield High School Bands of America Grand National Championship Band in 2003.

His professional affiliations include the Texas Bandmasters Association and the Texas Music Educators Association. Mr. Brittain’s goal is to cultivate the same standards of excellence with his students that were placed on him as a student. His students are his greatest inspiration.

RICK RODRIGUEZ

Rick Rodriguez is a well-known and respected percussion director around the country and holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of North Texas. He is currently in his fourth year as Assistant Director and Percussion Specialist at Cedar Ridge High School, where he teaches the Percussion Ensemble, Drumline, and Jazz Band. In just three years, he has already brought his programs at Cedar Ridge to the highest standards in the state of Texas.

Mr. Rodriguez was previously the Percussion Specialist and Wind Ensemble Assistant at Spring High School (Spring, Texas) for sixteen years under legendary directors Bill Watson, Tom Bennett, Mark Edenfield, and Gabe Musella. During his tenure at Spring High School, Mr. Rodriguez’s percussion ensembles had vast numbers of Texas All-State members. The Spring Percussion Ensemble was also invited to perform at the prestigious Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in 2009 while under the instruction of Mr. Rodriguez and Gabe Musella.

Currently, Mr. Rodriguez teaches percussion master classes and writes and arranges marching drum books for programs in Texas and surrounding states. From 1989-1993 Mr. Rodriguez performed in and instructed the world famous University of North Texas P.A.S. Drum Line. He was also a snare drummer and staff member of the Concord Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps in addition to working with the Phantom Regiment and Blue Knights for many years. Mr. Rodriguez is on the adjudicating staff for Drum Corps International (DCI), TCGC Color Guard, and Indoor Drumline Circuit as well as adjudicating all over the country.

Mr. Rodriguez is endorsed by Pearl Drums, Innovative Percussion Sticks and Mallets, Evans Drum Heads, and the Zildjian Cymbal Company. The Cedar Ridge Percussion Ensemble will be performing a clinic entitled “From Seed to Harvest” under his direction at the 2014 TMEA Convention. Mr. Rodriguez’s professional affiliations include the Texas Band Masters Association and the Texas Music Educators Association.

JIM VAN ZANDT

Jim Van Zandt is in his twelfth year as Director of Fine Arts for the Round Rock Independent School District. In this capacity, he is involved with operations, curriculum, staff development, budget, and staffing for Music, Art, Theatre, and Dance. He is also actively involved with the structure and curriculum of the district’s Visual and Performing Arts Academies.

Mr. Van Zandt holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music Education degrees from the University of North Texas. He was Director of Bands and Fine Arts Department Chair at Westwood High School (Round Rock ISD) from 1995-2001, after serving as Director of Bands at Richland High School (Birdville ISD) for the previous twenty years. Mr. Van Zandt’s bands earned Best-in-Class or First Division awards in festivals in Colorado, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, and California, as well as consistent sweepstakes awards in Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL) competition. He is active as a clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator, and has served in these roles in Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, and Arizona.

During the 2010-11 school year, Mr. Van Zandt was honored by the Texas Music Administrators Conference as “Music Administrator of the Year.” In 2012, Mr. Van Zandt received the “Outstanding Music Educator” Award from Section 6 of the National Federation of High Schools.

Mr. Van Zandt is Past President of the Texas Music Educators Association, and served on the TMEA Executive Board from 1982-1986. He also serves on the Cadre of Trainers for the Center for Educator Development in Fine Arts, and as such, is frequently invited to present training sessions for school districts and professional organizations. Mr. Van Zandt is the Executive Secretary for Music Region 26 of the Texas UIL, which manages the statesponsored music competitions. He has also previously served as a member of the Technical Advisory Committee for UIL Music Activities.

His professional associations include the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Art Educators Association, Texas Educational Theatre Association, Texas Dance Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, Texas Music Administrators Conference, Texas Choral Directors Association, Texas Orchestra Directors Association, and Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity.

COMPOSERS AND GUEST SOLOISTS RYAN GEORGE

Ryan George currently resides in Austin, Texas where he is active as an arranger and composer. His work, ranging from music for the stage to music for the football field, has been performed throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe.

George completed his first concert commission in 2007, and since then his works have received performances at the American Bandmasters Association Convention, The Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, the Music For All (Bands of America) Concert Band Festival, the Mid Europe Festival in Schladming, Austria, Carnegie Hall, the National CBDNA Conference, the CBDNA/NBA Southern Division Conference, and multiple state music educator conferences.

