BPM Summer Band

 

The BPM Summer Band is a summer community band that rehearses around twice a week during the summer months. This year will be the band's fourth season, and we are looking forward to having our biggest and best band yet!

 

Directors:

Ben Ratliff - Conductor

Patrick Smith - Conductor/Percussion Technician

Trey Wilson - Brass Technician

Michael Lewis - Composer and Woodwind Technician

 

The directors have been involved with this band for the past three years. Our aim is to provide quality instruction while also learning from the students and each other. All the directors have had different music experiences to bring to the table, including drum corps experience, composition experience and teaching experience. Mr. Ratliff, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Wilson are all senior music education majors at Georgia Southern University, with Mr. Ratliff and Mr. Smith student teaching this upcoming fall. Mr. Lewis is a music education major at Kennesaw State University.

 

Music:

The difficulty of music performed by the band has increased every year it has existed. This year's program consists of mainly GMEA Grade V and VI literature. If you are a younger student, please do not be afraid to join, however. It will be a great experience among musicians of all ages and will give you a chance to experience playing higher level literature. The tentative program for this year will be:

Wedding Dance by Jaques Press
Lux Aurumque by Eric Whitacre
Hobbits from Lord of the Rings by Johan De Meij
Shepherd's Hey/Irish Tune from County Derry by Percy Grainger
Arabesque by Sam Hazo
And the world premiere of a new piece by BPM Music's own, Michael Lewis.

 

Location and Rehearsal Site:

Rehearsal take place in Jesup, GA. The exact rehearsal site has yet to be determined, but directions will be sent out to emails in advance of rehearsals so you know where to go. The past few years, we have rehearsed at Epworth United Methodist Church, which is located at 675 S 3rd St. Jesup, GA 31545. The other potential location is Wayne County High School which is located at One Jacket Dr. Jesup, GA 31545. Other potential rehearsal sites are Arthur Williams Middle School and Martha Puckett Middle School. The exact location will be sent out to your email.

 

Rehearsal Schedule:

The band usually rehearses two times a week, although there are a few exceptions. The tentative schedule is as follows:

Wednesday May 21st – 4:00 PM-5:30 PM – Full Band Rehearsal Saturday May 24th – 1:00 PM-3:00 PM - Full Band Rehearsal Tuesday May 27th – 5:00 PM-7:30 PM – Full Band Rehearsal Thursday May 29th – 5:00 PM-7:30 PM – Full Band Rehearsal Tuesday June 3rd – 5:00 PM-7:30 PM – Full Band Rehearsal with Mr. Jeffords and Mr. Smith Thursday June 5th – 5:00 PM-7:30 PM – Full Band Rehearsal Tuesday June 10th – 5:00 PM-7:30 PM – Full Band Rehearsal Wednesday June 11th – 3:00 PM-4:30 PM – Brass Sectional (Woodwinds Optional) Thursday June 12th – 5:00 PM-7:30 PM – Full Band Rehearsal Sunday June 15th – 5:00 PM-7:30 PM – Full Band Rehearsal Tuesday June 17th – 5:00 PM-7:30 PM – Full Band Rehearsal Wednesday June 18th – 3:00 PM-4:30 PM – Woodwind Sectional (Brass Optional) Thursday June 19th – 5:00 PM-7:30 PM – Full Band Rehearsal Tuesday June 24th – 5:00 PM-7:30 PM – Full Band Rehearsal Wednesday June 25th – 3:00 PM-5:00 PM – Full Band Rehearsal Monday June 30th – 5:00 PM-7:30 PM – Full Band Rehearsal Tuesday July 1st - 5:00 PM-7:30 PM – Full Band Rehearsal Thursday July 3rd – 5:00 PM-7:30 PM – Full Band Rehearsal Sunday July 6th – 5:00 PM-7:30 PM – Full Band Rehearsal Monday July 7th – 5:00 PM-7:30 PM – Full Band Rehearsal Tuesday July 8th – 7:30 PM – Fourth Annual Summer Band Concert. Any changes to the schedule will be sent out well in advance to email.

 

Cost:

The cost to participate will be twenty dollars. This covers the cost of music for the band to play in addition to outside instruction.

 

Past Recordings:

Here is a link to the summer band playing Eric Whitacre's "Seal Lullaby" in July of 2013: soundcloud.com/benratliff/seal-lullaby-bpm-summer-band

 

Interested in joining? Please complete the following questionnaire so that we can contact you about rehearsals and other logistics during the summer: www.surveymonkey.com/s/XB6KGNP