ROOKIE BASIC:  
Things all parents need to know

Download: Marching Competition Etiquitte HERE
Download: Brighton Band Hand Book HERE

The Brighton Band Boosters would like to welcome all new and returning band members and their families to the 2011-2012 year with Brighton Band. We are looking forward to an exciting marching season and another wonderful year for the Brighton Band.

There are many opportunities that are offered through the band program here at the Brighton Schools. These include the marching band program, Symphonic Band, our Jazz Band and more. We believe that music will enhance your child's education as well as his/her success throughout life. The Brighton Band Booster program is here to support and encourage all band members throughout their many musical endeavors. We look forward to your active participation in our booster program as we support the band programs at Brighton.

The following information will introduce you to "Rookie Basics." We hope this will help explain some of the craziness that goes on in the fall. Please do not hesitate to ask a veteran parent any question you may have. They will do their best to answer or point you in the right direction.  

Again, please do not hesitate to ask any question that you may have. Thank you in advance for your support and assistance for a fabulous year!

 Sincerely,

Geoff Jones, Brighton Band Booster President

PS: If any veteran parents remember something that we can pass along, please let us know!  

 A survival guide for your first year in the BHS Band Program - useful for veteran parents too...The following web page is the product of former "new band parents" who spent a good bit of time in our "freshman" year in various stages of confusion. In the many hours we spent watching practices, picking up our kids, and going to competitions we have all felt confused, lost and totally bewildered at one time or another.

We hope this document will help ease you through the transition from "freshman" band parent to "veteran" band parent. (Many thanks to all those parents who came before us; and to the other bands who have produced similar information!)

For most of us (parents and students alike), the transition from middle school band programs to high school band programs is huge, especially in marching band. The increased expectations come with greater rewards, in terms of your student's accomplishments and the pride you will have in watching his/her accomplishments.

This document is our attempt to share with you some of the finer points of making the most of your "freshman" year as a band parent. The Brighton High School Band is supported by the BHS Band Booster program. The Boosters consist solely of volunteer parents in order to help provide your students with an enjoyable and rewarding band experience.

Please join us in meeting this challenge by volunteering your time and talents. Your student will reap the benefits. We welcome all of our new parents and look forward to getting to know you and your students!

Visit the Volunteer page for details.  See the Calendar of Events for opportunities to volunteer.  Links are provided.

Marching Fundamentals and Performance Training-a.k.a. 
BAND CAMP

Marching fundamentals and performance training is conducted in July during the three weeks prior to the start of school. The staff and students work very hard for about eight hours a day, five days a week. During training, they learn the music and marching routine for their fall show. Generally, the first week consists of 3 half-full days for “new” wind players to learn marching fundamentals. Guard & Percussion usually have scheduled times during this week to begin learning their fall show as well. Full band camp is for 2 weeks from 8-5, Monday-Friday. The schedules can also be found on the web site, www.brightonband.com  The kids get quite a workout. Be prepared to hear about running, calisthenics, and plenty of sweating. It's an experience the kids "love to hate," and will talk about for years to come.

Band camp culminates with Meet-the-Band Night, a performance for the band families. It's great fun to come out and see how far the kids have come in just three weeks. We usually feed the band kids a hamburger dinner after their performance, and sell plates to friends and families.

Another major benefit of band camp is that when your freshman student arrives for the first day of high school, he or she will already be a part of a well respected group and will have a whole new group of friends (across all grades) to help with the transition into high school.

Marching Band Season

The Marching Band season starts with band camp. Practice continues after school during the week, usually Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please check with your child and/or the website for schedule changes. The booster program also offers an email to alert you when Mr. Findley sends a newsletter home, when a fundraiser starts, or when major changes occur on the web site. (See the Booster Page.)

Football Games

The band performs their show at half-time of all varsity football games (Friday evenings), as well as playing in the stands during the game. The band has a roped off section in the stands and many of the band parents sit together near the band -- a great opportunity to get to know other parents.

