WE HOPE YOU HAD A FUN AND REJUVENATING SPRING BREAK! WE’RE BACK AT IT THIS WEEK – WITH A CHICK-FIL-A FUNDRAISER ON WEDNESDAY, BOTH JAZZ BANDS AT MUSIC IN THE PARKS ON SATURDAY, AND WINTER GUARD AT WGASC CHAMPIONSHIPS AT THE UCI BREN EVENTS CENTER THIS SUNDAY. IF YOU’RE IN JAZZ BAND, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU PAY FOR THE FESTIVAL AND KNOTT’S TICKET. WE’RE ALSO KICKING OFF OUR ANNUAL GIFT BASKET RAFFLE STARTING TOMORROW WITH FANTASTIC PRIZES INCLUDING A FAMILY 4-PACK TO DISNEYLAND!

Congratulations to the Gahr High School Indoor Percussion ensemble on an outstanding finish to their 2026 season, earning the SILVER MEDAL in Scholastic Open at SCPA Championship Finals with a score of 93.17! This achievement reflects an incredible season of growth, commitment, and performance at the highest level, and we could not be more proud of these students. Special thanks to the six additional band and guard students who jumped in the last few days to add some additional effects to the production!

We are deeply grateful to our instructional staff for their tireless dedication and for continually pushing our students to be their very best. Thank you to our design team – Zach Wilson, Frankie Rice, John Mapes, and Mr. Loney. This accomplishment would also not have been possible without the support of our parents and alumni. Thank you to all of the families who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to support our students – from props and transportation to meals and costumes. Thank you for being there every step of the way!

Before Spring Break, we had a whirlwind of performances across the program –

We were proud to host the annual ABCUSD Drumline & Guard SPRING SHOWCASE, featuring outstanding performances from Winter Guards and Indoor Percussion ensembles across the district. Thank you to our booster parents for their hard work in running concessions, merchandise, and helping create such a successful event. A special shoutout to Mr. Miller for his excellent work as announcer!

Thank you to everyone who came out to support the ABC Jazz Showcase! Both Jazz I and II had outstanding performances, and it was a treat to hear the ABC Jazz All-Star Band under the direction of Chris Stevens.

THIS SATURDAY, April 18th, both jazz ensembles are performing at the Music in the Parks Festival, including an adjudicated performance at Segerstrom Fundamental HS, followed by free time and awards at Knott’s Berry Farm! The performance is free and open to the public. All jazz students need to complete payment for the festival and Knott’s ticket (or festival-only if you have a current Knott’s Season Pass). WE NEED 100% ON TIME ATTENDANCE FOR ZERO PERIOD REHEARSALS THIS WEEK SO WE’RE PREPARED! We will also have a Jazz I and II run-through this Friday from 3:30-4:30PM.

Before break, Winter Guard had a strong performance at the WGASC Arcadia Signature Show. The season culminates this Sunday at WGASC Championships at the UCI Bren Events Center! Please read below for all the information and the full itinerary.

ALL OUTSTANDING DONATIONS ARE PAST DUE

This is a friendly reminder that all donations for Indoor Percussion, Winter Guard, and Marching Band are past due. We are unable to pay for our instructors, end-of-year awards, or outstanding bills — including flag silks, floor tarps, costumes – without these donations. We accept cash, checks made payable to “Gahr Band Boosters,” or click here to pay online with a credit card. Thank you.

GIFT BASKET RAFFLE FUNDRAISER STARTS TOMORROW!

Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to our annual Gift Basket Raffle! This is one of the biggest program fundraisers of the year, and we truly appreciate your support!

We are especially excited about this year’s raffle, featuring some incredible prizes – including hundreds of dollars in restaurant gift cards, Topgolf, a family 4-pack to Raging Waters, a Loungefly Disney backpack, and a family 4-pack of tickets to Disneyland! Please see below for a full listing of all the items in each basket.

If you missed the deadline to donate a basket item, we are still gratefully accepting online donations to help offset the cost of the Disneyland tickets. Thank you again for your continued support!

SENIOR GRADUATION STOLE – PAYMENT DUE FRIDAY 4/17

The senior Graduation Stole is a special recognition of your dedication, commitment, and consistency throughout your time in band or color guard. Seniors are eligible to receive a stole if they have been enrolled in band or color guard for all 8 semesters and have maintained a 2.0 GPA or higher each semester.

The cost of the stole is $50, and payment is due this Friday, April 17.

Senior Graduation Stole

$50.00

Seniors are only eligible if they have been enrolled in band or color guard for all 8-semesters and have maintained a GPA of 2.0 or higher every semester.

