Dear HHS Band Students and Parents,
I hope you’ve had a relaxing last few weeks of summer and are ready to start another fantastic year of band at Hockinson High School! We start off the year with four, yes FOUR, major performances in the first THREE weeks, so I want to make sure you have all the information you will need for the first few days.
Freshmen and new students/parents:
I will warn you that you may feel a bit rushed the first few weeks of band. With our first football game performance on the third day of school, we will jump right into rehearsals on the first day. If you are feeling confused or overwhelmed when we start out please do not hesitate to talk to your section leader or to me. You can talk to me in person or shoot me an email, whatever you prefer. I promise it will all work out and be a lot of fun!
Upcoming Events:
The calendar on the music department website, www.hockinsonmusic.com, has been updated to include all events that we know dates for as of now. These are the same dates that were sent home with all students, including incoming freshmen, at the end of last school year. Some dates may be added or changed along the way, so in order to stay up-to-date please check the calendar often. We use a Google calendar on the website, so you can follow it and sync the dates to your computer or smartphone calendar if that helps. The direct link to the calendar is www.hockinsonmusic.com/calendar or you can click the calendar link from the homepage. September’s upcoming events include:
9/6: Home Football Game — 5pm student arrival
9/13: Home Football Game — 5pm student arrival
9/20: Home Football Game — 5pm student arrival
9:21: Husky Band Day, Seattle — All Day Event (see below for more information)
Get familiar with the band website quickly. We use this site a lot for posting information, permission slips, forms, listening assignments, etc.
Handbook:
This year’s HHS Band Handbook can be found on the music website or by clicking here. There have been some changes from last year, so all students and parents should read it carefully. Pay special attention to the sections on performance attendance, as this tends to be a point of confusion from year to year. Please also note the “What your will need for band” section. Everyone will need to purchase those required materials for class, including the book Foundations for Superior Performance. If you still have your copy from middle school, bring it; it’s the same book.
Everyone will need to fill out the Medical Information and sign the Expectation Acknowledgement and turn those forms into me by the first football game on September 6 in order to be able to participate in the game. Parents are also asked to fill out the Volunteer Form if they would like to help out this year. There’s also a calendar of events on the back page that you can stick on your refridgerator. If you will be taking SAT or ACT exams this year, note the dates that conflict with band events before you enroll.
If you have any questions about the handbook, please ask now rather than later so that there are no surprises during the year for any of us.
Football Music, Marching, and Choreography:
Please be sure to be practicing your music at home before school starts. Remember that our halftime music (for the first game it’s Cleveland Rocks, Hawaii Five-O, and NFL on Fox) needs to be memorized. All other music can go in your lyre and flip folder that you purchased from the music store. For a list of all the pep band music, click here. You can also go to the listening section of the music department page at www.hockinsonmusic.com/listening and play along with the recordings of all of our music.
If you have misplaced your drill charts for the halftime show or never received them in the first place, you can print a new copy here. While I realize most of you probably don’t have a football field at home to practice on, you can always mentally practice your moves and work on your marching fundamentals anywhere.
Don’t forget that all of our halftime music has choreography associated with it. Memorize it while you memorize your music. If you need to print out the choreography, click here.
Marching Band Uniforms:
By now, everyone should have been measured for a marching band uniform and submitted an order form for shoes if they didn’t already have a pair. If you did not get fitted or submit your shoe order at Band Camp, we need to take care of that ASAP. Please make sure you contact Linda Chan, Uniform Coordinator, at lindajchan@hotmail.com immediately so that we can get that squared away. We can measure for uniforms on the first day of school, but we can’t wait until the first day to get new shoes ordered because they won’t arrive by Friday. You may not be able to participate in the first game if you do not have the full uniform.
Wind Ensemble/Jazz Band/Percussion Ensemble Uniforms:
All guys (and girls who prefer to wear tuxedos) had the opportunity to get fitted for their tuxedo at Band Camp. If you were not at Band Camp or did not get fitted for a tuxedo, you need to visit Mr. Formal 8115 NE Vancouver Mall Dr, Vancouver, WA 98662 ASAP to get fitted. Girls: We have a few used gowns available on a first-come, first-serve basis that you can try before ordering a new dress through our dress provider, Formal Fashions. Again, please contact Linda Chan at lindajchan@hotmail.com if you have any questions about this.
Jazz Band girls: In keeping with tradition, please get together and decide what dresses you are going to wear.
Husky Band Day:
The HHS Band will be participating in the University of Washington Husky Band Day this year. This is a long day, but one of the most enjoyable events we will participate in all year. We will join bands from all over the state to perform a halftime show on the field at the brand-new Husky Stadium in Seattle in front of 60,000 fans and even more on television as the Huskies take on Idaho St. University. This year’s seniors did this event as freshmen, and most of them can confirm that this is one of the most fun events they have ever participated in as a band member (even if it’s a long, sometimes rainy day).
As of this email, the game time for Husky Band Day has not been set. Once the game time is set, I will pass out a schedule for the day’s rehearsals at Husky Stadium. Plan on it being a full day. In some years, we have had to leave as early as 3am to get to our rehearsal on time (don’t worry, we get charter buses for this trip so you can still sleep on the way up).
The day’s events will consist of a mass rehearsal, lunch (sack lunches provided by students), a pre-game pep rally by the Husky Marching Band, and a halftime performance during the game.
A few things to remember:
v Bring only the essentials with you on the bus (a pillow is probably a good idea). Any bags you bring into the stadium will need to be inspected by security so please pack light.
v We will be in marching band uniforms the entire time in the stadium and will change into them on the bus. Wear clothes you can wear under your uniform (athletic shorts and t-shirt).
v Husky Stadium does not allow coolers, soft drink cans, or glass bottles in the stadium.
v You cannot attend this event if you have not turned in your Expectations Form and medical information from the back of the band handbook.
We still need chaperones for the trip, but I am limited to 9 chaperones. If you would like to chaperone please email me back. I will accept the first 9 chaperones who volunteer, as this tends to be a popular event to chaperone (the dads usually love it!).
We will begin rehearsing music once school starts. I will also put a permission slip on the website as soon as I know the times for the day.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.
Jazz Band Summer Assignment:
If you have not started your summer assignment, please do so. You can get more details on the summer assignment by clicking here. The assignment won’t take very long, but it will be very valuable for the beginning of our year. Also, I am missing a couple of Aebersold books from last year’s jazz band members. If you still have one, please let me know.
Whew! That’s a long email, but it’s full of great information! If you have any questions about anything in this email please feel free to email me back or stop by the school and talk to me in person. My car is the silver Toyota 4Runner with the Music Matters license plates (fundraiser for the band, see me for more information if you think they’re cool!), so anytime you see it feel free to come in and find me.
Practice hard, and I’ll see you Wednesday!