AHS Band Weekly Update - October 10, 2022

Good morning, here is this week’s update for October 10th, 2022. And it’s a really busy week! We have finally made it to UIL week, and our biggest contest of the year is this Saturday. We will go over everything you need to know.

Rehearsals: this week we have rehearsals a little differently since we have a Thursday football game. Because this is the week of UIL, the directors are strongly encouraging every single student in the program to be at all rehearsals this week. We are unable to march empty spots at UIL, and all performance spots must be filled for the contest.  The rehearsal schedule this week is:

• Monday: 3:45 to 5:00
  
• Tuesday: 3:45 to 6:00
  
• Wednesday: 3:45 to 6:00
  
• Thursday: football game
  
• Friday 3:45 to 6:00
  
• Saturday: UIL Contest
  

On Monday, we need all performing starters AND alternates to come to rehearsal this Monday to determine who will be marching at the UIL contest this Saturday. If you have been talked to about eligibility, your marching spot has already been reassigned. We strongly encourage you to go attend tutorials with the teacher you failed a course with. Spots for this week’s contest will depend on prior attendance, drill knowledge, and performance aptitude. 

Football Game Thursday: This Thursday is our game at Turner stadium against Humble High School, and… it’s 8th Grade Night!!! Our incoming 8th graders will be joining us in the stands, and it is our job to show them how much fun we have in the stands for football games and to give them the example of what our marching band culture looks like. The purpose is to encourage our 8th graders to love our program and get excited and super hyped about becoming a 9th grade band member. We will talk more about this over the week in class. An itinerary will be going out soon (expect it to be very similar to every home game we’ve had so far).

Saturday Contest: As I mentioned earlier, UIL is our biggest contest of the year, as it determines whether or not we advance to the next round. The objective is to receive a 1st Division rating, which is what is required for bands to advance to the next level. It will require all members to focus on their best performance, and for that reason is why we need absolutely 100% perfect attendance at rehearsals this week. An itinerary will be going out soon (expect it to be very similar to the Galena Park marching contest schedule two weeks ago).

Disney Trip, TMF and Widdyup Fundraiser: If you raised funds for the Disney trip through Widdyup, those funds will be transferred into your individual trip accounts sometime soon. We will discuss more as time goes on. We will be scheduling a Disney trip planning meeting very soon with all of our trip goers and parents. When the time is scheduled, we will notify everyone. We will go over all the required details such as trip handbook, park rules and regulations, required contracts, and much more. It’s almost time!!!

That’s all we have for this week. Once we get past UIL, we will get more out there. In the meantime, let’s use this week to focus on having the greatest performance we’ve had yet. We are reaching the last stretch to the end, so let’s keep working together! We can do this, and we will do it together. Have a great week everyone, and I’ll see you at rehearsals!

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