Striving to Stand Out: Excellence, Access, and Community through the Arts

The Ballard Performing Arts Booster Club (BPAB) is proud to announce that our fundraising theme this fall is Striving to Stand Out: Excellence, Access, and Community through the Arts.

What does this mean? 

We want our BPA programs to Stand Out! We will achieve this by raising funds to:

• Support excellent high-quality educational experiences.
• Provide access so ALL BPA students can participate fully in the program(s) of their choice.
• Collaborate with professional performing artists to enrich our programs and create community through the arts! 

Students, click here to enter our art contest for the Striving to Stand Out campaign logo.

Save the Date | Oct 18 Striving to Stand Out Kick Off at Bickersons Brewhouse

Join us at Bickersons Brewhouse from 5:30-8:30 for a family friendly evening of student performances to kick off our Striving to Stand Out fundraising campaign. Admission is free! Stay tuned for more details.

Did You Miss our BPA Welcome Meeting?

Thanks to all who came to our meeting last Tuesday, Sept 12, in the BHS Library. If you missed it, no worries, click here for the powerpoint presentation. Give it a look to learn about the Ballard Performing Arts Booster Club and get some tips and tricks on how to support your child(ren) and how to stay informed and engaged this school year. 

Save the Date! Goodwill Truck | Sunday, Oct 15, 9-noon

Fall is a great time to clean out your garage and closets! Goodwill trucks will be parked in the BHS parking lot on Sunday, Oct 15 from 9 am - 12 noon. Bring your donations and your neighbor’s too! For every truck we fill we get $600 for BPA! 

We need volunteers to unload cars, keep traffic moving in the parking lot, and sort donations! Click here to sign up! Students can earn service learning hours.

Stay in the loop with Remind

THE BPAB uses a REMIND app that provides a one-way texting system to keep students and families in the loop for all of our activities and events; for example, concert and event locations, call times and pick up times, field trip deadlines and information, etc. It's easy to sign up for any and all groups you need to track during the school year, and receive important messages via text. Did you sign up last year? The codes change every year, so you'll need to update.

Click here for 2023-2024 Remind codes: https://www.ballardperformingarts.org/remind-info-and-codes

Tuxedo Update

For students wearing a tuxedo for concerts, you need to purchase a tux shirt and studs (approximately $30 from Ted Brown Music, near the University District). Alternatively, a limited number of gently used tux shirts are available, with the cufflink and stud set, for $20. Stop by the uniform room before school to see if one is available in your size.

Band

First Football Game this Friday at 5 pm and Parade Saturday!

The band will be performing at the first home football game this Friday at 5 pm. We still need six chaperones, as well as help after with uniforms. Please sign up here to help! We also need uniform return help for the Leavenworth Parade on Saturday. Please note the after school marching band practice on Tuesday, September 19th from 3:45-5pm. We still need two chaperones for this practice, which will take place on the field and around the neighborhood!

Upcoming Dates

Mark your calendars for these marching band rehearsals and upcoming performances:

• September 19th, Tuesday, 3:45 - 5 pm @ Ballard, marching band practice.
• September 22nd, Friday, students get out at 3:20 to get uniforms on for 5 pm football game at Memorial Stadium. 
• September 23rd, Saturday, call time 6:30 am at BHS parking lot for Leavenworth parade; back around 6 pm.
• September 29th, Friday, 5:45 pm call time to get uniforms on for 7:45 pm football game at Memorial Stadium. Senior night! 
• October 6th, ALL DAY REHEARSAL. Students get out of class, Homecoming that night.
• October 13th, Friday, call time 3:00 pm.

All Band Students Must Buy an ASB card: $35

Mandatory for all band members. The ASB card allows band members performing at football & basketball games free entrance.

Note: You can't pay for this on the Boosters site; this is to be paid on School Pay via your student's Source account or at the fiscal office at BHS (in the Commons).

ASB cards also have the benefit of a reduced entrance price at other athletic events. If you have an ASB card already from playing a sport at BHS, you don’t need another one.

