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AMB WEEKLY UPDATE 3-2-2026
Greetings Eagle family! It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these things! And there is a lot that is about to happen with our program this month! We have lots of awesome events coming up, and this update has a ton of schedule-related information. It is really important to read through everything to make sure that you know your arrival and performance times for the performances scheduled this week. CALENDAR: Here is a look at the band calendar that takes us to UIL Concert and Sightreading:
Non-Varsity Pre-UIL: Coming up on March 10 Tuesday, we have Pre-UIL Concert Sightreading for all NON-VARSITIES (3rd, 4th and 6th period) ELIGIBILITY: First and foremost: Students – EVERYONE IS ELIGIBLE FOR OUR PRE-UIL CONCERT & SIGHT-READING PERFORMANCE!! BE HERE!! Let’s try really hard to stick to the schedule. UIL ATTIRE:
**There will be a visual uniform inspection when we meet in the Orchestra Room. Please understand that if you are not dressed correctly, you will not be able to perform with the band at Pre-UIL. Please verify that you have the correct attire and solve any issues that arise before Monday!** PRE-UIL ARRIVAL AND PERFORMANCE TIMES Concert Band (6th Period)
Varsity Pre-UIL: Coming up on March 12 Thursday, we have Pre-UIL Concert Sightreading for the Wind Ensemble varsity band (5th period) Please see attire above for what to wear. VARSITY PRE-UIL SCHEDULE:
HS Band Evaluation: Evaluation for next year’s high school band classes, music will be released in March. And evaluations will take place during the school day in April. Performance dates: Check the calendar above for the dates that band students will need to be in attendance for major performances. The jazz band is performing at major festivals, the concert bands are performing for Pre-UIL and UIL. All band students are performing at Solo and Ensemble this weekend. Make sure to have your calendars marked for these major dates! Sectional attendance: 3rd, 4th, and 5th period bands have after school sectionals and rehearsals, and they are strictly mandatory. Rehearsal attendance affects grades, and most importantly, missing any sectionals or rehearsals drastically impacts the team. JAZZ BAND: BLINN JAZZ FESTIVAL Friday, March 6, 2026 On March 6th Friday, the jazz band will travel to Blinn College to do a festival performance/competition for the Blinn College 30th Annual Jazz Festival. 9:13 Arrive in the band hall for 3rd Period Class, load up equipment 10:00 Depart from AHS to Blinn College 11:45 Arrive, lunch in the student cafeteria (all forms of payment taken there) 6:00 Warmup @ Student Center Ballroom 6:30 Performance @ Dr. W.W. O'Donnell Performing Arts Center 7:00 Clinic @ Blackbox 8:00 Blinn College Concert and Awards Ceremony 9:00 Drive Home 9:45 Late-night stop at Buc-ees in Waller for food/snacks (20 mins) 11:10 Arrive at AHS JAZZ BAND AT SAM HOUSTON STATE BILL WATROUS JAZZ FESTIVAL Saturday, March 28, 2026 On March 28th Saturday, the jazz band will travel to Sam Houston State University to do a festival performance/competition for the Bill Watrous Jazz Band Festival.
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AMB WEEKLY UPDATE 2-2-2026
CALENDAR: Here is a look at the band calendar which now includes March:
VARSITY BAND SIDE BY SIDE: The varsity band will visit WLMS and TMS this Wednesday. They will go to WLMS during the school day, and then the TMS side by side starts at 4:30. SIDE BY SIDE SCHEDULE FOR WIND ENSEMBLE:
SOLO AND ENSEMBLE: This week after school on Friday is our solo and ensemble contest. We host it here at Atascocita High School, and times will be announced here shortly when students will report to their listening times. Solo and Ensemble is a required curriculum performance for all students participating in the band program. Every student should have been assigned either a solo or an ensemble to perform in. If you have questions, please come see a band director and we will help you. If parents want to listen to their kiddos play in the room, they are invited! HS Band Evaluation: Evaluation for next year’s high school band classes, music will be released in March. And evaluations will take place during the school day in April. Performance dates: Check the calendar above for the dates that band students will need to be in attendance for major performances. The jazz band is performing at major festivals, the concert bands are performing for Pre-UIL and UIL. All band students are performing at Solo and Ensemble this weekend. Make sure to have your calendars marked for these major dates! Sectional attendance: 3rd, 4th, and 5th period bands have after school sectionals and rehearsals, and they are strictly mandatory. Rehearsal attendance affects grades, and most importantly, missing any sectionals or rehearsals drastically impacts the team. AMB WEEKLY UPDATE 1-28-2025
Greetings Eagle family! We are starting strong in all of our concert band classes this year! The basketball band was a huge success, and currently the jazz band is preparing for their festival performances, and the symphony orchestra is in full swing! Very exciting things are happening in our program for the spring semester! CALENDAR: Here's another look at the calendar from where we are now to at least February.
