Dear Band Families,
If you are receiving this letter, your child is on the high school band roster for the 2017-2018 school year, and I’m so excited to have them in class! There are so many exciting things planned for the HHS Band this year, and I wanted to communicate those with you to ensure that everyone is aware of everything that is going on. Please read through this entire letter, and if you have any questions or concerns at all, don’t hesitate to contact me at the numbers/email listed above (I really prefer email, but if you need to text me, that’s fine, too.J)
The first and most important event coming up is band camp. It is essential that your student attends this camp, because we will be laying the foundation for our entire marching season during this week. If your student is unable to attend camp at all, they are responsible for memorizing our marching song by Friday, Aug. 18th and will be tested on it. They are also responsible for attending 3 hours of sectionals with his/her section leader or drum major before our first parade. If your student must miss only a small part of camp, simply communicate that with me and we can definitely work that out.
Things your student needs for band camp:
Water bottle Instrument Tennis/Marching Shoes
Sunscreen PENCIL Light, school appropriate apparel
Schedule:
31 1 2 3 4
9-12 Leadership Full Band Full Band Full Band Full Band
1-4:30 Drumline/Guard Full Band Full Band Full Band Full Band
5:30-7:30 Drumline Drumline Drumline/Guard Drumline Band Bonding!
Food will not be provided (except for Band Bonding night), so please make sure your student packs his/her lunch, brings money to go somewhere for lunch, or that they are picked up between sessions to get food. I can’t stress attendance to camp enough! If your student is unable to attend or you have any questions, again, please contact me before the 31st. J
We will be ordering various materials for marching season on August 11th, which is the day after school starts. I’ll be sending order forms home during band camp, but if your student is not at camp, I’ll also be posting the order form on our website, and you can download it, fill it out, and email it or send it with your student as well. New students will need to buy a pair of marching shoes, which are typically around $35. All students will have a band fee of $25, which will include their band t-shirt, first pair of gloves, and the uniform dry cleaning fee. You will also have the opportunity to order extra t-shirts, gloves, instrument accessories, etc. on this form. It is preferred that fees are paid by 8/31/17, but if we need to set up a payment plan, that is definitely doable. Students’ accounts will be done differently this year. Students and parents will be able to access student accounts via a link to an excel sheet provided on the band website. I will try my best to keep the accounts updated, along with comments on each credit or debit explaining what the student has been charged for or has paid for. This should help both you and I understand and communicate the money side of band much better this year.
Finally, I want to make sure you are aware of our performance dates for the marching season. We are adding one more competition to our typical schedule because I have a good feeling about how we’re going to do this year and I want the students to have as much of an opportunity to accomplish great things as possible. The dates are listed below, but they will also always be on our band website (http://hartvillebands.weebly.com). I tell students all the time that half of anything is just showing up, and that is how I treat grading in band as well. Performances are 50% of students’ grades, and if we want to perform at our absolute best, every single member of the band is essential in those performances. I am usually pretty reasonable in dealing with conflicts (especially school-related conflicts), but students are expected to communicate any performance absence two weeks in advance and the reason must be excused. Not having a ride is not an excuse. I am communicating these dates now so we are able to work out any and all conflicts soon. Here they are!
Fall 2017 Dates (more TBA)
7/31-8/4: Band Camp
8/17- Springfield Cardinals Game
9/16: Wilder Days Parade (Mansfield) (HS)
9/23: Sullivan Marching Festival (Sullivan) (HS)
9/30: Black Walnut Festival Parade (Stockton) (HS)
10/7: Washington Marching Festival (Washington) (HS)
10/14: Hartville Fall Festival (Hartville) (HS)
10/21: Mizzou Homecoming Parade and Football Game (Columbia) (HS)
I am so looking forward to this next year and I have high expectations for our performances and competitions. Again, I am working to communicate as much as possible this year, but if you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact me. I hope you have a great final few days of summer vacation, and I look forward to seeing everyone soon!
