Thanks from All-County Band Coordinator Warren Arbiter

The Elementary and Intermediate Band Festival, which occurred on Saturday, February 28^th at SUNY Purchase, was a great success!  Over 200 kids rehearsed and then performed two beautiful programs from 5:00 until 9:30 in the evening.  Both bands performed wonderfully thanks to our very talented conductors, Mike Roth and Janet Corvini.  It was great to watch them take two groups of kids and turn them into two fine ensembles.  I heard more than a few times from some of our teachers how well they worked with our young musicians. Thanks so much Mike and Janet!    It was also enjoyable to see them perform in such a beautiful venue like the SUNY Performance Center.  The sound is world class and the staff there is top notch.
  I would like to thank Jennifer Dourand, our Elementary Chairperson, and Larry Bibb, our Intermediate Band Chairperson for the countless hours of hard work they both put into this huge endeavor.  Both worked hard at making this a success, from the first mailings in the Fall, until after the performance, when it was time to collect everyone's music. 
There are three percussion teachers who help out year after year, and I would like to thank them for organizing and rehearsing the percussion sections. They are Alan Fennel, Bill Uttley, and Adam Weber.  Bill Uttley also conducted our special percussion piece for the Intermediate Band.   
I would also like to thank the many teachers who came to all the rehearsals as well as the concert.  We can't do it without you!  For those of you who couldn't make it to any of these exciting events, why not try it out at the upcoming NYSSMA Festivals?  We would love to see some new faces, and getting involved can start with just one event. Get involved!  Don't forget, WCSMA is your organization, and we all have to participate in order for it to work.  It's really true that many hands make for easier work. 
I would finally like to thank Judy O'Savio, Ed Reisert, Stephanie Merkado-Weiss, and the WCSMA Board for their help all year.  I hope I haven't left anyone out!  If I have, many thanks for your help.

Notes from Sue E. Colgan-Borror, Orchestra Coordinator

Many thanks to all of my colleagues for a great festival.  Both orchestras performed beautifully thanks to the talents of our wonderful conductors, Jonathan Handman and Alex Romanov.  Suzanne Greene did a spectacular job of managing the Intermediate Orchestra and I thank her for her hard work and amazing energy. Many thanks to our adult percussionists, Joe DiGrazia and Karen Froehlich, who played with the Intermediate Orchestra.
     I must address the issue of there being no Elementary Chair this year.  I needed help, desperately. And though so many of you helped at the rehearsals, it was the wee hours of the morning when I was sorting music, making labels and doing mailings when I realized how valuable a chair would've been.  Many thanks to my daughter, Shannon, for bailing me out and working those long hours to help me.
   Thank you to Karen Landers, Mary Ann Raph, Nancy Torrente, Judith Benjamin, Amy Rosen, Jill Schultz, Kathy Shelhart, and everyone else who helped to make the rehearsals run smoothly and efficiently. Special thanks to Roberta Warfield for organizing the hospitality at the rehearsals.
    I have stepped down as the coordinator for next year, but have offered to chair an orchestra. Please consider volunteering to coordinate. The WCSMA board needs you!