It's 2011-2012, and things are exciting and new.  We've added a Fall Concert, which has kept me so busy that I have neglected my blog until this point!  Our concert went GREAT and I am so proud of how the kids played.  I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the kids who played my own composition, "Echoes," and did a fantastic job.

We are in the midst of preparing for our Winter Concerts which are coming right up, and the bands are just sounding better and better!

We are truly blessed to have a student teacher from the University of Maryland School of Music this year.  Maggie Shorb has been present at all our performances and many after school ensemble rehearsals.  Come Spring, she will be with us full time as she prepares for a career as a music educator.  I can tell you, she will be a fantastic one!

Under what else is new, I would have to say that I am glad to say that the FQMS Trombone Choir has returned and, although small, is growing and sounding great!

Signing off for now, and promising to be back soon,

Mr. Spang

It would be GREAT if you and/or family could attend one or more of the upcoming performances.  They are all AMAZING opportunities for you to hear OUTSTANDING musicians!  —Mr. Spang

U.S. Navy Band

Friday, December 2, 2011 @ 7:30pm

River Hill High School Auditorium

The US Navy Band is one of the elite concert bands in the entire world and they performing right in our neighborhood!  Their winter concert at River Hill always has excellent repertoire and is a lot of fun to listen to … and it’s FREE.  The whole family will enjoy it!

I am really bummed that I can't make this concert myself, as I will be attending a difference performance with my family up in Westminster, Maryland, but I sure hope that many of our FQMS band students and families take advantage of such a great concert!

Lyric Brass at Emmanuel

Sunday, December 4, 2011 @ 3:00pm

Emmanuel United Methodist Church

10755 Scaggsville Road, Laurel, Maryland 20723

The Lyric Brass play a Christmas recital at Emmanuel UMC in Laurel.  This is an excellent opportunity to brass playing of the highest level, and fun for everyone regardless of religion or instrument.  The Lyric Brass musicians are members of the premier military bands in Washington DC, faculty at the Peabody Conservatory, and Mr. Spang on tuba.  The recital will be about an hour in length and FREE.  (A free-will offering will be taken to benefit the Music Ministry at Emmanuel.)  Great for the whole family!

As Friday approaches and I try to keep up with the paperwork, I can take a moment to reflect on how hard my students have been working and how much they have grown and accomplished!  With so many students going to the Maryland State Solo & Ensemble Festival and getting "I" ("Superior") and "II" ("Excellent") ratings, I couldn't be prouder.  When our Gold Jazz Band made its debut appearance at the Westminster Flower & Jazz Festival and were so well received that they were immediately asked to return next year. We had a great performance by our Symphonic Band at Middle School Band Assessments and by the Concert Band at the MS Band Adjudications.  Whew!  In there we also had the Enrichment Fair, two GREAT Spring Concerts, a visit by our commissioned composer and the World Premiere Performance of Brian Drake's "Soaring," written especially for the FQMS Symphonic Band.  Oh ... yeah ... and we're headed to Hershey Park this Friday!  Stay tuned for more good news!

Whew!  As I sit at home on yet another snow day, I am reflecting on an amazing month of jazz at Folly Quarter!  I feel incredibly blessed to have such a vibrant jazz program at Folly Quarter, supported so strongly by our administration and our parent booster group, the Friends of Folly Quarter Musicians.

It's a scary thing to commit to a January performance with a middle school jazz ensemble, but both our jazz bands did a great job at the Jazz Reunion Concert at River Hill HS.  Thanks to Joe Fischer and Mike Blackman at RHHS for being incredible hosts (and the O'Brien family for procuring and feeding our kids all that pizza).  It was a great experience getting to work with Kyle Coughlin from Howard Community College, who was the guest artist and brought his quartet for a fantastic second half to the concert.  Dr. Coughlin came out and worked with our Gold Jazz Band, giving the band some great pointers, and then sitting in with the band and blowing through a great solo.  It's fantastic for the kids to hear live jazz up close with someone who's a master of the form.  I highly recommend you pick up on one of Dr. Coughlin's CDs.  Kyle Coughlin joined us for a solo on Charlie Parker's Yardbird Suite, conducted by our incredibly talented high school intern, Matt Wigler. 

Later that month, both bands traveled to Towson University for the Townson University Jazz Festival.  I think we were the only middle school to perform, much less have two bands.  We got great feedback from our clinicians and judges, and were simply blown away by guest artist, Bela Fleck and Dave Matthews Band saxophonist, Jeff Coffin.  I got the chance to speak to Jeff Coughlin after his incredible set with the Towson Faculty Jazz Quartet.  He was so very complimentary of our bands (he judged and commented on our Gold Jazz Band) and highly encouraging of what we are doing at FQMS.  I have to give an extra shout-out to the Blue Jazz Band for performing so great, even with our two rehearsals before the trip being canceled due to snow!  All of us had a fantastic 15 hour field trip and a great day of Jazz!

I am so excited to have received the print copy of The Heart of Madness by Mark Lortz, our first commissioned work.  It's been published by FJH Music Company.  The experience was so great, and we were so happy with the great music written by Mark Lortz!  You can check out the piece here: http://www.fjhmusic.com/band/b1436.htm

In addition, the work was selected to the Bandworld magazine's Top 100 Works Written for Band (2010). This is simply thrilling!  Congratulations to Mark on this wonderful accomplishment.

We are looking forward to performing the "official published" version of the work this Spring!