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Greetings Eagles fans! TWO MORE WEEKS LEFT! We are super close to the very end, and we are already looking forward to having a really nice summer vacation with our friends and families, and also getting ready for the hype of football season! Speaking of, the football schedule is posted. You can find the schedule on the website calendar to use for your convenience.
This week is another busy one! Let’s go over this week: MONDAY DRESS REHEARSALS: The spring concert is coming up, so we are having one dress rehearsal on Monday after school for the concert bands to go over last details for the concert. Students wear their normal school day clothes. (*a “dress” rehearsal does not mean you “dress out” for the concert. It means that you “address” any technical issues before you put on a live performance. It’s concert lingo - dress rehearsal.) The dress rehearsal times are:
MONDAY BOOSTER MEETING: On Monday, we have our monthly Booster meeting to discuss happenings in the program. The Booster Board is meeting at 6:30, and then all band Booster parents are invited to attend the general meeting at 7PM today in the band hall. TUESDAY CONCERT: This year’s annual Spring Concert will be in the Performing Arts Center, and it will start at 7PM. We strongly encourage everyone to stay until the end as we will be having a special guest conductor with the Wind Ensemble that you won’t want to miss.
THURSDAY JAZZ BAND AUDITIONS: If you are a student interested in jazz band, we are having jazz band auditions this Thursday after school. FRIDAY SAM HOUSTON STATE WIND ENSEMBLE FESTIVAL: The Varsity and Non-Varsity bands are recording this Friday at the SHSU performing arts center. The itinerary of this event is located below. SATURDAY KICKBALL TOURNAMENT: This Saturday several of our band leadership will be hosting a kickball tournament. More information will be going out on this later. The AMB is having their Kickball Tournament yet again! This is a great way to have fun with fellow band students, and well, play kickball (destroy the green team). May 20th from 1pm to 5pm (not an official time) If you are interested, sign up at https://forms.gle/6oYoHQ35QECzJjG38
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Good morning fellow Eagles!
I have a LOT to go over, because the month of May is usually all kinds of bananas. So let’s go over everything you need to know in a monthly overview. For the month of May, we have the following dates scheduled:
Let’s go over the things happening this week: Class Placements: that is happening in class this week. Every student is in the Atascocita High School Band, but we need to place students in the appropriate class. Evaluations will consist of scales and a prepared music of their choice. Senior Slideshow is Due: Seniors, please go to the following form and fill out your information for the slideshow: https://docs.google.com/forms/u/1/d/e/1FAIpQLSc3wW_iJqIG_r35v78DxOGXRcPHoME-yl1P9ZYHwLp2op5U2Q/viewform?usp=sf_link&urp=gmail_link GRADES: Teachers are submitting their grades today that will impact whether or not a student REGAINS ELIGIBILITY. You can not lose eligibility, but you can possibly regain it back on this progress report if you had lost eligibility previously. Jazz Band Spring Concert: Please join us for our annual Jazz Band Spring Concert in the Performing Arts Center on Thursday May 4th at 7:00PM. We would love to see you there. High School Band Registration: Registration is May 8th for returning members and May 9th for incoming 8th graders. PARENTS, you can go now and fill out the required forms for our program at www.atascocitaband.com/register so that you won’t have to take time to do it on the day of registration. The web store is not open yet currently, it will be open next week to begin making purchases. That’s where I’m going to stop for now. There’s a lot going on, and we will keep you up to date. Regarding the BAND App, when I make a post, it usually gets about 50 glances and 40 reads by a total of 400+ students and parents. There will be a lot of information going out during these next few weeks, so please do me a huge favor and don’t swipe the notification away - please click on and view the push notifications that go out. Even if it’s to fake that you read it, it will make me feel better about myself. Okay, that’s it for the day! Hope everyone has a super awesome week, and we will see you on the other side! WEEKLY UPDATE 4/24/2023
GOOD MORNING EAGLES! I hope everyone had a super good testing week last week, as we have another week of testing for various subjects this week. While that’s going on, here are the following things going on this week:
HIGH SCHOOL BAND REGISTRATION: It is almost time to get our high school band registration going! If you are enrolled in high school band, there are several things that we need to get you started, which are physicals, calendar, uniforms, forms, and much more! There are two days as to which you can attend registration:
If you have a conflict with a specific date and need to make a special arrangement, just email me at rxbest@humbleisd.net and we can arrange something. You can go online and register today! Go to https://www.atascocitaband.com/register.html and begin filling out all of the online Google forms. They are ready. There are some things that are not ready yet - calendar, webstore, etc. We are still working on those. If you get your online Google Forms submitted early, you won’t have to do it the day of and you can save a lot of time! LEADERSHIP APPLICATIONS and INTERVIEWS: Applications for next year’s leadership team has concluded, and we had over 60 students apply to be on the leadership team. This is a huge deal, that many students are interested in stepping up and applying to serve for a higher purpose. While we love this, we need all candidates to know that not everyone will be selected, as there are a limited number of positions available. The positions will be determined by the following criteria:
DRUM MAJOR AUDITIONS: If you are auditioning, auditions are THIS THURSDAY for preliminary and FRIDAY for the finals. Auditions will take place after school, and you will want to wear comfortable clothing for Thursday’s tryouts.
