Mr. Moore Online 2009-10

We Got a Letter From The Mayor of South Huron!

Moore — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:41:07 PDT

Check it out! We got a letter from the Mayor of South Huron congratulating us on our trip to Ottawa! You really made the community proud on this one. Way to go everyone!

Download The Letter Here (PDF)

The 2010-2011 Music Council announced!

Moore — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:16:10 PDT

President - Taryn Dougall
Vice President - Jessica Pfaff
Fundraising - Abby Gill
Fundraising - Rosa Snopko
Librarian - Sarah Irons
Asst. Librarian - Jordan Hansen
Treasurer - Grayson Homuth
Treasurer - Charlotte McEwan
Gigs Commissioner - Mathias Memmel
Secretary - Stephen Mills
Public Relations - Laura Gehan
Asst. Public Relations - Sara McEwan
Opus - Morgan Powe
Asst. Opus - Barb Alber
Media Liason - Raina Vingerhoeds
Music Archivist - Devon Martene
Music Archivist - Geoff Baillie
Equipment Manager - Andrew Gill
Asst. Equipment Manager - Trevor Skochinski
Teacher Advisor - Mr. Moore

Article in the Exeter Times Advocate

Moore — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 10:38:29 PDT

SHDHS musicians win national gold and silver awards

By Ben Forrest

Isaac Moore will tell you putting 10,000 passionate students in one spot for a week can be infectious.

    “The kids feed off each other’s energy, and it’s a pretty special place,” said Moore, a music teacher at South Huron District High School (SHDHS) who recently returned from such a place.
    Moore, along with the SHDHS Senior Concert Band, Senior Jazz Band, and South Huron Percussion Ensemble, were among thousands of students from across the country who competed at MusicFest Canada, a national music festival in Ottawa May 17-22.
    Both bands came away with national silver awards, while the percussion ensemble achieved a national gold award and was recognized as the festival’s outstanding percussion section.
    Jon Gill, a member of the percussion ensemble, received the festival’s prestigious Zildjian Outstanding Percussionist Award.
    The gold and silver awards represent meeting a national standard rather than a first- or second-place ranking at the festival, though a gold award is the highest honour a group can achieve.
    This year’s results mark some of the highest standings and awards SHDHS has seen, according to a post on Moore’s blog.
    Schools qualify for MusicFest Canada though regional festivals that involved 450,00 students, according to the blog.
    Moore noted in an interview there was lots of high-end music at MusicFest, and the festival gave SHDHS a “chance to sort of shine among those kids, but also to learn from some of the other groups who are a little advanced.”
    He noted it also gave SHDHS musicians a chance to see groups that aren’t as advanced as they are.
    “It allowed them to kind of gauge where they’re at, and what their next step is,” Moore said.
    The senior band and percussion ensemble played May 20 at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, while the jazz band played an alternative venue across town.
    Moore described the arts centre room as his favourite he’s played in, adding that it was a joy to play there.
    “To be able to play in the National Arts Centre - there’s something really special,” he said. “Most of those kids will never do that again, so it’s something they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.”
    The percussion ensemble played at roughly 9:30 p.m. May 20 and tackled challenging pieces generally only performed in university settings, Moore said.
    “For high school kids to be tackling that type of repertoire, first of all, is very impressive - for me as a teacher, but also for everybody else watching, I think,” Moore added.
    “They were able to deliver the program in a really good way as well, so they didn’t just hack away at the stuff. They really did a good job with it, and we turned a lot of heads as a result."
    “One adjudicator, for instance, referred to it as ‘world class,’ which I found really nice to hear.”
    The percussion ensemble is coached by instructors, but not conducted in a traditional way, according to Moore.
    “We don’t stand in front and wave our arms and things,” he said. “They kind of conduct themselves, and as I said, they tackled some really tough stuff."
    “The adjudicators really felt that they were sort of one of the standout groups of the festival. We were told that by a few different people.”
    This was the third time Moore has taken bands to national competitions, and he said in terms of awards received, it was probably the most successful.
    “But equally, I would say, in terms of education, they’ve all been very successful trips,” he added. “The kids always represent us really well... on the face of things it may look like this one was just a little bit more special.
    “But it’s really hard to compare. It’s a different group of kids every time, and they all sort of play a little bit differently and that sort of thing.”
    Moore said he’s “super-proud” of the crew that competed this year.
    “They represented us so well, musically, and personally too- just in terms of their behaviour and how they conducted themselves.”
    “Their professionalism and their... initiative to do well and go out and do their best is probably one of the strongest... I’ve seen in those respects since I’ve been here.”

