Parent s Guide to Marching Band

Transcription

1 Parent s Guide to Marching Band 1

2 Welcome Band & Color Guard Parents! Congratulations! Your child is now a part of the Arlington Golden Pride Band and Color Guard (collectively referred to as the Band), which means that you are now also a part of the Band Boosters. We hope this guide will help you feel more comfortable with the complexities you may find within your first marching, concert, and winter guard season, and also give you some insider information to help you through your first year. Organizational Chart Director: Mr. Eldred Staff/ Consultants: Mrs. Beth, Miss Jennifer, and Mr. Salyers Drum Major: Student that leads conducting for band reviews. Section Leaders: Student leaders that are in charge of assisting their instrumental section. Band Boosters: Parents and volunteers that make up the non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the band and color guard program. Put the Fun in FUNdraising $ While the band is a curricular program at Arlington, school funding does not cover all the expenses of operating the program. This usually comes as a surprise to rookie parents. Fundraising and fees help to pay for everything from caring for the uniforms, to paying for the staff/consultants, bus transportation to competitions, equipment and large instrument maintenance, etc. There are several fundraisers throughout the marching and concert season that your child and you can participate in. A few examples would be: Coin Wars Car Washes Sending donation letters to family and friends Annual Jog-a-Thon Recycling Hosting events/competitions (when available) Various Sales Shoe and Clothing Drive TV Tapings (when available) Band Essentials There are few essentials needed that are not supplied by the Band program. These include: For Color Guard: Makeup, flag bag, marching shoes, and possibly the costume for Winterguard season. For Marching Band: Long black socks (Not dark blue!), black spandex (bicycle) shorts, white v neck t-shirt, and marching shoes. For Concert Band: Girls Black floor-length dress or black dress pants or floor-length skirt with white collared button-up shirt, and black dress shoes. Boys - Black dress slacks, white collared button-up shirt, black tie, and black dress shoes. For the marching season (late September through early November), the students will be supplied a marching uniform or themed color guard costume, gloves, and a band and color guard t-shirt (at no charge). Additional sets of gloves are available for purchase if the student looses or damages their gloves. Jackets and color guard warm-ups will also be available for purchase. 2

3 What to Expect At Band Camp (August): Band Camp is both a mental and physical challenge, but it gives your child a sense of accomplishment at the end. For band camp your child will need a large (1/2-1 gallon) water bottle, a towel, hat, sunblock, athletic shoes (no sandals or converse), and money for the lunches that will be provided by the boosters. At Football Games (September/October): Band students will report to band room at the time specified by the director. At this time, the students change into their uniforms and load the bus and trailer. During the game, they will sit in a designated section of the bleachers. (setup by boosters ahead of time) and perform the fight song, pep tunes, etc. Parents and friends cannot sit directly with the band, but are welcome to sit in the stands and watch the game and the band perform. At some of the games, the band will perform a portion of their show as halftime entertainment. After the game the band will load the trailer and buses and depart for AHS. Once at AHS, the band will put away their uniforms and instruments, get final announcements if any, and then be dismissed by their section leader. At Competitions: Marching band competitions are where many different bands compete/perform. Students should arrive minutes before the call time and come prepared (girls have hair up in a bun, guard has hair and makeup ready, and everyone has their required undergarments and instrument). For the band, competitions are like game days. Each band will be critiqued, scored, and ranked by qualified judges in the different areas of their performance. Some judges walk the parade route while others observe from stadium seats. The band needs your support as a cheering section in the stands! If possible during field shows, try to sit in a central area of the stands towards the top to get the best overview of the performance and formations. A good stadium seat cushion comes in handy. Be aware that you can only enter and exit the stands between each band's performance. Show your spirit by wearing your spirit wear (booster shirt) or school colors and cheer them on, but be courteous to the other spectators and performers. You can also sign up to help with chaperoning, grooming, feeding/watering the band, and moving equipment. Competitions are a fundraiser for the host school, so there is a small admission fee charged to spectators. There are also concessions for spectators and other band-related merchandise available at some events. Remember, the band will perform, even if it is raining. Usually, the awards are given out after all bands have performed. If you do not attend the competition, please arrive at AHS a little before the designated time to pick up your student but be prepared to wait as they need to check in uniforms before they leave. The boosters will provide many meals during the marching/ winter guard season, there will be a fee charged for the entire season, if you are unable to afford the fee please contact Mr. Eldred or one of the board members to work something out. 3

