Hello Band Students and Parents!
Over the past week, members of the Student Band Council called all new and returning band members to remind them about band camp and get an RSVP. Please click here to confirm your availability and information for band camp. The form is editable, so if your information is not correct please update it accordingly. I would appreciate you doing so as soon as possible. If you notice a friend on the list has not responded, please help us out by contacting them. If you are receiving this email but have decided not to continue with band this year (and I hope that’s not the case), please let me know so that I can remove you from our mailings and update my rosters accordingly.
I am in the process of writing our first halftime show that we will learn at band camp and need an accurate headcount in order to make sure that the music and drill do not have any big gaps in them.
We are quickly approaching our annual Band Camp! I hope you are as excited as I am to be reunited with your fellow banditos and kick off another great year of band at Hockinson High School! Our year gets off to a quick start! Our first home football game performance is September 17, and we follow that up the very next day with our return to Husky Band Day on September 18 (more information to follow about this)! Band Camp will get us on our way to being ready for these events, as well as the 3 other home football games (9/24, 10/8, and 10/29)!
As a reminder, band camp runs Monday thru Friday, August 16-20, from 9 AM to 4 PM. ALL DRUMMERS: Your extra drumline day is Saturday, August 14, from 9 AM to 4 PM.
Please remember to bring the following items to each day of camp (including the first day):
- Marching/pep band instrument
- Pencil
- 3 ring binder with at least 10 clear sheet protectors
- Instrument lyre and flip folder with at least 20 flip folder pages (Percussionists: Wait to purchase your lyre until after August 14 when you know your instrument assignment)
- Many schools in our area have band camp the same week as us and many music stores run out of these items quickly. The sooner you get your lyre and flip folder, the better. I also recommend you bring your instrument with you if possible to try the lyre on your instrument, as some lyres can be slightly too big or small.
- Water bottle (we will have cold water and Gatorade for you to fill your bottles with throughout the day)
- Sunscreen
- Lunch
School Instruments: If you need to use a school instrument (marching or concert), please make sure you indicate that in your RSVP information so that I can have an instrument ready for you. Please remember to bring your own accessories (reeds, neck straps, etc.). Rental agreements will be available for parents and students to fill out, and the office should be open to accept your $125 annual rental fee (checks made out to Hockinson High School). Remember, all students who use a school instrument must sign the rental agreement and pay the fee in the office before using the instrument. This includes returning students. If you are using a school instrument, please show up a little before the start of band camp with a parent to take care of the paperwork and instrument checkout. I will also be available in the afternoon on August 12 and 13 in the band room if you would like to pick your instrument up early.
Instrument Switches: We are looking for people who would be willing to play other instruments for pep/marching band in order to balance our instrumentation (this is not for concert band). If you are interested in playing one of the following instruments please let me know and we can figure out if this would be a good switch for you.
- Alto/Tenor/Bari Saxophone (all woodwinds make a good switch to saxophone)
- Mellophone (French horns use these to march, but trumpets can also use a trumpet mouthpiece. The fingerings are almost identical to trumpet)
- Trombone (need to read bass clef, but slide positions line up with brass fingerings)
- Sousaphone (probably our greatest need, all brass make a good switch but you will need to read bass clef)
Pep Band Music: Both new and returning students have quite a bit of pep band music to learn in the span of one week. We have many pieces from last year, but a lot of new pieces as well. If you would like to listen to recordings of some of these pieces, you can visit the band website at www.hockinsonmusic.com/list
Band Camp Attire: Be sure to wear clothes that you can move freely in. Dress for the weather, but keep it school appropriate. No one will be allowed to march in sandals, flip flops, or any open-toe shoe. Please wear tennis shoes or some other closed-toe athletic shoe. Don’t forget sunscreen!
Uniform Fitting: All students will be fitted for marching uniforms at camp, as well as those in the Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, and Jazz Band who need to be fitted/re-fitted for tuxedos and dresses. Marching uniform parts will be ordered on the last day of camp, and if you miss that deadline you may have to pay more later on to get your items shipped to you in time and not as part of the larger, discounted group order. Watch your email for a message from our Hockinson Music Boosters with more information on uniforms for the year, including opportunities for being fitted the week before camp to speed up the process. If you cannot attend camp, there may be some steps you will still have to take in order to get your uniform parts assembled and fitted by the first game. Should you have further questions about uniforms, please email hockinsonmusicboosters@
Marching Band Photos: Melissa Brewer from 4Ever Photography will be taking individual photos of all students during Thursday’s band camp. All students will be photographed for the group photo, and you will have the opportunity to purchase group and individual photos if you choose to do so. There will be no makeups offered for these photos, so if you’re not at camp on Thursday you will not be in the photo for the year.
Fall Sports: Fall sports begin the week after band camp, per WIAA regulations. Anything planned by coaches or teams at this point is purely optional. I point this out because every year there are some conflicts with workouts or other unofficial athletic events. The school has directed fall coaches to not ask band students to do anything for fall sports during the week of band camp. I purposefully put band camp this week in August so that it will not affect sports tryouts or your number of required practices to play in your first game. I am more than happy to speak with coaches if you would like me to. Football players: You will start practicing the Wednesday of Band Camp. Once you know your schedule please plan your time around practice. If football practice is the same time as band camp, go to football but plan on attending camp for the times not conflicting.
Wind Ensemble/Jazz Band Auditions: Any students planning on auditioning (or re-auditioning) for vacant seats in Wind Ensemble or Jazz Band should plan on staying after band camp on Monday to do the live audition portion with me (12 major scales from memory, sightreading). The two recorded pieces should be submitted to me by that time as well. If you have not emailed me to let me know you are staying after, please be sure to do so. While your audition will take about 5 minutes to do, please be ready to wait in line up to an hour depending on how many choose to audition. More information on Wind Ensemble auditions are on the band website, www.hockinsonmusic.co
Band Volunteer Opportunities: We have plenty of volunteer opportunities available for camp and our upcoming football season. No experience necessary! The HHS Music Booster Club will host a root beer float party and parent meeting at the conclusion of Thursday’s camp for anyone who would like to help out this year. For questions regarding volunteering, email hockinsonmusicboosters@gmail.com.
Questions?: Please check the band website frequently (www.hockinsonmusic.com), as well as our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/hockinsonband) for announcements. Dates for the year are listed on the letter sent home with students at the end of the year (see a copy here). The same dates have been added to the Google calendar on the website, which you can subscribe to and sync to your phone’s calendar. Do not hesitate to email me at corey.mcenry@hocksd.org wit
I look forward to seeing each and every one of you once again to begin another fantastic year of band at Hockinson High School!