October 16, 2018 - Marching Band & Color Guard End-of-Season Banquet

Dear marching band members and families, 

Please see the below invitation for the first annual marching band end-of-season banquet and dance.  This is a traditional end-of-season banquet including dinner (Lupe's Taqueria), student recognitions and awards, a season recap, and a slideshow.  We hope you can join us!

Click Here for Invitation, Tickets, and more details

Dinner served from 5:00

Dance (for students only) 8:00-10:00

• Dress (for students) is formal or semi-formal.

• Tickets must be ordered by this Friday at midnight.

• Want to bring a student not in marching band?  Order a "Plus 1" ticket online.

• Student IDs will be checked at the door for the dance.

October 10, 2018 - Band Announcements

Hello band parents and students-

Please see below for a few important announcements.

1. Jazz Bands Start Monday! - All jazz bands will start Monday, October 15th.  See you there!  If you didn't sign up, it's not too late to join jazz lab - just see Mr. Brown.

2. Jazz Cabaret Date/Venue Change - Due to some changes at the Union South venue, our Jazz Cabaret 2019 will take place in the evening on Friday, January 11th (not the 12th as indicated on earlier calendars) at the Madison Marriott West.  Please mark your calendars accordingly.  Among other advantages, we are excited that all four jazz bands will be able to perform on the same evening program with no space limitations.

3. Parent Teacher Conferences - The first round of private parent-teacher conferences are next Thursday, October 18th from 4:00-7:00.  We love to see parents at conferences, even if it's just to say hello and put a face to a name.  (Plus it makes our administration happy!)  Please contact us if you're interested in setting up a time.

In particular, we strongly encourage juniors, seniors, or even sophomores who are considering studying or just playing music in college to meet with us and talk through the process.

4. Marching Band - Finally, I need to give a shout-out to the marching band, who played an impressive performance on a muddy field on Sunday, improving their score by 4 points (out of 100) and winning Best Color Guard.  Wish them luck at the State Championships Saturday!

Thanks for reading, everyone.

--   Michael Ver Voort

October 10, 2018 - State Marching Band Competition Info

First of all, congratulations to the band on fighting through the mud on Saturday to still perform well.  While we didn't exactly have our cleanest run, we did improve our score by 4 points in spite of the rough conditions, and our color guard won the caption award for Best Guard.  The judges gave us a lot of positive feedback, and we're looking good for Saturday!

1. Rehearsal Friday - Remember that we have our final marching band rehearsal of the season on Friday during advisory and 3rd/4th blocks.  Dress for the weather, as we will be working hard to sound our best in the cold.

2. Dress for Saturday - Saturday is forecast to be dry but unseasonably cold, with temperatures in the low 40s for our evening performance time.  Plan ahead to wear a warm but thin layer under your uniform, and make sure to bring a coat, hat, etc. for when we are not performing.   After we perform, students may change out of uniform to watch the last seven shows of the night.

3. Saturday Schedule - To avoid extra time out in the cold before our performance, we have pushed back our departure time on Saturday.  (Hopefully this also benefits those participating in daytime athletic events!)  Please read the following schedule carefully:

3:00  Front ensemble loads trucks  3:45 All  low brass, low woodwinds, mellos, drum line load instruments onto trucks  4:00 All other winds, brass report and change into uniform  4:00 Equipment trucks depart for UW-Whitewater  4:30 Load buses & depart for UW-Whitewater  6:00 Arrive at UW-Whitewater Perkins Stadium, use restrooms  7:00 Warm up time slot on practice field  7:30 Push to gate  8:00 Middleton performs  8:30 Change out of uniform (optional) and watch other bands  10:15 Awards Ceremony

10:45 Load buses for home  11:45 Unload at MHS 

4. Spectator Information

- Available  here.  A few notes: 

• They recommend buying your ticket online and printing it off to avoid lines.

• Police will be on site searching bags as you enter the stadium.  The stadium has a no carry-in policy for food and drink, but I'm told they will be lenient there and more concerned with alcohol and weapons.

• They have asked us to communicate that handicap parking is limited.  If you have a tag or plate, please use it only if you need to on that day.

Thanks, everyone!  Looking forward to Saturday!

--   Michael Ver Voort