Thursday 21 April 2016

Sydney in the News

Sydney Curell Head Shot
Congratulations to Sydney for accepting a place on the Red River Rebels Women's Volleyball team for the up coming 2016/ 2017 season.
Here is the article from the Red River Rebels Site.
Sydney Curell is a high school senior and will graduate in June with honours from Westwood Collegiate. Sydney started her love of volleyball at Lincoln middle school and continued her participation in school volleyball by playing both Jr. Varsity and Varsity volleyball for Westwood. Sydney has had the benefit of experiencing different coaching philosophies by being a setter for various club teams including Jr. Wesmen, Fury, Visions and Joust. Last year she helped lead her team to a Silver Medal at nationals. She is currently enjoying playing for the SISU U18 volleyball team. When not playing indoor volleyball you can still find her on the court as a certified level 1 official. Sydney is looking forward to being a setter for Red River College’s volleyball team in September and starting on her path to becoming a biomedical engineer..... but we all know it is her love of the Bass Clarinet that really got her focused and she thanks the Westwood Band Program for providing one heck of an awesome soundtrack to her high school career.  #bandatwestwood #westwodbandpride


Monday 18 April 2016

Some Thoughts About Music and Children



One of the coolest things parents get to do is pass on musical knowledge to their children. In the best case scenario, kids develop a love of music at an early age, and express their enthusiasm for good tunes in wildly endearing ways.That’s certainly what happened to Matthew Canning, whose three-year-old daughter, Lily, is obsessed with Led Zeppelin, and is already a whiz at identifying the songs in the band’s catalog.

In a video posted to YouTube, Canning, who once played guitar in the hardcore band Shai Hulud, plays the beginning riffs of Zeppelin songs on guitar and asks Lily to identify each tune. Casually, she picks at a pack of gum while naming the songs — “Heartbreaker,” “Houses of the Holy,” “Dancing Days,” “Immigrant Song” — like a boss. She nails “Whole Lotta Love” after about half a riff, and stops her dad with a cry of recognition and a halting hand gesture after a few notes of another song: “It’s ‘Black Dog.'”

Later in the clip, she has a request: “‘Rock and Roll.’ I want to sing ‘Rock and Roll.'” Her dad obliges, of course, although Lily is more keen on dancing around the room to the song. In fact, she gives Robert Plant a run for his stage-moves money as she flails, her Elsa (as in Frozen) dress swirling around her. She stops only to sing the “lonely, lonely, lonely time” line that closes out the verse.

Basically, this is a case of good parenting all around, producing a super-cool kid. Ultimate Classic Rock gives this clip two metal horns all the way up.

This article is from Ultimate Classic Rock.com
Read More: This Three-Year-Old Girl Is the Biggest Led Zeppelin Fan You Know | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/three-year-old-led-zeppelin-fan/?trackback=tsmclip

Friday 15 April 2016

Family Concert 2016

Another amazing night of music making happened Tuesday night in the gym as students from: Phoenix, Robert Browning, Sansome, Lincoln and Westwood got together to share all of the brilliant music making that goes on at all levels throughout the Westwood Family of schools.  From the rains of Africa to an invasion of Pirates, from Brazilian Sunsets to South African marches, from Swinging on Chandeliers to Uptown Funk... it was all there.  The house was packed with an energy and enthusiasm that was palpable and that was not just the elementary students.  The evening even wrapped up with a breakdance competition and students and adults alike dancing to the groove.  Thank you to everyone who participated in this wonderfully dynamic event.


Tuesday 12 April 2016

FLOTA 2016 Wrap Up

What a fantastic and wonderful evening!  Ever hear of one of those party's where you wished you'd have gone because it sounded so wonderful?  ... well if you did not get your ticket to this sold out show, you are one of those people kicking yourself this morning for not being there. What a night!  From the costumes to the high calibre of all the performances, the audience was treated to an absolute stunner of a show!  Congratulations to all of the staff and students involved for creating a simply stunning evening of celebration of student success.


