It was amazing to see the students finally have a home game and return to our place in the stands! What an exciting time!

We have some announcements for this week:

Concession stand:
we need every high school band student to work at least one Thursday game and every family with a high school student to provide a worker for at least one Friday game. Sign up for your games here:

Parent sign up (still need some for this week):
​www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4ea8ad2fa4fdc25-football

Student Sign Up for Thursdays:
www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4ea8ad2fa4fdc25-thursday

Uniforms:
Despite some challenges with reds shirts this last week, we should have full uniforms for Friday, this includes all of the items they have been given:

1. Bibbers (marching uniform pants)
2. Hat
3. Bandana
4. LONG BLACK SOCKS
5. Marching Shoes
6. Red Show Shirts (if you ordered it, it will be here after school on Wednesday)
7. Silver star

Students should have all parts of this uniform. Uniforms may be kept at home or in the student's uniform bag (with the exception of the hat which must be kept at home).

Students need to have their name on all uniform parts.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL with all of the uniform. Hats are especially fragile and difficult/expensive to replace.

Everyone must come for uniform inspection between 3:30 and 4:30 on either Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday after school this week. Mr. Cox must see you in your full uniform at one of these times.  Once in uniform, inspection should happen quickly.

Friday Schedule
We will meet at the stadium at 6:15PM to unload and set up. Show up in full uniform, we will have pre-game homecoming responsibilities. You may leave from the stadium after equipment has been loaded and band stands have been cleaned.

A lot of things are happening this week!  The first home game is coming and we will be doing a combined pre-game performance with the Jim Ned band as well as performing our entire opener and first mvt. with props and uniforms.

We have a pep rally Friday morning after 1st period.  The students were planning to wear their red show shirts, vests, and hats with jean for the pep rally (the theme is western).

Schedule for Friday:

4:00PM - uniform inspection.  Be in the band hall in bibbers, red show shirt, black socks, marching shoes, vests and hats.  (We wear gym shorts underneath our bibbers).  

4:45PM - Depart for Siebert Elementary.

5:00PM - Pizza at Siebert with the Jim Ned Band.

5:30PM - Rehearsal for national anthem with the Jim Ned Band

6:15PM - Depart for stadium (students may travel by bus, or on their own/with parents etc.

6:30PM - Unload at stadium

7:00PM - Warm up / prepare for pre-game national anthem performance

7:30PM - Game Begins

10:00PM - Game ends, load up.  Students may leave the stadium with their parents or ride back to the school on the bus.

The students are doing AMAZING.  Here are this week's announcements.

Quick Notes:
1. Students are checking out bibbers (marching pants) in the morning Tuesday and Thursday.  We will be wearing them with uniforms next week at the first home game!

2. Students will also need gym shorts and long black socks to wear under their uniforms by next Friday (9/3/2021).

3.  If anyone is interested in auditioning this December for all-region/all-state band, they need to pick up music and start preparing.  Same goes for all-region jazz (which happens in a few weeks)

4. All-rehearsals are regular times this week at the band hall/parking lot.

5. Make sure you have turned in all paperwork by this point.  Fee worksheets are Dur September 1st, 

6. Despite having no school on next Monday (9/6/2021), we will still have Monday night rehearsal 6:30PM-9:00PM.  This is very necessary to have our show ready in time for October contests.

Schedule for Holliday Game 9/3/2021
This trip is going to be another long away game.  Normally if a trip is over 2 hours we plan a restroom stop, but due to the location, there is no good place to stop for a restroom break.

Attire: Spirit wear (same rules as last week)

3:00PM - Dismiss from class / pre-trip  meeting / load up
3:45PM - Depart for Holliday
6:15PM - Arrive at stadium and Unload
6:40PM - Pizza at the stadium
7:05M - Warm up in stadium
7:30PM Game Begins
Approximately : 10:30PM - depart for home
Approximately ​: 1:00AM - arrive at the school

Students did an excellent job cleaning buses and unloading after arriving home last week.  It was about 12 minutes from the time we arrived until we had everything finished. 

I have to have the travel waiver by game day:

First week of school was excellent for the band students.  They have been working hard and taking care of business.  This coming week us going to be a busy one and I’ve attached as much information here as possible.

