Monday, December 19, 2011

WLA 2011 Celtic Christmas Concert

Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011 - 7 PM Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011 - 1 PM

WINNEBAGO LUTHERAN ACADEMY presents
A CELTIC CHRISTMAS
A Sacred Christmas Concert featuring Mass Choir, Concert Band, Handbell, Traveling & Concert Choirs
with special musical guests JOEY SCHUMANN and the LUTHERAN CEILI ORCHESTRA
Dec. 21, 2011 (7 PM) & Dec. 22, 2011 (1 PM) • Live Streamed at www.dalewitte.com
15 minutes of preconcert music by Joey Schumann and the Lutheran Ceili Orchestra

MASS CHOIR - Oh Come, All Ye Christians; Carol of the Child
AUDIENCE - Sing We Now of Christmas (Luseblus)
CONCERT CHOIR - Away in a Manger, Celtic Noel
AUDIENCE - God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Star of Munster)
CONCERT BAND - Rest, All is Calm
MASS CHOIR - O Holy Night (Tarralyr), Hallelujah
FREEWILL OFFERING
AUDIENCE - Joy to the World (Toss the Fiddles)
HANDBELLS - Celtic Cradle Song; Savior of the Nations, Come
AUDIENCE - The First Noel (Sidh Beag Sigh Mor)
TRAVELING CHOIR - Wexford Carol, I Saw Three Ships
AUDIENCE - Silent Night (Skyeboat Song)
MASS CHOIR - Freedom is Coming

Sunday, December 4, 2011

WLA Winter Band Concert - LIVE STREAM

December 4, 2011 @ 2 PM Central Featuring WLA Grade School and High School Bands, Kevin Ehlke, director.

Monday, November 14, 2011

WELS National Choralfest at MLC, Nov 11-13, 2011

New Ulm Journal Nov. 13, 2011 article "WELS National Choral Fest held this weekend"

Staff photo by Serra Muscatello
The massed choir at the WELS National Choral Festival rehearsed on Saturday at Martin Luther College, in preparation for their concert at 2 p.m. today in the MLC Luther Student Center Gymnasium.  WLA Junior, Libby Adelmeyer, singing the solo.  Dr. Kermit Moldenhauer, conductor of the Cantate Choir.

Pops Concert - Friday, Nov. 11, 2011 - Part 1 (Luther, Wisco, Fox Valley, Northland, Rocky Mountain, Shoreland, Kettle Moraine, Great Plains, Arizona, Michigan, Huron Valley)
mlcchapel on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free
Pops Concert - Friday, Nov. 11, 2011 - Part 2 (Winnebago, Nebraska, West, MLS, Evergreen, Illinois, Manitowoc, St. Croix, Lakeside, Minnesota Valley)
Watch live streaming video from mlcchapel at livestream.com
Sacred Concert - Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011, 2 PM
Watch live streaming video from mlcchapel at livestream.com

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

2nd Student in WLA's History Makes State Honors Band

Jonathan Witte, WLA class of 2013 (and my son), was selected by audition last spring to play trumpet in the 2011 Wisconsin State Honors Band.  The Wisconsin State Honors Music Project was founded in 1967 to provide musically talented students the opportunity to rehearse and perform with the nation's finest conductors in a professional, highly disciplined setting. Students who are selected to perform with the State Honors Music Project (instrumental or vocal) are some of the most accomplished instrumentalists in the state of Wisconsin.  Jonathan is only the second music student in WLA's history to be selected for State Honors Band, the first being Tom Otto on trombone in 1997!  Selected through a rigorous audition process, students are challenged to perform at their musical best throughout the short rehearsal period (a three-and-a-half day summer camp at UW-Green Bay this past July), which will culminate with a performance as part of the Wisconsin State Music Conference on Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 4:30 PM. at Overture Hall in Madison, WI. The resulting performance is certainly a once in a lifetime experience for performers and audience.  Tickets for the concert are available at http://overturecenter.com/production/wsma-state-honors-concerts.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