VARSITY BAND SIDE BY SIDE: The high school wind ensemble will be participating in the side-by-side recruiting event at Atascocita Middle School this Thursday after school, January 29th. The start-time is 5PM with the non-varsity middle school band, pizza lunch provided by the Boosters, then their varsity band from 6:30 to 8:00. This is a required event for all wind ensemble students. Please plan on arriving at Atascocita MS by around 4:30 so that you have time to get your instrument out and we can start right at 5:00. If you are any high school band student who went to AMS and would like to participate in the event, come by and see me and I can get music to you. Next week on Wednesday, wind ensemble will go to West Lake MS during the school day and then TMS after school to complete our side-by-side recruiting tour. PEP RALLY: We have been asked to play at the spring pep rally on Friday. Band will go through the regular pep rally routine. Dismiss at 3rd period to the band hall to get instruments and head to the gym. Pep rally attire is standard: red polo shirt, jeans, tucked in. It’s been a while since we’ve worn these items. Take time the next few days to locate the red polo so that you can have it for the pep rally. Attendance is mandatory for ALL students who participate in band as a class. SOLO AND ENSEMBLE: Next week after school on Friday is our solo and ensemble contest. We host it here at Atascocita High School, and times will be announced here shortly when students will report to their listening times. Solo and Ensemble is a required curriculum performance for all students participating in the band program. Every student should have been assigned either a solo or an ensemble to perform in. If you have questions, please come see a band director and we will help you. AMB WEEKLY UPDATE 1-21-2025 Greetings Eagle family! Since this is my official first update of the school year, I hope that everyone is having an amazing start of the school year! We are unbelievably already on the 3rd week of school! We have tremendously exciting things happening in our program, and we are delighted to come back strong for another exciting semester of high school band. TMEA All-State: Beginning each fall, over 70,000 high school students across the state audition in their TMEA Region. Individuals perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument or voice part. A select group of musicians advances to compete against musicians from other Regions in their TMEA Area. The highest-ranking musicians judged at the TMEA Area competitions qualify to perform in one of 18 Texas All-State ensembles. Only 1% of band students across the state make it this far and represent the best of the best in Texas on their instruments. This year, we would like to congratulate EVEN SALAS and OWEN SALAS on advancing to the Texas Music Educators Association 6A All-State Band! Their concert will be held in San Antonio at the Henry Gonzalez Convention Center at the Lila Cockrell Theatre, Saturday February 14th. CALENDAR: let’s take a look at the calendar and go over all the details as they are from here to February.
AFTER SCHOOL SECTIONALS AND REHEARSALS: the 3rd Period, 4th Period, and 5th Period band have scheduled after school sectionals and full band rehearsals on the times listed below. BASKETBALL GAME: Select members of the high school band will be playing at this Friday’s boys basketball game against Summer Creek HS. Call time in the band hall for those students is 5:30PM and the game starts in the competition gym at 7PM. We will be arriving early to setup.  AMB WEEKLY UPDATE 12-8-2025
Greetings Eagle Family! We have tremendous news to share with all of you! TMEA REGION BAND RESULTS: This last Friday and Saturday, selected band students participated in this year’s All-Region Band auditions. We are pleased to announce that we had 40 students who earned a chair in the district, region or area. Out of those students, 28 students ranked high enough to earn a chair in the TMEA Region 33 All-Region Band Clinic and Concert this Friday and Saturday. And then of those students, eight students were at the top of the room and will continue on to TMEA Area Auditions in January. Please congratulate the following band students! A'Aryah