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 I don't have much for you today. Just a few reminders...
  Ladies & gents, I sent a message to those that did not pass the memorization test over This Is Me this morning. Please check your texts, Remind app, or email at your next available opportunity. I have spoken with Mr. Tucker and Mr. Vaal. Both drum line and color guard will test next week. You can also check SkyWard, If you failed the memorization test, no worries! You will have a chance to retest on Thursday, September 2nd at 7am. The staff and I encourage you to practice every day between now and then outside of our rehearsal times. That will help ensure that you are able to best contribute to the overall sound of the band, and not inadvertently add wrong notes and rhythms (or simply not play at all). The rehearsal before the first football game is always crazy and stressful! Thank you for your patients as we worked through the half-time show, seating in the stands, and pregame. If you are unsure of how things are supposed to work, ask the student-leadership. They have a wealth of knowledge and years of experience. If they don't know the answer, they will ask the staff, or me. I forgot to have everyone stop by and pick up your stand music packets! Please stop by the music commons and grab a packet. Just make sure it covers the part that you are supposed to play! At some point before Friday's assembly and game, each student will need to cut out A (Stadium Jams Vol. 2), E (Get Into the Game! Cheer Pack), G (ERHS Stand Tunes), #1 (the Star Spangled Banner), and #2 (On Wisconsin). If you folks picked one other tune while I was testing this morning, please add that to the packet as well. Please keep the rest of your sheet music that has not been inserted into your flip folder. We will add more of those tunes to the folders at a later date. I recommend saving the music in your binders that you purchased for marching band. FRIDAY, AUGUST 27TH: Ladies and gents,I have decided it is too hot to wear the marching band uniforms for the first game. Instead, the uniform will be what you see in the picture above. And by the picture above, I mean the department shirt, department shorts, black-crew socks, and your Drillmasters or Crossover shoes. Friday is the first home football game of the season. The Home Football Game is against Casey-Westfield. The call-time for all RCHS Marching Tigers is 5:15pm in the summer uniform. For more a more detailed itinerary, click on the blue link above. As you can see below, Friday morning and afternoon will be a packed full of activities and testing. Because of this, the 7am rehearsal has been cancelled! At 8am, you will report to OTA, not to band. The band will not meet as a group that day until 1pm. We are the musical entertainment for TigerFest. Friday Morning's Schedule: ALL students will report to their OTA Advisors for the morning. Freshmen and Senior will spend a fair amount of time with their OTA Advisors. Students are to work on homework during this time. Sophomores and Juniors will be testing all morning. Testing schedule for Sophomores and Juniors is as follows. This equals out to 3 hrs 15 min: Reading - 60 min 10 mn break Writing - 35 min 10 mn break Math (No calc) - 25 min 10 mn break Math (Calc) - 45 min -------------------------------------------------------------- Theater Schedule: Sophomores - 8:00-8:45 Freshmen - 9:00-9:45 Seniors - 10:00-10:45 Juniors - 11:30-12:15 -------------------------------------------------------------- Second Chance Breakfast Schedule: Juniors are from 9:00-9:20 Seniors - 9:20-9:30 Freshmen - 9:40-9:50 (right after release from RCPAC) Sophomores - 9:50-10:10 ---------------------------------------------------------------- For the rest of the morning, Freshman and Senior OTE classes can run however the advisor sees fit. Here are some ideas for advisors for ways to break up the day:
