Parkway North Marching Band's Parent Guide

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Introduction

Welcome to the Parkway North Band Backers.

As parents who are new to the Band at North, you need to be aware of typical schedules and commitments that are necessary to keep the Band Program as active and worthwhile as it is. This paper has been prepared by experienced parents to help you understand life in the band. It will hopefully take the surprise out the many events that you will participate in.

We think you will find the experience rewarding to both you and your student.

The Band Backers

The Band Backers is the parents organization that supports the North Band program.

• All parents are automatically members and there are no dues or fees associated with the organization.
• There are no formal business meetings other than a monthly officers and chairman's meeting. All parents are welcome to attend any of these monthly meetings and to contribute their thoughts and talents to the organization. Also, any of the officers can be contacted to get your thoughts and feelings brought before the officers.

The Band Backers provides the following functions to the bands and their members:

• chaperones - organizes the volunteer parents who travel with the bands both locally on more distant trips
• field crew - sees that the truckload of equipment needed for a show gets to the performance location and moves the larger pieces onto and off of the field
• help repair and maintain equipment and facilities
• uniforms - manage the distribution and maintenance of field uniforms
• assist the director in planning band function, both local and distant
• general assistance at functions – provides adult help to oversee the whole variety of band activities from Band Camp to Homecoming to international trips. Usually called chaperones, these parents are called on to do an incredible range of functions. (Just like home?)
• a treasurer and bank account – keeps track of non–Parkway funds from dues and fund–raisers and disburses them as necessary. Each student has an account within the Band Backers treasury so that their fund-raising efforts can often be applied to their own trip expenses.
• fund raisers – coordinates the various service and sales fund–raisers that keep the band program going
• communications – distributes flyers and newsletters and maintains a web–site to keep band families informed on band activities
• advice to the directors and other Parkway administrators – acts on behalf of all band families to make the band staff aware of the needs of those families
• special events - provides lunch at homecoming, two recognition dinners and other events as appropriate

Typical Events Throughout the Year

Band Camp - an intense two weeks of preparation for the fall marching season – just prior to the start of school – 8 AM to 2:45 PM – and its hot!!! – Attendance is ALMOST required – family vacations are typically the only valid excuses

Marching Season

• Before school practices - 6:45 AM during the marching season (Sept and Oct.)
• Purple & White Night – an evening during the I* week or so of the school year – each school organization demonstrates its talents and skills to die student body - the band performs a short version of its half-time show
• Parkway Preview - an evening early in the fall semester - at one of the four parkway high schools – each of the four Parkway Marching Bands performs its show for the other bands
• Several Home Games – Friday evenings or Saturday afternoons
• Several Competitions – on Saturdays in late September and throughout October – preliminary competitions at area high schools that lead up to the Greater St. Louis Marching Band Festival at the TWA Dome on a Saturday in mid–October.

Other Performances – all are weekday evenings except as noted

• Fall Band Concert
• Fall Jazz Band Concert
• Masterworks Concert – students from all music groups perform serious compositions
• Prizm
• Spring Jazz Band Concert
• Spring Band Concert

Fall Banquet – a recognition event for the efforts that went into the busy 1^st semester program – often held in connection with the fall band concert

North Musical – Band members can audition for positions in the pit orchestra of this semi–annual Drama Dept production

Pops Concert – Many Band members join with the orchestras and choirs to produce this semi–annual spring extravaganza

District & Regional Opportunities

Solo/Ensemble Competition Opportunities

Pep Band – an informal group that provides music and spirit at the home basketball games

Spring Trip – to an out–of–town music festival or event – typically a weekend plus a day or two of excused absence from classes

Spring Banquet – a lot like the fall banquet, but...

Graduation – a Monday night in late May – the Symphonic Band provides the music

Typical Performance Days for the Marching Band

Home Games

• Band arrives
• Practice
• Change into uniforms
• Field Crew Arrives
  • Move to the Stadium
• Pregame
• National Anthem
• Kickoff
• Half–Show
• Band enters from concession end
• Field crew gathers at scoreboard end
• 3rd Quarter
• Band retires to bandroom for light refreshment
• Return to stadium for the rest of the game
• End of Game
  • Play for exiting crowd
  • Dismissed

Homecoming Saturday

• Band arrives before parade (mid–morning)
• Bus to start of parade route
• The Parade to North
• Break for lunch (food provided by Band Backers)
• Field crew arrives for early afternoon game (the rest is like other home games)

Competitions – Not at North; can be near–by or a few hours drive

• Band arrives for practice (anywhere from SAM to noon)
• !! Wear T-shirt/khaki uniform for travel! !
• Field crew arrives with truck
• Small instruments & uniforms on busses
• Large instruments & misc. equipment on truck
• Load busses and truck; head for the competitions
• At competition
• Unload buses & truck
• Change into uniforms
• Warm-up
• Compete
• Change out of uniform
• Watch the rest of the competition
• Attend Award Ceremony
(can be anywhere from just after the performance to late in the evening)
• Back to North on buses & truck
• Unload
• Dismissed
• FOOD:
  • Typically one or two meals are eaten on the road.
  • Concessions are abundant at these competition (fund raisers for the host school/band).
  • For longer trips, there may be a food break on the road.

