The 2008 Sunoco Welcome America!  High School Honor Band Saturday, June 28th, 2008 Grades 9-12 This ensemble will be comprised of outstanding high school musicians from the City of Philadelphia and surrounding tri-state region.  The group will perform at the Sunoco Welcome America! Festival on Saturday, June 28th, 2008. http://www.americasbirthday.com This is a fantastic performance opportunity for the students of this region also awards the opportunity to participating students to receive full and partial scholarships to attend the 2008 Penn Band Summer Music Camp! Youtube highlights from 2007: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RfS5NdaPRk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNQbuIPkTqY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6HqQc4uSW8 The 2008 Sunoco Welcome America! High School Honor Band will perform on Saturday June 28th, 2008 in Philadelphia at the Welcome America Festival! This event is similar in nature to our other Honor Bands in format (www.pennband.net/highschool/) – a day-long commitment with a great performance.  However, there are differences with this event that make it distinct: *Nominations require a Parent’s signature – To be sure that parents know of their child’s nomination (and hence, commitment), an additional is required from each student for nomination. *Scholarships! - Thanks to the generous support of Sunoco Welcome America!, we will once again be able to offer participating students the opportunity to apply for numerous commuter and overnight scholarships to our summer music camp (www.pennband.net/pebc/), including Full and Partial Awards.  **Full participation in the events of Saturday June 28th are required for eligibility for all awards!** Nomination Forms can be downloaded from the website (above) and are also attached for your convenience.  **Deadline is June 5th, 2008! Acceptance is on a rolling basis** DOWNLOAD THE NOMINATION FORM HERE (PDF) Please write legibly (especially email addresses and phone numbers!)  Music and logistics will be directly sent to your students via this information. Questions? Drop me a line! As always, our organization once again looks forward to the opportunity to work with your students! Information for 2008 Honor Band Participants I. Registration - All participants must arrive at The Platt Center for Student Performing Arts on the Penn Campus by 9:00AM on Saturday, June 28th.  The Platt Center is located at the corner of 38th and Spruce Streets in the Stouffer Commons building (see directions below). Use the entrance off the Plaza, located between the entrance to the Quadrangle and Beijing Chinese Restaurant. All parts of the Penn Campus are within a 15-minute walk of the Platt Center. II. What to Bring – All participants are expected to bring their own instrument, as well as consumables (reeds, valve oil, etc.) for use during the day.  All instruments must be well-labeled with the participants name and high school, in the event the instrument is lost and found.  If Tuba players cannot supply a concert-quality instrument (no sousaphones), please contact Dr. Gupta so that arrangements can be made. All percussion will be provided. Collapsible Stand – PLEASE BRING ONE FOR THE CONCERT! The Penn Band will be providing a Pizza Lunch for all participants - if you have any dietary restrictions, please inform us the morning of registration so that accommodations can be made. Attire - Participants are asked to dress "casual and comfortable" for rehearsals during the day.  Changing Rooms will be provided for participants to change into attire for the concert.  For the outdoor concert, attire will be a t-shirt provided by the Penn Band, tan/khaki slacks (provided by the participant) and white sneakers (provided by the participant).   III. Music!   Music will be distributed electronically during the week of June 10th.  Chairs will not be assigned - instead, a "share the wealth" strategy will be employed to distribute parts.  For example, students who play 1st Trumpet on one piece will play 3rd trumpet on another piece, and vice versa.  Every effort will be made to give every participant the opportunity to play a variety of different parts. IV. Tentative Schedule 8:30AM Doors open for Registration, Warm-up, and Tune at the Platt Center 9:00AM-12 PM Rehearsal 12:00PM Pizza Lunch 1:00-2:00 PM Rehearsal 2:15 PM Bus to Concert location (TBA) 2:45 PM Setup, Tune 3:00 PM Concert Performance - (approximately 45 minutes) V.The End of the Day – Students are allowed to depart from the concert after the end of the concert with their parents (must first check out with Dr. Gupta!). Otherwise, all students will bus back to the Platt Center on the Penn Campus immediately after the performance.  VI.Contact Information – Need to contact us during the day of the event?  Dr. Gupta’s Cell Phone number (on his person at all times) is 267-259-0082.  The Band Office phone number (where the students will be most of the day) is 215-898-8719. VIII. Permission Slips - See attached document. ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST BRING A COMPLETED PERMISSION SLIP IN ORDER TO PARTICPATE! Permission Slips (required for each participant) and Scholarship Applications pdf IX.Scholarships to Penn Band Camp! (www.pennband.net/pebc/) We encourage all participants to apply for scholarships sponsored by Sunoco Welcome America! to our Band Camp (July 27th-August2nd). Driving Directions to the University of Pennsylvania From the Philadelphia International Airport and points south of Philadelphia. Follow I-95 North past Philadelphia International Airport towards downtown. Then merge from the left-hand lanes onto Exit #22 I-676 (Vine Street Expressway, Central Philadelphia, Independence Hall) Take I-676 cross-town and then merge from the right-hand lanes onto I-76 East (Int'l Airport, Schuylkill Expressway). Quickly enter the left-hand lane, and then exit on the left-hand side at Exit #346a (South Street). At the top of the ramp make a right onto South Street. From the New Jersey Turnpike and the New York City Area Take the NJ Turnpike South Exit #4 (NJ 73, Camden, Philadelphia) to NJ 73 North and then onto I-295 South. After passing Exit 28 on I-295 South, stay to your left and then merge onto I-76 Exit #26 (Philadelphia, Camden). After merging, stay to you left and look for I-76 Walt Whitman Bridge (Toll $3). Cross the bridge into Philadelphia and after passing Exit #346b (University Ave.), stay to your left. The exit is on the left-hand side, Exit #346a (South Street). At the top of the ramp make a left onto South Street From the Pennsylvania Turnpike and points west of Philadelphia Exit the Pennsylvania Turnpike at Exit 24 (Valley Forge) then merge onto I-76 East (Philadelphia). After passing Exit #345 (30th Street Station) stay to you left. You will exit from the left-hand lane at Exit #346a (South Street). At the top of the ramp make a right onto South Street. From the Ben Franklin Bridge and Camden Take US-30 (Admiral Wilson Boulevard) to the Ben Franklin Bridge (Toll #3). Then take I-676 West (Vine Street Expressway) to I-76 East (Int'l Airport, Schuylkill Expressway). Quickly enter the left-hand lane, and then exit on the left-hand side at Exit #346a (South Street). At the top of the ramp make a right onto South Street. From the Walt Whitman Bridge and the Atlantic City Expressway Take the Atlantic City Expressway to NJ-42 North. NJ-42 will divide into Express and Local lanes. Take the Express lanes to I-76 East Walt Whitman Bridge (Toll $3). Cross the bridge into Philadelphia and after passing Exit #346b (University Ave.), stay to your left. The exit is on the left-hand side, Exit #346a (South Street). At the top of the ramp make a left onto South Street. From Northeast Philadelphia and Northern Suburbs Take US-1 South (Roosevelt Blvd) to I-76 East (Central Philadelphia). After passing Exit #345 (30th Street Station) stay to you left. You will exit from the left-hand lane at Exit #346a (South Street). At the top of the ramp make a right onto South Street. FROM SOUTH STREET TO THE PLATT STUDENT PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Take South Street to the third traffic light (33rd Street) and bear left onto Spruce Street. Proceed up Spruce Street to 38th Street.  The Platt Student Performing Arts Center is located on the left before the traffic light, between the entrance to the Quadrangle and Beijing Chinese Restaurant.  Enter the Platt Center and walk past the cabaret space and proceed down the hallway.  At the end of the hallway is Room 182 - the R. Greer Cheeseman Band Room.  If you get lost, call 215-898-8719 or 267-259-0082! About Sunoco Welcome America! The 2008 Sunoco Welcome America! Festival occurring June 28 - July 5 is produced by Welcome America, Inc., a nonprofit organization with a mission to celebrate America’s birthday in its birthplace, Philadelphia. The Festival attracts more than three million people each year through its variety of free events created to encourage civic pride, promote the City of Philadelphia and enhance the quality of life for residents of the region. For more information log onto www.americasbirthday.com About the University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (www.upenn.edu) is a member of the Ivy League and is located in West Philadelphia. Established in 1740, its picturesque campus is encompassed in a single location with all of Penn's twelve schools located within walking distance. Well over 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students attend the University on a yearly basis. The University was founded by Benjamin Franklin and has come to manifest the spirit of its founder through academics, invention, and innovation.   About the Penn Band The Penn Band (www.pennband.net) was founded in 1897 and ever since has been one of the University's most progressive traditions. The organization is a part of the Department of Athletics at the University of Pennsylvania; the Penn Band has no affiliation with any academic department and is sponsored by the Vice Provost's Office for Undergraduate Life. The Penn Band is a bastion of music and mirth on the Penn Campus, performing upwards of 60 times a year, In recent years, the group has toured both Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The group's appearances include eight NCAA tournament games on national television in the past ten years, ESPN Game Day Live, MSNBC Hardball, the Fox and Friends Morning Show, and a 2007 halftime appearance with rock legend Simon Kirke. Contact Us!   www.pennband.net   The University of Pennsylvania Band Platt Student Performing Arts Center Room 182 Stouffer Commons - R.G. Cheeseman III Band Room 3702 Spruce St Philadelphia PA 19104 T: 215-898-8719 F: 856-231-0099   Kushol Gupta, Ph.D. SAS 97', BGS 03' Assistant Director, Penn Band kgupta@stwing.upenn.edu last updated 04/05/2008