George’s music is also regularly programmed by All-State, Region, Inter-Collegiate, and Honor ensembles. His first work for advanced wind ensemble, Firefly, was recorded by the University of North Texas Wind Symphony under the direction of Eugene M. Corporon and is featured in the eighth volume of the series Teaching Music Through Performance in Band.

As a specialist in music design for marching ensembles, George’s work has been performed by some of the nation’s elite ensembles at state, region, and national venues. His roster of clients hails from 15 states and includes perennial Bands of America (Music for All) regional champions, regional finalists, and Grand National finalists. Within the realm of drum corps, George serves as the brass arranger/ composer for the Boston Crusaders from Boston, Massachusetts, and the Academy Drum & Bugle Corps from Tempe, Arizona. He was also a visual staff member for the Phantom Regiment and Carolina Crown. As a marching member George performed with the 1998 DCI World Champion Cadets of Bergen County and the 1999 DCI World Champion Concord Blue Devils.

Ryan George graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in music education. While a student George sat principal horn for four semesters in the wind ensemble, was a drum major for the Wildcat Marching Band, and also performed with various other ensembles including the UK orchestra.

George’s professional affiliations include ASCAP, the American Composer’s Forum, and TMEA. His wife Sarah currently produces nationally recognized music festivals in Chicago and Austin, and together they are the proud parents of three wonderful children.

DANIEL MONTOYA

Daniel Montoya, Jr. is an Austin native, dog lover, inveterate sweet tea drinker, and a rising star in the world of wind band, percussion, and the marching arts. An active composer and arranger, Montoya received his master’s degree in music composition, under the tutelage of David R. Gillingham at Central Michigan University. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in music composition from Texas State University and has studied privately and participated in composition master classes with Kevin Beavers, William Bolcolm, Cindy McTeee, Kevin Puts, Russell Riepe, and Roberto Sierra. His works for wind band, percussion ensemble, and marching band have been performed in venues such as Avery Fischer Hall, The Midwest Clinic, Texas Music Educators Association Convention, PASIC, and Bands of America (Music for All) Grand National Finals. Montoya has been a consecutive ASCAPLUS Award winner for his body of work since 2004.

Montoya’s music is published by Drop 6 Media, Inc. and his publishing company, Underwater Theme Productions. Montoya is an Artist/Educator for Innovative Percussion, Inc. and is a member of ASCAP and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

GABE MUSELLA

Gabe Musella is a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, and has taught for over twenty years in the Texas public schools. He is currently Director of Bands at Spring High School in Spring, Texas. He has previously taught in the Lubbock-Cooper, Canyon, and Lubbock school systems. A graduate of Texas Tech University, he holds a B.M. in Composition and M.M. in Conducting. His primary teachers at Texas Tech were the late James Sudduth, Mary Jeane van Appledorn, David Payne, and Keith Bearden.

Mr. Musella’s ensembles have been consistent UIL Sweepstakes and “Best in Class” winners in Texas, Florida, and Washington, DC. On four occasions, they have reached the finals of the TMEA Honor Band competition, placing as a top five finalist three times. His bands have performed at the 2008 Midwest Clinic in Chicago, the BOA National Concert Band Festival in 1995, and the UIL Texas State Marching Contest. A frequent clinician and adjudicator throughout Texas, he has presented clinics at TBA and TMEA and served on the UIL Sight-Reading and Music Advisory Committees.

Mr. Musella is also an active composer with published works for band, orchestra, percussion ensemble, and chamber groups. He has received commissions from outstanding bands and honor groups including the Texas All State Jazz Ensemble and the ATSSB All State Band. His compositions have been performed at TMEA, TBA, The Midwest Clinic, CBDNA – Southern Division, the Western International Band Conference, the National Concert Band Festival, PASIC, and AMIS Conference in Europe. Mr. Musella currently has works on the UIL Prescribed Music List for band and orchestra in Texas and in other states. Mr. Musella has been selected as a Distinguished Educator in the Spring ISD on several occasions. His affiliations include ASCAP, TMEA, TBA, TMAA, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Beta Mu, and the Texas Tech Band & Orchestra Camp. He is a novice conga player and a background vocalist for the “shoo-bop” group JC and The Cruisers. Mr. Musella, his wife Alice, and their son Alex reside in the Houston suburb of Tomball.

