THE Houston Band

Hello, Houston Band family!

What a fantastic two weeks to wrap up this first quarter of the school year. I couldn't be more proud of the growth this ensemble displayed between our first and second contest performances. That improvement and drive to continue bettering our band are what this is all about! It can feel nice to "win" at band, but at the end of the day, we are in competition with no one but ourselves. Keep that growth mindset as our north star, and we will continue to improve day in and day out, regardless of any score or placement.

SIGN UP FOR OUR SPRING TRIP (info below)! I can't wait to explore Dallas with you all. This is a really exciting trip that Mr. Sims has prepared for us, and our numbers don't currently reflect the excitement students shared for the itinerary. Please make sure you sign up and get your deposit in ASAP.

As we look towards a relaxing break, it's important that our young musicians are staying engaged in their field show throughout the week. It's really tough to have to relearn things after Fall Break! Make sure you are going through their music and choreography a bit while on vacation or at home next week.

With excitement and gratitude,

Mr. C

PLEASE help our fantastic uniform team put up our uniforms (10/21 & 10/22)!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0849ACAC23A3FF2-50892731-uniform

PLEASE also bring in candy to celebrate after our final rehearsal of the year (10/31)!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080C4CACAB2BA13-last#/

PLEASE bring in water bottles, as well! If it's on sale, buy a few cases and bring them in! Thank you!!

5pm - students arrive (uniforms, hats, set up pit, etc.)

6pm - dress rehearsal

6:45pm - recording begins

7:45pm - ideal ending of recording time

8:00pm - hard stop of recording time

12:15pm - Directors and staff arrive @ HHS

12:45pm - Students arrive

1:00pm - Full ensemble rehearsal

2:00pm - Finish rehearsal

2:15pm - Load trailer

2:50pm - Load buses

3:00pm - Depart HHS

3:30pm - Arrive, unload, set up. Concessions for dinner.

5:45pm - Performance-ready / visual warmup

6:30pm - Warm Up (B Area)

7:00pm - Move

7:10pm - Staged

7:15pm - Performance

7:25pm - Off field

7:45pm - Back at buses

8:30pm - Watch Bartlett Band, Arlington Band, and Mighty Sound of the South

9:15pm - Awards

10:00pm - Depart Liberty Bowl

10:40pm - Arrive HHS

11:00pm - Dismiss

We will celebrate our FANTASTIC marching season the Thursday after Bandmasters.

5pm - Start arriving, food truck opens

6pm - Videos & Senior celebrations

7pm - Wrap

If we have home playoff games (which seems likely 🤞), we will be performing a new field show during this post-season. This process will give students a glimpse of what marching at the collegiate level looks like. It will feature stand tune music, just a few pages of drill, and a VERY fast turnaround. Our initial two days of concert practice (11/5 & 11/7) will be shifted to be MARCHING practices to learn this new field show. Our plans of having chair placements and audition prep clinics in class that week will remain the same.

Dues are PAST DUE. We will be reaching out to delinquent dues payers starting later this week. If you forgot to turn in your dues on time, make sure to send a check this Friday morning.

The spring trip will be April 2-5. We are going to Dallas to listen to some phenomenal band and orchestra music, and we can't wait for as many students as possible to join us! Find attached the flier with details about this trip!

https://tourbot.etadventures.com/customerweb/signin

Trip Code: houstonband25

Password: dfwtrip25

NOTE: There is an option for a 1, 2, or 3 person room on the website. DO NOT select that option, as ALL students will be put into rooms of as many students as possible. Select the 4-person room.

To allow for more ample water breaks to keep our students safe and healthy, we may be going slightly over some rehearsals. This was the case yesterday. This will not be a huge time difference, but please know we may be letting students out as late as 5pm through the rest of the season. We will start our end-of-rehearsal run-through by 4:45pm, and each run will take about 8-10 minutes depending on staff comment length.

It is always my goal to dismiss no later than 4:45pm, but feel free to wait to pick your student up at 5pm if if you don't ever want to wait on us for the slightly overheld rehearsals.

The start of our competitive marching season means it's time to begin preparations for concert band auditions. Our concert season will be divided into three distinct cycles this year, with a different makeup of students for each cycle.

• November 5-December 5: Holiday Concert Cycle. Two roughly-equally sized concert bands.
• January 7-March 7: Concert Performance Assessment Cycle. Top "Wind Symphony" group with about three quarters of students and a "Developmental Ensemble" for others.
• March 10-May 6: Symphonic Cycle. Select students leave the "Wind Symphony" to prepare for a full orchestra collaboration with HHS Orchestras. All other students perform in the "Wind Symphony".

Auditions for the Holiday Concert Cycle will take place the Tuesday and Wednesday following the conclusion of marching season.

Auditions will consist of the following:

Woodwinds and Brass 11th-12th graders: The "technical" etude for all west, a random selection from any of the 12 major scales, and a sight reading passage.

Woodwinds and Brass 9th-10th graders: The first etude of three for all west, a random selection from any of the 12 major scales, and a sight reading passage.

Percussion students: You grade level's all west snare excerpt, mallet sight reading, and a random selection from any of the 12 major scales.