RCHS will dismiss for lunch at 12:15, students will return at 1:00 and report to OTA to get ready for the fire drill at 1:10. Students enrolled in the marching band will report to the music commons at 1:00 to prepare for the pep assembly. Tiger Fest 1:10 Students report to OTA for attendance. Again, students enrolled in the marching band will report to the music commons at 1:00 to prepare for the pep assembly. After attendance, we will have a fire drill and exit to the bleachers and quickly check attendance again. After some brief instructions, we will ask the band to lead us in the school song. Approx 1:30-2:30, students will participate in Tiger Fest activities designed by each of our departments. The culture team will be sending out a spreadsheet early in the week to sign up for locations. Departments will need to specify inside or outside locations. Also, we will be in need of some pop up tents. Please let me know if you can bring one. 2:30-2:50: Pep Assembly on the football field 2:50: Release students for the day: This should give bus riders time to catch their buses at 2:55. Tiger Tailgate 5:00-7:00 (band students report to the band room at 5:15pm) We will be hosting the Tiger Tailgate from 5:00-7:00 on the practice football field. We are providing a DJ and will allow students to park to form a tailgate perimeter. We hope that clubs, organizations, and sports teams will show up to grill, throw bags, etc. and just have a good time. I will be sending a sign-up sheet, on Monday, asking teachers to help with parking and supervision. I would like to have about 4 people each hour. 7:00 Football Kickoff and I hope that you will come and enjoy the football game atmosphere. It is always great for our students to see their teachers and staff supporting them outside of school hours. SATURDAY, AUGUST 28TH: Even though we have a home game on Friday night, we will still meet Saturday morning from 9:30am-12pm. Including this Saturday, we only have three more Saturday rehearsals left! Please make sure to drink a lot of fluids, eat a healthy meal (dinner, breakfast, and lunch), and to wear sun screen.    DON'T FORGET TO VOTE FOR YOUR CLASS OFFICERS! THURSDAY, AUGUST 26TH: Tomorrow's schedule, Kali will rehearse the band on the tennis courts while Mr. Jones pulls students aside to check for memorization over the 2nd movement (This Is Me) from 7-7:45am. Sarah will pass out copies of the stand tunes. At some point before the game, each student will need to cut out A (Stadium Jams Vol.2), E (Get Into the Game! Cheer Pack), G (ERHS Time Out Tunes), #1 (Star Spangled Banner), & #2 (On Wisconsin), and insert the sheet music into your flip folder. The flip folders will only be used when we are in the bleachers during the game. Please keep the rest of your sheet music that has not been inserted into your flip folder. We will add more of those tunes to the flip folder at a later date. So that music isn't flying around the field, please use the basketball binders for the 7am rehearsal. Those binders need to be returned to the music cabinet at the end of the rehearsal. The copies of the music are yours to use in the flip folders, and to practice at home. The binders do not leave the campus. At 7:45-7:50am, we will move the props onto the field. We will likely practice on the stadium field. I will have a definitive answer tomorrow. The color guard will join us at 8am, at which point we will run The Greatest Showman and This Is Me with drill (from memory) several times with props. FRIDAY, AUGUST 27TH: Ladies and gents, we are in a heat advisory for the next few days. I have decided it is too hot to wear the marching band uniforms for the first game. Instead, the uniform will be what you see in the picture above. And by the picture above, I mean the department shirt, department shorts, black-crew socks, and your Drillmasters or Crossover shoes. Friday is the first home football game of the season. The Home Football Game is against Casey-Westfield. The call-time for all RCHS Marching Tigers is 5:15pm in the summer uniform. For more a more detailed itinerary, click on the blue link above. As you can see below, Friday morning and afternoon will be a packed full of activities and testing. Because of this, the 7am rehearsal has been cancelled! At 8am, you will report to OTA, not to band. The band will not meet as a group that day until 1pm. We are the musical entertainment for TigerFest. Friday Morning's Schedule: ALL students will report to their OTA Advisors for the morning. Freshmen and Senior will spend a fair amount of time with their OTA Advisors. Students are to work on homework during this time. Sophomores and Juniors will be testing all morning. Testing schedule for Sophomores and Juniors is as follows. This equals out to 3 hrs 15 min: Reading - 60 min 10 mn break Writing - 35 min 10 mn break Math (No calc) - 25 min 10 mn break Math (Calc) - 45 min -------------------------------------------------------------- Theater Schedule: Sophomores - 8:00-8:45 Freshmen - 9:00-9:45 Seniors - 10:00-10:45 Juniors - 11:30-12:15 -------------------------------------------------------------- Second Chance Breakfast Schedule: Juniors are from 9:00-9:20 Seniors - 9:20-9:30 Freshmen - 9:40-9:50 (right after release from RCPAC) Sophomores - 9:50-10:10 ---------------------------------------------------------------- For the rest of the morning, Freshman and Senior OTE classes can run however the advisor sees fit. Here are some ideas for advisors for ways to break up the day:
