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 three, yes THREE, major performances in the first FOUR 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:
9/5: Home Football Game — 5pm student arrival
9:20: Husky Band Day, Seattle — All Day Event (see below for more information)
9/26: Home Football Game — 5pm student arrival
I also want to point out that one of our home football games on Friday, October 10 is a day we have no school (Teacher Inservice Day). We will still be required to perform at that game, so please plan accordingly.
Get familiar with the band website quickly. We use this site a lot for posting information, permission slips, forms, listening assignments, etc.
Meals for Football Games:
Football Fridays are long days for everyone. We start our pregame rehearsal at 5 PM, change into uniforms at 6, start performing at 6:30, and kickoff for the game is usually around 7 PM. By the time the game ends and students change out of uniforms, it’s often close to 9:30 PM. Because of this, the HHS Music Boosters would like to offer to help organize a band meal prior to each of our 4 home football games. The meals would be fairly simple (sandwiches, chips, bottled water, etc.) and would probably cost each student around $20 for all four games (depending on the number of people who participate) and would need to be an all-or-nothing event, meaning you pay for all four meals or none at all. I would strongly encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity, especially if you cannot go home in between the end of school and rehearsal. The football team and cheer team already do their own mandatory meals before each home game, and I think it would be a good experience for all of us to bond a little bit as a band before the games. Please email hockinsonmusicboosters@yahoo.com if you would like to participate in this meal, or if you are a parent interested in helping to organize these meals.
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 5 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 refrigerator. 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 is Johnny B. Goode, Hold On I’m Comin’, and Louie Louie. The halftime music should be thoroughly learned, but does not need 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. Practice it while you practice your music.
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 (September 20):
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 Georgia State University. This is the second year in a row we’ve been invited to this event, and most returning students 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. Last year, we have had to leave at 3:30am 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 have filled the allotted number of chaperones I can take to this event. Our Volunteer Coordinator, Julie Taylor, has contacted all chaperone volunteers to let them know if they are going on a waiting list. Those of you not selected to be chaperones can always purchase general admission tickets to the game through the University of Washington.
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.
Music Booster Meeting September 8 at 7pm in the Library
The Hockinson High School Music Boosters meet on the second Monday of every month at 7pm in the high school library. This month’s meeting will be especially important, as we are still firming up volunteers and coordinators for various events. This includes our annual Benefit Dinner, Concert, and Auction. The boosters raise 90% of their total funds at this event, and as of right now we do not have a Benefit Dinner Coordinator. If you are interested in taking on this job (or sharing it with someone else), please consider attending this meeting.
Sandra Yager, Hockinson Superintendent, will also be attending this meeting to give a preview of the district’s facilities symposium (which will be held September 30). The proposed plan, which will be presented to voters in February, includes the construction of a brand new high school band room, in addition to other improvements at all three schools in the district. I would encourage you to attend our meeting on September 9 to be able to get this information ahead of time and have the opportunity to ask questions to Mrs. Yager.
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!