Slower Version of Study #1

Moore — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 05:54:44 PDT

Hey Seniors! Hope this slower version of Study #1 helps. It's done at 60bpm... which is about half of the other version. Good luck!

Study No.!_60bpm

SHDHS Featured in the Lakeshore Advance!

Moore — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 05:11:06 PDT

SHDHS music students earn national honours in Ottawa

Dan Schwab

Lakeshore Advance

Teacher Isaac Moore and students of South Huron District High School's instrumental music department recently returned home from Musicfest Canada in Otttawa, where they were honoured with a national gold medal, two silver medals, and a special award for percussion ensemble and an individual award for student Jon Gill.

Moore credits the school's strong musical tradition as the driving force behind SHDHS's success at the event, which brought together 10,000 student musicians from schools across the country to compete.

"We're certainly proud," he says. "The program has been built up over many years."

"In 2006, Moore took over the music program from teacher Bob Robilliard, who Moore says "put his heart and soul into the program."

"We've just been building on those traditions and themes," Moore says, adding that he took a group of student musicians to Musicfest Canada in 2008, where the percussion group earned a gold medal, the wind ensemble group earned a silver medal and the senior band took home a bronze.

This year, with 65 SHDHS students participating, the group continued its successful run. The senior band earned a National Silver Award for their performance and the senior jazz band also earned the same award for their performance.

For their set at the National Arts Centre, the South Huron Percussion Ensemble was given the highest honour that can be bestowed on a group - the National Gold Award.

"This is the second time in recent memory that the group has achieved a national gold and this is incredible," Moore says. "The group delivered an incredible set of difficult tunes and displayed an amazing professionalism all-around."

But the biggest honour was still yet to come, Moore says, when it was announced that the percussionists of SHDHS would recieve we the Zildjian Outstanding Percussion Section Award.

"This award, one of only 22 scholarship awards awarded to any individual or group in the festival, is offered to one group in the entire festival of 10,000 students," Moore says. "This is a huge honour and one that we're very proud to be given."

Grade 13 percussionist Jon Gill received the Zildjian Outstanding Percussionist Award, the only honour of its kind given out at the festival.

Gill received the award for his performances with the senior band and percussion ensemble.

In the first song, a Hawaiian war chant, Gill played multiple percussion instruments, from tom-toms to hand shakers.

For the second song, Gill played marimba with a string quartet and in the third song he played marimba on a jazz tune.

"He demonstrated lots of angle of his musicality," Moore says of his student.

He credits the entire group of student musicians for their work ethic.

"The students work really hard but it also seems like they're having a whole lot of fun and that's the best combo you can have," he says.

Out of approximately 800 students who attend SHDHS, about 200 are involved in music and 100 are involved with extra curricular music programs, Moore says.

SHDHS Featured in the FOCUS Newsmagazine!

Moore — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 04:57:15 PDT

Exeter bands victorious at MusicFest in Ottawa

by Vanessa Brown

Everyone loves a good underdog story. Think Sister Act, Coach Carter, The Rocky series. Technically, South Huron District High School (SHDHS) was an underdog due to the relatively small area from which it draws talent compared to city schools.

But it's music program is one of the best in the province, and on May 20, it was recognized as one of 2010s best in Canada.

"The adjudicators really felt this rural ensemble was on of the best in the country. One referred to it as 'world class,'" said Isaac Moore, SHDHS music instructor.

On May 19, Moore traveled to Ottawa with the school's senior band, jazz and percussion ensembles for MusicFest Canada. The senior band and jazz ensemble won national silver, and the percussion ensemble brought home National gold.

"It makes me very proud to achieve those accolades at that level'" Moore said. "That was one of the proudest moments, standing up there conducting at MusicFest."

Now in its 38th year, MusicFest Canada is held annually and is high school music's NHL Stanley Cup equivalent. Schools first compete at the regional level; if they impress adjudicators, they are invited to nationals.