WLA Fall Concert 2011

The WLA Fine Arts Department presents the Fall Concert 2011 on Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 7:00 PM (GMT-5) in the gymnasium of Winnebago Lutheran Academy, 475 E. Merrill Ave., Fond du Lac, WI. The Concert Band, Academy Kids, Concert Choir, and Traveling Choir will perform secular and sacred works led by Kevin Ehlke, band director, and Dale Witte, choir director.  Click to download the WLA Fall Concert 2011 program (PDF)


Streaming live video by Ustream

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Heather Lynn - Career Day at WLA


This afternoon there were about 20 professionals who came into WLA and gave presentations on their career areas to the WLA student body. Heather Lynn, WLA 98' grad and Country music singer/songwriter, spoke to music students about Music Performance as a career.  I'm very proud of Heather and her hard work seeing as she is a former music student of mine!  You can follow her Facebook Heather Lynn fan page or listen and buy her music on iTunes (she's got five singles there!) or Reverb Nation.  You can send her fan mail at misslynn@heatherlynnmusic.com or contact her for booking at hle@heatherlynnmusic.com.

While every music performer's path from "unknown" to "star" is different, Heather Lynn shared with WLA students about how she followed her dream of becoming a Country music singer/songwriter. Some of the websites she mentioned were:

Colleges/Tech Schools/Degree Programs
Madison Media Institute
Marian College Music Administration Degree

Organizations
BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC
Songwriters Guild of America

Networking/Finding Musicians
Bandmix
Reverb Nation

Recording Studio
Rock Garden Studio

Books (Amazon Links)
Career Opportunities in the Music Industry
2012 Songwriter's Market
The Musician's Business & Legal Guide

AK & AK Band WELS National Choralfest Registration

Academy Kids and AK Band student registration for MLC Choralfest 2011.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Where was the Apostle Paul's shipwreck on Malta?

I'm presenting the final chapter of Acts in chapel tomorrow at WLA and have been pouring over many sources, including the NPH People's Bible on Acts (did you know they are published on Kindle and Nook now too?), trying to understand Paul's trip to Rome in chains around 62 AD. Acts 27 records that his ship of 276 people ran aground on Malta. I discovered earlier today that there is a St. Paul's Bay on Malta and that many people believe Paul's ship ran aground there near St. Paul's Island.  Interestingly enough, the coat of arms of St. Paul's Bay has a snake on it and has the motto "In Christo Renati Sumus".

Then I stumbled upon a video and article from Christian Broadcasting News "Searching for Paul's Shipwreck on Malta" which purports that Paul's shipwreck was actually at St. Thomas Bay on the eastern side of Malta (for all the doubters in the crowd, I suppose). Which is true? I don't know and, truthfully, it doesn't really make any difference. All I know is that the Bible is God's Word and it is true. Whatever it says is what I believe.  If it doesn't say, I don't need to know it to get to heaven.  So why am I looking into where the shipwreck was?  I'm just trying to understand sailing on the Mediterranean and where Paul sailed on his trip to Rome to try to gain insight into Luke's account in Acts.  Plus Malta looks like a place I'd like to visit someday!

Want to really dive into the geography of Paul's Missionary Journeys? Using Google Earth, download .kml files showing Paul's Missionary Journeys from Mark de Blois or Tim Schumacher.  Want the location of every location of every identifiable place in the Bible? Check out the incredible Bible Geocoding.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Live Stream - Homecoming Skit Night 2011

Miss the original broadcast of WLA's Skit Night 2011 on Friday, Sep. 30 at 6:30 PM? Sit back, press play, and enjoy!


Video streaming by Ustream

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Creating Watermarks in Sibelius 6

Daniel Spreadbury has been the Senior Product Manager of Sibelius Music Notation Software since 1999.  His personal blog, SibeliusBlog, is "intended to provide insights into the world’s favourite music notation software, from the unique perspective of its Senior Product Manager. You’ll find hints and tips about how to make the most of the product, and interesting stories about how Sibelius is being used in a variety of contexts for all sorts of exciting projects."