Uniforms and Other Dress

Matching Uniform (used during the football season)

• Supplied by School:
• Field Uniform: jacket, slacks, hat and gloves
• Supplied by Student:
• Black Socks
• Black marching shoes (purchased through the band)

Concert Dress

• Supplied by School:
• Men – Tux
• Supplied by Student:
• Men – Tux shirt
• Women – Dressy black concertwear
• Black dressy shoes

Informal (used in hot weather and for traveling to/from uniformed events)

• Supplied by Student:
• Khaki shorts
• The Band T–shirt (purchased through the band)
• White socks and primarily white tennis shoes

Money

Any good program costs money. You need to be prepared for:

• Marching Band Fee – Varies according to school budget and band needs – typically $175 per year.
• Marching Shoes – $25 (could last from 1 to 4 years)
• T-shirt – A new one is designed each year, student's t– is included in their band fee (parents often buy shirts and wear them to events)
• Other uniform parts (khakis, tux shirt, dresses, dress shoes, etc.) $ ??
• Uniform maintenance – You get it clean; we clean it after you return it. In the interim, you clean and maintain it.
Instrument purchase / rental (varies greatly by instrument, whether rented or purchased, etc.).
• Private lessons
• Travel expenses for one major trip each year (again, variable)
• Money for food during local trips to competitions, etc
• Costs associated with Band-sponsored social event (picnics, bowling, etc.)

Many of these costs are offset by sponsored fund raisers. We sponsor both service projects (car-washes) and sales projects (selling food, entertainment books, etc.). Wherever feasible, we track you student's income from the fund-raisers and use it to defer your out-of-pocket costs for a trip or other event.

In addition to the money, you may be asked to bring food to pot-luck dinners, to provide goods for one or two bake sales each year, or to participate in other ways that are typical in school-sponsored groups.

Benefits of the Program

Most of this paper describes the work and commitment in time and money that could be expected of you. You should also be aware of the benefits that you and your student receive from participation in the Band Program.
Among those are:

• A good education in music – That's the primary goal of North's music department. Music is for life. A well–founded appreciation for music will provide your student with a good basis for understanding others and for interacting with friends who share this interest.
• Comradeship – Your student will be part of a "school group" that are friends, that are about each other, and that look out for each other. As new students in a large school, you child can easily seek advise from the band upper–classmen.
• Studies show that participation in music education goes hand-in-hand with high achievement in other academic courses.
• Directors that teach your child for four years - They are among the few faculty that can track your student's development in the school environment.
• Experience in teamwork and leadership - Like other school activities, the band is rich in opportunities to develop leadership skills and to learn to work within a group.
• The kids learn that continuous efforts over a long period can produce great achievement –
• Opportunities for parents to get to know the families of their kid's friends - The North attendance area is large, and parents often have no way to meet other parents from distant parts of the area. The Band Backers will provide activities that let you in touch with the other families.

Glossary

The Sections (aka Lines)

• Percussion
• Drums or Battery (on the field and moving)
• The Pit (stationary on the sidelines; marimba, xylophone, and other gadgets)
• Brass
• Trumpets, Horns, Trombones, Tubas, and possibly others
• Winds
• Clarinets, Flutes, and Saxophones
• Color Guard
• The flag corps that provides the fabulous colors–in–motion on the field

Leadership Positions

• Director and assistant director – the North Music Dept. staff
• Instructors – additional professionals brought in to help with instruction, can be paid for by either Parkway or the Band Backers
• Drum majors – the student conductors on the field
• Section Leaders / Line Leaders – one (sometimes more) student per section who runs section
rehearsals, acts as advocate for that section, helps the less experienced kids learn to play the horn, is the director's representative in that section, etc.
• Assistant – a student who does not march, but is a general purpose aide to the director, this person does office functions, runs errands, and generally tries to keep the director organized

Section Rehearsal

A practice involving only one (or maybe a few) sections. This can be one part of a band practice or it can be a separate event where only that section come to the school.

Competition Divisions

When a band competes, it is put into a division. The typical divisions are Gold (largest bands or schools), Silver, Red and Blue (smallest). At some competitions the size of the school determines your division, at others they use the size of your band. The smallest division competes first, the largest at the end of the day. Within each division, the bands who have historically performed well are scheduled toward the end of the division. So, as the day goes on, the bands get bigger and better.

Attendance Block

A formation (ranks and files) where the band begins a practice by taking attendance. When a practice is called for 8 AM, that means horns out, other stuff put away and in the attendance block at 8 AM. Plan on arriving at least 10 or IS minutes before the scheduled time.