MVMS ADVANCED BAND NEWS

Dear Parents and Students,

We hope everyone enjoyed the extra day off! We are now entering contest season, which is our busiest time of the year. Our bands have a long-standing record of success at competitions, and all of our upcoming plans are designed to support our students in continuing that tradition of excellence.

Please read this newsletter closely. If you ever have questions, please contact me or our new assistant band director, Mr. Greiner. Mr. Griener's email is dylan.greiner@comalisd.org. My contact information can be found at the end of this newsletter.

Sincerely,

Danette Conard, MVMS Head Band Director

New Region Band Dates

Region band auditions have been rescheduled for Saturday, February 7 at Danville MS. All eligible Honor Band students and select Symphonic Band students have been enrolled to audition. For students that make the region band, the region clinic and concert has been changed to Thursday, April 2 at Davenport HS.

Here is the audition info for students.

Here is the travel permission form (due BEFORE Feb. 7).

There is a rule that students with school event conflicts may be allowed to audition first at 10am, but if the timing doesn't work out, they will have to choose between events. If you have a conflict with Feb. 7, inform Mrs. Conard before Jan. 30 because this affects school registration fees and possibly transportation. Please be timely with your notification.

Chaperones, please confirm if you are still available on February 7.

A parent volunteer is also needed to tow the band trailer. Contact Mrs. Conard if you can help!

Tuesday, February 10 - Pre-UIL performance

Pre-UIL is a required performance for ALL advanced band students in Symphonic and Honor Band. The performance will take place at Canyon Lake HS Auditorium. Students must provide their own transportation to/from CLHS. The performance is free and open to the public. At least one parent/guardian should be in attendance.

Schedule:

6:00PM - Sym Band warm-up on stage at CLHS

6:30PM-7PM - Sym Band performs for judges

6:30PM - Honor Band warm-up in CLHS band hall

7:15-7:45pm - Honor Band performs on stage for judges

Attire for Pre-UIL (and UIL) is "concert black."

Black dress shirt (3/4 length or long sleeve)
Black slacks
Tall black socks
Black leather/leather-like dress shoes / flats

*Girls may wear a black blouse with black dress pants or a long, black skirt (below the knee).

Most students prefer to wear their own "concert black" attire, but students may also borrow concert clothing from MVMS. Any students that need to borrow concert dress from MVMS will need to get fitted. Please let us know if you need us to provide concert attire by Friday, Jan 30, and we will make sure your child gets fitted the following week. A handout about Pre-UIL will be sent out this week.

UIL Sectionals Calendar

In order to best prepare for UIL, we are asking students to attend ONE morning or afternoon sectional each week. Students were given a copy of the sectionals calendar last week so they could start planning. Here is a revised sectionals calendar with changes to this week due to the weather. Sectional attendance may factor into whether or not your student will be able to participate in UIL concert and sightreading contest. If your child cannot attend a scheduled sectional, they need to work out an alternative plan with their band director. Communicate!

Advanced Band students will be required to pass-off parts of their UIL music. They may play alone or with a small group of friends for Mrs. Conard/Mr. Greiner, or they may submit individual recordings in Google Classroom. Correct notes, correct rhythms, good technique, correct style, good tone, obvious dynamics, and correct musical phrasing are expected.

The band directors have set aside time on Monday mornings and Fridays after school (see sectionals calendar) to listen to student pass-offs. Students that have Hawk Time in the band hall should get theirs done then. Mrs. Conard can be available on the school holiday, February 16, if students would like to come in that day. All pass-off assignments will be posted in Google Classroom and are due by February 20.

The UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluation will take place on February 26–27 at CLHS. Performance times have not yet been assigned, but the event will most likely occur during school hours. This evaluation is comparable to the STAAR test, and Comal ISD places a high level of importance on this competition.

All advanced band students are expected to participate unless otherwise communicated by the band director. Students may be excluded from participation for reasons including, but not limited to: failing band, not meeting performance standards or pass-offs, missing sectionals, or exhibiting poor behavior. If a student is having difficulty meeting UIL expectations, parents will be notified so we can work together. Please be aware that students who do not take UIL preparation seriously may not be eligible to attend the end-of-year trip.

Contact us:

Email: danette.conard@comalisd.org
Website: mvhawkband.org
Location: 1165 Sattler Road, Canyon Lake, TX 78132, USA
Phone: (830) 885-1300
Facebook: facebook.com/mvmshawkband
Twitter/X: @mvhawkband

MVMS ADVANCED BAND NEWS

Jan/Feb 2026

Dear Parents and Students,

New Region Band Dates

Tuesday, February 10 - Pre-UIL performance

UIL Sectionals Calendar

Contact us:

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Dear Parents and Students,

REGION BAND/PRE-UIL/SECTIONALS REGION BAND/PRE-UIL/SECTIONALS

New Region Band Dates

Tuesday, February 10 - Pre-UIL performance

UIL Sectionals Calendar

UIL Music Pass-Offs UIL Music Pass-Offs

A look ahead: UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluation A look ahead: UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluation

NEW MVMS BAND STAFF! NEW MVMS BAND STAFF!

2025-2026 BAND EVENTS CALENDAR 2025-2026 BAND EVENTS CALENDAR

Contact us:

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