Rehearsal Schedule
James H Blake High School Band Room D148
300 Norwood Road, Silver Spring
Band room opens at 7pm, rehearsal starts at 7:30pm
Rehearsals end at 9:30pm, band room cleared by 10pm
Enter the school from Door 35 to the music wing (not the front doors), which is on the west side of the building, near the gym entrance.To make better use of rehearsal time, we ask that people try to arrive by 7:15 to warm up and self-tune prior to the 7:30 start. At 7:30, we will do a quick tuning check, a couple of warmup exercises, and then launch into rehearsing music.\
Our first concert of the semester is March 30 at Howard High School
Concert music selections along with listening links.
High School Cadets - Sousa (The High School Cadets (1890) - "The President's Own")
Wicklow - Laura Estes (Wicklow - Laura Estes)
Stillwater - Kelijah Dunton ("Stillwater" For Wind Ensemble)
Symphonic Gershwin - Warren Barker (The Symphonic Gershwin)
Scenes from "The Louvre" - Norman dello Joio (Austin Symphonic Band Scenes From "The Louvre")
Selections from Wicked - Jay Bocook (Stephen Schwartz - Selections from Wicked)
Mount Everest - Rossano Gallante (Mt. Everest – Score & Sound - YouTube)
Rehearsal Schedule:
Jan 8
Jan 15
Jan 22
Jan 29
Feb 5
Feb 12 - Cancelled - Snow Closing
Feb 19 - NO OCB, band room not available
Feb 26
Mar 5 - NO OCB - holiday
Mar 12
Mar 19
Mar 26
Apr 2
Apr 9
Apr 16 - NO OCB - spring break
Apr 23
Apr 30 - NO OCB, band room not available
May 7
May 14
May 21 - NO OCB, band room not available
May 28 - NO OCB, band room not available
Jun 4
Jun 11
We will have additional rehearsals in June and July to prepare for Maryland Community Band Day on July 19th, but we are not able to reserve the band room for those dates yet.
March 30 Concert
Our first concert of the semester is March 30 at Howard High School, 8700 Old Annapolis Road, Columbia, MD 21043. The concert will start at 7pm. Call time is 5:30pm, so we have time to run through a couple of pieces with some of Joel's high school students who will be sitting in with us. Concert dress is white shirts, black pants. Stands and chairs will be provided.
Olney Days - May 3 & 4
Olney Days is Sat May 3 (Party in the Park) and Sun May 4 (Parade). We are confirmed for the Sunday parade and still working on the details for Saturday. Both concerts will be outdoors, weather permitting. Concert dress for both will be blue band polo shirts and khaki pants or shorts. You will need to bring a music stand and clips to keep your music from blowing away.
Saturday's Party in the Park runs from 4pm until the fireworks display at dark. Last year, we were scheduled to play at 4pm in the patio of the pool building. While nothing is confirmed yet for 2025, it is likely to be the same plan, so please keep Saturday afternoon open.
Our pre-parade concert will be on Sunday, May 4th starting at 1:30 and will continue until the front of the parade makes it to the reviewing stand (approx. 45-60 minutes total). The location is the same as past years, in the parking lot of the old Capital One Bank building at the corner of Georgia Ave and Spartan Rd. Call time is 1pm. This location is in full sun, so also plan on sun protection.
Strawberry Festival - June 7
The Sandy Spring Museum is revamping their festival since past festivals have outgrown what the volunteer staff can handle. It is now a one-day event, but they are still including us in their plans. The festival is Saturday, June 7 from 10 am - 5 pm. We will play from 10:00-10:45 on the grass in front of the main stage (weather permitting). Call time is 9:30, but you should plan to arrive at 9am to allow time to get from the parking lot to the stage and get set up.
Parking is in the Sherwood High School parking lot across Rt 108 from the museum. Police will manage a pedestrian crosswalk to help you get across Rt 108 safely. Tell the people at the check-in table that you are with the band and you will be given free entry. If you plan to play that concert and have mobility issues, let me know and I will see what options are available for dropping you and your instrument closer to the main stage.
Concert dress is blue band polo shirt and khaki pants or shorts. You will need to bring a music stand and clips. We will have to quickly vacate the area in front of the stage when we finish playing. The next group will start performing at 11am. We can use the area behind the main stage to store cases and pack up after the concert. You are then welcome to stay and enjoy the rest of the festival.
Other concerts that are not confirmed yet
We are still working to schedule an indoor concert in Leisure World Clubhouse One. I have asked for a Weds evening in June or early July but might have to consider other days of the week if those dates aren't available.
Maryland Community Band Day is Sat July 19 at Oregon Ridge. The bands to perform have not been selected yet. We have submitted our application and should hear if we have been selected sometime in March.
Black Rock in Germantown would like us to come back. We will schedule a date with them as soon as we have a Leisure World date locked down.
Concert Attire
Spring and summer concert dress is a light blue band polo shirt and khaki pants. If you are new to the band and do not have a shirt yet, I have attached ordering information.
Ordering a Blue Band Polo Shirt
Above are ordering instructions for anyone who doesn't already have a polo shirt. It takes 3-4 weeks for the shirt to come in, so please don't wait too long to order yours.
Dues
Dues is $30/semester or $60/year. If you have not already paid for the spring semester, please either give Craig Olinger a check made out to Olney Concert Band or pay online at our website: olneyconcertband.org. Also, see Craig if you can't remember if you paid already.