JAZZ I & II – MUSIC IN THE PARKS FESTIVAL THIS SATURDAY!

Please make sure to hydrate and eat a good breakfast before arriving. Bring money for lunch and dinner, as well as a change of clothes for inside the park. Also, bring warm clothes/jackets, as it will get cold in the evening.

All students must have their festival and/or Knott’s payment completed. Please click here to pay for this through our website. If you have a Knott’s Season Pass and do not need a park ticket, please make sure you pay for the festival-only option. Don’t forget to bring your season pass and photo ID.

7:45AM Call time at Gahr HS already wearing jazz attire
7:55AM Load bus ASAP
8:15AM Travel to Segerstrom Fundamental HS – 2301 W MacArthur Blvd, Santa Ana, CA 92704
9:00AM Arrive / Unload
9:40AM Jazz II Warm up
10:05AM Jazz II Performance
10:30AM Put away Jazz II equipment, change, optional concessions
10:55AM Jazz I Warm Up
11:20AM Jazz I Performance
11:45AM Put away Jazz I equipment, change, optional concessions
12:15PM Load buses
12:30PM Depart for Knott’s Berry Farm – 8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90620
1:00PM Arrive / Drop-Off
1:30PM Free time in the park
4:45PM Meet at the Walter Knott Theater
5:00PM Awards Ceremony
6:00PM More free time
9:00PM Meet at the front of park
9:15PM Load bus ASAP
9:30PM Depart for Gahr HS
9:45PM Approximate arrival time / Unload ASAP
10:00PM Dismissal

Music in the Parks Festival

from $40.00

Jazz I and Jazz II will be performing at the Music in the Parks Festival on Saturday, April 18. This event includes both a festival performance and time at Knott’s Berry Farm! The cost is $75.00, which includes the festival and park admission.

If you have a Knott’s Season Pass, the cost is $40.00 for the festival only. Please make sure your season pass is active, and you will need to bring a photo ID with you on the day of the trip.

Ticket:

JAZZ I & II – Let’s keep up the 100% on-time attendance for zero period and all rehearsals. This means you are in your seat playing when the late bell rings at 7:17AM. Be smart about managing your time and homework and go to bed early when possible. Keep up the great work and let’s finish festival season strong!

WGASC CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS SUNDAY 4/19

This Sunday, April 19th, the Winter Guard will be performing at WGASC Championship Finals at the UCI Bren Events Center! Call time is 9:30AM for our final rehearsal at Gahr, before departing. Make sure you hydrate and eat a good breakfast before you arrive.

ITINERARY: https://tinyurl.com/gahr-wgasc-champs
VOLUNTEER/LUNCH: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F49ABAB2FA0F8CE9-62289862-uhaul
SNACKS: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F49ABAB2FA0F8CE9-62502611-snacks
WGASC INFO: https://wgasc.org/events/37307/
LOCATION: UCI Bren Events Center – 100 Mesa Rd, Irvine, CA 92697
GENERAL ADMISSION: $33.00 (online only)

Keep up the great work as we head into our last week! Continue to represent yourself to the best of your ability and focus on what you can improve individually – NO REGRETS!

LUNCHTIME LEADERSHIP CLASS THIS WEDNESDAY

Thank you so much to all the students who have been attending our Lunchtime Leadership classes. We’ve had a great turnout and appreciate your commitment!

We will be doing one final session this Wednesday, April 15th at lunch in the Band Room. Bring your lunch and your leadership packet and we’ll finish the packet and review the 2026-27 Leadership Application.

There is a ton of leadership potential in this group, and we are excited about what’s ahead. See you there!

COMMUNITY MATTRESS FUNDRAISER – SATURDAY, MAY 2ND

We’re excited to officially kick off our community-wide Mattress Fundraiser to support the Gahr Instrumental Music Program! ! Our goal is to raise $10,000 to purchase a new small equipment trailer, which will help reduce our reliance on U-Haul rentals – and we need your help to make it happen!

For one day only, on Saturday, May 2nd, the MPR will be transformed into a mattress showroom featuring name-brand beds in all sizes and styles, along with adjustable bases, frames, sheets, luxury pillows, and mattress protectors. Everything is made to order, comes with a full non-prorated warranty, and best of all is offered at 40-60% below retail.

This is our FIFTH TIME hosting this community event and it has been incredibly successful! It may sound unusual, but most people need a new mattress every 8-10 years. So we’re simply connecting them with great deals while supporting our program. Click here to watch a video on how this fundraiser works.

