(Rashaan Davis/CHSAANow.com)

Over the past few weeks, marching bands from across the state have returned. Whether they are on the football field or in the school parking lot, bands are back.

Today, I had the opportunity to spend some time with the band at Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch. The band is directed by Mr. Dan Delaup, an energetic director who is excited to get back to work. Today is the final day of their two-week camp and Dan was kind enough to talk with me as the band was warming up.

Dan and I talked about the good and the bad of the pandemic. He said that his band is down about 20 students and that he can see where it might take a few years for his program to recover. He pointed out that this is not an isolated issue, as he knows that his feeder middle school, Mountain Ridge, will also be down. This is a problem that many directors will face, with the expected turnaround to take a couple of years. I laughed, however, as Dan talked about the only complaints he’s been hearing from the kids have been about the heat.

As we steered the conversation away from some of the negative aspects of the pandemic, Dan talked about how excited the kids are to be back together and that being together over the past couple of weeks has almost made the kids forget what it felt like to be away from each other.

I was excited to spend some time talking with MVHS senior and snare drummer, Ryan Day. This young leader represents the very best of Mountain Vista High School. He shared with me how awesome it feels to be back and that performing in front of his peers with as a member of the band was a big part of his first two years at Mountain Vista. I asked Ryan to share words of encouragement for incoming band members.

“Stick with it,” he said. “It’s hard, especially during camp. It’s all worth it, especially when you get to the performances. There is nothing like performing for people.”

Well said.

The band will end their camp today with a celebration at Main Event Entertainment, a chance for the kids to play games and continue connecting outside of the rigors of camp.

Mountain Vista will be joining other programs for their first competition on Sept. 25 at the Friendship Cup hosted by Fountain-Fort Carson.

If you would like for CHSAA to share the story of your activities program, send me an email (rdavis@chsaa.org) or call the CHSAA office.

In late April, Rashaan Davis was selected as the next assistant commissioner at the Colorado High School Activities Association. He will oversee activities and perform a number of other duties.

To get to know him better, CHSAA Director of Digital Media, Brad Cochi, sat down with Davis to ask a few questions about his excitement for the new role, his background, his vision for the future and more.

Cochi: First of all, congratulations on the new position. Could you please tell us how excited you are to get started and what drew you to becoming the next CHSAA Assistant Commissioner?

Davis: Thank you very much. I am very excited! This is an opportunity that I have been looking forward to for a long time. CHSAA has a great history of creating learning opportunities for students through athletics and activities, and I am excited to now be a part of the team that helps to make that happen. I have been lucky enough to play a small role in each of the CHSAA activities I will oversee. Whether I was advising student leaders, serving as a judge at a speech & debate tournament, or volunteering at a music event, I have had the opportunity to “get behind the curtain” and see exactly how these events are put together.

I love that I am now in a position to work with a network of adults (teachers, coaches, and administrators) who wake up every day looking forward to positively impacting students through their participation in activities. It has been very rewarding to impact students in my own school, but to now be able to impact students across the state? This is beyond words.

In your new role, you will oversee activities, the Hall of Fame, awards/trophies and esports, and will have a wide variety of other duties. What are your thoughts on taking over this grassroots position and how do you see this position growing in the future?

That is a great question. Prior to this even being a position, I had thought about what it would look like to have someone solely in charge of CHSAA-sponsored activities. Those thoughts were always grounded in what CHSAA could do – growing current programs to be as recognized as many of the athletic offerings, the creation of new activities for students who are looking for ways to connect on their campus, and working with other state associations to share best-practices and implementation procedures. Now that this is a reality, I can’t wait to do those things and so many more.

I am also looking forward to the days when we will be adding new activities to what CHSAA already offers. Future activities might include: Robotics, Knowledge Bowl, and middle school leadership conferences, and One-Act Plays. All of my assignments are important, and I look forward to coming in and giving each of them the attention they deserve. The future is bright for activities at CHSAA.

You have a broad background in education. Could you please give us some insight into your background and the experiences that have led you to this point in your life?

In order to answer this question, we have to go back a few years. I grew up in Colorado Springs and attended Sierra High School. Growing up in a military community, that seemed like the logical choice upon graduation, so I joined the Army. My time in the military helped shape me into the school leader I have become. Working with a team, completing the mission, and properly making your bunk each day were skills that have translated well. In college, I was voted student body president at a time when the university was looking to change the school mascot, playing a major role in that process helped me to understand what equity and voice really meant.