Quick notes:

• We will be wearing jeans (pants, not shorts), tennis shoes, and black/red spirit wear for the game on Friday this week and next week for the games.  Any black and/or red Eastland shirt is acceptable. We have some extra maverick t-shirts available if needed.   Students are welcome to wear facepaint, ribbons, etc.  We will begin wearing our cowboy uniforms on the first home game.

 

• There is an attached PDF that shows what forms we have received and what is still missing from students (top of this post).  With the exception of the fees worksheet, all forms need to be turned in by this Wednesday for students to travel.  Extra forms are available next to the band hall door. (Additional note: If a student has turned in their physical to the athletic department, they will just need to let me know that via email).

 

• All students ride to away games with the band buses.  Students may be checked out after the game after all equipment has been taken back to the trailer.  Mr. Cox will be next to the trailer with the sign out sheet.  Please sign out students at the band trailer and not in the stadium.  If a student needs to ride with someone who is not their parent/guardian please provide a written note from a parent before the game.

 

• Please be checked into the band calendar available here: http://www.eastlandband.com/calendar.html This includes regular rehearsal times, events, and information to both contact Mr. Cox and to sign up for remind messages for parent and students.  Everyone needs to write these dates on their calendars and compare them to any other events and activities so that we can identify and solve conflicts early.

 

• Please be aware of our attendance policy and, in the event that a student must miss a rehearsal, please fill out the absence form before the absence if at all possible: http://www.eastlandband.com/attendance-policy.html

 

• Monday night rehearsals are incredibly important.  Missing a Monday night is equivalent to missing nearly and entire week of material and we often learn new sets on Monday nights.  We have reduced the number of morning practices this year and this puts and even greater emphasis on Monday nights than in previous competitive years.  There are several days that we do not have school on Monday.  We are intending to have Monday night practices on these days, even when we do not have school.  If we are ahead of schedule when these days approach, those rehearsals would possibly be canceled.

Monday 8/23/2021
Morning rehearsal will start 7:15AM in big sectionals.  Woodwinds in the auditorium, Brass in the front band hall, percussion in the back band hall.  We will bring everyone together at 8:00AM in the band hall.

There is a booster meeting in the middle school conference room at 6:00PM.  Any and all parents are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Monday night rehearsal begins at regular time, 6:30PM and goes to 9:00PM.  While we dismiss the students at 9:00PM, they will be responsible for putting away their equipment after dismissal.

This week we will be working with pit outside and marching our intro to this years marching show.  We will add a couple of sets to what we currently have on the field.  We will perform the intro marching and the first movement in place this Friday.

Tuesday 8/24/2021
We start at 8:00AM on Tuesday.  This Tuesday, we will not be rehearsing as we have a special guest singer songwriter Chris Beall provided by the Texas Commission for the Arts to perform for our band students and talk to them about song writing.


Wednesday 8/25/2021
Normal rehearsal time 7:15AM outside.

Thursday 8/26/2021
Normal rehearsal time 8:00AM outside
​
Friday 8/27/2021
normal rehearsal at the school at 7:15AM

Itinerary for Wall Game 8/27/2021
Attire: Tennis shoes, blue jeans, black and/or red spirit attire.  Facepaint, hair ribbons allowed!
1:15PM - Dismiss from class
1:25PM - Pre-trip meeting / Load up equipment and check off checklist
2:00PM - Depart for Wall High School

1 stop planned at:
Flying J Travel Center
I-20 Exit 277 101 N. FM707, Tye, TX

5:15PM - Arrive at the stadium, unload, set up in stands
5:45PM- BBQ Sandwich meals at the stadium
6:30PM- in stands for warm up
6:45PM- School song
7:00PM- Game begins

Everything from this point on is based on how quickly the game progresses and is nearly an estimate.  I will send an estimated time of arrival (ETA) when we depart the stadium and then again after we stop on the way home.

10:00PM - Game Ends
10:30PM- Depart for home

1 stop planned at:
Flying J Travel Center
I-20 Exit 277 101 N. FM707, Tye, TX

1:30AM - Arrive at band hall

When the students arrive at the band hall they will clean the trash off of the buses and unload the trailer.  If the students work quickly this work is done in as little as ten minutes.

