Weekly Band News: July 18 – July 24

July 20, 2021
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ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

  • Big Thank You to those who helped on Oldham County Day!  We especially want to thank Stephanie Skeens who helped organize the Booth and the Silent Auction!
  • We will have a Notary on site July 19th, & 22nd from 5:30-6:00pm.
    • Bring photo ID
    • Our thanks to Jenn Silliman for helping with this!
  • The next Band Booster meeting will be Monday, July 19th at 7:00pm in the auditorium.  We will not be carrying this meeting over Zoom but will record for anyone who misses.
  • HELP NEEDED!
  • 2022 Band Trip:  We are in the process of planning for the band trip but wanted to share that the trip this year will be over Spring Break.  We will be passing out information for the trip at the July Band Booster Meeting and then will have a separate trip meeting the week after Band Camp.
  • We still need Committee Coordinators.  See the listing below and email [email protected] if interested.
  • Summer Band Rehearsals will be on Mondays and Thursdays starting  July 5th through the first day of the school year 6:00-8:30 p.m. at OCHS.
  • Fundraising Reminder: It’s not too late to order gift cards through Scrip to earn money for the band!  Here is some information:

SUMMER MARCHING BAND REHEARSAL & PACKET INFORMATION

The marching band will meet Monday and Thursday evenings during July and August. Rehearsals will be 6:00 – 8:30pm and are held at OCHS starting July 5th.   Attendance is expected at summer band rehearsal if you are in town.  If you’re on vacation or out of town for any of these dates, please notify Mr. Centers at [email protected]. Failure to contact Mr. Centers to resolve summer band rehearsal date conflicts will result in you not having a spot in the marching band’s halftime show. If you have not attended a summer band rehearsal and have not notified Mr. Centers for the reason(s) of your absence, do not expect to have a spot in the marching band show that will be taught at band camp. 

Students should have their music prepared and placed in a flip folder for summer rehearsals. If you have not yet picked up a music packet, you may do so at any summer rehearsal, a drum major or band director can help you find the music packets. 

Flip folders and music lyres are also available to purchase from the band boosters at summer rehearsals and should be taken care of prior to the first day of band camp. 

Students should dress comfortably to practice outside and wear appropriate tennis shoes and socks for rehearsals. 

  • In order to keep students hydrated throughout summer band rehearsals, we ask that each band student bring in a case of bottled water.  Thank you to those who have already sent this in, if you have not had a chance yet your student can still bring a case in this week!
  • Materials to Purchase through the Band Program at Rehearsals:
    • Flip Folios for $8.00.
    • Lyre Prices:  Baritone $8; Mellophone $13; Trombone $12; Trumpet $7; Bach Combo $19; Clarinet $8; Sax $8; and Drum $11

Summer Packet Information has been uploaded to the band website and can be accessed using this link.  This information will not be printed by the OCHS BAND Boosters and will need to be printed at home.  The Medical Release form will need to be notarized.  The Oldham County Public Library (Main Branch) will notarize documents at no cost by appointment only.  You may call and make an appointment at 502-222-9713.   There will also be a Notary on site before band rehearsals on July 19th, & 22nd from 5:30-6:00pm.  Be sure to bring a photo ID for the notarizing process. Our thanks to Jenn Silliman for helping with this!   All forms will need to be turned in as soon as possible.   Please refer to the DOCUMENTS Tab under the STUDENTS Section on the OCHS Band Website https://ochs.band/students/documents.

