Season Reflection, Booster Meeting, and Winter Concert

Season Reflection

It has been a few weeks since the last newsletter has gone out. Sorry about that! Over Thanksgiving break, I was able to finally step back and reflect on how this year is going, what I’ve learned so far, and where I’d like to see the program go in the future. I realized that, since taking over officially on the third day of school, I hadn’t really had any time to reflect. I bounced from one new-to-me event to another, and just kept chugging along. I still have a lot to unpack in my own mind, but a few things crystallized over the last few weeks.

First, the community of people in the Regiment of Gold is amazing. I have been continually overwhelmed by the dedication of the students and staff, the support of the parents, the army of people who show up to every show and make everything happen and cheer the loudest, and the food and activities that are constantly organized to keep our students spirits up. Glen Crosby (who has been around his fair share of programs) keeps telling me that CHS is a hidden gem, and he couldn’t be more right.

Second, I am blown away by the students’ willingness to just jump in. Every time there is a director change in a program, there are growing pains. Different directors come from different backgrounds, with different goals, and different expectations. I have been around a lot of great programs that all do things differently. My point is, change is never easy, but for better or for worse, I have been overwhelmed by how willing the students are to try new things. A perfect example is the wind ensemble’s willingness to play in the winter concert. They never have in the past, we just started rehearsing, and there isn’t quite enough time, but they seem eager to give it a go. Something important to me is playing a ton of music, in different styles, and performing early and often. They are taking the challenge. What an amazing learning opportunity! I have seen this willingness to try new things, and dive head first into challenges over and over again.

Finally, I have been struck by how hard working the students are. The last two weeks have put this on display. Marching band is this constant grind. It's expected that students will basically live in the band room; and they do (with a great attitude, no less). But since we’ve been back from break and started learning some holiday tunes for wind ensemble, they are showing the same level of commitment and work. The number of students practicing in the band room grows each day, and after rehearsal, there is a consistent group who keeps working on the music. Their incredible success in the fall has more to do with how hard they work and push themselves than anything else. What a blessing to be along for the ride, guiding and encouraging where I can. It is an incredible group to be a part of.

Heading into the rest of the year, and the years to come, I am so excited to see what we can build at Cerritos High School. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be your director, and eagerly await all the things to come.

Winter Concert

We will be having our Winter Concert on Tuesday, December 19 at 7:00 in the Theater. The jazz band and wind ensemble will be performing. More details will be coming soon. For now, please take a look at our new dress code for this concert. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at robert.westphal@abcusd.us.

Booster Meeting Tuesday

Our monthly booster meeting will be this upcoming Tuesday. All parents are welcome to come and find out what goes on behind the scenes in the Regiment of Gold. Join us in the band room at 6:30.

Upcoming Events

December 10-December 16

Sunday:
Monday:
Tuesday: Booster Meeting 6:30 in the band room
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:

December 17-December 23

Sunday:
Monday:
Tuesday: Winter Concert (Jazz Band and Wind Ensemble) 7:00 in the Theater
Wednesday: Holiday Party in the band room 12:50
Thursday: No School
Friday: Winter Break
Saturday: Winter Break

Wind Ensemble Schedule

As we begin to transition out of marching season and into our concert season, our schedule will be changing. Students have already been notified of the change. When we come back from Thanksgiving break, we will rehearse every day during our regular 7th period class, 3:25-4:20. We have secured additional rehearsal spaces for the days that winter percussion has rehearsal, so everyone will have their own space. Students who are in winter percussion will rehearse with that group on Mondays and Wednesdays, and the wind ensemble other days of the week. If you are one of the visual ensemble members, you will rehearse with the wind ensemble every day until 4:20, and transition to drumline on Mondays and Wednesdays for the rest of those rehearsals.

We now accept online donations!

With our new website, we are able to accept program donations online! We accept all major credit cards, and PayPal. If you still need to make your program donation, or would like to contribute to the trailer fund, visit our website, click the Store tab, select the fund you would like to donate to, change the quantity to the amount you would like to donate, and enter your payment details! We hope that this makes the process of supporting our program just a little bit smoother.

Online Store

Looking for some Regiment of Gold swag? Our online store has some new items, and is being added to regularly. We have a limited supply of previous years’ show shirts for sale through our online store, and we are working on adding more items.

Looking for Other Ways to Support?

We have an Amazon wishlist now. This is a collection of miscellaneous supplies and equipment that are nice to haves. They are not urgent purchases, but will help the program run smoother. Thank you for your continued generosity and support of the program!