Franklin, Bb Clarinet, Symphonic Winds Aiden Johnson, Bari Sax, Wind Ensemble, 6A Area Aiden Quinones, Bb Clarinet, Symphonic Winds Alexis Davis, Flute, Philharmonic Winds Anna Le Sueur, Bassoon, Wind Ensemble, 6A Area Ava Seastrunk, Flute, Symphonic Winds Brandon Abante, Bari Sax, Philharmonic Winds Brody Illikman, Bb Clarinet, District Bryson Greene, Tenor sax, Philharmonic Winds Camryn Birdow, Bb Clarinet, District Carson Nebeker, Trumpet, District Cassidy Franklin, Bb Clarinet, Symphonic Winds Christopher Garcia, Percussion, District Edgar Acosta, Flute, Symphonic Winds Elizabeth Gonzalez, Flute,District Evan Salas, Trumpet, Wind Ensemble, 6A Area Gabriel Benavidez, Percussion, Symphonic Winds Gabriel Jimenez, F Horn, District Hanna Dowies, Flute, Philharmonic Winds Haziel Espejo, Bb Clarinet, Wind Ensemble, 6A Area Henry Lazarus, English Horn, Wind Ensemble, 6A Area Jason Berg, Alto Sax, Philharmonic Winds Jayna Kagezi, Trumpet, Philharmonic Winds, 6A Area Kathleen Kushnerick, Flute, Philharmonic Winds Matthew Beltran, Tenor Trombone, Philharmonic Winds Matthew Schoen, F Horn, Philharmonic Winds Max Eskelund, Bassoon, District Micah Kesner, Tenor sax, Symphonic Winds Nicolas Garza, F Horn, Philharmonic Winds Noah Petty, Tuba, District Omar Duran Mavo, Flute, Symphonic Winds Omar Noubani, Trumpet, District Owen Salas, Euphonium, Wind Ensemble,6A Area Ricardo Garcia, Bass Clarinet, District Ryan Davis, Tuba, District Samuel Ennett, Oboe, Wind Ensemble, 6A Area Savannah Figueroa, Bb Clarinet, District Sophie Twogood, Bb Clarinet, Symphonic Winds Sterling Haynes, Tenor Trombone, Symphonic Winds Valerie Velasco, F Horn, Symphonic Winds If you are a student who made the TMEA Region Band, your folder was given to you in class. That folder contains all the information on rehearsal times and performance times for your ensemble. You will be responsible for independent travel to and from the event on Friday and Saturday. A lot of this week's update is similar to last week's. Here is the schedule leading up to the winter break:
BAND FEES AND FINALS: If you still owe fees to the band program, you will be unable to exempt finals. Your name was submitted to the bookkeeper as a student with outstanding fees to a school program. The band fees were due by the first football game of August. Since we are in December, we need to start trying really hard to take care of these payments which were due for the program. Until then, any student who has outstanding fees will not be able to exempt final exams. Once fees are paid, then the name gets cleared with the campus bookkeeper. WINTER CONCERT: DEC 11 THURSDAY - FULL BAND WINTER CONCERT, 7:30PM in the Auditorium! All are welcome to attend!
We are down to just hours away from the fundraiser closing. We are at 90% of our goal - we can keep pushing until the very end.
Lots to go over today! So let’s get right to it! Here is the schedule leading up to the winter break:
BAND FEES AND FINALS: If you still owe fees to the band program, you will be unable to exempt finals. Your name was submitted to the bookkeeper as a student with outstanding fees to a school program. The band fees were due by the first football game of August. Since we are in December, we need to start trying really hard to take care of these payments which were due for the program. Until then, any student who has outstanding fees will not be able to exempt final exams. Once fees are paid, then the name gets cleared with the campus bookkeeper. AFTER SCHOOL: Wind Ensemble (5th period) is starting their sectionals this week, and Symphonic Band (3rd period) continue with theirs. All four of our concert bands are having after school rehearsals this week, which will be important because we need to incorporate percussion into the bands for the Winter Concert. JAZZ BAND: The jazz band will not have their concert on Tuesday. We will incorporate the jazz band into the Winter Band Concert next week. TMEA REGION BAND AUDITIONS: This Friday and Saturday contest consists of two phases, and is only for the select individuals who have signed up to participate in this year’s TMEA Region Band Auditions.
WINTER CONCERT: DEC 11 THURSDAY - FULL BAND WINTER CONCERT, 7:30PM in the Auditorium! All are welcome to attend!
