THE Houston Band

Hello, Houston Band family,

Our band had a great first week! We had our first classes, started after-school rehearsals, spent some quality time together watching DCI finals (thanks, Mr. Nesvick!), had our uniform fittings (thanks, Mrs. McCarrens and volunteers!), and supported the band at Baskin Robbins (thanks, Mrs. Ortiz!). It was great to spent time with our band family both new and old for this first-of-many busy weeks this marching season.

Schedules are mostly correct, so if anything's wrong after tomorrow, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. In this newsletter, you'll see sectional information and get various other important updates.

With excitement and gratitude,

Mr. C

So far, we have raised $12,368 through our calendar fundraiser. This is just under a quarter of our goal. More than half of students have not started filling out their calendar yet.

Check your emails for a message from me (kevin.carpenter@gmsdk12.org) on July 15th. If you didn't get a calendar link, reach out to me ASAP!

I want to be clear: If we don't fundraise more effectively this year than we did last year, we will be forced to consider a significant dues increase in the 26-27 school year. You may recall that last school year, we reduced band dues from $725 to $500, with a bigger emphasis on fundraising. I love that we've made band more accessible to our families at HHS (especially families that have 2+ students participating), and I imagine our community appreciates it, too. Let's all do our part!

Typically, we reserve Monday afternoons for sectionals or full-group work as needed if we get behind. We try to limit the use of these Mondays because we understand everyone is busy, but we are not always successful. Due to the extended construction of Landers Stadium at HHS, we are missing out on field time during the school day. As a result, we will be calling full ensemble rehearsals Mondays starting August 18th and going until we've closed the gap on drill learning.

This is not ideal, but it is necessary to field our competitive show on the timeline this much memorization demands. Find the full Sectional Monday schedule below.

8/11 - Student leaders workshop (3-4:15pm)

8/18 - Drill work (2:55pm-4:15pm) - ALL band students!

8/25 - Drill work (2:55pm-4:15pm) - ALL band students!

9/1 - TBD (drill work or true sectionals as needed, determined by stadium construction schedule)

The first of two band dues payments ($250) is due Friday. SchoolCashOnline should be available later this week if you wish to pay online. Please note that you can avoid the online surcharge by sending in a check to school.

See the "Repeat Announcements" for more details!

We will have outside class the DAY the field is available to us. Please plan accordingly by having water, cool clothing, sunscreen, sunglasses, and anything else you need to beat the heat every day to school.

At our first rehearsal, many students attempted to participate while wearing inadequate clothing. Jeans, layered tops, black attire, and other hot clothing ARE NOT allowed at after school rehearsal until the weather gets much more comfortable. Please also remember to wear comfortable athletic shoes.

Many students forgot water. We will always have a few waters on hand for emergencies, but the expectation is that students supply their own, reusable water bottle. We went through several cases of water at one rehearsal last week. That is costly, negatively impacts the environment, and is overall a worse experience than a reusable bottle. Things like water jugs, Stanley cups, Owala bottles, or equivalent vesicles can keep water significantly colder than a disposable plastic water bottle, so they are strongly recommended in the heat.

From booster president Deanna Gilbert:

Our Booster Board is looking to fill some vacant spots and this is a perfect opportunity for some of our new families to join in behind the scenes of supporting the band. Specifically we are in need of a Booster Secretary (takes minutes at monthly Booster meetings and invites various admin, city leaders and school board to events), a Uniform Co-Chair or 2 (will assist Uniform Chair Erica McCarrens in getting our students ready for games and competitions), and a Publicity Chair (takes pictures at events, updates social media and assists in event promotions). If you are interested or have any questions please reach out to Booster President Deanna Gilbert at dlgilbert3@bellsouth.net.

This Saturday, Mr. Sims and Mr. Carpenter will be representing our students at the WTSBOA annual fall meeting. If you have any questions or concerns around the association events (all west, all state, concert performance assessment, etc.), please reach out to Mr. Carpenter by Friday at noon for it to be brought up to the regional band and orchestra executive board.

If you weren't able to help with camp because of weekday obligations, please check out the weekend volunteer opportunities below!

https://forms.gle/Wvyy41YRBpo8hAni9

Please do not just scroll past this form. Take a moment to find something you can help with this school year. As our band grows, so does our need for our exceptional community to rally around it.

Monday of this week (tomorrow!) is the last time to join band for the semester.