Sincerely,
Miss Blaylock
If you are receiving this letter, your child is on the high school band roster for the 2017-2018 school year, and I’m so excited to have them in class! There are so many exciting things planned for the HHS Band this year, and I wanted to communicate those with you to ensure that everyone is aware of everything that is going on. Please read through this entire letter, and if you have any questions or concerns at all, don’t hesitate to contact me at the numbers/email listed above (I really prefer email, but if you need to text me, that’s fine, too.J)
The first and most important event coming up is band camp. It is essential that your student attends this camp, because we will be laying the foundation for our entire marching season during this week. If your student is unable to attend camp at all, they are responsible for memorizing our marching song by Friday, Aug. 18th and will be tested on it. They are also responsible for attending 3 hours of sectionals with his/her section leader or drum major before our first parade. If your student must miss only a small part of camp, simply communicate that with me and we can definitely work that out.
Things your student needs for band camp:
Water bottle Instrument Tennis/Marching Shoes
Sunscreen PENCIL Light, school appropriate apparel
Schedule:
31 1 2 3 4
9-12 Leadership Full Band Full Band Full Band Full Band
1-4:30 Drumline/Guard Full Band Full Band Full Band Full Band
5:30-7:30 Drumline Drumline Drumline/Guard Drumline Band Bonding!
Food will not be provided (except for Band Bonding night), so please make sure your student packs his/her lunch, brings money to go somewhere for lunch, or that they are picked up between sessions to get food. I can’t stress attendance to camp enough! If your student is unable to attend or you have any questions, again, please contact me before the 31st. J
We will be ordering various materials for marching season on August 11th, which is the day after school starts. I’ll be sending order forms home during band camp, but if your student is not at camp, I’ll also be posting the order form on our website, and you can download it, fill it out, and email it or send it with your student as well. New students will need to buy a pair of marching shoes, which are typically around $35. All students will have a band fee of $25, which will include their band t-shirt, first pair of gloves, and the uniform dry cleaning fee. You will also have the opportunity to order extra t-shirts, gloves, instrument accessories, etc. on this form. It is preferred that fees are paid by 8/31/17, but if we need to set up a payment plan, that is definitely doable. Students’ accounts will be done differently this year. Students and parents will be able to access student accounts via a link to an excel sheet provided on the band website. I will try my best to keep the accounts updated, along with comments on each credit or debit explaining what the student has been charged for or has paid for. This should help both you and I understand and communicate the money side of band much better this year.
Finally, I want to make sure you are aware of our performance dates for the marching season. We are adding one more competition to our typical schedule because I have a good feeling about how we’re going to do this year and I want the students to have as much of an opportunity to accomplish great things as possible. The dates are listed below, but they will also always be on our band website (http://hartvillebands.weebly.com). I tell students all the time that half of anything is just showing up, and that is how I treat grading in band as well. Performances are 50% of students’ grades, and if we want to perform at our absolute best, every single member of the band is essential in those performances. I am usually pretty reasonable in dealing with conflicts (especially school-related conflicts), but students are expected to communicate any performance absence two weeks in advance and the reason must be excused. Not having a ride is not an excuse. I am communicating these dates now so we are able to work out any and all conflicts soon. Here they are!
Fall 2017 Dates (more TBA)
7/31-8/4: Band Camp
8/17- Springfield Cardinals Game
9/16: Wilder Days Parade (Mansfield) (HS)
9/23: Sullivan Marching Festival (Sullivan) (HS)
9/30: Black Walnut Festival Parade (Stockton) (HS)
10/7: Washington Marching Festival (Washington) (HS)
10/14: Hartville Fall Festival (Hartville) (HS)
10/21: Mizzou Homecoming Parade and Football Game (Columbia) (HS)
I am so looking forward to this next year and I have high expectations for our performances and competitions. Again, I am working to communicate as much as possible this year, but if you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact me. I hope you have a great final few days of summer vacation, and I look forward to seeing everyone soon!
Sincerely,
Miss Blaylock