Weekly Update

Congratulations!

We would like to congratulate our band for another great performance at the UIL Region Marching Band Contest! Our students received straight 1's, earning a Superior Rating that qualifies them to Advance to Area in Odessa!!! We are truly proud of our students, as we can confidently say this was truly their best performance to date. We now have two weeks to continue pushing forward, and to continue GROWING!!!

As always we want to thank our amazing parents and volunteers who continue to put our students first by feeding them, taking care of them, moving and fixing equipment, and making sure the students have all the support possible. We are so lucky to have the village we have taking care of our students.

As soon as UIL post the schedule for Area, we will share it on the Band App.

Are You Helping The Program, Or Are You Hurting Us?

After celebrating our students accomplishment of receiving a Division 1, we quickly turned to the next two weeks of contests; particularly UIL Area. At Area, judges rank the SECTIONS from first to last in order to rank the band as a whole in order. The woodwinds will be ranked musically from 1st-12th, the brass will be ranked musically from 1st-12th, the percussion will be ranked musically from 1st-12th, and our whole program will be ranked visually from 1st-12th. Those scores will total up to place our band at Area.

So, we push forward by reminding our students, this is why it is important for them to be confident in their part. We asked them, are we helping the band, or are we hurting the band? These next two weeks are the climax of our season and we must treat them as such. We should continue to climb and get better than we are now. There is always an opportunity to improve and grow.

We must continue to hold ourselves ACCOUNTABLE. To hold ourselves true to the demands of the music. We will continue to test off our students on their marching show music, so that everyone knows their part. We must not settle just because we are at the top, but instead find places we can still grow. We have had multiple parents tell us that maybe we need to play "louder," but we can only do that when EVERYONE knows their part. And, on a complete transparent note; not all of our students know ALL of their music.

So please, help us hold our students accountable. Let's make sure they learn, practice and test off their music. The distance they can go when they do so, will be a lot farther and even more exhilarating than they could ever imagine. Does your child know all of their music? Maybe they should perform for you at home to help them. ;)

Remember band, Raise Your Standards!

Mandatory Rehearsals This Week!!!

As we mentioned earlier this season, we are so lucky to have a design team that cares so much about our program and our students. This week, we will welcome Ms. Ashley to spend the ENTIRE WEEK with our students to help our band visually and guard. We must have all students at rehearsals this week to ensure they do not fall behind from any changes or corrections she may incorporate this week.

Students With Medical Conditions

As we prepare for our long trip to California this week, we want to make sure all parents are as comfortable as possible with sending your children with us. Our boosters and chaperones will hold a meeting this Tuesday at 6pm in the band room for any parents who have a child with a medical condition. This includes anything from diabetes, severe allergies, migraines, or anything you would like our volunteers to be aware of.

It is important to remember our chaperones and volunteers are not trained medical staff, but instead volunteers who are taking the time to make sure our students are safe. Please feel free to join us if their are certain signs and steps you want us to be aware of.

Ineligible Students for the 9-Weeks

If your child did not pass the report card but their trip fees are paid for, our administration has cleared for them to still travel with us to California. However, they have asked us to create a contract that is signed by both students and parents to become active in class for those classes failed. Students will be required to attend tutoring a certain amount of times to bring up their grades and it must be signed by the teacher after each visit. We must remember that academics are the most important part of school, and we cannot participate in extracurricular activities without passing.

It is important to note that the only reason administration has cleared the trip for this week, is because Bands of America does not follow UIL Rules of Eligibility. They are two separate entities. Students who failed on the report card will NOT be able to travel with us or perform to Odessa for UIL Area.

Reminder: ALL REHEARSALS and PERFORMANCES are MANDATORY. Should your absences add up and restrict your ability to keep up, the directors have a right to keep you from participating at games and contests. This will lead to you having to make up this missed performance for a test grade or receive a 0.

Monday (10/19)

6:45am - 8:00am - Morning Rehearsal

Tuesday (10/20)

6:45am - 8:00am - Morning Rehearsal

5:00pm - 8:00pm - Evening Rehearsal

6:00pm - Medical Conditions Meeting

Wednesday (10/21)

5:00pm - 7:30pm - Evening Rehearsal

10:00pm - Call Time at Eastwood

Thursday (10/22)

12:00am - Depart for California

Friday (10/23)

Disneyland!!!!

Saturday (10/24) - Contest Day!!!

12:00pm PST - Prelims Performance at BOA California