Over the years, I have been able to work with students to create programs that help schools in our state to provide the best in extracurricular events for their students. I have built curriculum, managed large budgets for major events and worked with other schools to promote programs. Throughout the years, I’ve continued to share the message of educational equity, voice, and belonging. The end of this school year marks my 25th year in education and in all of those years- having served as a Social Studies teacher, Student Leadership adviser, and Campus Administrator- I have come to know that listening is one of the most important things I can do. And yes, I still make my bed every morning.

What are you looking forward to most about your new job?

As I stated earlier, I am looking forward to bringing new and different activities to CHSAA while building capacity in our existing activities. I am excited to work with school leaders, coaches, advisors from around the state, and the CHSAA advisory committees that work with each activity. I am also looking forward to working with the entire CHSAA office staff. Rhonda has assembled a team that I look forward to learning from and growing with. Fostering relationships, building capacity, listening to the ideas of others, and continuing to produce successful events is what I am really looking forward to.

What advice do you have for the upcoming generation on the importance of education and activities?

Education is the basis for all that we do, and activities can play an important role in helping students frame their view of the world. If we can continue creating opportunities for students to showcase their talent, with the help of caring adults and supportive peers, within the school environment, it can only help them develop skills that the world will ask them to have.

Resurrection Christian’s Isaac Fry has been named the Section 6 recipient of the NFHS Heart of the Arts Award.

The National High School Heart of the Arts Award is now in its seventh year and was created by the NFHS to recognize those individuals who exemplify the ideals of the positive heart of the arts and represent the core mission of education-based activities.

Here’s more info about Fry:

Isaac Fry has assembled quite the performing arts resume throughout his career at Resurrection Christian School.

He has been the symphonic band percussion section leader all four years; drumline captain for three years; an all-state honoree for concert band, symphonic band and philharmonic orchestra; and a performer in six different honor bands and orchestras.

He has also composed seven original musical works for school ensembles. In speech and debate, Fry was a national qualifier for the international extemporaneous speaking category and an Academic All-American.

He received the Heartwork Service Award in 2019 for helping restart the RCS drumline, and has volunteered 250 hours playing liturgical music at three community churches.

Astonishingly, he has accomplished many of these feats while also making time to assist his mother during the rapid decline of her eyesight.

In conjunction with the celebration of the National High School Activities Month, the Colorado High School Activities Association is excited to announce that we are creating a statewide virtual solo and ensemble festival this year.

The CHSAA recognizes that nothing is the same during these challenging times, but we want to support and offer encouragement to our directors across the state. This virtual festival is easy, simple to use, available for all schools — elementary, middle school, and high school! Even those in a virtual or hybrid model, and this would be a great evaluation tool for both the student(s) and the director.

“We are really excited to be able to offer this music opportunity for everyone in the state,” said CHSAA assistant commissioner Bethany Brookens. “We strongly encourage everyone to sign up as soon as possible to ensure they get a spot.”

We will be using HeartOut as our digital platform of choice. This is a free app that students, directors and judges will be using. This is an asynchronous opportunity to participate. Students and directors will have an entire week (Monday-Friday) in March to upload their best performance, and then the judges will login soon after the deadline to provide a quality overall rating and give comprehensive written feedback on the recorded performance.

The second virtual CHSAA Solo & Ensemble Festival will be March 1-5, 2021. If you would like to take part, and these dates absolutely don’t work, please let us know and we will be happy to schedule more opportunities. Registration is now open: CHSAA Solo & Ensemble Registration Form.

This festival is available to all students in elementary, middle school, and high school. Solos and ensembles (up to 16 students) are allowed. The events are Vocal, High Brass (trumpet/French horn), Low Brass (trombone, baritone, tuba), High String (violin, viola), Low String (cello, bass), Piano, Percussion, Flute, Saxophone, Woodwind (clarinet, oboe, bassoon), Mixed Ensembles, Guitar, and Ukulele.

Entry costs for solos and small ensembles (less than 10 students) are $10/each, and ensembles 11-16 students are $15/each.

Worried about memorization? Not required. Is your school still virtual, or in a hybrid model?  No problem — students can easily upload their performances on their own, or you can help them their day at school. Is there a required music list? Nope, music just must be festival appropriate. More questions? Please visit our FAQ page HERE.

CHSAA contacts for this festival are Bethany Brookens and Sandra Williamson. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our goal is to provide an educationally based opportunity for all music students and directors across the state. Directors are encouraged to use these ratings as an evaluation tool for their administration, and students will be motivated to work towards improvement during these untraditional times.