See or email Mr. Carpenter ASAP if you wish to change your fall course schedule to include band! kevin.carpenter@gmsdk12.org

Our band dues will not be raised moving into this year. Last year, we reduced band dues by $225 to make band as accessible as possible to all students. It's important to participate in our year-round fundraisers to supplement that cost. If fundraising is NOT your thing, please consider just writing a check for $225 (or donating that amount online) to offset what students will typically fundraise over the year if they fully participate in everything. Please note that while there are no consequences to not participating in fundraising efforts, it hurts our band when lots of people don't.

Total mandatory dues: $500 (two payments of $250, one due on August 15th and the other due on September 15th)

Total booster requested donation: $225 (or full participation in fundraisers) by the end of the year

If you are unable to pay dues on time (or in full), please reach out to Mr. Carpenter immediately. We will do everything we can to fundraise, provide scholarships, etc. Band is an expensive activity, and these funds are necessary for travel, staffing, instruments, repair, show design, concert music, and much more. Our dues are lower than many other municipal band in the area, and we are incredibly proud of that.

You can pay via check any Friday of the school year or via card on SchoolCashOnline as soon as that system is set up for the school year, likely by the end of this week.

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.

Please look ahead in our calendar when scheduling routine doctor or dental care. Your appointment may have been scheduled for six months, but our calendar has been set for 18 months. If you have an immovable appointment, let me know ASAP, not the day before. The former will be exempt, and the latter will not.

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

It is extremely important to plan ahead for ACT dates when you are in band, as we often have Saturday events outside of our scheduling control. The ACT dates with no conflicts are (2025) June 14, July 12, September 6, October 18, (2026) April 11 for most students, June 13, and July 11.

That is more than enough dates to take the ACT an adequate number of times. Missing a band event for the ACT is NOT excused. We understand the inconvenience of not having these dates available, but all of these Saturdays are outside of our scheduling control. Our ACT date conflicts this year are: December 13 (Holiday Parade), February 14 (All West), and April 11 (for All State Students only). Please plan accordingly.

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 just the two weeks leading up to those events.

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!

• The Woodwind Fingering Guide
• "Fingering Chart by Tremolo" on iOS
• PlayScore 2
• Sight Reading Factory (see Mr. C for activation instructions at the start of band camp)
• MusicRacer.com (note that there are strobing lights in this game)

Additionally, students have reported having improved outcomes utilizing the Tonic App. I've heard comparisons to the popular running app Strava, but for music. Parents, please feel free to explore this option for your young musician but be advised that there is a social media element to this app.

Our 2026 Spring Trip will be to UNIVERSAL STUDIOS! This trip is optional and not included in band dues. Due to a very busy Q4 this year, we will be traveling to sunny Orlando at the END OF JANUARY, which is a beautiful time of year in central Florida. Typically, band trips costs about $1,000. Charter buses, hotels, and theme parks are all getting more and more expensive. Most students save up money (from birthdays, holidays, mowing lawns, working jobs, etc.) to go (or at least offset parent costs!), and the time to start doing that is now!

We will be hosting open practice time after school Monday-Thursday AND every school day 7:00am-7:45am. 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!

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.

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

Upcoming Dates

• Rehearsals continue every Tuesday and Thursday.
• 8/29/25 - Football v. Whitehaven
• 9/13/25 - Marching Band Mini Camp (all day)
• 9/27/25 - Contest #1 (TBD - Olive Branch or Bartlett most likely)
• 10/4/25 - Contest #2 (Champions @ Collierville)
• 10/10/25 - Football v. Arlington
• 10/25/25 - Recording Session (@ HHS)
• 10/30/25 - Football v. Collierville
• 11/1/25 - Contest #3 (Bandmasters @ Liberty Bowl)
• 11/7/25 (and following Fridays through November) - Potential Playoff Football
• 11/8/25 - Recording Session Rain Date (@ HHS)
• 11/11/25 - Holiday concert rehearsals begin (Tuesdays Concert Band, Thursdays Wind Ensemble)
• 11/22/25 - WTSBOA All West Auditions
• 12/11/25 - Holiday Concert (@ HHS, 6pm)
• 1/8/26 - After school rehearsals begin for CPA cycle (Tuesdays or Thursdays, depending on ensemble)
• 1/28/26 to 2/1/26- Spring Trip - Universal Studios!!
• 2/12/26-2/14/26 - WTSBOA All West Clinic
• 2/21/26 - CPA/Festival Mini Camp (@ HHS, all day)
• 3/12/26 OR 3/13/26 - WTSBOA Concert Performance Assessment
• 4/9/26-4/12/25 - TnMEA All State Clinic and Conference
• 5/5/26 - Tentative Band Concert (dependent on GPAC)
• 5/8/26 - Graduation

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