THE Houston Band

Hello, Houston Band family,

The growth many of our underclassmen displayed between their first concert band chair placements in November and their final ones last week has me deeply excited for the future of our band program. I am incredibly proud to work with a band that is motivated and hard-working. It's a testament to the culture we have here in the Houston Band and in our school building as a whole.

I hope spring break was restful (or at least fun) for you all. We have a busy Q4, so please read the following announcements very carefully.

With excitement and gratitude,

Mr. C

The banquet will be held WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23rd at 6:00 PM at The Great Hall & Conference Center, 1900 S. Germantown Rd., Germantown, TN. Please follow the Givebacks link (also below) to reserve your spot for this special evening.

Seats are $25 each and include dinner catered by Germantown Commissary (vegetarian options will be available).

**ALL BAND MEMBERS AND FAMILIES ARE WELCOME AND ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND!**

ALL ATTENDEES must reserve and purchase a seat (band members included). For example, a family with one band student and two parents attending would reserve 3 seats at $25 each for a total of $75. Seating is limited so reserve yours TODAY!

Individual tickets WILL NOT BE ISSUED for nonstudents. Your name and number in your party will be recorded and placed on the reservation list. Please check in at the registration table outside the event hall. The registration table will open at 5:30 PM.

Digital Pictures are also needed for possible inclusion in the End of the Year Slideshow! Deadline is Friday, April 18th and you can email them to hhsbandhospitality@gmail.com

Senior baby pictures may be sent to Sheila Jeevan at sheilajeevan@yahoo.com.

We look forward to celebrating these amazing young musicians and a year of 'note'-worthy achievements!

https://houstonhighband.givebacks.com/store?limit=21&live=true&category=End%20of%20Year%20Banquet

This message has been sent on behalf of:

Houston High School Band Boosters

P.O. Box 38233

Germantown, TN 38183

Please make sure you read the following announcement and send your photos to Mrs. Jeevan as soon as you can! - Mr. C

Hello senior parents! We are thinking it would be nice to show a baby picture of your senior in the slide show at the end of the year banquet on April 23rd. Please email me a baby picture at sheilajeevan@yahoo.com by April 1st. If you have any questions please email me.

- Sheila Jeevan

Classes end for seniors on April 29th, and exams wrap on May 2nd. Band does not end until our final concert. Please ensure that you have a plan to attend rehearsals and classes through May 6, 2025. We've worked incredibly hard this year, and we are excited to showcase all of that work at our end-of-year concert. Exact expectations and details will be sent a bit closer to that week.

If you have a friend, neighbor, family member, or ANYONE else in your life in 4th or 5th grade within GMSD, let them know about the transformative experience band has been in your students' lives. If you know an 8th grader that wants to be in a great band but doesn't live in Germantown, let them know about our academies. We are so excited to continue building our program's numbers back to sustainable levels, but that takes work from everyone. Thank you for helping with that work!

If anyone has ANY questions about band at any level, I'm more than happy to field those questions.

If you are interested in private lessons, please reach out! We are happy to recommend teachers for students of all levels at any budget. The time to start preparing for regional honors ensembles (All West/ All State/ Memphis/ etc.) is NOW, not the two weeks leading up to those events.

A separate email will go out tomorrow to all trip participants' parent/student emails in Skyward. That email will contain information about our Dallas trip. Please be on the lookout for that email, which will contain a pack list, an itinerary, and other critical info.

Mr. Sims has set up a group chat for students participating in the Dallas trip for quick communications in places that students will be spread out (hotel, adventure park, etc.) If you don't want your student in that group chat, please reach out to me. If you would like to be added to that chat, you can reach out as well.

This is an INCREDIBLE opportunity to grow as a musician and develop an understanding of America's genre. Sign up here!

Classes will be Wednesday at 4pm to 7pm.

A fun week is right around the corner! On the week of 4/21, we will begin our Symphony Orchestra rehearsals, we will host Jazz & Percussion night @ HHS (info soon), and we will have our annual banquet @ The Great Hall (info soon). Leave your calendar open those evenings for a great time with friends, food, and band recognitions!

There will be no Symphonic Band practices in March. We will begin our rehearsals April 1st. Find a full list of practices below.

