This week finds us in the last part of the calendar year, and for the bands, we’ll be very busy these next two weeks! This week, there will be All-Region Auditions for JH Symphonic Winds members on Tuesday at Tuloso-Midway MS, and HS Auditions for those signed up on Saturday at HM King HS in Kingsville. Symphonic Winds members will be pulled out of classes on Tuesday to travel to TM. The boosters will provide pizza for them for dinner. Auditions are set to begin around 5 pm, and we should hopefully be heading home with them around 9 pm.
We will need the HS students to be at the school by 6:45 am on Saturday. We should most likely return sometime around 4 pm. Students should wear band shirts and comfortable pants for both HS and JH auditions. Both sites will have snack bars where students can purchase food/drinks after their auditions. HS Students should plan to have some money for lunch that day, and we’ll probably see a stop along the way home for them, too. 
For both JH and HS students who make an All-Region Band, they’ll attend the All-Region clinic/Concert the next Friday and Saturday, December 13^th and 14^th in Kingsville, with a performance on Saturday in TAMUK Jones Auditorium.
Next week, on Tuesday the 10^th, we will have the JH Winter Concert, and on the 12^th we’ll have the HS Winter Concert. Both concerts will be held in the Odem HS Cafetorium. Students need to wear the concert attire that is listed in the section below. Those events are mandatory for all students in Grades 6-12, and all students are eligible for these concerts! 
Before break we had a trip meeting for the 2026 Florida Trip that our current 8^th-11^th Grade Band Students are eligible to travel on. If you missed the meeting you may find a copy of the packet here: https://tinyurl.com/msrnkua6 Registration is open on their site until January 9^th here: https://bobrogerstravel.grcoll.co/v2/go/odem26 We will be able to register more after the date, but we ask that if you are planning on your student attending that you setup their account by then. Payment options and forms are handled through their website there. The boosters will make their bulk donation toward the trip for the number of students who have paid a deposit by February 15^th. That will be paid sometime in the next month once we confirm the number of participants. I encourage students to attend this trip, it’s going to be an amazing experience for them that is only really possible for most of them as a group like this!

Finally, we sent home the information for the Annual Odem Band Program Sponsorship Fundraiser before break. We’ll send home copies to JH Students tomorrow since we didn’t see them after that point. I have attached the forms and information to this post as well. All forms are submitted online here: https://tinyurl.com/4sev337t Money should be turned in via check or Money Order made out to OEISD. In order to appear in the programs for the Winter Concert, we need funds/forms turned in by Friday, December 6th.

A letter is attached to this packet that can be given to businesses for most of their needs. Please let me know if a more specific letter is needed, and we’ll get them what they need! Thanks for your help!

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns!

Concert Attire

All groups from 6^th-12^th have moved to the same concert attire requirements this year. Please see the information below:

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 HS Marching Band Shoes), Black Belt, and Black Socks.

This Week’s Schedule

Day:	Event:
Monday:	Band Hall Open until 4:15 pm for Practice
Tuesday:	JH Region Auditions (Tuloso-Midway Middle School)
Wednesday:	No Rehearsal – Band Hall Closed
Thursday:	Band Hall Open until 4:30pm for Practice
Friday:	Band Hall Closed
Saturday:	HS All-Region Auditions (HM King HS)

Upcoming Events:

Day:	Event:	Time:
Tuesday	JH All-Region Auditions (Tuloso-Midway)
Saturday	HS All-Region Auditions (H.M. King)
December 10th:	Odem JH Winter Concert
December 12th:	Odem HS Winter Concert
December 13th-14th	All-Region Clinic/Concert (TAMUK)
January 11th:	HS All-Area Auditions (Calallen)

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