Western High School Bands

  • Band Event Calendar 2019-20 and Confirmation Form---click on link below (identical to what was handed out to all students in high school band next year in class). Please print and return page one, signed by student and parent. Please keep page two, so that you have the events to add to your calendars.

    2019-20 WHS Bands Event Calendar and Confirmation Form
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  • Upcoming Western High School Bands events

     

    Sunday, May 19th---Spring Extra-va-BANDS-a Concert, 2:00 p.m.

     

    **NOTE: The 2019 Spring Arbor Memorial Day Parade has been cancelled due to construction

     

    Friday, May 24th--Commencement, Symphonic Band performs, 7:00 p.m.

     

    Monday through Friday, July 22nd-26th---Band Camp at Western, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. daily

     

    Mondays after that unless otherwise notified---Marching Band practices, 5:30-8 p.m.
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  • The following students qualified as soloists or in groups to perform at the STATE Solo/Ensemble Festival in February (to compare to sports, think of them having had an in-school parade last Friday).  They did so by earning a blue medal, first division rating at the District Solo/Ensemble, and then signing up for this top level evaluation.

     

    They performed at Okemos High School on Saturday, March 16th.

     

    Here are the students and their results:

     

    Mary Long and Shane Gollakner performed a clarinet duet. They earned a first division (blue medal) rating at the State level, with four "A"s and one "A-"s for an overall "A".  

     

    Emily Buratovich, McKenna Jones, Shane Gollakner, Aaron Miller, and Mary Long performed as a woodwind quintet. They earned a first division (blue medal) rating at the State level, with four "A"s and one "A-"s for an overall "A".  



    Garrett Hovanec performed his 10th Grade Trombone solo, earned a first division (blue medal) rating on State Proficiency 3 (highest level), with 25/25 on his scales exam, 23/25 on his sight-reading exam, and 43/50 on his solo, earning him 91/100. This is one of the higher trombone Proficiency 2 scores Western has ever had.

     

    Alyssa Ladd performed her 11th Grade clarinet solo, earned another first division rating,  with 24/25 on her scales exam, 24/25 on her sight-reading exam, and 43/50 on her solo, earning her 92/100.

     

    Congratulations to these WHS students on earning 9 medals at the MSBOA State Solo/Ensemble Festival!
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  • The Western School District hosted an MSBOA District 8 Band Festival site. 21 bands attended and performed in the auditorium from Friday, March 8th through Saturday, March 9th. 
     
    The band festival format is having a group perform three prepared pieces (a march, a piece from a required list, and a selected piece). The level of difficulty increases based on the age of the group members. 
     
    Three judges listen and score the bands on their three selections over five categories: tone, intonation (playing in tune), rhythm, technique, and interpretation (dynamics, phrasing, balance).  Their scores are then averaged for a concert rating.
     
    The second part of the festival is a sight-reading examination.  The band and director, based on their classification, are given five minutes to look over a new piece of music, and perform it for a fourth judge.  This score is averaged with the concert rating, with a "I" being the highest to a "V" being the lowest.
     
    The Western Middle School 7th Grade Band (68 members) (earned one "II" and two "I's in concert performance and a "I" in sight-reading for an overall "I".
     
    The Western Middle School 8th Grade Band  (57 members) earned straight "I's in concert performance and a "I" in sight-reading for an overall "I".
     

    Mrs. Christina Prater conducted the Western Middle School 7th Grade Band and Western Middle School 8th Grade Band. 
     
    The Western High School Concert Band (104 underclassmen) earned one "II" and two "I's in concert performance and a "I" in sight-reading for an overall "I".
     
    The Western High School Symphonic Band (66 upperclassmen) earned straight "I's in concert performance and a "I" in sight-reading for an overall "I".
     
    Mr. Paul Bickel conducted the Western High School Concert Band and Western High School Symphonic Band. 
     
    All 295 band students in grades 7-12 at Western Schools earned the top rating this year. 
     
    Congratulations to the Western Bands on representing their district at the highest level! 
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  •  
     
     
    *All new Spring Concert selections should be in the hands of all students in grades 9-12.  Please contact Mr Bickel if you are missing any of the pieces.
     
    *All festival concert selections have reference recordings in Schoology so that students can practice along at home.
      
     
     
     
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2018-19 Western High Marching Band

This is a picture of the 2018-19 Western High Marching Band

  • Welcome to the Western Band page!  We have a long tradition of musical excellence and opportunities. This page has a few details, including a "Calendar of Events" and the Western High School Band Handbook.  For even more information, be sure to join our Western High School Bands Facebook page, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.  Please email Mr. Bickel at paul.bickel@wsdpanthers.org if you would like more information about the band.

  • 2018-19 Western High School Band Calendar

    Note: all events mandatory unless marked “optional”

     

    July

     23-27 WHS Marching Band Camp 

    August

     30 WHS Marching Band at Home Football Game and Picture Night-HS

    September

    14  WHS Marching Band at Home Football Game

    22 WHS Marching Band at Parma Day Parade, 11:00 a.m.

    24  WHS Marching Band at Jackson County Marching Band Invitational

    28 WHS Marching Band at Home Football Game (Homecoming) 

    October

    12 WHS Marching Band at Home Football Game

    16 Fall Band Concerts (ALL - 6, 6:45, 7:30 p.m.)

    November

    8 Band Department Small Group Day (during class)

    December

    5  HS Holiday Band Concerts 7:00

    6  MS Holiday Band Concerts (6, 6:45)

    January

    17 Music Department Picture Day (During school. Wear concert uniforms)

    19 HS Band Solo/Ensemble at Onsted High School (optional)

    28 ”Chilly” Jazz Dinner (Jazz Band only)

    30 NW/Western HS Masterworks Concert at Western 7:00 p.m.

    • (NW Band & Vocal Dimension, Western Symphonic Band & Select Choir) 

    February

    28 Band Concerts - HS @ 5:30 , 6th Gr. @ 6:15, and 7th & 8th Gr. @ 6:45

    March

    8-9 Host MS/HS Band Festival here

    16  Band State Solo/Ensemble (optional) 

    April

    26-27 Thornapple Jazz Festival - Hastings (Jazz Band only)

    May

     19 HS Band Concert: 2:00 p.m. - HS Bands

    20 MS Band Concert: 6:00 p.m. - 6th Gr. & 8th Gr. Jazz / 6:45 - 7th & 8th Gr.

    24 Graduation (Symphonic Band Performs)

    27 HS Marching Band (grades 9-12) at Spring Arbor Memorial Day Parade

     

    July

    22-26 Band Camp at Western

     

     

  • Meet the Western High School Band Director!

     

    Mr. Paul Bickel

    Mr. Bickel started his teaching career in 1992 at Vandercook Lake, where he taught all bands in grades 5-12 (marching, concert, and MS and HS jazz), 9th and 10th Grade English, and restarted both the choir and jazz band programs at Vandercook Lake until 2002.  He teaches band at Western with middle school band director Christina Prater. Mr. Bickel teaches 6th Grade Beginning Brass, HS Concert Band, HS Symphonic Band, the WHS Marching Band, and HS Jazz Band. He also assists the 7th Grade Band and 8th Grade Band. Mr. Bickel is an active trumpet performer in the Jackson French Quarter Dixieland Band (run by father Philip Bickel), piano and vocal performer as a dueling piano player for "Piano Wars!".  He loves teaching because he loves to inspire students to perform and continue through and after high school. He is married to Bethany Bickel, Western Middle School's choir director, and they have two daughters, Julia and Laura.