Category Archives: Band

Please help SPG congratulate some of Steller’s artistic students!

Steller student achievements in Band & Theatre

Band:
Steller Band students, Ezzy Banning on flute, Noah Lapierre on tenor saxophone, and Zoe McDonagh on French horn have been accepted to the 2025 ASD All-City Middle School Band.  It is an honor band for 7th and 8th grade students for ASD, and the selection of membership requires competitive live auditions. 
 
“Ezzy, Noah, and Zoe were competing with other students from large schools,” said Mr. Toba.  “The three students handled pressure and did well for the auditions.  Ezzy is just a 7th grader but beat many 8th graders. I am so proud of the accomplishment Ezzy, Noah, and Zoe achieved.”
 
The All-City Middle School Band will meet selected Tuesdays for rehearsals in February, March, and April.  The Middle School All-City Band, Choir and Orchestra will have a concert on Thursday, April 17 at West High School at 7 p.m.  Public is invited.

 

Theatre:
West Theatre presents HadesTown
 
This full-length Teen Edition of Anaïs Mitchell’s haunting, jazz-inflected folk opera follows Orpheus’ mythical quest to overcome Hades and regain the favor of his one true love, Eurydice.
 
Cast includes Steller students Hunter Menck and Blue Smith!
 
February 13-15 at West High – get your tickets now! https://wahstheatre.booktix.com/ 
 
 

Hadestown: Teen Edition

 

Steller Band Produces All-Northwest Participants

Charlie Banning, a sophomore trumpeter, and Zane Hopewell, a senior baritone player, have been accepted to the 2025 National Association for Music Education (NAfME) All-Northwest Wind Symphony. 
 
The NAfME All-Northwest Wind Symphony is a prestigious honor band specifically for small schools in the Pacific Northwest.  Auditions are rigorous and very competitive. 
 
“Only 10 to 12 students would be accepted from Alaska to the Wind Symphony.  Charlie and Zane did exceptionally well for the auditions,” said, Mr. Toba, the band director.  “I am certain these students will have a great time with the Wind Symphony.  I am super, duper proud of Charlie and Zane for this remarkable achievement.”
 
The 2025 NAfME All-Northwest Conference will be held in Spokane, WA from Thursday, February 13 through Saturday, the 15th.  The Gala Concert will be held on the Saturday, at the Spokane Convention Center from 4:30 p.m.

 

Band – Year in Review

–A message from Mr. Toba–

Another school year came to end. Despite some obstacles, especially for the Aurora Music Festival trip, we were very productive.  Our achievements are astonishing:
 
ASD Middle School Solo/Ensemble Festival 
Solos
Jensen Booher, 7th, baritone – superior
Liam Kraft, 8th, trumpet – superior
Noah Lapierre, 7th, alto sax – superior
Zoe McDonagh, 7th, horn – superior
Towa Yazaki, 7th, trombone – superior
Ensemble
Jensen Booher, baritone; Charleia Buckly, 7th, oboe; Nathan Daniels, 8th, percussion; Alexe Gillespie, 7th, alto sax; Liam Kraft, trumpet; Aiden Lalki, 7th, clarinet; Noah Lapierre, alto sax; Zoe McDonagh, horn; Elijah McDonald, 7th, trumpet; Towa Yazaki, trombone – superior
****Special thanks to a Steller graduate, Griffin Lindsay, for training and preparing for our 7th and 8th grade band students.
​****All of our entries received superior!
 
ASAA Online Solo Adjudications 
Paige Antrobus, 12th, trumpet – excellent
Charlie Banning, 9th, trumpet – superior
Ishmael Belay, 8th, alto sax – superior
Amelia Brooks, 11th, tuba – superior
Shepherd Brown, 10th, tenor sax – excellent
Riley Cottrell, 9th, clarinet – excellent
Zane Hopewell, 11th, baritone – superior
Riley Strodtbeck, 11th, clarinet – excellent 
 
Aurora Music Festival
Band Competition  
3rd place 
Solo
Marley McDonagah, 10th, flute – superior
Honor Band
Jamey Algiene, 10th, alto sax – 3rd chair
Paige Antrobus, 12th, trumpet
Charlie Banning, 9th, trumpet – 3rd chair
Ishmael Belay, 9th, alto sax 
Duncan Brabec, 10th, baritone sax – alternate
Amelia Brooks, 11th, tuba – 2nd chair
Shepherd Brown, 10th, tenor sax – 2nd chair
Zane Hopewell, 11th, baritone – 1st chair
Liam Kraft, 8th, trumpet
Jojo Leonard, 9th, horn – 1st chair
Marley McDonagh, 10th, flute – 1st chair
Rem Porter, 10th, percussion – 3rd chair
Milo Scott, 12th, trombone – 1st chair
Riley Strodtbeck, 11th, clarinet – alternate
 
ASAA State Solo
Amelia Brooks, tuba
Zane Hopewell, baritone
Marley McDonagh, flute
 
Graduating Seniors
Paige Antrobus, trumpet
Kaila Gibson, flute
Milo Scott, trombone
 
“Considering the size of band, we accomplished a lot,” said, Mr. Toba, band director.  “I am especially proud of the students who went above and beyond the calls. Our 7th and 8th did exceptionally well for the Middle School Solo/Ensemble.”  “Aurora Music Festival was fun and we did very well, too.”  Band wishes the best of luck for graduating seniors, Paige Antrobus, Kaila Gibson, and Milo Scott.  Mr. Toba expects even bigger things will happen next year.

