We hope this message finds you well as we prepare to begin bringing students back over the next few weeks to get our 2026 ‘The Flame Within’ season rolling for The Spirit of OHS! This week, we will have our color guard members in for rehearsals Monday through Wednesday, from 9 am to noon and 1 pm to 5 pm. They’ll work with our guard choreographer to learn their routine for the season. We’ll also be putting in a request for leadership team members to help with some housekeeping things around the band hall. 

Tuesday evening at 6:30 pm, we have our booster meeting, and we need your help, please, with a big piece of this. We currently have two officer positions to fill and only one candidate interested. Please consider joining our board of officers so we can continue the amazing support the boosters have provided over the years! Please contact me if you have any interest or questions! The position is open to parent/guardian/relative or alumnus of the program over the age of 21.

The next week, July 20^th, we’ll have Percussion (Drumline and Front Ensemble) join guard members in times of rehearsing. Leadership will also come in that full week of days at the same times: 9 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm. On Wednesday the 22^nd and Thursday the 23^rd, we will host two evening practices for freshmen/new members to begin learning marching fundamentals. Those practices will be from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. 

For all students, we need a current physical prior to any outdoor practices. For most students, the schedule is going into their Freshman and Junior years. If a student already has it for Athletics, we can verify that through RankOne, and it’s good – they don’t need a duplicate physical. We need those to be on file with our office or the Athletics office for all outdoor practices. Physicals are good for two years. The forms are available here: https://www.uiltexas.org/files/athletics/forms/PrePhysFormRvsd1_10_20.pdf. Also, EVERY student, EVERY year, must fill out the front page of the attached form. (They don’t need the doctor every year) Please make sure students bring whichever version of the form they need to us or the Athletics office on the first day! I will have printed versions available this week if someone needs to come by and pick one up.

The full band will return on July 27^th with their scheduled sectional in the morning, afternoon full-ensemble rehearsals, and then evening outdoor practice. Our annual March-A-Thon will be Thursday, July 30^th. I will have those forms available this week and will post separately about them later this week.

We’re looking forward to seeing students soon! We hope everyone has had a great break, and are looking forward to a great new season!

Owl Band Boosters Meeting

Tuesday night at 6:30 pm, we will hold our monthly Owl Band Booster Meeting. We are currently looking to fill 2 officer positions and are in need of adults to fill those roles. Any parent/guardian or relative with a student in band, Grades 6-12 next year is eligible, and we need parents/guardians/relatives/alumni to consider coming to help us fill out the board of officers. 

The Owl Band Boosters are among the most important supporters of our band program in Grades 6-12. Each year they help out with purchasing instruments, props, meals, support trips, clinicians, and more for the program. They also sponsor three $500 scholarships for seniors each year! We need to make sure we have a full slate of officers to continue to operate this invaluable group! Please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Valerie Pena, the president, or any of our current officers for questions you might have!

Summer Band in July

You can see our full Summer Band Schedule here:  http://www.odembands.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Odem-Bands-2026-Summer-Schedule-v1.pdf  

Some key dates:

July 13^th – 15^th: Guard Choreography Camp

July 20^th: Leadership Training Begins

July 20^th: Percussion Camp (Drumline and Front Ensemble)/Guard Camp Begins

July 23^rd-24^th: Freshmen/New Marcher Camp (with Leadership) in Evenings

July 28^th: Full Band Begins!

This Week’s Schedule

Day:	Event:
Monday:	Guard Choreography Camp: 9 am to 12 pm, 1 pm to 5 pm
Tuesday:	Guard Choreography Camp: 9 am to 12 pm, 1 pm to 5 pm
Wednesday:	Guard Choreography Camp: 9 am to 12 pm, 1 pm to 5 pm (Likely
Thursday:	Band Hall Closed
Friday:	Band Hall Closed

Upcoming Events:

Day:	Event:
July 13th – 15th:	Color Guard Choreography Camp
July 20th – 23rd:	Percussion/Guard Camp/Leadership
July 22nd-23rd:	Evening Freshmen and New Marcher Camp
July 27th:	Full Summer Band Begins for All HS Students

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