Well done Concert Band with your concert on Thursday. You have improved greatly. I hope you feel that way as well. Maybe we should take time to list all of how you have improved – it would be monumental! Great job on Saturday Marching Band, and congratulations on your Superior Rating! I was so proud of your clinic rehearsal and especially your performance. But alas, we can’t dwell in the past, let’s look ahead to this coming Saturday and what gets us there.
This Week Schedule
Tuesday – 7a morning rehearsal. Please be on time so we can get the most accomplished. We have lots of drill sets to clean. We also need to maximize the musical impact points as talked about by our clinician on Saturday. We need to get an accurate account of who will not be with us on Saturday due to West athletic commitments. Holes in the drill not only make it harder for you to march the show, it also takes away the clarity of the drill forms thus costing us points. We will take out the sound equipment and pit. This will be the LAST EARLY MORNING REHEARSAL.
Evening rehearsal – 6-8p, (9p) for drumline. – This is the LAST TUESDAY NIGHT REHEARSAL. We’ll continue cleaning as above. We will take out the sound equipment and pit.
Wednesday – regular 7:40a report time. Because so many people will be out for testing, we will focus on music and visuals during our time together. It is an ALL class schedule. Good luck to those who are testing!
Concert Band – we will finish our Fight Song playing test. We will have a written counting test and continue to work on scales with a playing test over those now that our concert is complete.
Tonight is Parent/Teacher Conferences from 5-8. Parents, we see each other a lot. If you don’t have time to stop by and see Mr. Hupe or I, we understand. Grades are pretty self-explanatory – The grades come from music memorization for both bands, and performance attendance.
Thursday – Home football game. 4:00p call time. Normal game day procedures. 8th graders will join with us for pre-game and will play with us in the stands. Please be kind and helpful. Mind your manners and language. I do not want a phone call from angry parents because one of our HS students was not behaving appropriately. This is a recruiting event, we want the students to be impressed and highly motivated to become a part of this organization next year.
Friday – No school but….. One final rehearsal prior to KBA. 8a-10a. We will take out the sound equipment and pit. After rehearsal we will prep everything to load on Saturday morning. Obviously, Mr. Hupe and I will not be available for conferences between 7:30a-10:30a as we will be prepping for rehearsal or cleaning up from rehearsal.
Saturday – 5:00a call time. KBA Marching Festival Have a buddy call to make sure you are awake. We can’t afford to have any more holes because someone oversleeps! Don’t forget to bring money for lunch from the concession stand. It will be a long day at the stadium. We will be riding yellow buses for this one. We should change into uniform before departure from West as our schedule will be tight when we arrive in Emporia. Bring street clothes to change into AFTER our performance. Parents – I will send out more details for you to know what to expect to come watch as spectators. If we don’t make it into finals, we should return home between 5:30-6:00p.
Next week – collapse. Marching band rehearsals move to 7:40a – early mornings are done.
Wednesday – London reception, 7:00p in the cafeteria. Please make every effort to be present for this as we want an enthusiastic showing for our new friends from “across the pond.” We will go outside and run the show this morning.
Thursday – Sr. Night and Glow Show! Call time for this game is 5:00p, we will depart West at 5:30p. We will NOT be serving dinner on this night since we are departing later. We will perform pregame like normal, at halftime, we will introduce our senior band and color guard members with their parents. We will then take 3/4th quarters to change into our clothes for the Glow Show after the game. We wear dark colored shirts and pants so that the glow sticks show up well and not the designs on our clothes. If you wear sweats or something similar, make sure to have some kind of belt. We had a student lose his pants several years ago due to the weight of the decorations. NOW is the time to purchase glow sticks and LED’s as desired. Remember, no flashing lights and no light beams aimed directly at the crowd.
Upcoming
Marching Band auditions for the split between Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble. I hope to have music ready for everyone in the next day or so. Stay tuned. We will begin those auditions – in class – on Wednesday Oct. 30.
Trip Deposits – are due on Tuesday, October 15 (TOMORROW). We need $200 from each traveler along with the Statement of Understanding. We can still potentially add people later, but the price will not be locked in. If there is a price increase, you will not be protected. Parents will be available to take your signed Statements of Understanding and initial deposit (providing a receipt) from 5:30-6:30p in the Ensemble Room of the band room. Remember this needs to be cash, check or money order. Credit/debit cards are not yet available for use (but we are working on it). Fundraised money may be used after the initial deposit. If you need one more week to decide, you can pay at the London Visit if needed. I know this has happened rather quickly.
Enough for now. You have been doing so well this year! Keep up the energy – there is only a little further to go! You’ve got this!