• Program Description

    Blake High School is Hillsborough County's Performing Arts High School. We have a first-class facility with 25 practice rooms and a state of the art theater. While being taught by our renowned faculty, your student will hve the opportunity to take a wide var9iety of music courses including Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combo, Marching Yellow Jackets, Music Theory 1 & 11, AP Music Theory, Guitar, Piano, Harp, Chorus, Chamber Orchestra, Symphony and more!

    The advantages of going to Blake are numberous. Students in the band program are provided private lessons by adjunct instructors who are professional musicians in their specific instruments. All music students at Blake are serious about their craft and work hard to maintain a high level of excellence. All music students are exposed to music theory classes that help prepare them for college. Blake HS boasts the most amount of students in All State and All County in HIllsborough County. The literature covered by the bands are played at the University level. 

    This program is designed to expose students to quality band literature, as it relates to significant historical periods. The students will be required to perform within ensembles and as soloists. There will be in depth discussions about, but not limited to, tone quality, articulation, musicality, literature, and instrument pedagogy. Students will be exposed to professional performances on and off campus. Students that graduate from Blake HS will be college ready for a career in music.

    Faculty

    Dan Dubay, Director, Concert Band

    Dan Dubay

    Contact: dan.dubay@hcps.net

    Dan DuBay was appointed Director of Concert Bands at Blake High School of the Arts in Tampa, Florida in 2010. His responsibilities include the Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, and Music Theory Classes. The bands have consistently earned Superior ratings at all FBA District and State Assessments. The Blake Band has been a demonstration band at the Florida Music Educators Association Conference and has performed worldwide, most recently in Ireland. 

    Mr. DuBay is a graduate of Cooper City High School in Cooper City, Florida under the baton of Mr. Terry Gladfelter. Mr. DuBay later graduated from the University of South Florida, where he studied with Dr. Mallory Thompson, Ivan Wansley, and Valerie Gillespie. Prior to teaching at Blake HS, Mr. DuBay taught 15 years at Durant High School in Plant City, Florida. He has been honored as a Hillsborough County Teacher of the Year twice. Mr. DuBay is an active drill writer, guest clinician, and adjudicator throughout the country. He also served as a conductor for a Florida/Georgia honor band that traveled around Europe.

     Mr. DuBay is married to Melanie, who is also a band director. They live in Tampa and have a beautiful daughter named Emily and a handsome son named Aidan.  

     

    Carmen Griffin, Director, Marching Yellow Jackets, Jazz Studies

    Carmen Griffin

    Contact: carmen.griffin@hcps.net

    Carmen Griffin is the Director of Jazz Studies at Howard W. Blake School of the Arts, where she also teaches Music Theory, World Music, Jazz Theory, and is the Director of the Marching Yellow Jackets Band. Carmen cultivated her music career at Blake under the direction of her father, former Blake High School Band Director, Robert Griffin, now, Director of Jazz Studies at Florida A&M University. A trumpeter in both the Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo, Carmen was a part of the group that gained notoriety at Lincoln Center's Essentially Ellington competition, taking the stage with Wynton Marsalis, and later toured Japan as part of a foreign exchange program.  As a result of mentorship received from then Lincoln Center trumpeter Terrell Stafford, Carmen participated in the Vail Jazz Fest in Vail, Colorado, affording her the opportunity to study with and perform alongside Jazz greats such as John and Jeff Clayton, Monty Alexander, Regina Carter, the late Ray Brown, as well as contemporary artists such as Lakecia Benjamin, Maurice Brown, and David Wong.

    Carmen's musical study continued at the University of Central Florida under the tutelage of John Almeida (trumpet) and tenor saxophonist Jeff Rupert (Jazz Studies), as lead trumpet for the UCF Jazz Ensemble, also playing lead as part of a Disney Collegiate band. She began her teaching career at Blake in 2009, and since then has had the pleasure of being the Clinician for the Northwest Hillsborough County Middle School All-Star Jazz Band (2016), the Pasco County All-County Jazz Band (2017), the Hillsborough County All-County Jazz Band (2019), and Clinician for the Hillsborough County Jazz M.P.A. (2020), respectively. Her Marching Yellow Jackets Band can be seen featured in the Tampa Bay Bucs commercial “Hey, Hey, Tampa Bay” (2016), as they recorded the soundtrack for the promotion, as well as the N.F.L. Pro-Bowl Opening Night Ceremony (2018), and for the New Orleans Saints football team (2019).

     

    Audition Requirements
    Winter Auditions will take place in January. Spring Auditions will take place in April. Once you have applied, you will receive an email with step-by-step instructions for your audition! Use the link at the bottom of the page to access the music specific to your instrument. Auditions will be in-person. You will receive an email with dates and times once you have applied.

    We look forward to your audition for the Blake HS Band Program. Below is some important information to help your audition be successful. Please read through these directions. If you have any questions, please ask your Middle School Director to help you. Please let your Middle School Band Director know that you are auditioning for Blake so they can ensure you have everything you need for a good audition.

    Blake HS Band Auditions

    Thank you for taking the time to audition for Blake’s band program. Here are some things to help you audition and what to expect.

    1. We will ask you to play your favorite major scale. That’s right, you get to choose. Please tongue up and slur down with arpeggio. Extra credit if you can play it 2 octaves.
    2. We will then ask you to play your chromatic scale. Tongue up and slur down
    3. Then you will be asked to perform the prepared exercise. One was provided on the website. If you are playing something different, please let us know. Percussionist will perform the marimba exercise and then the snare exercise. Instruments are provided in the room for percussion only.
    4. We will then ask you a short question about why you want to come to Blake.

     

    Please make sure you are warmed up and your instrument is put together before entering the room. Come in with a smile. We are very happy to see you. We know you are nervous. All you can do is your best. We will not be letting you know tonight if you made it or not. You will receive an email with the result. Please keep an eye out for an email. If you do not make it this time around, please consider reauditioning in April. We love to hear improvement.

    Good luck and smile!

     

    Audition Music

    Alto Sax

    Bari Sax

    Bass Clarinet

    Bassoon

    Clarinet

    Euphonium

    Flute

    French Horn

    Oboe

    Percussion

    Picollo

    Tenor Sax

    Trombone

    Trumpet

    Tuba

     

     

    Links to live recording of the Blake HS Wind Ensemble

    Wind Ensemble 1

    Wind Ensemble 2

    Wind Ensemble 3