That being said, I've wanted to know how to put watermarks on sample copies of my music for a while now.  Here's the answer in Sibelius 6.  I'm sure the same technique works in the new Sibelius 7.  This video comes from Daniel's Vimeo account.  Follow @dspreadsbury on Twitter to keep up to date with Daniel's Sibelius news.


Creating a watermark in Sibelius 6 from Daniel Spreadbury on Vimeo.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

WLA Parent Orientation Night 2012

Welcome WLA Music Parents!  Here are some of the links I talked about tonight at Parent Orientation:

Calendars and Schedules:
WLA Choir Calendar (from the WLA Main Calendar)
WLA Choir Calendar on Google Calendar (http://bit.ly/WLAChoir)
  • XML format (copy and paste into any feed reader)
  • iCal format (copy and paste into any calendar that supports iCal format)
  • HTML format (copy and paste into any browser)
Traveling Choir Church Schedule 2011-2012 (PDF)

Mr. Ehlke's WLA Band Website (New!)

Handouts:
Traveling Choir & Concert Choir Parent Orientation Day Handout 2011-2012
Music Technology Orientation Day Handout 2011-2012
Music Theory Orientation Day Handout 2011-2012

Syllabi:
Traveling Choir Syllabus 2011-2012
Concert Choir Syllabus 2011-2012
Music Technology Syllabus 2011-2012
Music Theory Syllabus 2011-2012

Monday, September 12, 2011

WSMA 2011-2012 Festival Music List

Click here for the 2011-2012 Wisconsin School Music Association Festival Music List.

The Wisconsin School Music Association offers a music list of more than 6,000 carefully selected titles to promote musical growth through practice, performance, and evaluation at WSMA-sanctioned music festivals. Each year, more than 220,000 students take the initiative to participate in WSMA festivals, and use the music from the WSMA Music Festival List.

List of New Selections for 2011-2012
List of Revised Selections for 2011-2012
List of Retired Selections for 2011-2012
Festival Rules Changes for 2011-2012

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Music Tech - Dance Project 1 Review

My Music Tech blog is acting up. Don't know why. For the time being I've posted the following link for my 20 Music Tech students to review what we learned in Dance Project 1. Click here to go to the Music Tech Dance Project 1 Review.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Monday, July 25, 2011

Let Children Hear the Mighty Deeds

Last summer I was commissioned to write a concertato (a hymn on steroids) on the hymn "Let Children Hear the Mighty Deeds" by the WELS Commission on Worship for the 2011 WELS National Conference on Worship, Music, and the Arts.  The phrase which really propelled the way I approached the commission was the theme of the worship conference: "To pass the torch to the next generation."  When I read that statement, I immediately thought of "Passing the Torch" music -- Olympic torch music -- but more specifically, the music to John Williams.  I'm sure you can hear his influence on this work!

The WELS National Conference on Worship, Music, and the Arts was last week at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN and Martin Luther College, New Ulm, MN.  "Mighty Deeds" was originally commissioned to be the closing piece of the opening festival concert of the conference, but about six months before the conference I was told its position would change to be the opening piece of the opening festival concert.  No pressure!

When I got the commission last summer, I was in the middle of a Teaching Guitar Workshop at Olympia Resort in Oconomowoc, WI.  Since it was getting towards the end of the summer and the new school year was approaching, I didn't do much composing except thinking about piece and what I wanted to do with it.  I did contact an orchestra conductor who graciously shared with me a number of John Williams orchestral scores that I could study for orchestration techniques.  But beyond that, I didn't get down to any serious composing on it until Spring Break 2011.