BAND CAMP

Marching Band Camp will be July 26-30.  All sessions will be held at OCHS.  Attendance is mandatory each day of camp for all band students.  Band camp is the time when the marching band’s half-time show is learned. Students who do not attend band camp will not have a spot in the marching band half-time show.  The cost for band camp is $80.00 and is paid with your school registration in August.  The daily schedule for band camp is provided in the summer packet as well as below: 

Band Camp Daily Schedule July 26-30, 2021 

  • 8:00 am Assemble at OCHS Band room
  • 8:30 Visual Block: fundamentals of marching (practice field)
  • 10:00 Break (Students should bring a snack for this break)
  • 10:20 Visual (Drill) or Music: this can change each day as needed
  • 11:30 Lunch Break: either bring a lunch or make arrangements
  • 1:00 pm Music : Sectionals (or full band when needed)
  • 3:20 Break
  • 3:40 Music: Full band
  • 5:00 Dinner (on your own)
  • 6:30 Music and Visual: Drill/Music teaching session (practice field)
  • 8:30 Announcements and End of day

PRIOR TO CAMP, you should have: 

  • A MARCHING FLIP-FOLIO WITH A MINIMUM OF 12 WINDOWS
  • YOUR OWN COPIES OF ALL MUSIC SELECTIONS—IN THE FLIP-FOLIO!!
  • A MUSIC LYRE TO HOLD FLIP-FOLIO TO YOUR INSTRUMENT
  • A WATER BOTTLE (WITH YOUR NAME ON IT)
  • A TOWEL (BEACH OR BATH SIZE) FOR FUNDAMENTALS/STRETCHING EXERCISES
  • A CAP OR VISOR AND SUNGLASSES
  • GOOD MARCHING FOOTWEAR (TENNIS SHOES)—NO SANDALS OR OPEN-TOED SHOES!!
  • ATHLETIC SOCKS (DO NOT GO WITHOUT THEM!!)
  • SUNSCREEN!!!
  • EAR PROTECTION FOR INSIDE REHEARSALS (ESPECIALLY PERCUSSIONISTS)
  • A PENCIL TO MARK DRILL AND MUSIC
  • AND……….A GREAT ATTITUDE!!!!!! We as a group and as individuals must treat our school facility AND the staff who take care of it with great respect—we don’t want to make the job of getting things ready for the first day of school any more difficult than it already is!
  • A FEW RANDOM THOUGHTS: During football season the OCHS Marching Colonels make many new friends through the quality of our performances, by entertaining the fans and by supporting our football team in their efforts on the field. Each year, there are many, many positive comments from people on BOTH sides of the stadium each Friday night we perform. In more than a few cases, we may have been the reason they stayed through the end of the game! We are looking forward to these opportunities for our school and the community to see and hear you, and find out what we already know—the best students and most talented people in our school are BAND MEMBERS! It is really important that we all remember that the reason we are “in the band” is for the MUSIC, and the PEOPLE we make music with. Marching band is simply one of the ways we can show off our considerable abilities. It is vital that we do our usual great job of performing and that we attend all rehearsals and performances (and after all, you are receiving a grade AND academic credit for doing so). I truly believe we make a difference in how we are perceived in our school and community through presenting shows the whole audience can identify with and helping them become more involved in the “game night atmosphere”. As talented as you are, we should be really good at doing that! Our goals for the marching band: 1) Entertain our audiences well and often—they will notice us if we do. 2) Become the unifying entity at football games—school spirit, team support, fan interest. We should be the reason fans come to ball games—and we will be if our approach is correct, we play the right things and play them well! 3) Present musically appropriate performances incorporating high levels of audience appeal, variety, and musicianship. And finally………. HAVE FUN WITH MARCHING BAND! P.S.: (All of the following are dependent upon being able to gather in large groups…)

MUSIC THEORY

Mr. Centers will be able to offer a Music Theory course for all interested students this coming school year. The class will be offered during 2nd period and will cover both written and aural music theory knowledge and skills. This course is open to any student who desires a deeper knowledge and understanding of how music works, including musical analysis and composition. It is highly recommended for any student considering studying music in college at any level in the future. 

If you are interested in this course, please email Mr. Steedly at [email protected] as soon as possible so that you can be added to this course. 

This course is not just for band students. If you have a friend in choir or someone who would be interested in this course, please share this information with them. 

 OLDHAM COUNTY COMMUNITY BAND

Are you or your student musician interested in joining the Oldham County Community Band?  