This list will be updated as questions are asked. Please reach out to Bethany or Sandra at CHSAA with specific questions or comments. We look forward to having you and your students participate!

1. All ages are welcome (elementary through high school). Sign-ups must be made through the school’s music director, and not individual students/parents/private teachers.
2. In order to be eligible, students must be an active member of their local school’s music program (as determined by the school).
3. Memorization is recommended, but not required for any events.
4. Due to COVID-19 difficulties, canned accompanist is allowed, if necessary.
5. At the time of performance (audition is the word that HeartOut uses) (March 1-5), students will be required to announce the title and composer of the piece(s) they will be playing. They will then be required to hold up their music in front of their faces for three (3) seconds to verify they are performing from non-photocopied sheet music.
6. At the time of registration, directors will be required to verify that they are obeying all copyright laws.
7. A director may conduct their ensemble, if necessary.
8. Solos and ensembles (up to 16 students) allowed. Events are Vocal, High Brass (trumpet/French horn), Low Brass (trombone, baritone, tuba), High String (violin, viola), Low String (cello, bass), Piano, Percussion, Flute, Saxophone, Woodwind (clarinet, oboe, bassoon), Mixed Ensembles, Guitar, and Ukulele.
9. There is no required music list. Music must be festival appropriate.
10. At the time of registration you do not need to select the music or indicate what you will be playing! Just sign up to reserve your spot. You don’t have to select music until January.
11. Solos and ensembles with 10 people or less will be $10/entry. Ensembles with 11-16 students will be $15/entry.
12. After the deadline, there will be no refunds of money.
13. Students will have a week (Monday, March 1 to Friday, March 5) to upload their performance(s). Performances can be up to 10 minutes.
14. If schools or districts don’t feel comfortable with students uploading the performance/audition themselves, directors can submit the performance on the student or ensembles behalf!
15. All uploads will be made using the free HeartOut app from the GooglePlay or App Store. When students are ready to record their final performance, they will have 3 opportunities. They will then be able to upload their best performance to be judged.
16. Judges will provide ratings and comments within the app during the weekend of March 6-7 2021, and feedback should be ready for the students on Monday, March 8.
17. Ratings will be based upon 5 categories, worth 10 points each.
18. Students and schools will be able to order medals through CMEA based upon the ratings they receive during our festival. All award orders can be placed by going to the CMEA web site at cmeaonline.org, clicking on the General Information Tab and Clicking on the Order CMEA Awards Tab. All transactions can be completed on-line, including credit card payment. Do you have questions regarding CMEA awards? You can direct those questions to CMEA Awards Manager- Ken Anderson at awardscmeaonline@gmail.com
19. HeartOut’s Privacy Policy is excellent and has been reviewed by the CHSAA Legal Team to ensure compliance and safety. It may be found HERE.
20. Judges will be used from across the state, and even country. A CHSAA adjudicator training will occur in December to review expectations, new rating sheets, and ensure that all students will have a positive experience at our festivals.

The Colorado High School Activities Association is excited to offer its first ever virtual solo and ensemble music festival this week for schools and students across the state of Colorado.

There are nearly 350 total entries, and 73 schools are represented.

The CHSAA will be offering another virtual solo and ensemble festival opportunity March 1-5, 2021, and the sign-up for that festival will be forthcoming. Good luck to all participants!

Thank you to the following schools for promoting music, and supporting your students in this educational opportunity:

(Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

In conjunction with the celebration of the National High School Activities Month, the Colorado High School Activities Association is excited to announce that we are creating a statewide virtual solo and ensemble festival this year.

The CHSAA recognizes that nothing is the same during these challenging times, but we want to support and offer encouragement to our directors across the state. This virtual festival is easy, simple to use, available for all schools — elementary, middle school, and high school! Even those in a virtual or hybrid model, and this would be a great evaluation tool for both the student(s) and the director.

“We are really excited to be able to offer this music opportunity for everyone in the state,” said CHSAA assistant commissioner Bethany Brookens. “We strongly encourage everyone to sign up as soon as possible to ensure they get a spot.”

We will be using HeartOut as our digital platform of choice. This is a free app that students, directors and judges will be using. This is an asynchronous opportunity to participate. Students and directors will have an entire week (Monday-Friday) in January to upload their best performance, and then the judges will login soon after the deadline to provide a quality overall rating and give comprehensive written feedback on the recorded performance.