The students have done an amazing job getting started with nine to nines last week.  The spirit and drive the student are exhibiting is nothing short of extrodinary.

This week we have practices from 7:00AM - 12:00PM.  The last hour (11:00am-Noon) will be a flexible time and some students may finish early depending on how soon they play off the marching show music.  Summer band schedule is still available on the school website at 

We have a few events coming up in the next few weeks. 

Friday August 6th: Students will need to wear clothing that they can get wet in to rehearsal.  Expect them to be released at 11:30AM that day, and that they will want to have a towel or a change of clothes.

Saturday August 7th - Meet the Mavs: Attire - Maverick colors - Red and Black
This year the band has been invited to participate in Meet the Mavs at the stadium.  Students will need to arrive at the stadium at 5:15PM with instruments.  At 6:00PM they will introduce our band members and they will walk the field.  After this they will play some stand tunes in the stands while the football team runs some plays.  This should be fun and I would expect the students to be done between 7:30PM and 8:00PM.  Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Monday August 9th - HS Convocation
The band traditionally performs at the first teacher meeting (Convocation) each fall.  This normally falls during a morning rehearsal and is a very brief performance (school song, fight song, Star-Spangled Banner).  This last week the time was changed to 2:00PM.  We would still like the students to perform at this event.  We will need students to meet at the band hall at 1:30PM and should be finished performing at 2:30PM.

Wednesday August 11th - Band Swim Party
We are planning a band swim party at solid rock after rehearsal on the 11th of August.  We will provide transportation to students after rehearsal ends (at 11:00am this day) and the party will take place from 12:00PM - 2:00PM.  Band Boosters will be providing a hotdog lunch and Solid Rock Camp will provide lifeguards for the event.  Students can be picked up at solid rock or they can pick up students at the band hall at 2:30PM.

Free Physical Day at the Hospital
Tuesday 5/18/2021
Every student that is going to be in high school band or athletics will need a physical for next school year (including current 8th graders).  The forms have been handed out for the last week and we still have some remaining.

Students can do this with their regular doctor, but the hospital is offering an opportunity for students to do this for free next Tuesday.  Students will need to be at the Hospital at 4:00PM with their form and a mask.  Expect to be in line for a while, there will be a lot of people getting physicals.

Marching Exhibition May 20th
7:00PM at Maverick Stadium (or at the HS auditorium if there is bad weather).  

Attire: Maverick style shirts (black and red) with jeans)/ Tennis shoes

The 8th through 12th graders will be demonstrating their marching fundamentals and they will be performing a portion of next year's show music.  We will also have all of the paperwork for marching band as well as measure students for uniforms.  There will be free hot dogs

6:30PM - Arrive at stadium to unload
6:50PM - Warm Up
7:00PM - HS Band Plays Some Stand Tunes
7:10PM - 8th grader through 12th grade perform opener and 1st mvt of 2021 marching show
7:20PM - Marching rehearsal / demonstration
7:50PM - Senior performance
8:00PM - End of exhibition / Start of booster meeting

Concerts begin at 5:30PM for Symphonic Band and 6:30PM for the Honor Band

​Check back ten minutes before the concert begins and refresh your browser if you do not see the link:

There is a lot to cover this week so let's get started:

Please RSVP for the band banquet (May 6th) by this Friday
BANQUET RSVP HERE

Looking for 25 volunteers to help with concession stand clean up this Saturday.  Students and adults are welcome to sign up.  for those that need a service project for leadership, this can count. 9:00am-12:00pm at the Maverick Stadium Concession Stand
SIGN UP TO HELP HERE

Date of Contest: 3/17/2021

Black and White Concert Attire
Parents are Welcome at Performances
​
HS CONCERT BAND:
7:30AM Meet at band hall (Normal time)  
8:00AM depart for Cisco College
8:25AM Check in / Warm up
9:15AM Concert Performance
9:40AM Sight Reading

HS WIND SYMPHONY:
12:30PM - Load up at the band hall
12:50PM - Depart for Cisco
​1:05PM - Arrive/Warm up
1:55PM - Performance
2:20PM - Sight Reading

(Normal start times this week, Wind Symphony is in the band hall Friday, don't forget about the William Owens Clinic on Sunday afternoon)