Competitions

The marching band competes against other high school bands on many Saturdays in the fall. Most of the competitions are “local” (within an hour or so of Brighton) and one or two are out of town. It is a great opportunity to watch all the bands compete and cheer our kids on. So, please come on out and support our BHS Band students!

Every competition will be listed on the Calendar of Events page on the web site. Your student will be told the call time for each event and an approximate time for our return. We leave from the school and travel to competitions in a convoy. You are welcome to join the “convoy” but, Please DO NOT get in line between the buses or the support vehicles with the trailers. The band buses & support vehicles park separate from general parking. Be aware that some competition sites charge for parking, and there is usually a general admission fee of up to $10 per person. Don't forget to send a few dollars with your band student so they can buy food and drinks from the competition concessions. Please read Marching Competition Etiquette.

Uniforms

Your student will be issued a marching band uniform consisting of a jacket (with baldric), pants, gauntlets, hat, and gloves. You will need to provide black socks and purchase MTX marching shoes (shoes are ordered during band camp for around $35). The shoes & gloves belong to the student, so keep track of them. There is a $5 charge for gloves that need to be replaced. The uniform guidelines are on the web site, but replacement of a complete uniform is around $350.

Color Guard members are issued a separate uniform. There may be other pieces that individual color guard members are required to purchase as part of their uniform. The color guard instructor will advise the color guard member of any additional items that are needed.

Weather

Bands do perform (and rehearse) in the sun, wind, and rain. The experienced parents go to the competitions prepared to sit through unpleasant weather and cheer for all the bands. Rain gear and ponchos are better than umbrellas (which tend to block the view of the shows and cause rivers of rain to run on the laps of people behind you). If it rains during a competition, the bands may need to march in the mud. If the field conditions are poor, the band may do a standstill performance on the track. Most bands want to avoid standstills because no points are given for marching in a standstill performance; the higher the points the better the score. (The band directors may choose not to attend a performance if there is a high probability for rain.)

 The Cost of Marching Band

There is a band fee required for each student participating in the band program. Fees are laid out in the BHS Band Handbook. If there is an issue with paying the band fee, please contact Mr. Findley. We don't want to exclude any student. Band fees are used to help offset the expenses of running the band program here at BHS, including band camp, uniforms, travel, instructors, food & drinks, etc. Check the band handbook for more information.

Helpful hints to save you time, gas & grief

Mr. Findley, the instructors, and the Boosters want this to be a positive experience for all the students and their families. Here are some helpful hints (learned from our own and many other band parents' experiences):

·       Hold your child responsible for being prepared. Before they leave the house for rehearsal or a performance make sure they ask themselves, "Do I have EVERYTHING I need?" **

·       If you have seen the movie Drumline you heard the following, "If you are early, you are on time. If you are on time, you are late." This is a good phrase to live by. This means that students are expected to arrive for scheduled practice about 15 minutes early so they are in position and ready to rehearse at the scheduled start time. If start time is 5:00 p.m., plan to arrive around 4:45 p.m.

·       When you pick your child up from practice, try to be there a little early:

·       First, you'll get to see the amount of work that your student puts in to this program.

·       Second, you can listen to "circle-up." This is usually a great way to find out about any changes or new information.

·       Also, it's a great way to meet other band parents.

·       Mr. Findley and the instructors try very hard to end practice at the scheduled time. Occasionally practice may run over. Please be patient ... if this happens it is for a very good reason.

·       Ask your student for any schedule changes each week.

·       Always be prepared for changes.

·     Check the web site often - www.brightonband.com

·       Network - Take the opportunity to meet other parents (at Booster meetings, after practice, at games & competitions, fundraising activities, etc.). This is how we all met each other. It is also the best way to get helpful hints on band parenting from others.

**Keep at least one (1) extra pair of black socks in the car during marching season. That way you won't have to make an extra trip to Wal-Mart before a performance.

Don't hesitate to ask any of the veteran band parents or Booster Board members. We've all been there and are happy to help.