The inaugural virtual CHSAA Solo & Ensemble Festival will be January 18-22, 2021. If you would like to take part, and these dates absolutely don’t work, please let us know and we will be happy to schedule more opportunities. Registration is now open: CHSAA Solo & Ensemble Registration Form.

This festival is available to all students in elementary, middle school, and high school. Solos and ensembles (up to 16 students) are allowed. The events are Vocal, High Brass (trumpet/French horn), Low Brass (trombone, baritone, tuba), High String (violin, viola), Low String (cello, bass), Piano, Percussion, Flute, Saxophone, Woodwind (clarinet, oboe, bassoon), Mixed Ensembles, Guitar, and Ukulele.

Entry costs for solos and small ensembles (less than 10 students) are $10/each, and ensembles 11-16 students are $15/each.

Worried about memorization? Not required. Is your school still virtual, or in a hybrid model?  No problem — students can easily upload their performances on their own, or you can help them their day at school. Is there a required music list? Nope, music just must be festival appropriate. More questions? Please visit our FAQ page HERE.

CHSAA contacts for this festival are Bethany Brookens and Sandra Williamson. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our goal is to provide an educationally based opportunity for all music students and directors across the state. Directors are encouraged to use these ratings as an evaluation tool for their administration, and students will be motivated to work towards improvement during these untraditional times.

This list will be updated as questions are asked. Please reach out to Bethany or Sandra at CHSAA with specific questions or comments. We look forward to having you and your students participate!

1. All ages are welcome (elementary through high school). Sign-ups must be made through the school’s music director, and not individual students/parents/private teachers.
2. In order to be eligible, students must be an active member of their local school’s music program (as determined by the school).
3. Memorization is recommended, but not required for any events.
4. Due to COVID-19 difficulties, canned accompanist is allowed, if necessary.
5. At the time of performance (audition is the word that HeartOut uses) (January 18-22), students will be required to announce the title and composer of the piece(s) they will be playing. They will then be required to hold up their music in front of their faces for three (3) seconds to verify they are performing from non-photocopied sheet music.
6. At the time of registration, directors will be required to verify that they are obeying all copyright laws.
7. A director may conduct their ensemble, if necessary.
8. Solos and ensembles (up to 16 students) allowed. Events are Vocal, High Brass (trumpet/French horn), Low Brass (trombone, baritone, tuba), High String (violin, viola), Low String (cello, bass), Piano, Percussion, Flute, Saxophone, Woodwind (clarinet, oboe, bassoon), Mixed Ensembles, Guitar, and Ukulele.
9. There is no required music list. Music must be festival appropriate.
10. At the time of registration you do not need to select the music or indicate what you will be playing! Just sign up to reserve your spot. You don’t have to select music until January.
11. Solos and ensembles with 10 people or less will be $10/entry. Ensembles with 11-16 students will be $15/entry.
12. After the deadline, there will be no refunds of money.
13. Students will have a week (Monday, January 18-Friday, January 22, 2021) to upload their performance(s). Performances can be up to 10 minutes.
14. If schools or districts don’t feel comfortable with students uploading the performance/audition themselves, directors can submit the performance on the student or ensembles behalf!
15. All uploads will be made using the free HeartOut app from the GooglePlay or App Store. When students are ready to record their final performance, they will have 3 opportunities. They will then be able to upload their best performance to be judged.
16. Judges will provide ratings and comments within the app during the weekend of January 23-24, 2021, and feedback should be ready for the students on Monday, January 25th.
17. Ratings will be based upon 5 categories, worth 10 points each.
18. Students and schools will be able to order medals through CMEA based upon the ratings they receive during our festival. All award orders can be placed by going to the CMEA web site at cmeaonline.org, clicking on the General Information Tab and Clicking on the Order CMEA Awards Tab. All transactions can be completed on-line, including credit card payment. Do you have questions regarding CMEA awards? You can direct those questions to CMEA Awards Manager- Ken Anderson at awardscmeaonline@gmail.com
19. HeartOut’s Privacy Policy is excellent and has been reviewed by the CHSAA Legal Team to ensure compliance and safety. It may be found HERE.
20. Judges will be used from across the state, and even country. A CHSAA adjudicator training will occur in December to review expectations, new rating sheets, and ensure that all students will have a positive experience at our festivals.
21. These dates don’t work for me, will there be another festival opportunity? Yes! If the demand is there, we hope to offer at least 1-2 more statewide solo and ensemble festivals this school year.

(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

INDIANAPOLIS — To help elevate high school marching band field show performances and ease the financial burdens facing performing arts programs in the wake of COVID-19, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has collaborated with several organizations to produce “Together As One – One Nation,” a comprehensive field show performance package that can be used free of charge by schools across the country.

