2019 Band Camp Newsletter

PLEASE READ THOROUGHLY WITH YOUR STUDENT. STUDENTS WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS INFORMATION. THIS IS THE ANNUAL CAMP LETTER AND THE INFORMATION WITHIN IS VERY IMPORTANT.
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Dear Parents and Students,
The time of the year for our marching camps is getting close – two weeks! There are some things you need to know in order to ensure your student’s (your) well being and success in the coming weeks. First, if you have not already been ACTIVE (walking, jogging, playing) OUTSIDE frequently this summer, then you are most likely not ready for camps because your body will not be prepared for the longer exposure to the sun and humidity. Start getting used to hydrating NOW – low hydration/dehydration is the #1 cause of problems in our activity. Being HYDRATED NOW started 2 days ago! You can’t catch up on the spot! Drink water yesterday to be ready today! This is the #1 highest priority – take this seriously.

**If you have asthma or any other challenges to physical activity, BE PREPARED – inhalers, baby powder, etc.
– TENNIS SHOES – Students MUST wear athletic tennis shoes that allow the foot to flex and bend and are comfortable for running. We will jog. Students may NOT wear skateboard shoes (like Vans), toe shoes (like Vibrams), or anything other than a normal athletic shoe. High-top basketball shoes and anything flat (like Converse) are not allowed.
WATER – Students MAY NOT bring individual plastic water bottles, even in water coolers with ice. Despite our best efforts to request that students pick them up, these are left on the field and shredded by lawn mowers, posing a threat to our color guard who frequently perform and practice in thin shoes or barefoot. Students MUST HAVE A 1 gallon individual water cooler. These stay cold for a very long time and can hold adequate amounts of water for our needs. These are easily found at WalMart, Target, and any sporting goods store like Dick’s. Again, NO INDIVIDUAL PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES.
SUNSCREEN – WEAR SUNSCREEN. This is NOT the time to try to get a tan. Almost every year, we have an ‘I’ll be fine’ student who subsequently requires a trip to the doctor/hospital and then misses multiple rehearsals, penalizing the rest of the band. Unlike most other activities, when a student misses, the entire group has to go back upon that student’s return so they can learn what they missed. While sickness sometimes can’t be avoided, we expect students to take proper precautions to protect their health. WEAR SUNSCREEN.
BREAKFAST – NO Yogurt, milk, or anything else dairy. Trust us… it comes back up. Instead, eat hearty things- toast, eggs, oatmeal, granola bars, and the like. Protein and carbohydrates!
BREAKFAST #2 – EAT. Just like with sunscreen, we always have students who will faint, get dizzy, feel sick… when we ask them what they ate for breakfast, the answer is almost always “I didn’t eat”. EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT HUNGRY, EAT. Your body will NEED IT. Bring healthy snacks to munch on during a break in the event you feel weak or need recharging. THIS DOES NOT REPLACE EATING BREAKFAST OR LUNCH. STUDENTS. MUST. EAT!
INSTRUMENT – Be POSITIVE your instrument is in working order – which you SHOULD already know because you’ve been practicing this summer… If your tuning slides don’t move, fix it between now and camp. There will be inspections performed by leadership and instructors. Your instrument MUST be in adequate condition for you to participate and for all of us to be successful.
FLIP FOLDER/LYRE – ALL MARCHING WIND INSTRUMENTS need one. Visit a music store or check Amazon.com but make sure it is compatible with the lyre connector on your instrument. (i.e. Does the lyre arm need to be straight, 90 degrees, or two 90 degree turns?) You can find one and usually spend less than $10. You will need approximately ten pages in your flip folder. Have this ready to use on DAY ONE of Band Camp – VERY IMPORTANT!
ATTIRE – Dress in comfortable, athletic, cool clothing. NO BLUE JEANS. NO KHAKIS. Your clothing must meet school dress code standards (shorts at or below fingertip length). Ladies – you will not wear the skin-tight “pants” without a shirt that comes down to the short-length requirement. You will be sent home to change. Prepare ahead. Tank tops must be modest, and gentlemen, we wear shirts at all times. —- HATS are VERY helpful but not required.
SUNGLASSES – Sunglasses are allowed, but students will be asked at times to remove them for instructional purposes. This is where the hats come in handy.
BUG SPRAY – If you are bothered by mosquitoes and gnats, bug spray is recommended, particularly for the evening sessions.
EXTRA SET OF CLOTHING – We will be outside except in the hottest part of the day, and we rehearse outside unless conditions are dangerous, meaning that at times we do practice in the rain (woodwinds bring cases outside). A clean, dry set of clothing feels extraordinary after you’ve gotten soaked – don’t forget dry undies and socks too. All students will be allowed a locker where they can store their instrument and belongings during the day. This locker can be used during the school year as well.

