The three weeks that are upon us between Thanksgiving and Christmas will likely be our busiest here in the music department! Thursday, December 10 at 7:00pm is our 4-6 Elementary Christmas concert. This will feature our 5th and 6th grade bands and choruses. The band portion of our concerts will feature such holiday favorites as "Jingle Bells," "Jolly Old St. Nicholas," "The Twelve Days of Christmas," and a sing-along to "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

The following week, December 17 at 7:00pm is our 7-12 holiday concert. Performing will be the junior high band and chorus, and the high school band and chorus. Featured tunes from the bands include: "Let It Snow!" "Carol of the Bells," and "Highlights from The Polar Express." There is no better way to kick off your holiday season than with some fun music!

Finally, congratulations to Laura Steffen for her audition to participate in the All-State Music Festival. Being accepted to All-State is the highest honor a high school musician can achieve in the state of Iowa. While Laura was not accepted, she played a fantastic audition and showed a great deal of growth and maturity in her musical skills.

Congratulations also to senior Bryce Hesse and 7th grader Bailey Epling. Both have been invited to perform in the Northeast Iowa Bandmasters' Association Honor Band this coming weekend in Oelwein. These students will join with other students in our area to form four large bands and will give a concert that evening. 

The Band Department is off to a fantastic start for the 09-10 school year! We have many exciting activities planned as the year begins.

The high school marching band is busy at work with our marching show. New to the band's image this year is the Color Guard. These four girls will add a great deal of pageantry and display to our halftime performances! Our music this year will feature selections from the Harry Potter movies.

The junior high band is going strong! We have started on a variety of tunes and studying different styles of music. It's hard to believe, but we will start holiday music for our concert soon!

The sixth grade is beginning their year reviewing important concepts and working on their ensemble sound. We are currently working in our lesson book and will soon branch out into sheet music.

Fifth grade band kickoff is Thursday! We are excited for these enthusiastic students to being their study of music. 

Check back weekly for additional updates from the Dunkerton Band!