I wish I could say that I spent my Spring Break in a tropical cottage away from the hustle and bustle and noise of this world, but it would be more accurate to say that I spent a lot of time driving with the radio off, trying to hear the music in my head first before writing it down or going to a piano to try and play it.  Many summers ago, when I was just starting my Master of Church Music program at Concordia, River Forest, IL (now Concordia University, Chicago), my then composition teacher and first advisor, Richard Hillert (of "This is the Feast of Victory" fame) encouraged me to not compose at the keyboard but to listen to the music in my head first before trying to play it.  His reasoning was that you could hear much more complex music than your fingers could ever play.  He was right!

Spring Break 2011 came and went awfully fast.  It wasn't until the last Sunday afternoon of Spring Break, right before having to go back to teaching the next day, that the introduction finally hit me.  And it came all of a sudden all at once.  I played it at the piano, recorded on my iPhone (thank you Voice Memo!), and ran to school to write it down in my staff book.  Yes, I still write out all my compositions by hand with pencil and paper.  It gives me a sense of permanence and safety if my computer ever crashes.

That was the end of March.  Just the introduction was completed.  I had no idea how to lead into the first verse, nor did I know how the rest of the verses would go.  There were six verses in all and I needed to let the choir sing one or more of them, but it was not clear which ones.  I was just happy I had an idea for the intro!

The end of the school year came and went – a blur of video games and video game soundtracks – but I think that was helpful.  I knew I wanted a driving, rhythmic bass pattern to imitate a John Williams orchestral bass line (some have asked me after hearing "Mighty Deeds" when the stormtroopers were going to arrive!) and the driving, pounding, heroic music of Halo, Advent Rising, Final Fantasy VII, and Civilization IV were lodged deeply in my brain for months leading up to the WLA Spring Concert.

The end of the school year continued to accelerate until graduation day had passed and I could finally have longer periods of time to hear the music in my head.  I've described the process of composing to some people as putting together a puzzle that you don't know what it will look like when it's done, with pieces that you don't know how they fit together, or how many there are.  I had heard parts and snippets of "Mighty Deeds" in my head for a while and written them down in my staff book as a I heard them, but I still had no idea how they all might eventually fit together, or if I would use them all.

Luckily (by the grace of God!) my parents left for a week long driving trip to visit my brother in Florida and their house was free.  It was the quiet place I needed to finish "Mighty Deeds"!  And by the grace of God I was able to finish the work and get it sent off to the planning committee of the Worship Conference – one day before the orchestra parts were to be sent out to the volunteer orchestra!

I was very nervous to hear the first orchestra rehearsals last week, not knowing how the orchestra would take to my composition.  It wasn't exactly typical Lutheran church music like Hillert, Schalk, Bunjes, or Moldenhauer!  I left the first and second orchestra rehearsals very happy with their progress and Dr. Moldenhauer's ability to capture the spirit of the piece and my compositional intentions.  I missed the dress rehearsal, but that was ok, it made the festival concert performance that much more spine-tingling for me! I had two digital recorders with me, and captured the recording at the beginning of this post from the aisle about six rows back from the orchestra.

First orchestra rehearsal of Let Children Hear the Mighty Deeds
in the Christ Chapel of Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN (7/18/11)
I was also very nervous to hear the comments of the conference participants.  Very nervous!  But judging from the many people who talked to me at the conference and those who posted comments on my Facebook page, it went over very well.  And I feel guilty even saying that, because I didn't compose it to be liked (although even I didn't like the hymn tune when first presented with the commission, so I wanted to compose a setting that would help make the hymn tune interesting to me).  I composed it to glorify God and to portray not only the text of the hymn, but also to accomplish the desires of the committee who commissioned it (Tiefel, Prange, & Gerlach) to "pass the torch to the next generation." Hopefully the next generation was inspired to grab the torch (of the gospel, of good church music, of music composition, and the like).  If my son is any indication, he can't get this piece out of his head!  And isn't that why God gave us music – to keep His Word in our heads?

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Traveling Choir Schedule 2011-2012

[updated 8/30/11 3:17 PM CDT] 
Click here to download the 2011-2012 Traveling Choir Church Schedule complete with bus times.

