Odem Bands Schedule Week of 5/23/2016 – End of Year Info

All students are to be at the Odem Band Hall no later than 7am. Students should bring dry clothes that are school appropriate for the return trip home that afternoon. All swimsuits should be ‘age appropriate.’ We ask that the young ladies bring a top in case we need to ask them to cover up. Students should bring snacks/lunch w ith them or money to buy from the concession stands at the park. We will feed them dinner at CiCi’s after the park before we return home. We anticipate that we will return about 8:30pm to the Band Hall. Trip rules and expectations were given out to students last week.

As of today we are now 20 days away from our Carnegie Hall performance! This week we will have a rehearsal from 6:30pm to 8:30pm on Thursday for the performance. Please help ensure students are at the rehearsals! I told students I will begin tracking their attendance for points. We will board buses and line up at restaurants according to these points instead of by seniority.

Please note that next week we begin our final push of evening rehearsals and then day rehearsals the following week. Next Tuesday, (May 31st) through Thursday (June 2nd) we will rehearse from 6pm-9pm each night. We have guest clinicians coming in to many of these rehearsals to help us prepare and it’s imperative we have EVERYONE there! The next week we will rehearse in the morning and afternoons. We have clinicians coming in on their instruments in the mornings and then one of the days another band clinician. It’s imperative for our performance that we have everyone at all rehearsals.

I sent home a schedule last week with our Summer Band Schedule and Fall Schedule. We are going to be amending our times for Percussion Camp (which will be May 31st, June 1st, and June 2nd (Tuesday-Thursday)). Battery members w ill be having the camp from 3pm-5pm and 5:30pm-7:30pm. Students that are attending the Carnegie Hall Trip will then jump over to the Carnegie Hall Rehearsal. On Thursday we may make that move a little bit sooner in order to work better with the clinician we have that evening. 

Front Ensemble members will meet from 2pm-5pm on those days. They will only need to come during that 2-5pm if they are front ensemble. This is a mandatory camp for all members of the drum line and front ensemble! 

It’s hard to belie ve that it’s already time to graduate the Class of 2016! All HS Band Members who are not seniors are required to perform with the band on Friday evening. They will need to arrive at 5pm for a quick run through, setup, and then we will feed them pizza prior to the Ceremony which begins at 8pm. Students in the OJH Symphonic Winds are invited and highly encouraged to come join us for this performance as well! All students should wear nice clothing -no jeans or tennis shoes please! Gentlemen should wear button down shirts. Ladies should please keep skirt and dress lengths knee length or lower if worn. Tops should be school appropriate please!

On Thursday after school, all Beginning Band and OJH Concert Band Members should take their instruments home for the summer. OJH Symphonic Winds and OHS members who are not attend ing the Carnegie Hall trip should take their instruments home for the summer following the graduation ceremony. Any student that uses a school instrument may take them home for the summer! In fact we encourage it! There is a form attached to this e-mail that needs completed before we will check the instrument out on Thursday to take home. Beginning Band and OJH Concert Band students should not bring their instruments back after Thursday until August.

Please keep in mind for JH students a majority have MR coverage on their instruments still, which means free repairs and maintenance at Music Mart. Take advantage of this in the week following our release as the repair room gets packed quickly there!

We will be around through much of the summer if something is needed. Please e-mail me if you need assistance with anything. There are some great ‘fun’ books out there to keep your student interested in playing over the summer. Themes from movies and pop songs are available on all instruments at South Texas Music Mart, RBC Music in San Antonio, or from www.jwpepper.com. All students should have their region music for next year that they may work on over the summer too!

Finally please remember for OHS Students the first day of Summer Band is Monday, July 25th! Please stay tuned to Facebook and our www.odembands.org webpage for more information on the schedules.

Monday: Schlitterbahn Trip

Tuesday: Open until 5pm

Wednesday: Open until 4:15pm

Thursday: Open until 4:10pm, then 5:45pm-8:40pm Carne gie Rehearsal

Friday: Closed after school. Graduation

Thank you for all of your help and support this year with the Odem Bands. We are so proud of the students and their many accomplishments this year! Please have a safe and fun summer break! We look forward to seeing everyone again next year. Congratulations to the Class of 2016!!!

Mr. Steven Rash

Director of Bands

Odem High School

www.odembands.org