Granted there are some people who get all excited about the football at Big Game, but there are also those go to Memorial Stadium to see  the biggest half time show of the year, when both the Napa and Vintage bands will perform under the direction of Harry Cadelago at Napa and Bill Gantt from Vintage. The Register will provide coverage of these always memorable performances on Sunday, Nov. 11.

There is also another chance this weekend to see these acclaimed marching bands — along with 30-some other bands from Northern California — when they all converge in Napa for the annual band review hosted by Vintage.

The day begins at 9 a.m. with a parade on Trower Avenue in front of Vintage and then the action moves to Memorial Stadium where a concert percussion competition takes place at 12:30 p.m. — echoes of this can generally be heard all over Napa. A field show with all the bands begins at 4 p.m.

 The parade and the percussion competition are free. For the field show the admission charge is $6 for adults, $3 for students, and $20 for a family of four.

You can also see the Napa marching band, along with the orchestra, jazz band and color guard perform at the District Auditorium Nov. 15. The concert begins at  7:30 p.m., and one of the highlights is the rousing tradition where the marching band enters the auditorium in full uniform and making their usual glorious ruckus. Tickets for the show are $10.

The other high school musicians are now gearing up for their December concerts, which include the Vintage band concert Dec. 6, and choir concert Dec. 11.  Only a handful of seats remain for Napa High’s three Christmas concerts, it being easier to get a reservation at the French Laundry than one of those highly prized tickets.

 Arts Council Napa Valley has announced $25,000 of matching funds is available for classes through its Arts in Education program. These funds come from a grant from the Sato Foundation, which has supported this program for the last several years.

 Arts in Education catalogs and applications for funding are available on the Arts Council Web site at www.artscouncilnapavalley.org.

The classes offered through the Arts in Education program cover visual, literary and performing arts, everything from small projects working with clay to full-scale musical productions; from mummifying apples in the ancient Egyptian technique to creating collage art from found objects; from puppet performances to hip-hop dance. All Napa County schools, as well as all community organizations that provide arts programming, are invited to apply for matching funding.

The Arts Council will also be conducting a comprehensive study of arts education, funded by the Napa Valley Heritage Fund. This study will gather information on programs within the school day and before and after school, as well as programs run by community organizations.

For more information on the Arts in Education program or to participate in or learn about the study call  257-2117, e-mail info@artscouncilnapavalley.org, or visit www.artscouncilnapavalley.org