RCHS will dismiss for lunch at 12:15, students will return at 1:00 and report to OTA to get ready for the fire drill at 1:10. Students enrolled in the marching band will report to the music commons at 1:00 to prepare for the pep assembly. Tiger Fest 1:10 Students report to OTA for attendance. Again, students enrolled in the marching band will report to the music commons at 1:00 to prepare for the pep assembly. After attendance, we will have a fire drill and exit to the bleachers and quickly check attendance again. After some brief instructions, we will ask the band to lead us in the school song. Approx 1:30-2:30, students will participate in Tiger Fest activities designed by each of our departments. The culture team will be sending out a spreadsheet early in the week to sign up for locations. Departments will need to specify inside or outside locations. Also, we will be in need of some pop up tents. Please let me know if you can bring one. 2:30-2:50: Pep Assembly on the football field 2:50: Release students for the day: This should give bus riders time to catch their buses at 2:55. Tiger Tailgate 5:00-7:00 (band students report to the band room at 5:15pm) We will be hosting the Tiger Tailgate from 5:00-7:00 on the practice football field. We are providing a DJ and will allow students to park to form a tailgate perimeter. We hope that clubs, organizations, and sports teams will show up to grill, throw bags, etc. and just have a good time. I will be sending a sign-up sheet, on Monday, asking teachers to help with parking and supervision. I would like to have about 4 people each hour. 7:00 Football Kickoff and I hope that you will come and enjoy the football game atmosphere. It is always great for our students to see their teachers and staff supporting them outside of school hours. SATURDAY, AUGUST 28TH: Even though we have a home game on Friday night, we will still meet Saturday morning from 9:30am-12pm. Including this Saturday, we only have three more Saturday rehearsals left! Please make sure to drink a lot of fluids, eat a healthy meal (dinner, breakfast, and lunch), and to wear sun screen.   Good rehearsal today! I don't have much to announce except that tomorrow's rehearsal will focus on movements 1 & 2 on the field from 7-9am.
Just a heads up, RCHS Bands has had a string of thefts. We have lost 10 microphones and three instruments this year. Fortunately, everyone is locking their lockers (at least for the past two days). Thank you for that! I also recommend locking your lockers even when the lockers are empty. That way, you know that no one can mess with your locks. Do you have a question regarding marching band? Just a reminder that you may refer to https://www.rchsbands.net for your questions regarding all things RCHS Marching Tigers. Should you have a question, the answer will very likely be found somewhere on that website. That's all I've got, folks! Your forecast for tomorrow is clear. The low for 7am is 74 degrees Fahrenheit. By 9am, the temperature will be 82 degrees. Again, good job today! I am looking forward to Friday evening's half-time performance!  Great rehearsal today, band! We are almost ready for Friday's performance. Here are a few reminders as to this week's TO-DO list and schedule:
JAZZ BAND & CHOIR, a company is installing additional sound panels in the band room and the choir room. We are not able to rehearse in either spaces for the next two days. Here is your schedule for the remainder of the week. Stay tuned for further instructions regarding Tailgating. WE WILL NOT REHEARSE FRIDAY MORNING. Mondays, & Wednesdays (7:00am - 9:15am is DRILL & MUSIC)
Tuesdays (7:00am - 9:15am is MUSIC ONLY - Sectional Rehearsal)
Thursdays (7:00am - 7:59am is MUSIC ONLY; 8:00am - 9:15am DRILL & MUSIC)