Rehearsals: April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

Dress rehearsal: May 5th (2:55-3:30)

Rehearsals: April 22, 24, 29, May 1

Dress rehearsal: May 5th (3:30-5:00)

Our phenomenal booster organization takes care of unexpected costs, pays for some of our adjunct staff, organizes events, and enables us to create long-term savings and spending plans. In lieu of required booster dues or increased school-based dues, our boosters ask that each family donate $225 (or whatever they can) to the booster organization. That can be done via check (made out to "HHS Band Boosters") in Woody or at this link:

https://houstonhighband.givebacks.com/store/items/1050541

2025-2026 Season Sponsorships

If you or someone you know would like to sponsor our band next year, we have a few different tiers of booster sponsorships we're excited to introduce! Please reach out to me for more info if you're interested. Anonymous sponsorships are also available if desired!

$25,000 - Platinum - Season Sponsor (1 spot) - As a token of appreciation: Name or company name on all concert programs, read as the primary sponsor at all football games while introducing the band, posted on website, and given a certificate of appreciation at our Band Banquet.

$10,000 - Gold - Season Sponsor (3 spots) - As a token of appreciation: Name or company name on all concert programs, read at all football games while introducing the band, posted on website, and given a certificate of appreciation at our Band Banquet.

$5,000 - Silver - Cycle Sponsor (3 spots) - By supporting the costs roughly associated with one of our three cycles of concert band, you can be a Cycle Sponsor. As a token of appreciation: At the culminating concert of that cycle, name or company on concert programs and verbally announced as that concert's sponsor. Included on website.

$1,000 - Bronze - Friend of the Band (unlimited spots) - As a token of appreciation: Name or company name printed in all concert programs on a list of "friends of the band."

- All State is changing from being a Wed-Sat event to a Thurs-Sun event. This is beyond our control.

- HHS Symphony Orchestra rehearses on Tuesdays AND Thursdays as we approach the end of the school year. Please check our calendar for details.

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!

We will be hosting open practice time after school Monday-Thursday AND every day before school starts. The road to All West participation starts now, with a little bit of growth every day! We hope to see as many students as possible fill the band room each morning and evening to improve their craft.

Please encourage your young musicians to pick a day each week to come practice with myself, Mr. Sims, and others on our incredibly talented band staff. Thank you!

Students can request lesson time with Mr. Sims or Mr. Carpenter after school! We are here to help you get better at your instrument!

Mr. Sims has created a list of some practice resources for students. If you have any additional resources that have been helpful for you, please feel free to share them!

• MusicRacer.com
• The Woodwind Fingering Guide
• "Fingering Chart by Tremolo" on iOS
• PlayScore 2
• Sight Reading Factory (see Mr. C for activation instructions)

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

• 4/1/25 - Symphonic Band rehearsals begin (Tuesdays)
• 4/2-5/25 - Dallas Trip
• 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)
• 5/6/25 - HHS Instrumental Concert
• 5/7/25 - Graduation Orchestra Rehearsal
• 5/8/25 - Graduation Orchestra Rehearsal
  
• 5/9/25 - Graduation! CONGRATS, seniors.
• 5/12-13/25 - 25-26 Leadership Camp (after school)
• 6/2-6/11 - June Guard Camp
• 6/12/25 - BAND STAFF SUMMER (limited email correspondence and facility access due to annual cleanings)
• 7/10/25 - BAND STAFF SUMMER ENDS
• 7/14/25-7/19/25 - Percussion and Guard Camps
  
• 7/21/25-7/26/25 - Full Band Camp
• 7/29/25 - SUMMER REHEARSAL (3-6pm)
• 7/31/25 - SUMMER REHEARSAL (3-6pm)
• 9/13/25 - Marching Band Mini Camp (all day)
• 9/27/25 - Contest #1 (TBD)
• 10/4/25 - Contest #2 (Collierville or Booneville)
• 10/25/25 - Contest #3 or Recording Session (TBD)
• 11/1/25 - Contest #3 or Recording Session (TBD)
• 11/8/25 - POSSIBLE Contest #4 if Bandmasters is later than typical (Depends on UofM football schedule)
• 12/4/25 - Holiday Concert

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