CLASS PLACEMENT EVALUATIONS: High school evaluations start next week, May 1st. Students will be required to play the following two things:
Greetings Fellow Eagles! We had a LOT going on last week, so I apologize for missing out on a week of updates. But I do have some awesome news to share with you all: UIL RESULTS: Our UIL season has finally come to a close, and after earning a Divison 1 in marching band in the fall semester, the second round of UIL competition happened this week. To earn a sweepstakes in high school, a band must have also earned a 1 in marching. Here are the results from UIL Concert and Sightreading:
Congratulations to ALL of our students who worked so hard this semester. Congratulations to the staff on your vision, and thank you to all the parents who supported us and your students in music this year.  Here are some updates on what is coming up:
LEADERSHIP APPLICATIONS: Applications for next year’s Military Marching Band leadership team is now live and ready to go! Click HERE to apply for the Leadership Team. DRUM MAJOR APPLICANTS: If you are interested in serving as next year’s drum major for the AMB, you will click the link above and do the application for leadership team. You will be required to come to our initial trainings on Monday and Wednesday. The first day of drum major applicant training is This Wednesday from 3:00 to 4:00. CLASS PLACEMENT EVALUATIONS: Information on class placement is being provided in class starting today. The evaluations will be significantly different than how they were done in the past. Students will be required to play the following two things:
BAND BASH: We are in the early stages of planning our annual Band Bash! Band Bash is the end of year celebration where all of the band students gather together for an evening of dancing, great food and fun, and to ultimately recognize the Senior Class of 2023! Below are the baseline logistics that we have ironed out so far: Date: Thursday, May 11, 2023 Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm We would love to have your assistance with planning this event for our students! The Band Bash planning committee will meet a few times in person and then via virtual meetings as needed. It won’t be a heavy lift, rather it will be a fun time for the Band parents to get together and plan an awesome event for our students! If you are interested in joining the Band Bash planning committee, please send me an email to ahsbandboosterspresident@gmail.com. Please let me know if you have any questions. That is going to be all for this week. Stay tuned to next week’s updates for more things. May is jam-packed with lots of events, so we will come back later with more information. Hope everyone has a great week, and we will see you on the next one! Greetings Eagle Family! We hope that you all had a super good weekend! We are down to our last week of rehearsals for UIL Concert and Sightreading which is next week. A detailed itinerary will be going out soon.