EVERYTHING IS CONFIRMED AND FINALIZED!  There were two changes/additions to the schedule so far: (1) Zion, Theresa was added on December 18 because Pastor Learman at St. Peter's, Theresa has been called to serve both congregations now, and (2) Trinity, Dundee's second service is at 9:30.

October 9 St. John’s, Markesan 9 am
October 16 St. Paul’s, North Fond du Lac 7:45, 10:15 am (communion)
November 5 St. Luke’s, Knowles 5 PM (Sat.)
November 6 St. Paul’s, Lomira 10 am
November 20  Faith, Fond du Lac 7:45, 10:30 am (Faith needs a WLA pastor for Thurs 11/17 and 11/19)
December 4 St. Peter’s, Fond du Lac 7:45, 10:30 am
December 11 St. Paul’s, Town of Forest 8, 10 am
December 18 St. Peter’s, Theresa 9:00 am (communion)
Zion, Theresa 10:30 am ADDED
January 8 Zion, Van Dyne 10 am
January 15 St. Peter’s, Eldorado 9 am (communion)
January 22 Trinity, Dundee 8 and 9:30 am
February 5 Immanuel, Campbellsport 7:45, 10:15 am
February 12 St. John’s, Lomira 8, 10 am
February 19 Immanuel, Oshkosh  9 am
February 26 Mt. Zion, Ripon 9 am
March 4 Living Water, Oshkosh 9 am
March 11         Peace, Green Lake 9 am
April 15 St. John’s, Montello 8 am
Emmanuel, Mecan  10 AM
April 22 Grace, Pickett  9 am
Zion, Oshkosh  10:15 am
April 29 St. Matthew’s, Iron Ridge 9 am
Zum Kripplein Christi 10:30 am

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Church Choir Directors...Watch This!

Today I caught a tweet from Concordia Publishing House (@ConcordiaPub) that they were going to live stream a choral reading session tonight.  Unfortunately I was at my daughter's soccer game and couldn't watch live, but CPH recorded it on Ustream and I've embedded it below for you to watch.  Listen for the coupon code to get 20% off online orders!  See CPH's Facebook page for a list of the music presented in this session.

Incidentally, my setting of The Tree of Life just got picked up by CPH and should be published by them in the next year or two.  Thanks, David Johnson!

Friday, May 27, 2011

WLA Graduation 2011 - Live Stream

The WLA Graduation Service will be live streamed at 2:30 PM CDT (GMT-5) on Sunday, May 30, 2011.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Video Game Soundtracks Live Stream



WINNEBAGO LUTHERAN ACADEMY
Music Department Proudly Presents The
2011 SPRING CONCERT
May 22, 2011 • 7:00 PM • WLA Gymnasium

VIDEO GAME SOUNDTRACKS
Hey Mambo
ACADEMY KIDS
Main Theme
HALO
Main Theme
HALO 3
One Winged Angel
FINAL FANTASY VII
Main Theme
MYST III : Exile
Bounty Hunter Theme
ADVENT RISING
Themes from Super Mario Brothers
PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
UpDown Town
SimCity 3000 - JAZZ BAND
Livin’ on a Prayer
Guitar Hero World Tour
Type A (a.k.a. Korobeiniki)
Tetris
Simple and Clean (a.k.a. Hikari)
Kingdom Hearts
Coronation / Baba Yetu
CIVILIZATION IV
SPECIAL THANKS:
Dale Witte - CHOIR DIRECTOR
Mark Stuedemann - BAND DIRECTOR
Camp Phillip - LIGHTING SYSTEM and SOUND SUPPLIES
UW Fond du Lac – STAGE LIGHTS AND SILVER PILLARS
Matt Nehring & Matt’s DJ Service - LASERS
Mike Rosenfeldt - VIDEO CAMERA
Andy Sehloff – LIGHTING AND SOUND
Buddy Larson – STREAMING VIDEO
Buddy Larson, Jonathan Witte, Jacob Koepke - VIDEO EDITING
WLA Phy-Ed Department - EARLY ACCESS TO THE GYM
Matthew Poch - GUITAR HERO EQUIPMENT
*******************************************************************************************************************
2011 TRAVELING CHOIR CD ORDER FORM (Make checks payable to WLA)
NAME__________________________________________________________
ADDRESS_____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
PHONE ________________________________________________________
NUMBER OF CD’S__________@$20 EACH
AMOUNT ENCLOSED__________________________________________

Monday, May 2, 2011

Results from State Solo Ensemble 2011 @ UW-Oshkosh

Congratulations to all the WLA students who performed this weekend at State! What an amazing display of God-blessed music talent!

