Welcome to the YHS Bands!

A character education program within itself, the YHS Band experience is centered around three key components: musicianship, citizenship, and friendship. Through these, and the magic of music making, we strive to build community and musical excellence!

MUSICIANSHIP

We take great pride in our tradition of musical excellence and service! Daily classes include Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, and weekly pull-out lessons. Jazz Band rehearses one evening a week, with a weekly sectional. Pep Band fires up the crowd at Varsity Football games, and Chamber ensembles rehearse after school. Major ensembles compete in regional festivals, and students shine at the NYSSMA Solo Festival. Highlights include our Winter and Spring Concerts; the Swing Dance Concert (students explore Jazz, improvisation, musical icons, and the pop culture of the Swing Era, learn to dance, and present a full community Swing Dance!); “Bandapalooza” (our district-wide band festival); and musical enrichment with local clinicians.

CITIZENSHIP

A pillar of the YHS Band program is character education; finding ways to make our community better through musical outreach, peer-leadership, and expressing gratitude are all lessons learned in the YHS Band Room. Highlights include: musically honoring our Veterans and First Responders, visiting with local nursing homes and children with special needs, hosting our community at our Swing Dance Concert, hosting 500+ students at our annual district-wide band festival, supporting our music programs through community fundraisers, using part of our fundraising to sponsor a needy child at holiday time, fostering a strong peer-tutoring program and a very active student executive board.

FRIENDSHIP

We strive to create a welcoming and supportive community for all students! Through team-building activities, social events, and the shared joy of making music together, we cultivate a true sense of Family within the Band and across our Music Department. Students form friendships, build leadership skills, and learn teamwork, dedication, and school spirit. Highlights include annual apple picking and ice skating outings, pep rallies, and celebrations. We also strengthen connections through mentoring and shared traditions that keep our community close-knit. Above all, we celebrate the countless “bandtastic” memories that make our program a place where everyone belongs and feels proud to share their talents!

YHS BAND UPDATE #4

Sep 27, 2026

Hello YHS Band Parents and Students,

What a fun week of music-making and band spirit!  Read on for your weekly update from the YHS Band Room.

HOMECOMING THANKS!

Thank you to our 100+ students who were loud and proud in the stands!! And, it was also so special to have 10 alumni return (Class of ’80, ’14, ’15, ’16, ’25 and ’26) to perform with us – our current students really enjoyed speaking with them and making connections.

Mohansic Music Teacher extraordinaire, Mrs. Peters, joined us on piccolo! YHS Class of 1980!

Parents, thank you to all who helped make Friday’s Homecoming event a success for our students! Your donations of pizza funds, time, logistics, and treats are so appreciated!  Special thanks to Ms. Rindone, Mrs. Cassetta, Ms. McGill, and Mrs. Mills – our team of band parents who worked behind the scenes to make sure our logistics ran smoothly. Our parent team is called “BACH” (Band Aid Core Helpers), and we are always looking for new members. If you’d like to join our planning team, please e-mail me!

APPLE PICKING @ WILKEN’S FARM – NOW SUNDAY 10/4:

Third time’s the charm?? Thanks for your patience as we reschedule again! Our annual Band “spirit” outing; a social opportunity for students to have fun together outside of rehearsal.

Report Time: Meet AT WILKEN’S at 10:00am SUNDAY 10/4. Wear your YHS Band polo

End Time: Approximately 12:00 noon

COST: $16 cash (includes a half-peck of apples, apple cider, 1 cider donut, and priceless band memories 🙂

RSVP: Please bring in $16 cash by Thursday 10/1

MAKING DAILY PRACTICE A HABIT

Thank you for helping your student establish a daily practice routine! Encouraging this habit (even when your student resists!) is integral to their success! This week, students have a homework assignment due that will be graded on their preparedness.

* Students are welcome to practice at school during lunch, free periods, or after school until 2:45pm.

* Guided Practice Sessions are offered p.9 (led by an upperclassman).

* I am always available for extra help by appointment!

EVENTS THIS WEEK:

OCTOBER LESSON SCHEDULE

See attached. Wind Ensemble students are group 1, Concert Band students are group 2.

GUIDED PRACTICE SESSIONS

Guided practice sessions are offered weekly and hosted by our upperclassmen band members (thank you!). Students who lead or attend a session receive 1 point of extra credit. Sessions are held period 9, unless noted otherwise. I am also always available for help by appointment.

Monday 9/28Flute p.9, JB Rhythm p.9, JB Sax p.10
Tuesday 9/29 
Wednesday 9/30JB Trombone p.9
Thursday 10/1JB Trumpet p.9, Flute p.9
Friday 10/2 

PERIOD “0” JAZZ JAM!

Please join me before school (from 7:10…or whenever you get off the bus… until the first bell) to practice improvising. Help yourself develop your skills and a plan for success!

JAZZ BAND REHEARSAL #2 THURSDAY 10/1

What a fun first rehearsal last week! Let’s keep building on your enthusiasm and musicality! Music, recordings, and your HW assignment are all available on Dashboard. Please arrive with your HW assignment prepared.  Be set up, warmed up and tuned so we can start promptly at 7:00. Thanks!

CITRUS SALE

Our 23rd annual Citrus Sale begins Thursday! We will review ordering information in class this week, which will also be available on Dashboard, Google Classroom, and in paper form in the Band Room. 

Each year, our Band, Choir, and Orchestra ensembles all participate in regional music festivals.  The monies raised from our Citrus Sale will help students defray the cost of their personal festival participation. In 2019, our best sale ever, our music students SOLD 1,498 boxes and earned a PROFIT of $21,820.

PEP BAND FRIDAY 10/2

Our next home game performance is this Friday 10/2 vs. Peekskill! Report at 5:15pm in the Band Room.  Bring yourinstrument and charged cell phone. Wear your YHS Band polo. Music and Snacks will be provided. The football game will run from 6:30-9:00pm.

TAG SALE – Saturday 10/17

Our annual Music Boosters Tag Sale is a fun fundraiser and community building event!  Please save your stuff to donate.  Our sale is Saturday 10/17 from 9am-2pm at YHS.  We will be accepting donations on Friday 10/16 from 2:30-7pm.  Tell your friends and neighbors!  Parent and student volunteers are needed to make this event a success.  Look for an e-mail in the coming weeks to find out how you can help.

OCTOBER LESSON SCHEDULE

Is attached.

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Ms. Ryan directs our YHS Symphony Orchestra, which meets every Friday from 2:20-3:15. Rehearsals will begin 10/2. Interested band students, please speak to Ms. Kluga for audition details.

SUPPORT THE FIRST NIGHTERS!

Check out their website here for updates, how to become a member, and new YCSD Performing Arts merch!

ATTACHED FLYERS

For your review – some interesting musical opportunities for our students!

Ithaca WW Day Link

APPLYING TO MUSIC SCHOOLS PRESENTATION – 11/8/26

Is your student interested in studying music in college? This informative online presentation is being hosted by The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, and Ithaca College School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. The link to register is here.

Please also see the attached flyer (which I offered at Back to School Night), with similar information.

Contact me with questions. Thanks for reading!

Musically Yours,

Ms. Kluga

Our Next Event:

YHS Band Lesson Schedule - OCTOBER 2026