Senior Night, September 29th at the Football Game

Seniors will be recognized and have pictures taken at half time. It is tradition for senior families to attend this game to have their picture taken with their student and the director.

Band Class Fees

Every music class has an annual fee to help pay for buses, trips, uniforms, sheet music, and other supplies that support the students and the program. If you’ve forgotten whether you’ve paid or not, check on zeffy.com! 

Please click here to pay your annual Band Class Fee.

Choir

Upcoming Dates

Concert Choir and Advanced Chorale Camp | Sept 29-Oct 1

Keep turning in the camp packets. Your student can put it in the secure black box in the band room. Wondering if you've turned it in or not? Email Jill at bpabtreasurer@gmail.com.

Have you paid for camp?

Go to Zeffy.com, log in, and check your transactions, or email bpabtreasurer@gmail.com.

Zeffy is our new fee-free payment platform. For details about how to opt out of their request for a donation, click here.

Choir Camp - Back Up Chaperones Needed! 

Camp Burton on Vashon Island is beautiful and it’s a great way to meet fellow choir parents and get to know the awesome students that your child will hang out with for the year. It's fairly low key, a chance to socialize, hike, play some cards, or sit, read a book, and enjoy the sunset. Join us!! Email Sally Rampersad bpabchoirrep@gmail.com to volunteer. We have all of our volunteers, but need 1-2 people who already have volunteer clearance with SPS, to be our back up chaperones, in case someone’s clearance doesn’t go through in time for camp.

Please make sure to check your SPS volunteer status (or register as a SPS volunteer) ASAP at https://www.seattleschools.org/departments/volunteer/. It takes at least 2 weeks for the application to process and the approval report to get to BHS. You will only need to be an “A” volunteer as this camp is <48 hours.

Small Group Auditions

VOCAL JAZZ: Vocal Jazz auditions finish up today, September 19 during lunch. For the audition, interested students will prepare to sing a short jazz standard, improvise over the 12-bar blues, and learn a short exceprt of a Vocal Jazz song. This last portion will be learned DURING the audition process on Monday! More detailed audition information and a sign-up sheet are available in the Black Box, or see Ms. Rowley!

TENOR BASS ENSEMBLE: Auditions for Tenor Bass Ensemble will take place later in September. Stay tuned for more info!

Choir Class Fee

Every music class has an annual fee to help pay for buses, trips, uniforms, sheet music, and other supplies that support the students and the program.

Please click here to pay your annual Choir class fee.

Save the Dates

• Saturday October 21st - Tenor/Bass Festival at Roosevelt - details to follow.
• Wednesday October 25th- Fall Choir Concert
• Saturday October 28th - Concert Choir with Apollo 5 at St. Mark’s - 2 pm (1:45 pm call time) rehearsal and evening concert
• Friday November 10th - Vocal Jazz at Meadowdale High School*
• Wednesday November 15th - Concert Choir at CWU Choral Classic - all day*
• Tuesday December 5th - Vocal Jazz Caroling*
• Saturday December 9th - Chamber Choir and Tenor Bass at Seattle Seachordsmen

* chaperones will be needed - details to follow

Orchestra

Orchestra Camp Recap

Orchestra camp at Camp Burton was a fantastic, fun-filled weekend of music, blue skies, and sunshine, surrounded by the sparkling waters of Puget Sound on beautiful Vashon Island!

Friday night began with a community-building exercise, where Team Chamber Cellos won the hotly contested marshmallow-toothpick tower contest. The seniors led some activities and games, and we wrapped up the evening with a bonfire and s’mores under the stars.

Saturday was a busy and productive day of rehearsals with Mr. Valdez and sectionals led by coaches Robert Babs (viola), Kyle Purnell (violin), and Paige Stockley (cello/bass). Students also had plenty of time to play games, explore the grounds and the beach, and get to know their fellow orchestra members. We capped the busy day off with another s’mores bonfire (where we were treated to some fabulous impromptu karaoke performances) and movie night.