4 Learn the Lingo! Shako and Plume Spats Shako-Hat worn during competition Plume-Feather adornment Spats - White cover for shoes used for parade Mellophone-Marching French Horn Sousaphone-Type of tuba used for marching Percussion - Any striking instrument, not just drums. Auxiliary/Color Guard - dancers, flag tossers, and rifle tossers Adjudicators - the judges The Pit - the non-marching percussion positioned on the front side lines during the field show Drumline - the percussionists that march on the field Review- the parade portion of a competition Block- the formation used in parade Field show- a performance by the band on the football field, performed at halftime during football games and in field competitions. Band Boosters Booster Meetings are the 1 st Wednesday of each month during the school year at 7:00 pm in the band room. You will always walk away with information your kids forgot to tell you or you may even be the 1 st to find out information on what s to come. Everyone is welcome! Volunteer there are many opportunities throughout the band season to volunteer in various ways. The band booster board will periodically send s requesting help. Feel free to join as much as you like. The band would love any help they can get. The Boosters are always in need of help with pulling the trailer to competitions and football games, grooming for parades, moving pit equipment, feeding the band/color guard, hauling props, bus and bleacher chaperones, and making donations of food. When attending parades and field shows you will be walking and standing a lot, its best to have your supplies, snacks and personal items in a backpack and to wear comfortable shoes. If you are unable to walk or stand for long periods there are many other ways you can help, just ask a board member where you are needed! If you would like to help with grooming, some helpful things to bring are: lint rollers, cleaning/baby wipes, bobby pins, and hair gel (clear) Chaperones ride the bus with the band and sit with the band in the stands **Note: student leaders will do most of the coordinating and ensure the students are respectful and quiet. Concession lines are generally long and pricey so it s cheaper and faster to bring your own lunch to competitions. Spectator parking will separate from where the band parks, it is helpful to have the phone numbers of other boosters so you can find the band after you park Parent Involvement = A Successful Band Program 4

5 Staying Informed Golden Pride Facebook page: Remind 101 text alerts: signup at to (818) Please insure we have a valid address for you so we can send information and reminders 5 Ways to Show Your Support 5 Essentials For Every Band Parent 1. Give your child support and encouragement for 1. Invest in the nicer stadium seat cushions. You being in the band. will be sitting in stadium seats a lot. 2. When picking up your student from band, come 2. Invest in warm clothing for cold weather. Some early, watch, and get to know the other parents. competitions can go on for hours, so dress appropriately. 3. Attend football games and competitions to show 3. Hand Warmers. Both you and your band child your support and cheer them on. will use them. 4. Volunteer and help with fundraising 4. Spirit wear to show your Marching Band Spirit. 5. Come to the band booster meetings 5. A constant supply of snacks. They are always looking for something to eat before and after competitions and band camp. Contact Information If you have any questions or concerns please don t hesitate to call or one of your board members or director Director: Mr. Eldred- ( ) celdred@rusd.k12.ca.us Booster Board President: Connie Wisniski-( ) warnold@aol.com (phone) (951) st VP (transportation): John Hollingsworth-( ) johnhollingsworth81@yahoo.com (phone) (951) nd VP (fundraising): Katrina Hollingsworth-( ) katrinahollingsworth@yahoo.com (phone) (951) Heather Dickenson- ( ) hdickenson61@gmail.com (phone) (951) rd VP (Hospitality) Darla Pate- ( ) RAMNCRAB@aol.com (phone) (951) Treasurer: Barbara Tidwell-( ) tidwellx5@sbcglobal.net (phone) (951) Dawn Ortiz-( ) mistymae1@aol.com (phone) (909) Secretary: Kim Garcia- ( ) hectorandkim@yahoo.com (phone) (951)