SATOSHI YAGISAWA

Satoshi Yagisawa graduated with a master’s degree from the Department of Composition at the Musashino Academy of Music. Following his graduate studies, he devotedly himself to research for two years. Mr. Yagisawa studied composition under Kenjiro Urata, Hitoshi Tanaka, and Hidehiko Hagiwara. He also studied trumpet under Takeji Sekine and band instruction under Masato Sato.

Mr. Yagisawa composes a wide variety of music including orchestral music, chamber music, choral music, and music for traditional Japanese instruments. His compositions for winds, whose titles are self-descriptive, are kept in a dramatic musical language. Mr. Yagisawa’s compositions have been well-received overseas at events such as the 12th International Conference of World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) in Singapore in 2005. In 2003, Mr. Yagisawa arranged the theme music for the 54th National Arbor Day in Chiba Prefecture (music for planting and sowing by the Emperor and Empress of Japan). In 2005 he arranged the music for Japan Inter High School Athletic Meet held in Chiba Prefecture. His main works include tone poems for wind orchestra entitled And Then The Ocean Glows and Hymn to the Infinite Sky, and some of his other popular works are Machu Picchu: City in the Sky - The mystery of the hidden Sun Temple and Nazca Lines - The Universe Drawn on the Earth.

Satoshi Yagisawa actively judges competitions, acts as a guest conductor for many orchestras, teaches, and writes articles for professional music journals. He is currently one of the most vigorous young composers in Japan.

SARAH SANTA CRUZ

Sarah Santa Cruz is currently in her fifth year of teaching and is in her fourth year as the Percussion Specialist at Westwood High School. Westwood is a part of the Round Rock Independent School District and is located in Austin, Texas. At Westwood, Ms. Santa Cruz’s responsibilities include teaching percussionists in the marching band, concert band, full orchestra, and percussion ensemble settings. In December 2012 the Westwood Percussion Ensemble had the honor of performing at The Midwest Clinic under the direction of Ms. Santa Cruz.

Before teaching at Westwood, Ms. Santa Cruz was an assistant band director at Cypress Ridge High School and Dean Middle School in Houston, Texas. She has worked as a percussion technician and private lesson teacher at many different schools across Texas including Spring High School and Dekaney High School. She currently teaches private lessons at Cedar Ridge High School.

Ms. Santa Cruz is a native of Houston, Texas, and she graduated from the University of North Texas in May 2009 with a Bachelor of Music. During her time at UNT, she played in the marching band, concert band, South Indian Ensemble, Gamelan, Afro-Cuban Ensemble, and Classical Percussion Ensemble. She studied with Mark Ford, Christopher Deane, Mike Drake, Jose Aponte, Ed Smith, and Poovalur Sriji. Ms. Santa Cruz was also a member of the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps snare line. Her professional affiliations include Texas Music Educators Association and Percussive Arts Society, and she holds an educational endorsement from Vic Firth, Inc.

MICKY WROBLESKI

Micky Wrobleski was born in Virginia, Minnesota, and began his study of the tuba at the age of sixteen, after two years of saxophone. At the age of seventeen, he began his music career performing as a member of the Twin Ports Wind Ensemble, a professional Wind Band made up entirely of college and high school music educators. From 1992 to 1997, Mr. Wrobleski attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he studied tuba with Dr. Jerry A. Young. Beginning in 1995, Mr. Wrobleski began regular sojourns to Chicago to study with Gene Pokorny, Principal Tuba of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

In 1997, Mr. Wrobleski was chosen to be the Principal Tuba of the Chicago Civic Orchestra, the training orchestra of the worldrenowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra. While in Chicago, Mr. Wrobleski continued his studies with Gene Pokorny, and during that time was concurrently principal tuba with several of the orchestras in the Chicago region while simultaneously maintaining a busy studio recording, brass quintet, and private teaching schedule.

In 2002, Hu Yongyan invited Mr. Wrobleski to become the Principal Tuba of the Shanghai Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until 2003 when Tan Lihua invited him to assume the Principal Tuba position with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra.