UIL Schedule for Parents:
Parents are invited (and encouraged) to attend their child’s performance on UIL day! This week, we have the following things: Monday: we are on stage for class. Tuesday: regular class day as usual - in the band hall Wednesday: Block day 1-3-5-7 periods, on stage Thursday: Block day 2-4-6 periods, on stage Friday: SHSU Jazz Festival - the Jazz Band will perform at Sam Houston State University for the Bill Watrous Jazz Festival. Itinerary posted soon. Saturday: The High School Drumline will perform at the Humble Civic Center. A detailed itinerary will go out this week, and the performances are at the following times:
Leadership Applications 2023: Applications will open up on April 10th, and they will be due on April 21st. Any and all students interested in serving on the leadership team (including prospective drum majors), will fill out the application. Go to https://www.atascocitaband.com and click on Resources -> Current Students -> Leadership Team Applications and check back for the link to open. Leadership Interviews will be on the week of April 24th in class with the band directors. Drum Major Audition Training 2023: All drum major candidates interested in serving as the Atascocita High School Military Marching Band will be required to attend trainings on Mondays and Wednesdays starting at 3:15. This begins April 10th and goes up to April 28th. Drum Major Auditions will be on April 28th, at the HS Band Hall. Go to https://www.atascocitaband.com/drum-major-auditions.html for more information regarding the auditions. 2023-2024 Class Placement Evaluations will begin on the week of May 1st. We will have more information on the evaluations, as it will be slightly different than how it was done last year. Greetings Eagle Family! And Welcome back!! I hope that you all had a terrific Spring Break! We really don’t have much to cover this week, except that we are back in full swing.
Booster Meeting: There is no Booster meeting today. We will have our next planned Booster meeting on Monday April 17th. After school sectionals and full band rehearsals resume this week and will continue all the way to UIL time. Concert and Sightreading: It is upon us, my friends. And it is coming up fast! This is our primary focus. We only have about 10 rehearsals left until the big day. After school activities as far as sectionals and full band rehearsals will continue all the way up to the days. A more detailed itinerary will go out soon. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th period bands will be performing on April 4th, and the 5th period band will be performing on April 5th. CONCERT AND SIGHTREADING PERFORMANCE TIMES @ Westfield High School Concert Band (3rd period) April 4 Concert: 8:30am Sightreading: 9:00 Symphonic Band (2nd period) April 4 Concert: 11:00am Sightreading: 11:30 Wind Symphony (4th period) April 4 Concert: 3:30pm Sightreading: 4:00 Wind Ensemble (5th period) April 5 Concert: 2:15pm Sightreading: 3:00 -------- Jazz Festival: This Saturday, the AHS Jazz Band will be performing at the Aldine Jazz Festival and the Alief Jazz Festival. More information will be provided through the BAND App. That’s all for now! It’s Concert and Sightreading time! Be practicing at the minimum 30 mins a day. That is your daily homework. Greetings Eagle friends! We have one more week left to spring break, and it's a pretty busy one! Here is everything that you need to know for this coming next week, because this is our pre-UIL concert and sightreading evaluation week.
For those students who need to make up their Solo and Ensemble performances, we will do it in class this week before the break is over for students to receive credit. MONDAY NON-VARSITY PRE-UIL: on Monday after school, our non varsity students will be performing in a pre-UIL concert and sight reading evaluation at Atascocita High School. This includes any student that is in the second, third, and fourth period bands. ELIGIBILITY: First and foremost: Students – EVERYONE IS ELIGIBLE FOR OUR PRE-UIL CONCERT & SIGHT-READING PERFORMANCE!! BE HERE!! 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!** All bands will be here after school in various locations after school. Warmup times are as follows:
See the button at the very top of the post for performance times. TUESDAY ACT TESTING: I am completely new to testing here at AHS, so I am not entirely sure of what to expect when they have the whole entire school testing on this day. Plan on us all not having classes this day. All three band directors are testing administrators this day. WEDNESDAY: Classes will resume as normal this day. THURSDAY: Best will be out judging UIL Region 14 Concert and Sightreading contest. Therefore, there will be no after school Wind Ensemble varsity band rehearsal on Thursday. FRIDAY VARSITY PRE-UIL: on Friday after school, our 5th period varsity students will be performing in a pre-UIL concert and sight reading evaluation at Atascocita High School. See the button at the very top of the post for performance times. Plan on staying right after school, then being there until 6:30. Then Spring Break can commence! Greetings eagle friends! We've got one big thing happening this week that involves the members of the Full Orchestra. This is our last week of varsity full orchestra, as we are reaching the end of the competition season.
Sectionals: are all at the normal times this week. Monday Full Orchestra rehearsal: 3:00 to 5:30 Wednesday Full Orchestra final rehearsal: includes a clinician with the Sam Houston State University orchestra director. Same time, 3pm to 5:30pm. Thursday UIL Concert and Sightreading: this is during school, and we will be back in time for full band rehearsal. Be on the lookout for an itinerary coming soon - we are still ironing out the details as we just recently received the performance schedule from our region. Our performance times are right in the middle of lunch, so details on that are being worked on.
