Hello marching band parents and students,
1. Band Camp Recap - A tremendous congratulations to all of the students on a successful marching band camp. In just nine days, we went from having many students who had never marched to having a complete show on the field. Thank you to the parents, staff, and student leadership who made this intense first part of the season a remarkable success.
2. What's Next - Now that band camp is over, our rehearsal time is very limited - only a handful of hours remain over the entire season. Five of these rehearsals take place during All-School Resource (ASR). It is critical for students to stay on top of their schoolwork as those days will be unavailable for make-up work. (Note that this only represents about one third of ASR periods so there will still be plenty of resource opportunities.)
Attendance is expected at all rehearsals. Because they are so infrequent, it would be easy to forget the drill and technique we have learned these last two weeks if students miss rehearsals. For your convenience, the schedule is below; see the handbook or the website for more details.
9/7 -- ASR Rehearsal 9/12 -- "Field Trip" Rehearsal during Advisory, Block 7, ASR 9/14 -- ASR Rehearsal (and field trip rain date) 9/25 -- ASR Rehearsal 9/28 -- "Band Camp" Rehearsal 8-5 (no school that day) 10/9 -- ASR Rehearsal 10/12 -- "Field Trip" Rehearsal during Study Hall, Blocks 3 &4
3. Performances - Now that we have a show to put on the field, it's time to perform! We will perform the show 8 times - four home football games and four competitions. Dates are listed below; see the handbook and the website for details. Parents: if possible, try to attend at least one marching competition (not just football games). The environment and the energy are completely different than at a halftime show.
9/7 - Home Game 9/14 - Home Game 9/15 - Mukwonago (evening) 9/16 - Waukesha North (afternoon) 9/28 - Home Game 10/5 - Homecoming Game 10/7 - Sauk Prairie (afternoon) 10/13 State Championships @ UW-Whitewater (late evening)
4. Band Parent Night - Our first home game next Friday is Band Parent Night. All marching band parents get into the game for free, and senior parents will be recognized on the track immediately following the halftime show. Pregame starts at 6:50. Don't forget to order a band t-shirt to show your support!
5. Parent Volunteering - Thanks to everyone who has helped so far with uniforms, equipment, and organizing food. The pit crew could use more help at the performances - sign up here if you can help! As our shows increase in complexity and production value, the amount of equipment also increases.
6. Parent Performance Video - Here's a recording of yesterday's performance. Feel free to share with family and friends, but please don't post it publicly... it's a great start but not quite ready for prime time! Note that we were missing one of our visual soloists due to a minor injury, so some of the dancing and staging might look a little strange.
Good luck to everyone as we start the school year, and hope you enjoy the long weekend!
-- Michael Ver Voort
Music Teacher & Band Director