In 2005, Mr. Wrobleski gave the Chinese premier performance of Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra

by American composer John Williams. In 2008, he gave the first ever solo tuba performance with the Taipei Wind Ensemble. On this concert, Mr. Wrobleski performed Tubby the Tuba, Australian composer Barry McKimm’s Tuba Concerto, as well as his own arrangements of The Blue Bells of Scotland and The Carnival of Venice. Mr. Wrobleski also brought to life several new works by Chinese composers featuring the tuba in a solo role. Currently, Wang Xi Ling is composing a new work for Mr. Wrobleski and the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, and there are several other international composers (Macedonian, American, Chinese, Swiss, and Korean) in the process of writing works for him.

In 2009, Mr. Wrobleski was appointed Professor of Tuba by the China Conservatory of Music,the first Professor of Tuba since the Conservatory’s founding. Active as a chamber musician, Mr. Wrobleski is a founding member of Westwood Brass, the Westwood Brass Quintet, the International Concert Brass Soloists, and is a frequent collaborator with the Beijing New Music Ensemble.

In Beijing, Mr. Wrobleski maintains an active schedule balanced with orchestral performances, solo performances, chamber music, composing and arranging, teaching, and studio recording for all the major studios throughout the city.

GENE POKORNY

Gene Pokorny has been a tuba player in the Chicago Symphony since 1989. He has previously also been a tuba player in the Israel Philharmonic, Utah Symphony, St. Louis Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic. In addition to playing film scores in Hollywood such as Jurassic Park and The Fugitive, he has played in chamber music, opera orchestras and orchestra festivals worldwide.

He grew up in Downey, California, about a mile from where the Apollo command modules that first took man to the moon were built. Pokorny studied tuba in Southern California with Jeffrey Reynolds, Larry Johansen, Tommy Johnson, and Roger Bobo.

When he isn’t counting rests in the back row of the stage of Orchestra Hall, Pokorny may be found playing with the Do-It-Yourself Sousa Band (3rd clarinet section). In recent years, he has annually returned to Southern California giving seminars in low brass artistry at the University of Redlands with trombonists Dr. Andrew Glendening, Michael Mulcahy and Randy Hawes. He assisted Rolling Stones’ trombonist, Michael Davis, in the production of his “Twenty Minute Warm-Up” along with having solo and educational CDs of his own. He has received an Outstanding Alumnus Award and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Southern California and University of Redlands, respectively.

Pokorny is a member of the Union Pacific (Railroad) Historical Society and spends time as a “foamer” (watching and chasing trains). He is a card-carrying member of The Three Stooges Fan Club (a “victim of soicumstances!”) and is an avid enthusiast of his good friend David “Red” Lehr, the greatest Dixieland sousaphonist in the known universe. Pokorny, his wife Beth Lodal (a musician who happens to have a real job), and their basset hounds, (nonmusicians who happen to have real lives), regularly forage from their refrigerator, which is located in Chicago, Illinois.

MEGAN WIKE

Megan Wike is a native of Katy, Texas, and is currently serving in her second year as an assistant band director at Cedar Ridge High School. She directs the Concert Band and assists with the marching band. This is her third year to teach in Round Rock ISD, and she was previously the assistant band director at C.D. Fulkes Middle School. Mrs. Wike has taught private lessons and clarinet master classes at many schools in the Houston area, primarily Cook Middle School and Westfield High School.

Mrs. Wike earned her bachelor’s degree in 2009 from the University of Houston with a double major in music education and clarinet performance. She graduated summa cum laude and performed three solo recitals. At the University of Houston Mrs. Wike had the honor of performing as principal clarinet in the Wind Ensemble under the batons of Tom Bennett and David Bertman in addition to having weekly woodwind sectionals with Eddie Green. Mrs. Wike continued her education at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida where she earned her master’s degree in clarinet performance in 2011. She was awarded a Henry Mancini Fellowship at UM that enabled her to teach undergraduate classes and to perform in the Mancini Institute Orchestra. Mrs. Wike had the privilege of performing in the Frost Wind Ensemble conducted by Gary Green and the Frost Symphony Orchestra conducted by Thomas Sleeper. She was also the runner-up in the Frost Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition in 2010 performing Carl Nielsen’s Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra.