Students should anticipate attending a sectional every 2-3 weeks after school on Monday, until competition season. Then, plan on attending as needed. Plan on attending the following dates!

Upcoming Sectional Schedule

- October 21: ALL STUDENTS

- October 28: ALL STUDENTS

- NOVEMBER 4: NEW MEMBERS (FRESHMEN OR OTHERWISE) & SECTION LEADERS

We will also be hosting weekly open practice times each Wednesday. The road to All West participation starts now! We hope to see as many students as possible fill the band room each Wednesday to improve their craft.

This is a lot of info, and things have changed since last season. Please make sure you carefully read this section.

We have begun collecting band dues. Dues are MANDATORY and will be collected via SchoolCashOnline OR check. Checks will ONLY be collected Friday mornings before school. You can pay through SchoolCashOnline at any time. No cash will be accepted by Mr. Sims or myself. Dues checks should be made out to "Houston High School" with the memo being "Band Dues - <student legal name>".

• The first payment is due on September 1st ($250), final check collection August 30th.
• The second payment is due on October 1st ($250), final check collection September 27th.
• Our boosters also highly encourage a $225 donation that enables them to pay our world-class adjunct staff and take care of equipment emergencies that naturally come up when we regularly bring a half million dollars of equipment into the elements. While it would be great to send that money ASAP, it would be helpful to make that $225 donation no later than November 1st. This can be sent via the linked website OR via check made out to "HHS Band Boosters" placed in the dropbox in Mr. C's office W-F.
• We encourage those who are able to just pay everything ASAP, as this is the most expensive portion of our year. If you need extensions, please reach out sooner rather than later.

If you are experiencing financial hardship, please reach out to me ASAP. If you or a relative are in the privileged position of paying for another student's full or partial dues, please reach out to me about how to "Give the Gift of Band."

We have a new way of tracking band conflicts internally. Please note, students that miss rehearsals and performances without prior approval will be penalized with grade deductions.

All you have to do is give us as MUCH heads up as possible, emailing me the reason for missing and (when relevant) a doctor's note. Please note that the closer we get to a date, the less likely exemption will be granted. Give us time to plan for other students' success when sending us your reasonable conflicts due to health, religion, family emergencies, etc.

Thank you for your understanding and commitment to our band's success!

There are several changes this year that I want to make you aware of right now, rather than surprising you once school gets rolling!

- Holiday concert is at HHS this year. We have to be able to ticket and collect donations at that concert, and GPAC is not allowing us to do that in their space.

- Holiday parade is happening this year. The holiday parade rain date is on the calendar, so make plans to attend both possible dates (Dec 14 & Dec 15). If you have a conflict with the Sunday rain date, tell me ASAP (just like you would for any other conflict). Do not email me the moment there is a weather event and the rain date is activated; it will be unexempt just like any other missed performance.

- Festival Mini Camp on Feb 22 is a Saturday event for students in the top concert ensemble.

- All State is changing from being a Wed-Sat event to a Thurs-Sun event. This is beyond our control; please plan accordingly if you generally make All State or get close. This year's All State is April 10-13.

Find upcoming dates for performances, events, and one-off rehearsals below. Note that regular rehearsals are Tuesdays and Thursdays, with sectionals on Mondays.

You can always find our full calendar (including Google and iCal integration links) here: https://www.thehoustonband.com/calendar

• 10/24/24 - Football v. White Station. GO MUSTANGS!! (NOT on the 25th. This is a Thursday game.)
• 10/26/24 - Recording Session
• 11/1/24 - Football v. Collierville. GO MUSTANGS!!
• 11/2/24 - Bandmasters Championship
• 11/5/24 - POSTSEASON MARCHING REHEARSAL
• 11/7/24 - POSTSEASON MARCHING REHEARSAL
• 11/23/24 - WTSBOA Orchestra Auditions
• 11/5/24 - Winter Concert
• 12/12/24 - Holiday Parade practice
• 12/13/24 - Holiday Parade practice
• 12/14/24 - Germantown Holiday Parade
• 12/15/24 - Germantown Holiday Parade Rain Date (treat it like any other performance date! KEEP OPEN!)
• 1/11/25 - All West Band Auditions (required for all students unless they've made an orchestra)
• 2/13/25 - All West TN Band and Orchestra Clinic Begins
• 2/15/25 - All West TN Band and Orchestra Clinic Concerts Conclude
• 2/22/25 - Festival Mini Camp - Required for all students in the top concert ensemble
• 3/5/25 - Wednesday after school rehearsal for Festival
• 3/6/25 & 3/7/25 - Possible Concert Festival dates (TBA)
• 4/2-5/25 - Dallas Trip
• 4/5/25 - Solo & Ensemble
• 4/10/25 - TN All State Conference Begins
• 4/13/25 - TN All State Concert Concludes
• 4/22/25 - HHS Symphony Orchestra rehearsals begin (Tuesdays/Thursdays)
• 4/28/25 - Boston Brass Residency Begins
• 5/6/25 - HHS Instrumental Concert
• 5/7/25 - Graduation Orchestra Rehearsal
• 5/8/25 - Graduation Orchestra Rehearsal
  
• 5/9/25 - Graduation!
• May 12-13 25-26 Leadership Camp (after school)

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