Greetings Eagle Family! We are one week away from Thanksgiving Break! I am definitely looking forward to the time with my family, as I am sure you are with yours. Our Booster President Mrs. Berg posts a booster notice every single week on the BAND App that is loaded with amazing information. Please read it entirely, as it all pertains to pretty much everyone. MARCHING BAND SEASON HAS ENDED: last Friday, our football team was defeated in the playoffs. That concludes our last Friday game, and it also includes marching band rehearsals as well. We have officially transitioned into Concert Band season. WIDDYUP FUNDRAISER: Team! We have raised an astonishing $26,026 since our last update. That is completely wild! We are 86% into our goal of $30K. We are not done, we still have work to do! The money we are raising is specifically going back directly to the kids in the band program with the growth of our program, and the more we raise means the more we can purchase for our kids to go beyond in our program. Share, share, share!  Now that we are almost there, here’s how we can finally get it done and go even more beyond:
1) BECOME ACTIVE! We have 141 students actively participating, and there are still 91 students who are NOT ACTIVE! That means you don’t have at least 15 contacts in your Widdy-Up Dashboard or videos uploaded. 0 Contacts = $0! We need your help by putting in your 15 contacts and becoming active if you haven’t done it yet. And if you haven’t even created a dashboard yet, it’s definitely time to do that! Go to the following link to sign up: https://www.widdyup.com/students/register/BUgye4TwoUVzUsu2kjtyedDr?campaign=true 2) ADD MORE CONTACTS! More contacts will reach more people! If you have your 15, now add 10 more! If you have 25, now add 10 more. 50 contacts?! Go for 75!!! The amount of contacts you can put in your Widdyup dashboard is completely unlimited! The more people you reach and share out to, the more your sales will increase! 3) GO FOR THE PRIZES! Top 3 sellers receive a $200, $100, or $50 VISA gift card. Top 10 sellers get a Main Event party with the band directors with pizza and games. Top classroom total sales gets a pizza/DJ party on a 90-minute block period with games and fun! Here’s the schedule for this week:
Symphonic Band sectional times this week:
TMEA FRESHMAN REGION BAND: Tuesday November 19th 2024 Performance Site: West Fork HS 180 Sorters McClellan Rd. Kingwood, TX 77339 NOTE: This contest is only for the select individuals who have signed up to participate in this year’s TMEA Region Freshman Band Auditions. The list of students participating is posted on the bulletin board outside the band hall. ANOTHER NOTE: Make sure to bring some money for concession stands. They will have food and snacks available to purchase.
AMB WEEKLY UPDATE 11/9/2025 OMG We reached 50% of our goal in less than 4 days!!! That’s $15,000 raised so far! That is absolutely amazing! With that kind of excitement, we are on track to totally crush our $30,000 goal! We can do it together!!  Now that we are half-way there, here’s how we get it done:
1) BECOME ACTIVE! There are still 109 students who are NOT ACTIVE! That means you don’t have at least 15 contacts in your Widdy-Up Dashboard. 0 Contacts = $0! We need your help by putting in your 15 contacts and becoming active if you haven’t done it yet. And if you haven’t even created a dashboard yet, it’s definitely time to do that! Go to the following link to sign up: https://www.widdyup.com/students/register/BUgye4TwoUVzUsu2kjtyedDr?campaign=true 2) ADD MORE CONTACTS! More contacts will reach more people! If you have your 15, now add 10 more! The more people you reach and share, the more your sales will increase! 3) GO FOR THE PRIZES! Top 3 sellers receive a VISA gift card. Top 10 sellers get a Main Event part. Top classroom total sales gets a pizza/DJ party on a 90-minute block period. Here’s the schedule for this week:
FRIDAY PLAYOFF GAME ITINERARY: This week, we will be playing Dickinson HS for an away playoff game. It’ll be a one-hour bus ride from AHS. When we get there, it will be a mad dash to get to the stands in time! Sam Vitanza Stadium (Dickinson HS) 3800 Baker Dr, Dickinson, TX 77539
FOOTBALL GAME ATTENDANCE: Friendly reminder that attendance at football games is a major performance and is required. The school district and the Atascocita campus require band, dance, cheerleaders, ROTC, and others to attend these games. Therefore, it is a major performance credit for our program. I am unable to give credit for students who miss the games for unexcused reason which will have a negative impact on your grade in band. More information can be found on rehearsal and performance attendance in our band's handbook at this link below: https://www.atascocitaband.com/the-band-handbook.html#/ AMB WEEKLY UPDATE 11/4/2025