Two WLA students earned "Exemplary Soloist Awards": Seth Westphal (his 2nd, two years in a row on Parade Snare Drum) and Dan Moldenhauer (Piano Solo - Brahms Rhapsody).  This is the first time in WLA's history that two music students were awarded this award in the same year!  Congratulations Seth and Dan!

Rating
Student
Event
1
Academy Kids
6138 Mixed Show Choir
1
Moldenhauer, Dan
1221 Baritone or Bass Solo
1
Adelmeyer, Libby
1311 Music Theater-Female Role
2
Breister, Adam
7111 Piano Solo
1 + Exemplary Soloist Award
Westphal, Seth
5121 Parade Drum Solo
1
Witte, Jonathan & Merissa Cutter
7112 Piano Duet
1 + Exemplary Soloist Award
Moldenhauer, Daniel
7111 Piano Solo
2
Pacetti, Paul et al
9118 Misc. Ensemble
2
Shi, Shirley
7111 Piano Solo
2
Westphal, Bethany
1111 Soprano Solo
2
Witte, Jonathan
4111 Trumpet Solo
1
Pacetti, Paul
5111 Concert Snare Drum Solo
2
Witte, Jonathan
7111 Piano Solo
1
Bilitz, Eric
5111 Concert Snare Drum Solo
2
Giebel, Mason
1221 Baritone or Bass Solo
1
Adelmeyer, Libby
1111 Soprano Solo
2
Pacetti, Paul
5311 Marimba or Xylophone Solo

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

State Solo Ensemble Festival 2011

The schedule was just posted today. Get it and more info at WSMAmusic.org.  Click on the ***Select School*** button and choose "FONDY WINN LUTH" to see WLA's schedule.

Time
Student
Event
Site
8:00 AM
Galske, Megan et al
6138 Mixed Show Choir
2 - Experimental Theater
9:00 AM
Moldenhauer, Daniel
7111 Piano Solo
5 - AC N125
9:04 AM
Moldenhauer, Dan
1221 Baritone or Bass Solo
23 - SW 203
9:44 AM
Adelmeyer, Libby
1311 Music Theater-Female Role
22 - SW 217
9:50 AM
Breister, Adam
7111 Piano Solo
5 - AC N125
11:12 AM
Westphal, Seth
5121 Parade Drum Solo
12 - AC S150
11:28 AM
Witte, Jonathan et al
7112 Piano Duet
18 - SW 101
11:40 AM
Pacetti, Paul et al
9118 Misc. Ensemble
14 - AC S122
11:50 AM
Shi, Shirley
7111 Piano Solo
5 - AC N125
12:52 PM
Westphal, Bethany
1111 Soprano Solo
20 - SW 126
1:10 PM
Witte, Jonathan
4111 Trumpet Solo
16 - SW 2
1:46 PM
Pacetti, Paul
5111 Concert Snare Drum Solo
12 - AC S150
1:50 PM
Witte, Jonathan
7111 Piano Solo
4 - AC N234
2:06 PM
Bilitz, Eric
5111 Concert Snare Drum Solo
12 - AC S150
2:28 PM
Giebel, Mason
1221 Baritone or Bass Solo
21 - SW 127
2:28 PM
Adelmeyer, Libby
1111 Soprano Solo
26 - SW 303
2:36 PM
Pacetti, Paul
5311 Marimba or Xylophone Solo
3 - AC N14