Mrs. Wike has studied clarinet with Tye Ann Payne, Randy Griffin, and Dr. Margaret Donaghue, and has had lessons with David Peck, Dr. Frank Kowalsky, and Chester Rowell. She actively performs in the Austin area with various groups and has been a substitute with the Round Rock Symphony for two years. Mrs. Wike performed in the Texas Music Festival Orchestra in 2009 and 2010 which is also where she met her husband Chris. Her professional affiliations include Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, and the International Clarinet Association.

ROUND ROCK INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT VISION

Round Rock ISD will be a place of nurturing, compassion, truth, happiness, respect, creativity, research and self-actualization. All students, staff and parents will be inspired to become partners in the quest for knowledge.

MISSION

Round Rock ISD will provide exemplary education, guidance and encouragement to empower all students to reach their individual potential and become contributing members of a diverse community.

ABOUT ROUND ROCK ISD

Round Rock ISD is located in southern Williamson County and northwest Travis County and includes the City of Round Rock and portions of the City of Austin and the City of Cedar Park. The area covers 110 square miles encompassing high tech manufacturing and urban retail centers, suburban neighborhoods, and farm and ranch land.

Roughly 46,500 students attend the district’s five high schools, ten middle schools, 33 elementary schools, and two alternative learning centers. During the past five years, the number of students has increased 15%, and enrollment continues to grow by nearly 1,000 students per year.

The district has a diverse ethnic base with a student population that is approximately 9% African American, 11.8% Asian/Pacific Islander, 30% Hispanic, 0.5% Native American, and 44.7% White with 77 languages spoken throughout the district (PEIMS 2010-2011 Fall Collection).

The average student-teacher ratio for RRISD is 15. The annual dropout rate for students in grades 9-12 is just 1.3% and more than 77% of the district’s graduating seniors take the SAT and ACT college entrance exams, scoring well above state and national averages.

ROUND ROCK ISD ADMINISTRATION

ROUND ROCK ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Dr. Steve Flores, Superintendent

Catherine Hanna, President

Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora, Deputy Superintendent of Instruction

Diane M. Cox, Vice President

Ramiro Flores, Deputy Superintendent of Business Administration

Charles Chadwell, Trustee

Carla Amacher, Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education

Paul Tisch, Trustee

Brian Sellers, Secretary Terri Romere, Trustee

Rebecca Donald, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education

Pauline Law, Trustee

Mark Gabehart, Executive Director of Information Services

CEDAR RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION

Robin Gesch, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Support

CEDAR RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL PERFORMING ARTS FACULTY Mark Calima, Director of Bands Ryan Brittain, Associate Director of Bands Rick Rodriguez, Assistant Director of Bands and Percussion Specialist Megan Wike, Assistant Director of Bands Rachel Ringeisen, Orchestra Director Sean Mann, Choral Director Bona Kim, Choral Director Cayla Cardiff, Academy Piano Instructor

Dr. Daniel Presley, Principal

Kristie Copeland, Theatre Director

Lynette Thomas, Associate Principal

William Jones, Theatre Director

JoyLynn Occhiuzzi, Executive Director of Community Relations and Legal Services

Laurie Chamblee, Assistant Principal

Laura Kieler, Theatre Director

Pat Reddin, Executive Director of Assessment and Audit

Dan Fuchs, Assistant Principal

Stephanie Miller, Dance Director

Jane Vigliotti, Executive Director of Human Resource Services

Diana Garcia, Assistant Principal

Paige Harvey, Dance Director

James Hall, Assistant Principal

Karen Searles, Dance Director

Jim Van Zandt, Director of Fine Arts

Darrell Overton, Assistant Principal Tim Lowke, Fine Arts Department Chair

ABOUT THE CEDAR RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL BAND PROGRAM Cedar Ridge High School is located in Round Rock, Texas, which is twenty miles north of downtown Austin, Texas. The school opened in the fall of 2010 with only freshman and sophomores and entered into its second year as a four-year high school. The opening of Cedar Ridge marked the fifth high school in the well-respected Round Rock Independent School District.

All students enter band in the sixth grade at one of two different campuses, C.D. Fulkes Middle School and Ridgeview Middle School, and begin to learn the fundamental aspects of playing their specific instruments. Both middle schools are sixth through eighth grade campuses. Sixth grade beginner classes are homogenous and remain that way for the duration of a student’s beginner year. In the students’ seventh and eighth grade years, they are placed in one of three performing ensembles where they continue to grow their individual playing skills and begin to advance their knowledge of ensemble playing. There are approximately 600 students between the two middle school campuses in any given year.

