Parkland: A Season for Giving

At last evening’s PHS Band/Chorus Concert we sold our last 30 or so CDs and currently have no inventory left!  However, today we put in one last “emergency” order to the duplicator: sometime Tuesday we should be getting 40 more CDs and THAT will be it.

If you’ve thought about getting this disk but still haven’t, don’t wait longer than early next week.  Stop by the Music Tech lab (A120) and see Dr. Watson.  Maybe this video of Andrew singing his original song, THE MEANING LEFT BEHIND, from the “Season for Giving (2011)” CD will win you over and move you to buy the CD!

THE MEANING LEFT BEHIND

Still not convinced? How about this clip of Principal Dr. Lessel and PHS teacher Mr. Schwartz singing their track from the CD, “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer”?

GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER

Click HERE to hear a podcast about this year’s holiday CD project!

This year, Mike, our marketing person, produced the song “Away in a Manger”  but with a quirky spin on it.  It shows that you can take a classic song like that and make it funny and enjoyable for everyone.

Please enjoy this short clip of his song “Manger Hoedown”

manger

Freshman Erin Kelly joins the “Season for Giving” fun as vocalist on a quirky track called “Christmas Mission.” The premise of the lyrics, by PHS English teacher Mr. Timothy Schwarz (who narrated a track on last year’s CD), is hat a child is on a mission, sneaking downstairs on Christmas eve to see what gifts have been left for her. The over-the-top, spy-jazz music (think “James Bond,” “Spy Kids,” etc., etc.) was written/produced by Music Production teacher, Dr. Scott Watson.

Although just a freshman, Erin has tons of experience singing for years for area “Dream Come True” benefits, the national anthem for Hershey Bears games, and much more. We’re delighted to have her lend her interpretation to this track on the 2009 Parkland: A Season for Giving CD and hope to be hearing from Erin’s beautiful voice in years to come, both at PHS and beyond!

Christmas Mission ex

We’re so pleased to have the Parkland High School Flute Choir participating in this year’s holiday CD! In past years we’ve enjoyed recording our String Orchestra and the Chorale for our CD (and in fact the Chorale will be featured again this year). We’ve wanted to feature one of the ensembles from within Mr. Lerew’s band program for several years, but of course fall is also marching band season and most of the band students have packed, busy schedules. For this reason we’re so pleased the Flute Choir, advised by Mrs. Kim Watson, found the time to prepare a fun, jazzy arrangement of “Let It Snow” to include on the CD.

After hearing them tonight at the recording session I can tell you that their rendition of “Let It Snow” is great! We can’t wait for the Parkland community to hear the Flute Choir’s “Parkland: A Season for Giving” debut on our upcoming CD. Thanks to all the members of the flute choir (Mike, Ji Soo, Nichole, Abby, and Amanda) who worked on this cool arrangement!

Let It Snow (excerpt)

HERE ARE SHORT CLIPS of some of my favorite tracks from past years:

• Katie Stahl, Christmas Is So Much More (2008)
• Sam Palumbo, This CD Needed a Hanukkah Song (2007)
• Dan Incalcaterra, Carol of the Bells (2008)
• Rich Lesmeister, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (2008)
• Kevin Hegedus, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (2007)
• Lisa Chiapetta, Christmastime (2007)
• Rachel Dungan, O Come, O Come Emmanuel (2006)
• Albert Lazaro, Deck the Halls (2006)