Saturdays on August 28th (9:30am - 12:00pm is DRILL & MUSIC)All members of the Marching Tigers: 9:30am-12:00pm  Greetings, humans! Here are your daily announcements! ATTENDANCE AND SCHEDULE If individuals are not present at performances, the entire group is affected. Because the schedule is given to the students at the beginning of the quarter, students are aware of the band schedule well in advance. Students are expected to make arrangements to attend all performances and rehearsals. An excused absence can only be granted with prior notification in writing. Emergency situations require a phone call as soon as possible. The high school phone number is (618) 393-2191. Simply ask to be transferred to the band room. Parents or students are asked to leave a message with the high school administrative office should the band director not be available. In the event of an emergency absence, the student should bring written documentation upon his/her return to school in order for the absence to be excused. Per school policy, students absent from school cannot participate in an after-school practice or performance. Acceptable excused absences are as follows: severe personal illness, death in the family, school related performances, or a “once in a lifetime event.” Absences that a student wishes to be considered a “once in a lifetime event” must be submitted at least 2 weeks in advance of the projected absence. Absences from a contest must be requested at least 30 days in advance. The Band Director will make the decision whether or not to excuse the absence in a case-by-case manner. Page !RCHS Band Handbook 5Work, dentist appointments (non-serious nature), orthodontist appointments, outside-of-school organizational activities, club meetings (school or otherwise, unless approved by the band director), and non-serious family member illnesses will not be excused and will result in the proper grade reduction. Dental emergencies (ie. severe tooth ache, tooth knocked out, abscess, etc.) will be covered by the “severe personal illness” excuse. If a student is found to have an attendance problem, regardless of the nature, the student may be excluded from special activities." Check out those lateral slides!
Tomorrow's rehearsal schedule runs from 7-9:12 AM on our practice field. All sections will be present for the full rehearsal. I am postponing the memorization tests over The Greatest Showman (movement 1) and This Is Me (movement 2) until Tuesday of next week. Our focus tomorrow will be rehearsing The Star Spangled Banner, the School Song, and The Greatest Showman. We are not marching for Meet the Tigers. Instead, we will march onto the field in a parade block. I will explain the rest at Friday's rehearsal. Tomorrow's forecast from 7-9 AM is mostly cloudy with a low of 69 deg. and a high of 76 deg. For more details pertaining to Meet the Tigers, visit https://www.rchsbands.net/announcements--itineraries/the-marching-tigers-performs-for-meet-the-tigers-on-friday-82021  I had a talk with Coach Music today. He happened to mention that the football team started strong during their preseason camp in the summer; however, the team exhibited very little energy over the past two practices this week. He was concerned, so he talked to other coaches that coach fall sports. They were having the same issue. I would say we have also fallen into that trap.
We started off very strong this summer! Over the course of our preseason camp, we nailed the first movement with music. Last Saturday, we locked down the second movement (sets 13A-22A) in one rehearsal! The band sounds fantastic, and the guard look tight! However, we are floundering a bit this week. People are showing up late to rehearsals. Several Marching Tigers have forgotten equipment (mainly coordinates). We are slow to reset between the sets, and (as the meme above references), we move around a lot and talk when we should be set. There are a few things the staff and I can do to address some of these issues. For those that are late, they owe us two laps around our practice field for every five minutes they are late. They will be earning that P.E. credit! The same goes for missing equipment. However, the energy and purpose of each rehearsal really comes down to whether you, and your fellow students, show the dedication to make it happen. Mr. Vaal, Mr. Tucker, Mr. Weitkamp, Mrs. Deimel, and I cannot do this for you. My challenge is this. Rather than doing the bare minimum in rehearsal, work as hard as you can! Move quickly when we reset. Make sure your music is marked with the proper sets. Memorize your music and your drill. Verbalize 100% of the time. Don't rely on others to tell you where to go. Reference your coordinates and drill charts frequently. By all rights, you should be a less capable band this year. There are 58 of you. Prior to COVID-19, the smallest the Marching Tigers have been was 74. We have even been as large as 94! Freshmen only met for band for lessons once every two weeks for the majority of last year. As it turns