The Cedar Ridge High School Band is made up of 240 members in four concert bands selected through a series of playing auditions. Performance opportunities for students at Cedar Ridge also include jazz band, full orchestra, chamber ensembles, percussion ensembles, marching band, and winter guard. Through these various opportunities, members of the band program are able to participate in concerts, contests, recitals, and community events throughout the year.

Individual band students compete in region, area, and state level band and orchestra auditions through the Texas Music Educators Association as well as an annual solo and ensemble contest organized and run by the band. In the past two years the Cedar Ridge Band has had an exceptionally high volume of All State students, one of the highest honors for an individual student in the state of Texas. Private instruction is strongly supported and encouraged for every student in the program by both the school district and the band program. These lessons are a critical factor in the ongoing development of the young musicians of the Cedar Ridge Band Cluster. The middle school and high school directors work together to recruit and hire experienced and proven private instructors who invest their daily working hours to educate band members from the beginning level through their senior year.

The continued growth of the band program is heavily driven by the time and commitment from these individuals who are regarded as extended staff of the Cedar Ridge Band Program.

The concert band program is the framework for the continued growth and success of the Cedar Ridge Band. Students not only learn ensemble skills, such as listening, matching and understanding proper balance within a section or band, but they are also placed into homogenous sectionals within each band before or after school. Students are given the information needed to continue developing individual skill sets on their instruments to aid in the maturation of each individual player in these sectionals. Keeping a regimented sectional schedule is an integral part of the band program’s fast development in its short three-year existence. All of the concert bands, at both the middle schools and the high school, participate in the University Interscholastic League’s Concert and Sight-Reading Contest each spring and consistently receive high praise. The Cedar Ridge bands have become a consistent “Superior”

rated band program and have had the honor of winning “Sweepstakes” the past three years through their ability to demonstrate a “Superior” performance at both the UIL Marching Band Contest and the UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Contest.

It has been a joy to watch the Cedar Ridge Band mature over the past three years.

This past 2013 marching band season, Cedar Ridge was a consistent Bands of America regional finalist where they placed eighth at the BOA Austin Regional, third at the BOA Conroe regional (winning the “Outstanding Music Performance” caption at finals), and eleventh place at the BOA San Antonio Super Regional.

The marching band finished their season at the Bands of America Grand National Championships, where the band was announced as a Grand National finalist band, making them one of the youngest band programs to ever make the finals at the national contest. Further, the program’s percussion studio has been invited to perform and clinic at the Texas Music Educators Association’s convention in San Antonio this February. The Cedar Ridge Drumline also won the 2013 Dripping Spring’s Drumline Contest and placed third at the 2013 Lone Star Drumline Contest in Flower Mound, Texas. Additionally the Cedar Ridge Color Guard is a two-time medalist at the Texas Color Guard Circuit.

The invitation for the Cedar Ridge Low Brass Choir to perform at the 2013 Midwest Clinic has been a dream come true for the program. The directors could not be more proud of the students for their hard work, passion, and dedication to music.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CEDAR RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL PRIVATE LESSON STAFF FLUTE Dr. Joanna Martin Ms. Kenzie Slottow Ms. Holly Roper OBOE Ms. Sarah Bates

CLARINET Mrs. Rebecca Berinsky Ms. Lisa Escamia

TRUMPET Mr. Eundo Park Mr. Pete Rodriguez

EUPHONIUM Mr. Brett Blackstone Mr. Jamey Van Zandt

SAXOPHONE Mr. Robert Perkins

FRENCH HORN Mr. Reese Farnell

TUBA Mr. David Hummel

BASSOON Mr. Toan Tran

TROMBONE Dr. Jeriad Wood

PERCUSSION Mr. Dave Reyes Ms. Sarah Santa Cruz Mr. Chris Sawyer Mr. Ian Fry

TO OUR FAMILY OF BAND DIRECTORS IN ROUND ROCK ISD, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT: MCNEIL HIGH SCHOOL Travis Ancelet, Jason Dimiceli, Ian Smith

C.D. FULKES MIDDLE SCHOOL Jon McPhail, Sheng Thao

GRISHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL Betty Pierce, Brigette Parsons