“Together As One” is powered by Varsity Performing Arts, a division of Varsity Spirit, in partnership with the NFHS and in coordination with United Sound – a nonprofit organization that provides musical performance experiences for students with special needs. The aptly named program includes a six-minute, fully arranged, designed and choreographed marching band performance that equips bands, cheer and dance teams with all the necessary elements to execute in unison.

“The NFHS is proud to partner with Varsity Performing Arts in the ‘Together As One’ marching band project,” said Dr. James Weaver, NFHS director of performing arts and sports. “Over the past several months, it has been a pleasure to work with an incredible group of nationally-renowned composers, arrangers and choreographers to provide this amazing marching band show.”

“As our country recovers, young people will need school spirit now more than ever before,” said Bill Seely, President of Varsity Spirit. “’Together As One’ is designed to help bring school spirit back into America’s schools in a powerful way, with the collaboration of the cheerleaders, dance team, band programs, and any group in the school that wants to be included. Our hope is that this will help ignite a strong sense of school spirit and community in the fall when our schools need it most.”

In addition to Weaver and executives from other national music organizations, “Together As One” utilizes contributions from a world-renowned cohort that includes design coordinator David Starnes and composer/music coordinator Robert W. Smith, along with 21 other individuals who are among the very best arrangers and choreographers in the field.

Spring is the most active time of the year for high school marching band fundraisers, meaning the vast majority of programs lost most – if not all – of their opportunities due to the pandemic. With field show arrangement costs often totaling multiple thousands of dollars, “Together As One” will not only serve to unite marching bands, cheer and dance teams around the country, but will provide schools with a much-needed cost-effective option for the upcoming season.

“We’re excited for this program to be provided to all schools for free with the hope of creating a sense of unity throughout the United States and all of our music programs,” Weaver said. “As we return to the classrooms, fields, rehearsal rooms and performance halls, we hope we all return ‘Together As One.’”

More information on the “Together As One” project can be found on Varsity Spirit’s website.

Band directors and performing arts leaders who would like to register for access to “Together As One” digital materials including sheet music and online video choreography can do so on Varsity’s website.

(CHSAANow.com)

Not unlike the process for relaxing the stay-at-home orders and re-opening the economy at the national level, the timing of the return of high school sports and activities may differ from state to state.

Currently, 21 NFHS member state associations have cancelled all spring sports events, while the other 30 remain in a “suspended/postponed” category. In most cases, these differences rest with whether schools have been closed for the semester or remain hopeful of re-opening in the coming weeks.

While some states are optimistic that seniors will be able to squeeze in some final athletic competition, those decisions will all be guided by one overriding factor – the health and safety of the student participants.

Although the timing for the almost eight million high school student-athletes to return to sports competition remains in question, we are excited to announce that at least some high school students involved in other school activities will have a way to continue participation in an online setting.

In addition to its role as the national leader and advocate for high school sports in the United States, the NFHS serves in a like manner for activities such as music, speech, debate, theatre and academic programs. Similar to high school athletes involved in baseball, softball, lacrosse, and track and field, students in high school music programs faced an end to competition with the shutdown of schools.

However, in a landmark decision, several prominent music publishers are allowing temporary use of their copyrighted music for educational purposes. This will allow high school musicians to complete their year-end assessments, as well as classroom instruction while schools are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students involved in these important activity programs can continue participation online and maintain compliance with copyright laws.

The NFHS appreciates the action on the part of these music publishers – Alfred, Barnhouse, Hal Leonard, Warner-Chappell Music and Warner Entertainment – so that high school music students can remain engaged during these extraordinary times.

The permissions, which expire on June 15, are designed to enable students to complete the remainder of the school year. The five publishers account for about 95 percent of available educational music.

More than four million high school students participate in activities other than sports; and with their year-end events canceled or postponed, the relaxing of copyright restrictions has delivered a ray of sunshine to many music students across the country.

The NFHS has been a national leader in helping schools maintain compliance with copyright standards. In 2017, the free “Understanding Copyright and Compliance” online education course was first offered on the NFHS Learning Center (www.NFHSLearn.com). Last year, two new segments were added to the course, which now includes separate tracks for music teachers, spirit coaches, school administrators, speech and debate directors, and theatre directors.

As we begin to look at resuming high school activity programs down the road, an openness to meeting the needs of high school activity participants in different ways may become the norm. We thank these major music publishers for getting us started down that path.