Students who rehearse and perform with this ensemble can claim Beta or NHS community service hours…as a bonus, they’ll have a horn on their face for at least two additional hours a week, reading and performing music they won’t see in their school ensemble rehearsals!  What a deal…

The OCCB has plenty of room for students on any woodwind, brass or percussion instrument, but those who play double reeds, clarinet, horn, flute or percussion would be huge in balancing the group and opening up even more repertoire possibilities.

 Any kid you consider an “advanced” middle schooler (grade 2-3 capable; good readers) will be able to hang on; most high schoolers fit in right away.  There is no audition or membership fee involved for students. 

The group generally performs grade 3-4 concert literature, marches, popular music medleys and show tunes.  The plan for post-COVID includes performances in late October/early November, Christmas, mid-winter (February/early March) and spring.  The band’s next performance will be on July 17th (Oldham County Day; 1:00 p.m. at CityPlace).

Check out the informational flier here!

BAND COMMUNICATION

We communicate band news through various channels and additional channels (Google Classroom, Remind) will be added as the school year begins.  Please feel free to pass this information to other new parents who may not be receiving communication yet.

Emails

  • Each Sunday evening, an email is sent with details of the week’s band activities, as well as a preview of upcoming events.  This is our main source of communication.  If it’s a busy week, or there is new information since Sunday, a Wednesday email will be sent out as well.  You may request to be placed on the email list by emailing your students Name, Grade and Instrument to [email protected].  

Facebook

  • The Band Boosters group maintains a private Facebook group called Oldham County HS Band Boosters!  You can request to join through Facebook and we’ll add you.  This is a good place to get quick answers to your questions, as many people will see your post fairly quickly. 

Contact Information:

  • For Band Booster questions and business, please use the band booster email [email protected].

SAVE THE DATES

Important Dates—Summer and Fall 2021

  • Summer Band Rehearsals
    • Mondays and Thursdays
    • Starts July 5th through the first day of the school year 6:00-8:30 p.m. at OCHS
  • Oldham County Day Parade
    • July 17th 
  • Band Camp Week
    • July 26-30
    • 8:30 a.m—8:30 p.m. DAILY at OCHS
  • After school rehearsals (marching band)
    • Every Thursday; August 12—end of season
  • HOME FOOTBALL DATES FALL 2021 (required performances)
    • August 27th v. Shelby County
    • September 10th v. Meade County
    • October 7th (THURSDAY) v. Eastern (7:00 start)
    • October 22nd  v. GRC (we will not play this game-fall break)
    • (Fall Break October 18-22)
    • October 29th v. Bullitt East (Senior night)

VOLUNTEER AND SHADOWING OPPORTUNITIES

The OCHS Band Boosters is needing volunteers for open positions for the coming year.  Board positions are elected positions called out in the By laws and include the officer positions and the class reps.  Committee Positions are non-elected positions.

After surveying those currently serving, the following positions are open for next year:

Board (all positions except Treasurer are up for elections but the following do not have someone rerunning).

Committee Coordinators

  • All District Co-chair to work with previous year’s coordinator.
  • Alumni Coordinator

In addition, all committee positions are always open to shadowing or additional help.  The committees below will have Senior parent next year and would be great to have someone shadowing next year that could take over the following year:

  • Sponsorships
  • Mums Sale Coordinator
  • Directory
  • Instrument Rental
  • Band Website Support
  • T-shirts

Please email [email protected] if you are interested in filling any of the roles listed above or if you are interested in shadowing any committee.  If you would like more details on each position’s role, please feel free to email [email protected] or contact the current coordinator. 

BAND BOOSTER LEADERSHIP

Board Members for 2021-2022

  • President – Chad Adams
  • Vice President – Brandon Gossett
  • Secretary – Melissa Gossett
  • Treasurer – Lisa Zahradnicek
  • Senior Member-at-Large: Katie Fuller
  • Junior Member-at-Large: Stephanie Skeens
  • Sophomore Member-at-Large: Natalie Dorris
  • Freshman Members-at-Large: Mary Tatum

Access the Band Booster Board and Committee Leaders Contact List for additional names and contact emails using this Band Booster Board and Committee Leaders Contact List link.