On Sunday, Symphonic and Chamber orchestras performed for each other and played a round of Capture the Flag before taking the ferry home. It was impressive to hear how great both orchestras sounded after just two weeks of playing together!

Thanks to Mr. Valdez, coaches, camp chaperones, orchestra seniors, and all the students for making this year’s camp a success!

Ballard Fiddlers

The Ballard Fiddlers group will meet weekly on Tuesdays starting on September 12 from 6:30 pm-8:00 pm in the main band/orchestra room with coach Kat Bula. The Fiddlers ensemble is composed of students who play the violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar, mandolin etc. Fiddlers members work to refine their improvisational skills, learn music in an aural tradition, and perform authentic American roots music by arranging traditional tunes of the American Roots and Jazz repertoire. The Fiddlers ensemble performs at school concerts and special events and is available for private performances throughout the year. All acoustic string instruments are welcome! 

Theatre

Fall Play | Sonnets for a New Century

The fall play, "Sonnet for a New Century," will be performed on Oct 19th, 20th, and 21st at 7:30 pm. The show will be a devised piece, written and performed by a student ensemble. We will take inspiration from playwright Jose Rivera, using his text "Sonnets for an Old Century" to uplift and inspire our own voices. This is a unique opportunity to center the students of Ballard High School, to share our stories and values with the community.

For those interested in being on the tech crew for the show, see Ms. Miller for an application.

The district only pays for teachers’ salaries; everything else we have to raise or donate.

BPA Gear - Order by Sept 28!

Want to show your BPA pride around town? Grab a T-shirt or sweatshirt to wear to football games and parades this fall. Or just show up with Beaver pride at gigs throughout the year. Either way, this is the only place to get BPA branded gear this fall. Place your order by Thursday, September 28th!

Click here to order on Zeffy, our new fee-free payment platform. 

Be aware that there is a default donation button to Zeffy (the payment provider) of 15% at checkout. To bypass this, select "other" and type in "0" for the donation amount and you won't be charged extra. Click here for screenshots that show you how to opt-out of Zeffy’s request for a donation.

Become a Sponsor for the 2023-2024 School Year!

If you own a business (or know of a business) that would benefit from advertising on our programs, website, and newsletters, click here to learn about all the perks of becoming a corporate sponsor.

Goodwill Truck Volunteers needed on Oct. 15

We need volunteers to unload cars, keep traffic moving in the parking lot, and sort donations. Click here to sign up! Students can earn service learning hours.

Lots of Volunteer Opportunities

See a position that interests you? Click here to sign up for these volunteer opportunities:

• Emcee/Announcer at Gigs
• Procurement Team
• Communications Committee
• Social Media Committee
• Newsletter Committee
• Graphic Designer (event posters/graphics)
• Uniforms Committee
• Spring Mattress Sale Coordinator (May)
• Visual Media Lead (archive our photos)
• Poster Distribution Team

Want more information? Read about these volunteer opportunities on our website!

Interested? Email bpabvolunteers@gmail.com with any questions.

Check out our YouTube Channel to watch last year’s wonderful performances that were captured on video!

Check out past performances any time on our YouTube and Vimeo channels.

Snowflake Lane Opportunity!

Every year, Snowflake Lane hires a group of drummers (think high-energy marching band) who contribute to a spectacular holiday parade that occurs nightly along Bellevue Way. And we would love to count your talented musicians among them!

We audition performers 14 years of age and up (there is no age cap, so instructors and staff are encouraged to audition as well), and hire musicians for snare drum, bass drum, and cymbals. As per usual, Snowflake Lane will run nightly from Black Friday to Christmas Eve (11/24-12/24). Drummer auditions will be held on September 30th, 2023. Drummers will earn a minimum of $40 per night, with plenty of additional opportunities for bonuses throughout the season (meaning they can earn over $1,400 if they commit to every rehearsal and all 31 performances). Use this link to complete the audition form for a chance to become a part of the holiday magic: https://bit.ly/2023SFL_Audition_Form