Greetings Eagle Family! Now that competition season has passed us, we now have literally SO MUCH to look forward to. Concert season, jazz band, basketball games, fundraisers, playoff games, solo and ensemble, and so so so much more. Marching season has come and gone so quickly, and now it’s time to prepare for the future and take our amazing band program and go beyond anything that we have ever done before as a team. LAST NIGHT’S MEETING: I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who attended last night’s informational meeting. As you can hopefully see from our presentation, we have the best interest of our kids at the front of everything that we do. With our first non-negotiable priority of our kids being their safety, following that is creating a marching band that kids love to show up to, featuring music the kids love to play and a show that brings the kids joy. Our band program is ready to evolve into the beyond. Our kids are about to add so much more fun and excitement to their UIL half-time shows. We know that parents have a lot of questions regarding the “how.” We know that change is uncomfortable, and I’m happy to share that we are working on a really awesome plan that will make the process even more exciting! I'll end up wanting to have another informational meeting together sometime soon to share more exciting details and answer more questions. We will always have the foundations that set the AMB apart - cleanliness, precision, attention to detail, sharpness, crispness. …taking the concepts that we already do, and elevating them, and going beyond. We are so delighted to have our kids on this amazing journey with us, and as a band director, I want to thank my parents and constituents for trusting in our leadership. If you missed it, you can always give us a call or an email, and I will go over everything that you might have missed in case you have questions. I am always here to help in any way that I can. Okay, on to the next thing! THURSDAY WIDDY-UP: We are set up to absolutely CRUSH this fundraiser! Our goal is $35,000. With everyone’s support and all of our students with their dashboards set up and contacts fully loaded in, we could stand to not only reach our goal - but annihilate it. Thursday kicks off everything. Please make sure that you have these three things happening:
FRIDAY GAME ITINERARY: This week, we will be playing Goose Creek Memorial for an away game. It’ll be a 45 minute bus ride from AHS to Goose Creek Stallworth Stadium. 2509 E Archer Rd, Baytown, TX 77521
AMB WEEKLY UPDATE 10/26/2025
Greetings, Eagle Family! We have made it to the end together in our competitive journey! This Tuesday, the Atascocita High School Military Marching Band will compete in the UIL State Military Marching Band Championships, to determine which military band is the best in the state of Texas! We have worked very hard for this day, and we are very excited for our amazing band program. Please read this update carefully, as it pertains to a lot of what is going on this week. State-level information on the UIL State Military Marching Band Championships can be found here: https://www.uiltexas.org/music/state-military-marching-band-contest Here is an overview of this week’s schedule: Monday: Rehearsal 3:45 - 6:45 Tuesday: UIL State Military Marching Band Championships Wednesday: TMEA Region Orchestra Auditions Thursday: WiddyUp Pre-Kickoff 3:45 and senior night practice 4:30 Friday: Saturday: Football Game vs. Channelview HS (Senior Night at Home) —--- MONDAY REHEARSAL: we need every band student to arrive quickly after school on Monday for a 3:45 rehearsal like it’s a game day. This is the very last rehearsal we have, and every performer must be physically on the field for the team. Please tell your club sponsors that you have band practice this day and must be at band at 3:45 - no exceptions. Please tell your private lesson teachers and tutorial teachers that you must be at 3:45 practice - no exceptions. It's the last one! Monday rehearsal is an All-Call for every starting band student who is marching in UIL State Championships for a 3:45 to 6:45 final rehearsal. Every student must be in attendance, and this is the day that you will tell your clubs and sponsors “Sorry, I can’t - I have band.” Tuesday UIL State Military Marching Band Championships: the full itinerary of the day is posted on the www.atascocitaband.com website. Students will arrive in the AM, rehearse on the AHS field, report to the band hall, and load up to depart to Waco for our final contest of the season. Please read it carefully - a lot of information is in there on how that contest day will go. Attendance the next morning: All band students will have a later arrival after the late arrival, and must report to class by the 10:30 AM ADA attendance. WEDNESDAY: full region orchestra itinerary for those students who are attending is attached on the BAND app and can also be found at www.atascocitaband.com **A note about PSAT on Wednesday: Although there are no makeup opportunities for the October 29th PSAT, juniors who miss the exam may contact the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for an alternate entry to the National Merit Scholarship Program. The details for entry are outlined on the linked site. Thursday Widdy-Up Pre-Kickoff and Senior Night practice: All band students need to meet in the band hall for a regular 3:45 practice like normal for a 20-minute widdy-up fundraiser pre-kickoff session. Following that meeting, all seniors and parents will be meeting on the field at 4:10pm for a senior night run-through practice. Seniors must be in attendance so that you will know what to do on Saturday. Parents are encouraged to attend as well, but it will be more important for senior students to be there so that they can show you where to go on the field. SENIORS: I NEED YOUR FORM BY MONDAY NIGHT. Please fill out the senior night form. https://forms.gle/XVTRGJKic9ZQTfmo8 Friday is Halloween Night! Spooookyyy!!! No events scheduled. Enjoy the night off with your families. SATURDAY HOME GAME: itinerary vs Channelview HS is below. Itinerary is standard football game itinerary, except it is all an hour forward, no rehearsal runthrough, and the full band will not perform at half-time. The halftime show this week is dedicated to the senior class band students. SATURDAY FOOTBALL GAME ITINERARY:
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BRIAN BESTDirector of Bands, Atascocita High School 
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