Friday Make-Up UIL Solo and Ensemble: If you were on the list to make up your solo and ensemble performance, we need to see you this Friday to make it up for full credit. Please refer to your performance time located on the sheets provided to you. If you need help, come find a band director and we will help you. Greetings Eagle family! We hope that everyone had a really awesome weekend, and here is your weekly update for February 20!
UIL Solo and Ensemble contest: AHS band earned a total of 113 division one medals on Friday and Saturday. That's super amazing, and we are very proud of everyone who participated. Congratulations to the following students who have qualified for TSSEC (Texas State Solo and Ensemble contest):
The judges also selected students who were memorable to them and were awarded Outstanding Performer:
ELIGIBILITY: This week is GAIN ONLY, meaning you can’t lose it. If you have your eligibility, and you get your progress report and you are failing a class, you will not lose your eligibility. However, if you had not had your eligibility previously and you are passing all classes, then you will regain your eligibility. The LOSS period for eligibility is after spring break, so you have three weeks left to get grade life in order so that you do not lose your eligibility when the time comes. MONDAY Booster Meeting: the booster board will meet at 6:15 to discuss new items. The general parent meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. and will contain new items pertaining to the band program. All band booster parents are invited to attend at the high school band hall at 7pm after the board has met. TUESDAY full Orchestra pre-UIL contest: Students participating in the full Orchestra with the strings program will perform in their first ever pre-UIL concert and sight reading event this coming Tuesday. The times of this event are below:
WEDNESDAY Full Orchestra: practice resumes, regular time 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday is a late arrival day. FRIDAY PICTURE DAY: This Friday is Atascocita military band picture day! Texas group photo is the company that will be coming out during our class time taking individual photos of our band students for parents and family members to purchase. We will also be creating a group composite photo with all band students. Your students have been sent home with an order form from Texas group photo, and you can click the link below to access the form. If you are interested in purchasing photos, you will need to bring this order form along with cash or check made out to Texas Group Photo in an envelope with the student's name on it on Friday the day of pictures. This is a one shot deal, so if you are absent from school, you will be missed for the composite photo all together.. It will be important to come by either first through 7th period anytime to get your picture taken in your uniform. Greetings Eagle Family! I hope that everyone had a really awesome and restful first Spring Break! The band directors are excited to return to our students and get our classes going back again and making awesome music with our students. When we come back, we get right back to it and have multiple events happening that affects almost everyone. But first… a look back at Spring Break! DISNEY TRIP IS A SUCCCESS!: Our 2023 Disney trip was a HUGE success! The kids had a blast, they got to visit six different parks in three days, and they learned about the craziness of airport travel. We loved spending time with our kids, and we hope that they had an unforgettable experience.  TMEA 2023 IS IN THE BOOKS!: The band directors attended the Texas Music Educators Association in San Antonio and got a lot of work done there. Also, while there, our very own Jake Casilio attended the conference as this year's TMEA All-state musician. The performance was stunning, and we are so proud of our All-state musician this year!
Okay, here are a few things happening when we come back:
TIMBERWOOD SIDE BY SIDE: All members of the varsity band will attend the timber with side-by-side on Monday after school 4:30 p.m. The schedule is the same as AMS schedule, and we will meet there and have our event in the cafeteria. Pizza will be provided by the Timberwood Middle School band. SECTIONALS: All sectionals after school resume tomorrow. FULL ORCHESTRA: all practices resume as normal. But if you are involved in full orchestra, please be aware that pre-UIL full orchestra competition is next week on Tuesday. Please see the band calendar on the website for all the orchestra dates. SOLO AND ENSEMBLE: This Friday and Saturday is the solo and ensemble contest for Atascocita High School band. Schedules will be posted in this update. Here are a few notes about the contest:
More information will be provided over the BAND app as the week goes on. We hope that everyone has an awesome week back, and we will see you soon! |
BRIAN BESTDirector of Bands, Atascocita High School 
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