Jonathan Gill, 18, is in the school's percussion ensemble. At MusicFest, Gill was honoured with the prestigious Zildjian Outstanding Percussionist award, which is given to just one student at the competition. Furthermore, the percussion ensemble received the Zildjian Outstanding Percussion Section award. To put these achievements in persepective, 10,000 students perform at the week-long competition. MusicFest Canada is North America's largest even to showcase the nation's premier musical talent.

"There's a background of prestigious history behind the award," Gill said. "It's also a boost to my self-confidence, and that's huge in music. The more confident you are in yourself, the better prepared you are, and that all comes across in your performance."

Gill's boosted self-confidence will carry him to London in September, as he gets set to begin studying music at the University of Western Ontario. His award should impress future classmates.

"The one thing with music is, the more accolades and recognition you've got, the more well known you'll become," Gill said.

Exeter's high school began its percussion ensemble in 2008. That same year, Moore recruited Gill to the group and they won national gold. Now he's one of Canada's most gifted high-school percussionists.

When Moore runs through the school's musical history, he said it's no surprise the percussion ensemble did so well their inaugural year. Moore said former music teacher Bob Robilliard is credited as the school's musical architect. Robilliard began to work at SHDHS in the 1980s, and retired in 2006.

"This was, and continues to be, one of the best musical programs in the province," Moore said. "That culture of excellence developed a number of years ago under Bob. I'm really proud to be part of it now."

The school's continued show of force at regional and national competitions has helped shed its underdog status. In order to grow into fine musicians, Moore says students need to be pushed into an uncomfortable zone. All three groups play 400-level repertoire, similar to university training.

"That's what education's all about,' he said. "If we went out there and didn't push, we'd feel good about ourselves, but wouldn't learn anything.

SHDHS Intermediate Band @ Trills and Thrills Festival, Toronto

Moore — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 06:19:55 PDT

The SHDHS Intermediate Concert Band recently entered the Trills & Thrlls competition at Agincourt C. I. and played to an "Excellent" standing. The day was capped with a visit to Canada's Wonderland. Thanks to the 50 students who participated in this great trip filled with great music and great times! Thanks to Karen Brown for the wonderful photos of our day together!

[photo gallery]

[photos courtesy Karen Brown]

Music Schedule - Week of Monday, June 7th, 2010

Moore — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 17:29:23 PDT

Monday

Grade 11/12 - Victor Method Playing Exams Begin

Tuesday

Music Council Interviews - 7:30am-8:15am (Treasurer)

Athletic Assembly:
Period 1     8:45 - 9:30
Athletic Assembly 9:30 - 11:35
Lunch         11:35 - 12:20
Period 2    12:25 - 1:10
Period 3    1:15 - 2:00
Period 4    2:05 - 2:50

Wednesday

Music Council Interviews - 7:30am-8:30am (Library)

Theory Exam Day - Grade Nines and Seniors

Thursday

Music Council Interviews - 7:15am-8:30am (PR)

Grade Nine Sight Reading
Grade 11 World Music Presentations
Senior Victor Method Wrap-Up
7:00pm - Coffee House

Friday

Grade Nine Sight Reading
Grade 11 World Music Presentations
Senior Victor Method Wrap-Up

Relay for Life!

Announcements

Lots going on this week, but none of it is rehearsal.
If you've applied for a music council position next year, you can expect an interview time as noted above. You'll be contacted by email for more details.
If you have any printed sheet music in your locker, at home, in your bookbag, wherever, please return it to the music room on Monday! It's time to get that stuff away and get the folders stuffed for next year so that you can practise over the summer!
Study and practise hard, playing and theory exams start this week in class!

Final Concert Program

Moore — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 10:38:22 PDT

DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM FOR TONIGHT HERE!

Download Finalconcert10 [PDF File]

SHDHS Trip To Ottawa, Photos from Casey Lessard, Grand Bend Strip

Moore — Mon, 31 May 2010 16:12:52 PDT

Casey Lessard has unveiled his photos that he plans to use in his issue of The Grand Bend Strip covering our recent trip to Ottawa. As usual, his artistic eye captured our trip perfectly.

A HUGE thanks to Casey for coming with us and for all his masterful work with the camera.

CHECK THEM OUT HERE