Volunteers for Aurora Music Festival!

Hello all, 

Thank you to all those who have already signed up to help at the Aurora Music Festival April 13 to 15th. We still have quite a few positions to fill and could use your help:

  • Buying and setting up drinks and snacks for adults at the Festival (we have a budget to reimburse), 
  • Driving our guest conductors between their hotel and the festival site.
  • Supervising students throughout the day. 

Check out our Sign Up Genius Here! 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact our chairs Dee Dee and Amy or Mr Toba. 

 

Volunteers Needed for Aurora Music Festival!

Steller Secondary is so proud to present to our community the Aurora Music Festival! This is an awesome event for smaller school to travel to Anchorage and show off their musical chops. Steller students have participated every year for many years now, and we always do very well! 

We would love for our Steller community to come support our stellar Band and Orchestra students. Schedules to come soon.

We are expecting almost 200 students, and will need volunteers to help make this event a great success for everyone! Please check out the form here, and sign up! 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040b4eabad2eabf94-aurora#/

 

SPG news: All State Band and SPG Meeting

Steller Band Sends Two Students to All-State 

Steller Band students, Sarah Duot-Kelley on flute and Bjorn van der Goore on bass clarinet, have been selected to participate with the 2022 Alaska All-State Band.  

Bjorn is a junior and earned a regular chair. This is his 2nd year in a row with All-State Band. Sarah is a senior and this will be her first time.  

“I am delighted to see these highly accomplished students go through such a competitive audition process,” said Mr. Toba, band director. “Participation for All-State is the pinnacle for high school musicians in Alaska.  I am so proud of our All-Staters.”

The All-State Gala Concert will be held on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at West High School, starting at 6 p.m.  Admission will be $10 for adults and $5 for students.  The public is invited.

 

SPG Meeting: Tuesday, November 8th

Come one, come all!

Click here for the Agenda

 

Steller Band Sends  ***Five*** Players to The All-State

The audition results for 2021 All-State Band are released.  The All-State Band participation is one of the highest honors for high school band students in Alaksa.  Steller will very well be represented by these highly accomplished musicians:

Bjorn V, sophomore, bass clarinet

Johnathen J, senior, tuba

Griffin L, senior, French horn

Xavier L, senior, bassoon

Kamyrn Ls, sophomore, flute

Furthermore, Griffin and Xavier are also accepted to play for the All-State Orchestra.  

“This is by far the best year for Steller Band program, as far as the student achievements are concerned, ” said Mr. Toba, the band director.  “Kamryn and Johnathen are alternates, which is still great because of the level of competitions for the auditions.  Bjorn, Griffin, and Xavier earned the regular chairs.  I just don’t know how to express my feeling now.  These students did an exceptional job not only for themselves but also for the entire Steller Community,” said Mr Toba, Steller Band Teacher.

The All-State ensembles will rehearse from Thursday, November 18 through Saturday, the 20th, at Chugiak High School.  The gala concert will be held on Saturday, November 20, at West High School.  The admissions will be 10 dollars for adults, 5 dollars for students.  Public is invited.

Submitted by Mr Toba

Well done to all the the Steller Students. We are all very proud of you. Thank you Mr Toba for your dedication to our student’s success and sharing this wonderful news with us.

Steller Parent Group

Congratulations, Ishmael and Marley!

Congratulations, Ishmael and Marley!

Steller band students, Ishamel B. on alto saxophone and Marley M. on flute have been accepted to the ASD Middle School Honor Band (formerly known as JYSBO).  Ismael and Marley attained the membership through competitive live auditions.  “Ishmael and Marley put extra effort in to the audition etudes, and I am so proud of their achievement, ” said Mr. Toba, the band director.  “I am positive that these students will enjoy and learn a lot from the honor band.”  The Middle School Honor Band will meet on Mondays from October through March at Bartlett High School. The honor band will have three public concerts as well.

Well done Marley and Ishamel! The whole Steller Community is proud of you!

From Mr. Toba

 

Join Steller Band

 
Steller Band Wants YOU!
 
YES!  We are back in person this school year.  We need your participation.
 
Quick Facts
  • Meet in the first hour.
  • Open to ALL Steller students.  We prefer you to have at least one year of experience with traditional band setting, but we can work with you IF you know how to read music.  Contact me ASAP.  We do have some instruments for you to rent.  
  • You can qualify for state-level competitions, like All-State (fall) and state solo/ensemble (spring).  Last year, we sent two students to All-State, two students to All-Northwest, and five students to the state solo/ensemble contest.  Furthermore, two students made the command performance awards, which is one of the highest honors that high school musicians in Alaska can achieve.
  • We plan to take an overnight trip to attend the Aurora Music Festival in April (tentative).  It is a regional music festival for small schools mainly from the interior Alaska.  Cordova will be the host.
  • We have done very well for the band competition during the Aurora Music Festival.  We were placed 2nd (2018) and 3rd (2019).  We were unable to attend the festival for last two years because of the pandemic.
  • Plan to have four school concerts (one in each semester).
  • Have grown in enrollment.  We are getting larger and larger in size.
  • And lots and lots more!
Please contact me (toba_nobuo@asdk12.org) if you have questions or comments.
 
I am looking forward to this great school year!
 
Mr. Toba, 
Band Director
 
Visit the Student Showcase to see more about Steller Band Successes!