IMPORTANT: We START all rehearsals at posted times, meaning you should plan to be at the band room no later than 15 minutes before starting time. This is much more important than it may seem. We rehearse all the way until the announced ending time followed by closing announcements. Students will then be released to perform their end-of-rehearsal responsibilities, which usually take no more than 15 minutes (mainly for percussion and color guard with lots of equipment). For any given rehearsal, students should be available to go home within 15 minutes after rehearsal ends. From my observations, most students WHO PERFORM THEIR END-OF-REHEARSAL DUTIES DILIGENTLY are ready to go within 5 minutes. It is up to them how quickly they are ready to go. This, of course, is different from student leadership, who may have extra responsibilities.

By now, EVERYONE should know, but just in case:
THE FOLLOWING CAMPS ARE MANDATORY AND ABSENCE FROM THEM CAN JEOPARDIZE A STUDENT’S ELIGIBILITY TO HAVE A SPOT IN THE SHOW, subsequently costing the program money and time to rewrite our custom-drill.
Anyone who may be in need of a ride to any rehearsal/camp day needs to work this out well ahead of time. Missing rehearsal because you don’t have a ride is NOT an excuse. There are students/parents who are willing to give rides- you need only ask. You can come talk to me or your student leaders if you’re not sure who to contact or even post on FB.*
 Monday, July 15 – Friday, July 19, 8am-5pm is WEEK 1 (EVERYONE – rookies, vets – all instruments/equipment are required to attend) This week, we will focus on learning / re-establishing quality marching and playing technique, protocol and procedures, and begin music study and memorization. Bring lunch, snacks and WATER.
 Monday, July 22 -Friday, July 26, 8am-8pm is WEEK 2 – This week we will begin setting drill for the show (drill = the show movements and formations) and studying with extra hired staff to refine music and marching qualities –and ultimately learning how to put it all together to create our half-time & competition show production.
 Tuesday, July 30 and Thursday, August 1, 4pm-8pm – Post-Camp rehearsals prior to the start of school. These rehearsals are required and crucial because we are off for a week after camp until school starts the following week. We cannot afford to lose everything we gain at camps and I’m sure you are familiar with teenage retention issues. Students should eat well before coming and bring snacks and everything else required at camps.
 Saturday, July 20 – Uniform Fitting and Form Submission Day – Seniors @ 9am, Juniors @ 10am, Sophomores @ 11am, Freshmen @ 12pm. FORMS MUST BE SUBMITTED ON THIS DAY TO MAINTAIN ELIGIBILITY FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THE BAND. Forms can all be found on the website – www.buckhornband.com/documents/ and are explained below. We will try to have a notary public present. If you are a certified notary, please let us know.Mrs. Solanto (1st VP) will be sending an email about this event soon and volunteers will be needed.
 The following forms are REQUIRED (Please be sure you take the time to read and fully complete each form):Buckhorn Band Information Form (Even if you did this at BMS or previous year, we need a new one –updated!)Last page of the BHS Band Handbook and Syllabus, signed by STUDENT AND PARENT, after reading completelyMadison County Extracurricular Participation WaiverMadison County Out-of-County Form (has to be notarized)Instrument Rental Contract (for any students using a school instrument, including all members of percussion, mellos, baritones, tubas – needs to be filled out completely and turned in with $80 instrument rental fee)
If your student has ANY medical issues, including asthma and/or any joint issues – we need a “Student Health Form” addressing these issues. I will do my best to accommodate their needs but they need to be prepared for the activity.

While it may seem a little overwhelming, there IS a method to the madness and it is all in efforts to ensure a worthwhile and successful year for you and your students. Parents/families, we encourage you to attend our evening camp sessions! It’s a great opportunity to see how hard our students work and share in our pride watching these students accomplish something huge together – something far greater than any of us can achieve alone. I am very confident you will be super proud and impressed about what we will be able to accomplish.

Be sure to join our Facebook groups (“Buckhorn High School Band (Public Forum)” and “Buckhorn High School Band News and Events”) – and follow us on Twitter “@BuckhornHSBand” for easy and frequent communications!
As was stated separately, the Remind Text service has changed – parents & students must join the correct group: JOIN REMIND 101 Text Message alerts (used for short important reminders as well as updates/scores during travel and competition for parents/family who may not be with us at the time) – Follow instructions sent in email to receive texts.

Jacob Souder, Director of Bands, and the Staff of the Buckhorn High School Band