Odem Bands Schedule – Week of 12/7/2020

This week brings us to the week of the UIL Area E 3A Marching Contest that will be held at Calallen HS. The Spirit of OHS performs at 11am in the first block of bands that begins at 10am. The block concludes at noon when the stadium will be cleared of fans and sanitized for the next block. For our students the process will be identical to region where we will board buses, unload, warm-up, perform, and return to the school. There will be no finals or awards ceremonies at this year’s Area contest as part of the steps being taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at the event. When I am made aware of the results around 5:45pm, I will share that information on Twitter, Facebook, and Remind to the students and community.

In total 16 bands have managed to make things work through this year, and will be competing for the title of Area Champion. The top seven bands will be named finalists, and the top three will place in the contest. 

Tickets are available for the contest as pre-sale only through the OEISD business office. We have currently one ticket per student reserved at the office through Tuesday when they close. Wednesday morning, they will sell first come/first serve until we have sold out of our 100 tickets we were allotted. Please note they will only be sold until Friday at noon so that we can close out the sales and prepare a check to UIL for the tickets.

Our window for Recording HS All-Region Auditions is now open. The Band Hall will be open after school on the 7th-9th for students to come record their auditions. If a student is unable to be at school during that time they may record from home. We prefer if students record on campus due to better recording equipment though! Those results from that contest should be available on December 16th

On the 15th of December the Odem JH Bands will have their Winter Concert. We are planning on an outdoor performance with the students sitting underneath the old Elementary Cafeteria shell, and the audience bringing folding chairs/blankets beyond towards the Elementary. Should weather not cooperate we will go with a plan B. As with everything this year, we will be flexible to adapt to the conditions at the time.

UIL Area Information – Students:

Students need to arrive at 7am on Saturday. We will do our traditional walkthrough, and get dressed to attend the contest. Seating will be predetermined this week for buses in order to speed up the process and minimize time on the buses. We plan to depart at 9:25am, and arrive at Calallen to unload and prepare for contest.

Students will need their long black socks, marching shoes, and headbands for their uniform, as well as have their musicians’ masks. Bell covers and masks will be worn through warm-up, and removed only for the performance. Performance time for us is set for 11:00am, and we anticipate being loaded onto the buses and starting our return trip around 12pm. 

I anticipate we will have unloaded and students will be able to depart no later than 1pm. 

UIL Area Marching Contest 12/12 – Fan Information:

Due to COVID restrictions ticket sales are being handled by each school district. Per UIL we are only being allotted a total of 100 tickets for the event for our district. Due to the limited number of tickets we are going to follow similar procedures as the sports teams.

Monday (11/7) beginning at 8:30am, and Tuesday (11/8) up to one ticket per student will be available in the OEISD Business Office for purchase. All tickets are $5 per ticket. There is no charge for pre-school age children (5 and Younger), and no tickets are required for them. Beginning Wednesday we will sell the remaining tickets on a first come first serve basis to anyone who wishes to purchase one. Please note that tickets may NOT be purchased at the gate. 

For the day of contest, spectators will only be allowed to sit with their school community within their designated section of the stadium. This will be monitored by the color of arm bands that will be assigned when you arrive. Monitors will assist spectators with finding their assigned section. Tickets will ONLY be valid for the first session that we are competing in, between each division the stadium will be cleared and sanitized. There are no In and Out Privileges for this contest. Once you exit the stadium you will NOT be allowed back inside. 

Please also note that Calallen ISD enforces a clear bag policy. There are limitations on what may be brought into the stadium. 

Feel free to contact me if you have specific questions and I will do my best to answer them!

This Week’s Schedule:

Monday:              6:30pm-8:30pm HS Marching Rehearsal
Tuesday:              Band Hall Open for Region Recordings until 6pm
                            7pm Owl Band Booster Meeting (JH Band Hall)
Wednesday:         Band Hall Open for Region Recordings until 6pm
Thursday:            6:30pm-8:30pm HS Marching Rehearsal
Friday:                 Band Hall Closed After School
Saturday:             UIL Area Marching Contest

                  7am – Students at Band Hall.                            
                           8:00am – Dressed in Uniforms
                           9:30am – Depart
.                            9:40am – Unload
.                            10:25am – Warm-Up
.                            11:00am – Perform
.                            11:30am – Depart
.                            12:45am – Ready to be picked up at HS

                           

Upcoming Events:

Sat. 12/5- Wed. 12/9:                  HS Region Audition Recording Window
Saturday, December 12th:          UIL Area Marching Contest at Calallen HS
Tuesday, December 15th:           Odem JH Bands Winter Concert 6:30pm

Thank you for all of your help and support, please let us know if you have any questions!