THE Houston Band

Hello, Houston Band family,

We are so excited for what's next. I'm beyond proud of our students for meeting the challenge that was presented to them by our staff this past school year. It is no small feat to address individual playing needs, overall ensemble achievement, visual issues, retention problems, and facilities organization all in one school year. Our students met all of these major issues head-on, and tackled them one-by-one.

Our maxim this past year has been to "fix" the small and easy things. I'm glad to report that we are running out of small and easy things to fix, which means it's time to tackle the bigger and tougher challenges. We are a significantly-above-average band, but it's time that we turn our attention to finding our program's last few deficits and really fine-tuning our strengths. I'm excited to lay out our goals in our annual meeting on JULY 20th at 3pm, over ice cream of course!

Have a restful summer full of practice. Please take a while to read this email carefully. New families, please know this is a lot more information than we typically send out at once, but it's all important! I can't wait to see you all for our summer camps!

With excitement and gratitude,

Mr. C

At the bottom of this email is a quick-glance calendar for the year. For our full calendar that is built out through most of the 2026-2027 school year, visit our website. If you're planning a large-scale vacation around the time we typically do events, please feel free to reach out to me well in advance! I can tell you what we're up to if the calendar is unclear.

https://www.thehoustonband.com/calendar

Our upcoming marching calendar has been set since April of 2024. Missing rehearsal not only hurts our ensemble. If can pose a genuine safety problem for your students' peers. Please move any appointments ASAP, and reach out to me immediately if there is something that cannot be moved.

The best thing to do is to add our calendar to your iCal or Google Calendars app!!

Note that "call time" is fully ready to go with instrument out, not pulling into the school parking lot.

Color Guard June Camps (June 2-6 & 9-11)

8:40am - Staff arrives

9:00am - CALL TIME - Start of day

11:30am - Dismiss for lunch (off campus or packed lunch)

12:30pm - Arrive for afternoon block

4:00pm - Dismiss

4:15pm - Staff leaves

Percussion & Guard July Camp (July 14-19)

8:40am - Staff arrives

9:00am - CALL TIME - Start of day

11:30am - Dismiss for lunch (off campus or packed lunch)

12:30pm - Arrive for afternoon block

4:00pm - Dismiss

4:15pm - Staff leaves

Full Band Camp (July 21-26*)

7:00am - Staff arrives

7:30am - CALL TIME - Sectional stretch

7:45am - Basics block

8:30am - Drill

11:30am - Lunch

12:30pm - Sectional time OR drill

1:30pm - Divisional rehearsal

2:45pm - Full rehearsal

4:30pm - Dismiss

5:00pm - Staff leaves

* Saturday schedule dependent on weather

Summer Full Rehearsals (July 29 & 31)

2:45pm - Staff arrives

3:00pm - CALL TIME - Divisional rehearsals

4:15pm - Full ensemble rehearsal (inside/outside dependent on weather)

6:00pm - Dismiss

6:15pm - Staff leaves

Full Band Mini Camp (September 13)

8:00am - Staff arrives

8:30am - CALL TIME - Sectional stretch

8:45am - Basics block

9:30am - Full rehearsal (inside/outside determined by weather)

12:00pm - Lunch

1:00pm - Full rehearsal (inside/outside determined by weather)

4:30pm - Dismiss

4:45pm - Staff leaves

In an effort to streamline our parent volunteering efforts, the following Google Form includes all known opportunities this year to help out our band. It takes a large and involved village to run a band program, and it's necessary that everyone helps at least a couple times! Thanks!!

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.

Our band dues will not be raised moving into next 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 strongly 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.

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.

I have the best "bad" news possible! Our band is growing considerably next year for the first time since our school district was founded, and we need to know what instruments need to be fixed/cleaned to get assigned for students. Even if you already sent an email as previously requested, please fill out this quick form to formally request an instrument through our school. The only people who don't need to fill this out are students who already completed a physical copy of the paperwork AND have already been given an instrument. Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for understanding.

https://forms.gle/RhcxfLVc2q7SAMN1A

A majority of high school band students polled nationwide believe that it takes about two days to acclimate to the heat of band camp. This is not true. Go outside often, whether to exercise or just relax. It takes weeks for the body to get comfortable in the extreme heat of July, and it's always obvious who comes to camp ready and who does not.

We do everything we can to make our marching camps as non-strenuous as possible, but even just standing around for our 3 hour outdoor rehearsal block can lead to heat exhaustion if you are not hydrated and ready for the sun!

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.

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!

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.

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 in these tax-deductible sponsorships. Anonymous sponsorships are also available if desired!

$10,000 - 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 (plus 8 seats at the banquet if desired).

$5,000 - 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 (plus 4 seats at the banquet if desired).

$3,000 - 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 included in all digital concert programs on a list of "friends of the band."

$500 - "Give the Gift of Band" - The equivalent of one student's band dues. Doing this can offset the costs of a student whose family may not be able to afford their band dues. Name or company name included in all digital concert programs.

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

• 6/2-6/6 - June Color Guard Rookie Camp
• 6/9-6/11 - June Color Guard Full Camp
• 6/12/25 - BAND STAFF SUMMER (limited email correspondence and facility access due to annual cleanings and summer vacation)
• 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)
• 8/7/25 - Rehearsals begin (sectionals Mon 3-4:30, full rehearsals Tues/Thurs 3-4:45)
• 8/29/25 - Football v. Whitehaven
• 9/13/25 - Marching Band Mini Camp (all day)
• 9/27/25 - Contest #1 (TBD)
• 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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