Wednesday 6 April 2016

FLOTA Running Order

FLOTA Running Order

   1.    IB Film                                              “It’s Alive: The making of the artist brain
   2.    Chamber Choir                                 “ Ave Maria”
   3.    Drama                                               “ Every Episode of Star Trek Ever Made”
   4.    Grade 9 Concert band                      “Fire Dance”
   5.    Core Dance                                      “Hivemind”
   6.    Drama                                               “Roman Numerals” 
   7.    Concert Choir                                   “Pata Pata”
   8.    Grade 9 Concert                               “Dynamo”
   9.    Jr. Musical Theatre                          “The Jitterbug”
   10.  Drama                                               “Braces”  
1 11.   Dance Advances                              “Lost But Not Forgotten”
   12.  Pep T                                                 “Try”      
   13.  Drama                                               “Silly Argument”
   14.  Apex Dance                                      “And Now a Word From Our Sponsors”           

Intermission

   15.  Concert Choir                                   “ Dona Dona”
   16.  Dance General 10                            “You Promised Me”
   17.  Pep T                                               “ Blank Space”
   18.  Drama                                              “ 4 Yorkshiremen”
   19.  Transcendence                                 “ I’m not the Only One”
   20.  Dance Gen 11/12                             ”Love Makes a Wonderful World”
   21.  Chamber Choir                                “Cornerstone”
   22.  Senior Jazz Band                             “Something Funky”
   23.  Drama                                              “ Bee Circus”
   24.  Transcendence                                 “Chandelier”
   25.  Drama                                               “Princess of the Swamp”
   26.  Dance Gen 9                                    “It Never Killed Nobody…`

   27.  Senior Jazz Band                             "Andromeda"

Tuesday 5 April 2016

Family Concert 2016

Come join us in an exciting evening celebrating the fantastic music making that is happening in the Westwood Family of Schools.  On April 12th at 6:00PM in the Westwood Collegiate Gym (360 Rouge) you will get a chance to hear the wonderful Bands, Choirs and Orff Ensembles From: Phoenix, Sansome, Robert Browning, Lincoln and Westwood Collegiate.  Admission is free.

Monday 4 April 2016

FLOTA and Family Concert Information

Just around the corner we will be celebrating the vibrant music making that goes on with our Family of Schools and taking a look at all the amazing arts disciplines at Westwood with our own exciting For the Love of the Arts or - F. L. O. T. A.

This year the band program will be represented by the Gr. 9 Concert Band and the Sr. Jazz at both events.

The dates for these two events are back to back - April 11 and 12th.  April 11th is F.L.O.T.A. and the next evening is the Family Concert - featuring music from: Phoenix, Robert Browning, Sansome, Lincoln and of course Westwood.

If you are a member of either Gr. 9 CB or Sr. Jazz, here's what you need to know:

1.  Set-up for FLOTA takes place at 5:00PM on Sunday April 10th.  Should be no longer than 20 min.
2.  Sr. Jazz has their dress rehearsal at 7:30AM (regular class time) on the 11th (Monday) and GR. 9's are excused from period 1 and will be in the gym from 8:30 - 9:30AM. on the 11th (Monday).
3.  On the night of FLOTA ((Monday, April 11th) the Gr. 9's are to meet in the band room no later than 6:30PM in uniform - the exception being if you are in a F.L.O.T.A. event that is before ours or right after ours and you need to be in a dance costume or the like.  The 9's perform near the beginning and are permitted to leave after their performance.  If they would like to stay until the end, they are welcome to do so, but must sit in the balcony.  Parents will have to purchase a ticket for their son or daughter if they would like to sit together in the main audience.
4.  On the night of F.L.O.T.A. Sr. Jazz is to meet in the Band room no later than 7:30PM in uniform.
5.  For Family Concert (Tuesday, April 12), we will have all grades from K-12 here so we begin a bit earlier in consideration of the little ones (6:00PM) and the show only lasts and hour and a half.  The biggest difference is that we all stay in the gym for the entire time; including your performance time.
6.  Students in Gr.9 CB and Sr. Jazz are to be at the school no later than 5:15PM.  Gr. 9 CB in the Band Room and Sr. Jazz will meet in Mr. Carson's room.
7.  At the end of the Family Concert all of the instruments, stands and chairs must come back to the band room.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Edwards.



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