We hope that you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving Break! This week we begin a busy three weeks for the bands leading into the Winter Break. Please take a close look at the sections below for students auditioning for the All-Region bands this week! Due to the very busy few weeks I’m going to do a separate section for each upcoming event. I’ll also have trip information for those of you who were not able to attend our meeting this past week. Please let me know if you have questions in regards to anything there!

Odem JH All-Region Auditions

This week the Brass and Woodwind students will audition at West Oso HS on Tuesday, and the Percussion students will audition at Alice HS on Saturday. (The region splits the days due to the large number of percussionists) Students should wear their Odem JH Band shirt to the event, and school appropriate bottoms. We advise students that it can get chilly in the hallways, so jeans may be better than shorts.

Tuesday (Woodwind and Brass Students):

Students will be released from their 7^th Period class to go to the Band Hall. They will travel to West Oso, and should bring some money for snacks if they want from the snack bar West Oso will have. We will also be feeding the students pizza on this day before the auditions. It is hard to give a firm return time, but we hope it will be about 9-9:30pm. We will have students text when they depart West Oso.

Saturday (Percussion Students)

Percussion students need to be dropped off at Odem HS by 7am to depart on Saturday. Students will travel to Alice HS and audition simultaneously while the HS Auditions are going on. We anticipate students departing Alice around 3pm or so to return home. Students will want money for the snack bar for lunch that day. We will have students text when they depart Alice, and again when they reach Calallen.

Odem HS All-Region Auditions

Saturday all Odem HS Band students who are auditioning for the region bands will need to be at the HS Band Hall by 7am. They should wear a band shirt and comfortable, school appropriate, bottoms. Students will want money for the snack bar for lunch that day. We anticipate students departing Alice about 3pm that day. We will have students text when they depart Alice, and again when they reach Calallen.

Odem HS Winter Concert – 12/8

The Odem HS Winter Concert will take place on Thursday, December 8^th at 6:30pm in the HS Cafetorium. This is a mandatory performance for all HS Band students (eligibility does not apply to concerts). Students need to wear their concert clothes, listed below, for this concert. We invite all of your families to attend what should be a fun concert!

All-Region Clinic/Concert 12/9-12/10

The students who make the All-Region Bands this weekend will be performing in the All-Region Clinic/Concert on Friday and Saturday the 9^th-10^th. This is mandatory for any students who make the groups. We will provide their full itineraries next week, but students will depart Friday afternoon at the end of the day, have dinner at TAMUK, then rehearse, returning around 9:30pm that night. On Saturday students will need to be at the Band Hall by 7am, and their concerts will be staggered. The Odem JH students will perform around 2:00pm, and the Odem HS students will perform around 3:00pm. This will be dependent on which groups they make. Students will need to wear their concert clothes for the concert that day.

Odem JH Winter Concert – 12/13

Odem JH will have their Winter Concert on Tuesday, December 13^th at 6:30pm in the Odem High School Cafetorium. This is a mandatory performance for all Odem JH Band students (eligibility does not apply to concerts). Students need to wear their concert clothes, listed below, for this concert. We invite all of your families to attend what should be a fun concert!

Concert Attire

Concert Attire requirements are listed here. Please let us know if there is a concern or you need assistance locating concert apparel. 

Odem JH:

Ladies: Black Blouse/Black Slacks/Dress Shoes (Blouses need to have some sort of sleeve that extends past the shoulder, and should not be low cut)
Gentlemen: White Button Down Shirt, Black Slacks, Black Belt, Black Socks, Black Dress Shoes, and Tie (Preferably solid navy blue, but any tie will work)

Odem HS:

Ladies: Black Blouse/Black Slacks/Dress Shoes (Blouses need to have some sort of sleeve that extends past the shoulder, and should not be low cut)
Gentlemen: Black Long Sleeve Button Down Shirt, Black Slacks, Black Dress Shoes (or Drillmasters), Black Belt, and Black Socks.

2024 Odem HS Trip to Cleveland

Before the break we met and discussed our 2024 Trip to Cleveland, OH that was approved. You may find the trip packet here: https://tinyurl.com/3drm8zfu Some highlights of the trip: Broadway Show at Playhouse Square, Performance at World Famous Severance Hall, day at Cedar Point, Cleveland Museum of Art, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Niagara Falls. I believe that this will be a once-in-a-lifetime trip for these students, and I hope we can take every HS student with us! This trip is open to current 8^th-11^th Grade Band Students, and any JH Front Ensemble Members next year.

As of today, the price is about $1900 per student, and through fundraising efforts I hope we can bring that down more. I will have information for you to start signing up for the trip through our travel company next weekend. Deposits of $100 will be due in January, and then it’s approximately $130/month after that. The travel agency is able to work with credit card payments and checking account deductions automatically. 

Please contact me if you have any additional questions!

This Week’s Schedule:

Day:	Event:
Monday:	HS Band Hall Open until 5pm for Practice
Tuesday:	Odem JH Brass and Woodwind Region Auditions (West Oso) HS Band Hall Closed After School
Wednesday:	Band Hall Open until 4:30pm for practice
Thursday:	Band Hall Open for Practice until 4:30pm
Friday:	Band Hall Closed After School
Saturday:	Region Auditions: Odem JH Percussion and all Odem HS – Depart 7am from HS Band Hall

Upcoming Events:

Day:	Event:	Time:
November 29th	Middle School All-Region Brass/Woodwind Auditions	West Oso Evening
December 3rd	HS All-Region Auditions and Middle School Percussion	Alice HS All Day
December 8th	HS Winter Concert	6:30pm
December 13th	Odem JH Winter Concert	6:30pm
December 17th	Odem Community Christmas Parade	6pm
January 7th	All-Area Auditions	7am Depart

You may find our full 2022-2023 Odem Bands Calendar here (Includes JH Dates as well): http://www.odembands.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-2023-Odem-Bands-Calendar-v1.pdf

Thank you for your help and support of these amazing students! Please contact us if you have any questions!