out, you have blown away everyone's expectations! Over the preseason camp, you learned the drill at a record pace. When you put air through your horns, you sound fantastic! Don't give up now! The choices you make now will determine if you are an average band, or if you will exceed everyone's expectations! Tomorrow's rehearsal schedule will begin with music only from 7-8 AM. Color guard is excused from this portion of the rehearsal. Instead, they rehearse from 6-8 PM tonight. From 8-9:12 AM, everyone will practice on our practice field. The focus will be the second movement, with music. Mr. Vaal will run the practice on the field from 8-9 AM, while I pull students aside for playing tests. The point of the playing test is to see who has, or has not, memorized the The Greatest Showman (1st movement). Only those that have not yet passed the memorization test will meet with me tomorrow. Memorization tests over This Is Me will take place next week. Please make sure you are prepared. Last but not least, there was a typo in the calendar on www.rchsbands.net. The calendar stated that Meet the Tigers is on Saturday, August 21st. In fact, we meet on Friday, August 20th. The call-time is 5:30 PM. We should be done before 7:30 PM. If at all possible, we need everyone there. However, if you are simply unable to attend, please let me know. The typo was my error. I won't penalize you for my mistake. There will be a make up research project instead. Click the link for more information pertaining to Meet the Tigers. https://www.rchsbands.net/announcements--itineraries/the-marching-tigers-performs-for-meet-the-tigers-on-friday-82021 Tomorrow's  Tomorrow's (Wednesday's) rehearsal is from 7-9:12 for everyone. Form up in the parade block at 7am on the circle drive. Please make sure to have your 1-quart water cooler, tennis shoes, instrument, coordinates, and the music to This Is Me. Section leaders, a copy of the drill for the second movement may be found on the sound system in the band room. Please grab one.
Our focus tomorrow will be drill over the second movement (sets 13A-22A) with no instruments from 7-8am. From 8-9am we will rehearse first and second movements (sets 1-22A) with instruments, with the primary focus on the second movement. The forecast tomorrow is mostly cloudy and humid. The temperature will range from 72-76 degrees Fahrenheit. With humidity, it will feel like 75-81 degrees. It will be a pleasant day, but still make sure to eat breakfast and drink plenty of water. For those of you that did not notate the sets on the This Is Me sheet music, you may complete your work for full credit on August 24th. Let's get the second movement fully on the field tomorrow!  We resume rehearsals tomorrow (Tuesday)! Please block up in a parade formation in the circle drive at 7am. You may find a diagram of the parade block below. I recommend arriving no later than 6:45-6:50 this week so that you have enough time to get your instrument, coordinates, drill charts, pencil, and your show music. If you have not memorized the warm-ups, please bring your Inside the Circle and Foundations for Superior Performance books as well. Just a reminder that I am checking your sheet music to This Is Me to determine whether you have marked in your sets into the music. This will be an assignment. From 7-8am tomorrow and Thursday we are working on music only. Since the color guard rehearses from 6-8pm Tuesday night, that section won't report to rehearsal until 8am on Tuesday and Thursday. Woodwinds, brass, and percussion, however, all report at 7am. Color guard, please remember that the 6-8pm rehearsal is a graded event based on your in-class work. For those of you that hitch a ride with a family member to school, your drop-off point is the circle drive. You may enter through the band room door. For those of you that drive, you will park in the student (south) parking lot (assuming you have a parking pass) and enter through the south doors. The doors will unlock sometime between 6:40-6:45 am. If you were absent on Saturday, see your section leader for coordinates. However, I want you to practice movements 13A through 22A tonight on your own. You may find your coordinates at https://www.rchsbands.net/show-music--drill.html At the very least, you need to know how many counts are in each set, and in what direction you move. If you do this, you should be able to learn the drill to the second movement easier, and it won't feel so frantic. Get some rest. I will see you all tomorrow!  |
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