How Students Can Earn Money:

Hardcopy referral flyers are available in the Band Room, or you download one by clicking here. Write or type your name at the bottom of the flyer. Each flyer acts as a $50 OFF coupon, and you will receive credit for any sale connected to your referral. You can even text it or blast it out on social media, and as long as your name is on the referral flyer, you’ll still get credit for the sale.
Students can earn money toward their individual band account based on referrals:
• 1 sale = $50 credit
• 2 sales = $100 credit
• 3 sales = $200 credit
• 4 sales = $300 credit
• 5 sales = $500 credit
Once you get just one referral sale, you’ll be entered in a raffle for brand new AirPods!
Team Bonus: Students will form teams of 5. If each member of the team gets just ONE referral sale, every student on that team earns $100 each.
Grand Prize Drawing: Every referral sale gets you entered to win a PS5, Xbox Series X, iPad, 65 “ Flat Screen TV, Beats By Dre Headphones, $300 Gift Card, or other top prizes!

Thank you in advance for your support. The most important thing is that WE NEED EVERYONE TO HELP SPREAD THE WORD. Let’s make this the most successful program fundraiser yet!

2027 ORLANDO TRIP – DEADLINE APPROACHING

Spots for our 2027 Orlando Trip are filling quickly, and we want to make sure every interested student has the opportunity to be part of this incredible performance experience!

This marching band trip is open to all current 8th-11th grade band and color guard students and will take place over Spring Break, March 25-30, 2027. We usually do a big trip like this once every four years, so you definitely don’t want to miss out on this opportunity.

Many students are already registered and on payment plans. Once spots are filled, we will not be able to add additional students.

✨ What’s Included:

Round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations
Transportation throughout the trip
3 days at Walt Disney World
2 days at Universal Orlando (including Epic Universe)
Performance in the Walt Disney World Parade
Disney Imagination Campus Workshop
Daily meals (via dining cards)
Professional tour manager and overnight security
Trip Cost: $3,175 per student (quad occupancy)

✅ Register Now to Secure Your Spot:

Visit: https://www.etadventures.com/
Click “Login” at the top of the page
Enter Trip Code: gahr27
Select “Access Account” and create your account
Complete your reservation

We strongly encourage families to register as soon as possible. This trip will fill up.

ℹ️ Click here to download the full information packet.

GAHR AREA CONCERT – WEDNESDAY 5/6 🎶

SAVE THE DATE: The Gahr Area Concert is Wednesday, May 6th at 6:30PM in the Gahr HS Gym! Both the Concert Band and Wind Ensemble will be combining together, and we will be joined by Ross MS, Haskell MS, Tetzlaff MS, and many of our elementary feeder schools.

Admission is FREE, but you can support the program by purchasing raffle tickets! Throughout the evening, we’ll be raffling off our gift baskets – including a family four-pack of tickets to Disneyland!

THIS WEEK:

MONDAY 4/13
7:17AM Jazz I & II attendance / 7:20AM downbeat
3:20PM Band Room open to practice

TUESDAY 4/14
GIFT BASKET RAFFLE STARTS!
7:17AM Jazz I & II attendance / 7:20AM downbeat
3:30-5:30PM Combined Band rehearsal (NO PERCUSSION)
5:00-9:00PM Winter Guard rehearsal
6:00PM New Principal, Dr. Keys, Meet & Greet in Media Center

WEDNESDAY 4/15
6:30AM-10:00PM Chick-fil-a Fundraiser – ALL DAY!
1st Period – Lockdown Drill
12:50-1:20PM Lunchtime Leadership Class / Leadership Packets
3:20PM Band Room open to practice

THURSDAY 4/16
7:17AM Jazz I & II attendance / 7:20AM downbeat
3:30-5:30PM Combined Band rehearsal
5:00-9:00PM Winter Guard rehearsal

FRIDAY 4/17
SENIOR GRADUATION STOLE DEADLINE
7:17AM Jazz I & II attendance / 7:20AM downbeat
Take Instruments & Music Home to Practice
3:30-4:30PM Jazz I & II Run-through

SATURDAY 4/18
JAZZ BANDS @ MUSIC IN THE PARK FESTIVAL!
7:45AM CALL TIME AT GAHR HS

SUNDAY 4/19
WINTER GUARD @ WGASC CHAMPIONSHIPS!
ITINERARY: https://tinyurl.com/gahr-wgasc-champs
VOLUNTEER/LUNCH: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F49ABAB2FA0F8CE9-62289862-uhaul
SNACKS: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F49ABAB2FA0F8CE9-62502611-snacks
WGASC INFO: https://wgasc.org/events/37307/
LOCATION: UCI Bren Events Center – 100 Mesa Rd, Irvine, CA 92697
GENERAL ADMISSION: $33.00 (online only)