Recognizing Dr. Bill Thomas
Dr. Thomas has spent the last three years working on his doctorate degree – he completed this year, and the BandAides West executive board presented him with a special recognition during the 2019 Winter Band Concert!
Dr. Thomas has spent the last three years working on his doctorate degree – he completed this year, and the BandAides West executive board presented him with a special recognition during the 2019 Winter Band Concert!
Thursday night, Dec. 12 – Band concert ALL bands. Pictures will be taken prior to the concert starting at 6:00p with the Wind Ensemble, followed at 6:15 by the Symphonic Band (this includes Freshman Concert Band the rest of the year). Jazz pictures will be taken later. The doors to the auditorium will open after pictures about 6:40p.
Make sure you have the appropriate “concert dress” items. All Black long dresses, Tuxedo shirts, ties, cummerbunds, black dress pants, black DRESS shoes and long black socks etc. If in doubt, please ask Dr. Thomas. Ladies – dresses above the knees are not acceptable nor are low necklines. If you need help obtaining the correct attire, please ask. We do NOT want this to create a financial hardship! We are here to help.
(JC Pennys usually offers a good price for a set of Tux wear that will fit your band student for a year. Also, some band parents who’ve had their students outgrow their shirts, pants etc. hang out on the Band Facebook Page – post a request if you need something!)
Check your email for more news, notes and information from Dr. Thomas!
Our West Area Band director and SMSD Music Coordinator, has successfully defended his Doctoral Dissertation and is now Doctor Bill Thomas! To recognize his accomplishments, Shawnee Mission West will be hosting a brief reception before school on Wednesday, November 20th at 7:00 AM in the band room.
All band and color guard alumni and their families are invited to a reception to honor Dr. Thomas on Wednesday, November 20, from 7:00 AM-7:30 AM in the band room.
Parents, please swing by before work to congratulate Dr. Thomas.
The BAW Executive Board will have coffee, orange juice and donuts. Please come and celebrate with us!
From Mr. Thomas:
Saturday: KBA Marching Festival – STRANGE schedule. Not my desire, but due to a packed performance schedule (28 bands), we must leave the campus at noon (fire marshal’s declaration), then if we are in finals, we will drive back. Please eat breakfast prior to arrival in the morning. You can eat lunch when we arrive back in KC. Similarly, if we make it into finals, please eat before arrival back at West to return.
6:15a – Call time – come in T-shirt, shorts, socks, marching shoes etc.
Change into uniform, upon arrival at school.
6:45 Bus departs West
8:00 Bus arrives at Topeka Washburn University
Warm-up
9:30 Preliminary performance
9:50 Change into street clothes to watch other bands
Buses will depart at 10:00 to park off-campus
12:00p Depart Topeka to return to West
1:15 Uniforms hung up, Students dismissed
Keep eye on Kansasbandmasters.com website to see if we stay in top 12 to get to return for Finals.
4:30 EVERYONE returns to West to reload buses w/ uniforms and return to Topeka for finals
OR
Unload equipment trucks and go home
6:00 Arrive back at Topeka Washburn Univ. prepare to Warm-up
7:30 Finals begin
Performance time?????? (this will be announced at 5:30p)
10:15 Finals Awards Ceremony
10:45 Depart Topeka
12:00a Arrive back at West/Unload/Go home and sleep
Mass quantities of Glow Sticks make the show such a brilliant success! You can find them locally – sometimes – or order online; A list of products used successfully before; no affiliation, just products that have worked. (we really should get an Amazon Affiliate Account…)
You will need a *lot* of clear packing tape to attach the glowsticks to your marching band student. Here is a lot of clear packing tape in easy to use dispensers.
Please – clean up after your self and your students and get all trash in the trash cans. We are guests at the stadium and should leave it cleaner than we find it.
Oh – non-LED flashlights. Best bet is the local Ace Hardware store. Impossible and expensive to find online. The LED flashlights are too bright and white.
Kansas Band News has announced the schedule for the 2019 Kansas Bandmasters Marching Band Competition – Shawnee Mission West Pride will be marching at 9:30 AM!
Step-off Band (Class)
8:00 AM Bishop Carroll Screamin’ Eagles (Gold)
8:15 AM McLouth High School Marching Band(Gold)
8:30 AM Wichita East Marching Blue Aces (Gold)
8:45 AM De Soto High School Marching Wildcats (Blue)
9:00 AM Olathe Northwest Raven Pride (Blue)
9:15 AM Blue Valley Southwest High School Band (White)
9:30 AM Shawnee Mission West Marching Band (White)
10:00 AM Free State High School Band (White)
10:15 AM GCHS Marching Stampede (Blue)
10:30 AM “The Pride of Southwest Kansas” (Blue)
10:45 AM EHS Band (Gold)
11:00 AM Shawnee Mission North Marching Indians (White)
11:15 AM Eisenhower Instrumental Music Boosters (Gold)
11:30 AM Goddard Instrumental Music Booster – GIMB (Gold)
11:45 AM Seaman High School Bands (Blue)
1:15 PM BV Tiger Band (White)
1:30 PM Derby High School Bands (Blue)
1:45 PM WRHS Band fan club – public page. (Blue)
2:00 PM Maize South High School Bands (Gold)
2:15 PM BVN Band (White)
2:30 PM Valley Center High School Band (White)
2:45 PM OSHS Band Boosters (White)
3:15 PM Lawrence HS Marching Lions (Blue)
3:30 PM Topeka West Charger Band (White)
3:45 PM Olathe North Bands (Gold)
4:00 PM Olathe East Bands (Blue)
4:15 PM Buhler High School Bands (Blue)
4:30 PM Blue Valley West Band Boosters (Gold)
The Finals Competition begins at 7:30 PM and features the 12 highest scoring bands in Prelims.
Best of luck to all 28 bands performing!
The SM West homecoming parade will begin at approximately 1:30 pm in the circle drive of Shawnee Mission West High School. The parade proceeds down 85th Street to Santa Fe Drive and concludes at Overland Park Elementary School. Parents and guests are invited to attend or watch along the parade route.
Stay tuned to the SM West Band Facebook page for any updates or changes for weather.
We have our schedule for the 2019 Central States Marching Festival – all students and chaperones will meet at West at 11:15 AM on Saturday. The SM West main performance is at 7:00 PM, and our students will arrive home around 12:30 AM Sunday.
The band did so well at their car wash this year they beat the goal set by Mr. Thomas – so he held up his end of the deal and had his hair dyed pink! Mr. Hupe too!
All of the photos, in full resolution without watermark are available on our Smugmug photo site; feel free to download, reuse, but do give credit to the photographer.
Shawnee Mission West Pride Band is proud of these four Freshman. This summer, they were selected to participate in the Kansas Bandmasters Honor Band this past July. Students from all over Kansas applied and only 90 were selected for this one day event conducted by national renowned conductor and teacher Erin Cole from Cobb County Georgia.
L-R
Quinlan Hall – Trombone
Will Calhoun – Trumpet
Kamryn Yates – Alto Sax
Maddie Crowder – Clarinet