ROUND ROCK HIGH SCHOOL David Mobley, Steve Roeder, Joshua Scott, Katie Rozacky

CANYON VISTA MIDDLE SCHOOL Mark Piwetz , Mollie Ward, Laura Stehn

HERNANDEZ MIDDLE SCHOOL Lauren Esparza, Carley Boeselt, Jett Walker

CEDAR VALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL Janie Botkin, Ronnie Pruitt

HOPEWELL MIDDLE SCHOOL Kevin Crawford, Sharon Walker

CHISHOLM TRAIL MIDDLE SCHOOL Tracey Redus, Jared Adams, Ellen Briggs

RIDGEVIEW MIDDLE SCHOOL Dan Mullen, Pete Alvarado, Ashley Rhea

DEERPARK MIDDLE SCHOOL Rasheed Akande, Matt Barnhart

WALSH MIDDLE SCHOOL Russell Jones, Travis Barney, Jennifer Bergeron

STONY POINT HIGH SCHOOL Brian Sedatole, Scott Norman, Matt Greene WESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL Jack Green, David Jennison, Thomas Turpin, Sarah Santa Cruz

CEDAR RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL BAND BOOSTERS Adrian Stechnij, President

Susan Yenne, Vice Present of Concessions

Diane Garrett, Vice President

Gabriela Garcia, Vice President of Hospitality

Patricia White, Treasurer

Lori Clyde, Vice President of Fundraising

Mandy Faktor, Secretary The Cedar Ridge High School Band Boosters are an active and supportive group whose tireless efforts contribute greatly to the success of the band program. From chaperoning band trips, to planning social events, and most importantly raising money, the Cedar Ridge Raider Band would not be what it is today without this group of amazing parents working continuously behind the scenes!

2012-2013 LOW BRASS CHOIR TYLER HARDEE

University of Houston

SETH POLIZZI

University of North Texas

COOPER WILSON

University of Houston

NICHOLAS ROOCH PETE SCOTT LYRIC LUDDEN KYLE STOETZEL

SPECIAL THANKS AND APPRECIATION FROM MARK CALIMA Rasheed Akande Pete Alvarado Wayne Barrington Tom Bennett John Benzer David Bertman Brett Blackstone Darlene Bradshaw Ryan Brittain Amanda Brodie Pritchard Barbara Brown Betty Jo Byrne Bert and Perla Calima Rachel Calima Mocha Calima Bailey Calima Andrea Camacho Capitol Photography

Ben Cato

Cedar Ridge High School Faculty Cedar Ridge HS Band Boosters Laurie Chamblee Dick Clardy Beth Cook Trent Cooper Richard Crain Joe Dixon Educational Travel Adventures Brian Eisemann Robin Winter Fiese Richard Floyd Chris Forsythe Michael Gaines Henry Garcia Jim and Diane Garrett Philip Geiger

Ryan George Rick Ghinelli Eddie Green Jason Hall Tyler Hardee Robert Herrings David Hummel Sharon Kalisek Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser Elise Ledbetter Tim Lowke Jager Loyde Delic Loyde Gary Markham Robert Mayes James McCrury Tom McGillen Michael McIntosh

Mathew McInturf Jon McPhail KC Michel Midwest Board of Directors Daniel Montoya, Jr Josh Mooney Dan Mullen Max Mullinix Gabe Musella Music and Arts Music Travel Consultants Joni Perez Gene Pokorny Debby Polizzi Seth Polizzi Bryan and Denise Powell Dr. Daniel Presley Horizon Printing

Ryan Rambusch Ashley Rhea Jodie Rhodes Rick Rodriguez Lisa Roebuck Linda Rudwick Sarah Santa Cruz Robert Soloman Geoffrey Sperling Tiffany Spicer Philip Stanton Adrian Stechnij Austin Swack Sheng Thao Lynette Thomas Michael Townsend Tan Troung Frank Troyka

A Special Thanks to the Golden Corral Buffet Restaurants and Shirley Q Liquor for their continued support through the years

Jim Van Zandt Jamey Van Zandt Diane Vasquez Mickey Vasquez Dr. Susanne Warren Ernie Welch Westside Recording Dr. David Ashley White Megan Wike Chris Wike Robin Wilson Cooper Wilson Dr. Jeriad Wood Barry and Brenda Wright Micky Wrobleski Satoshi Yagisawa Dennis Zeisler