We are looking forward to having students back and playing again!!!! The DC Marching Band is open to any student in 8th grade through high school.

If you are planning on being a part of the 2020 DC Marching Band, please fill out and submit the form below before July 13th.  This will allow us to place and order on t-shirts before band camp. The marching band fee for the 2020 season will be $75.00 per student.

Below are the dates and times for marching band camp.  Camp is shortened this year due to current restrictions in place.

July 22 - 24: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Everyone
July 27 - 29: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Everyone
July 30: 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Everyone (Pictures)

There are some restrictions that we must follow during this time:

Each student is required to have their own personal water bottle (gallon minimum recommended). No use of water fountains or shared water coolers is allowed. Each student should have their water bottle clearly labeled with their name. DO NOT share water bottles. We will be outside the entire time each day, barring weather issues.

Students will not be able to store equipment in the band room overnight. Exceptions to this will be for sousaphones and percussion instruments due to size.

Students will be required to have their temperature checked and answer 4 questions each day prior to being admitted to the rehearsals.

Students and staff should arrive dressed for practice. There will not be changing facilities available.

Students should plan to leave campus immediately after the end of the activity

Any student who wishes to wear a mask, will be allowed to.

When outdoors, students should maintain a minimum of 6 feet distance from one another. If we are rehearsing indoors, students should maintain a minimum of 10 feet distance from one another.


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

After School Rehearsals - The DC Marching Band will be rehearsing after school on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 3:30 to 5:15. This is subject to change based on the school release time.

Uniforms - Students will need khaki color shorts AND pants for the season and black socks. The shorts/pants should follow school dress code and are not allowed to have holes. If a belt is worn (optional), it must be black. A band t-shirt will be provided to each student. Shirts will be tucked in. Hair must be fixed in a way that it is removed from the face (pony tail, braids, clips, BLACK headband, etc.). The only jewelry allowed will be stud earrings and watches.

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Reminder that all band functions that were scheduled during the times of school closure will not take place. We will move any applicable student activity that can be moved to online platforms such as Google Classroom or Zoom.

The DMS concert scheduled for March 31st and the DCHS and Jazz Band concert scheduled for April 30th will be canceled and moved if possible. Drum Major auditions scheduled for April 28th will be moved to a later date, as well as Color Guard auditions. We will post the rescheduled dates as soon as we can lock those in.

​DCHS student leadership classes for next year's officer and section leader positions will be moved online through Google Classroom. Any student interested in those need to check the DCHS and Color Guard Google Classrooms later today for more information.

Per GMEA, at this point, this year's Solo and Ensemble event on April 25th has been canceled.  If they can reschedule the event, I will update everyone on that as soon as possible.

All other dates for the remainder of the school year are fluid at this point. We will hold those events at the scheduled dates if at all possible. We will try to be as sensitive as possible to other events being held, but please understand that there will most likely be numerous events vying for time in a short amount of time after we return to school.

​We hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy! Know that we miss all of you and can't wait to be back in the band room with you making music!!!!

Between the weather(where is Frosty!) and all the exciting stuff happening in band, I keep hearing the Magician from Frosty when he is Busy, Busy, Busy. Let's get right to it.

Happening this week! Thursday the garbage bags will be delivered to be sorted. The company is needing to deliver them in two separate deliveries. The first at 1pm and the next at 3pm. We would really appreciate any help. Garbage bags will be available for pick up from the DCHS band room on Friday from 7am to 7pm and help passing out orders would be fantastic. All orders need to be picked up by Friday!

Friday is also the reward party for students who sold 10+ cases of fruit or garbage bags. It will begin directly after school and go until 7pm at DCHS. There will be pizza, junk food, games, epic hide and go seek, and a mega nerf war. Please bring your own items. We will have a limited quantity for students to borrow who do not have any. 

Coming Soon!

The Mattress Sale is Saturday, March 7 at DCHS from 10am-5pm in the commons area. Students are not required to attend, but any person who purchases that mentions a student, that student will receive credit. 

The 6th grade band has been working hard on preparing for their spring concert. We cannot wait for you to hear them. The 7th/8th band and the DCHS band are preparing for their GMEA LGPE evaluations. This is a major performance for these ensembles. We would love for you to come with us to support them while they perform for judges that will critique their performance.  Letters went home Monday and are due back by Friday for this event. More info located in the letters.  The letter is also attached in the previous blog post. 

In the event of a digital learning day, please encourage students to practice. We have shared many different ways for students to practice, even if they do not have their instrument. Practice makes perfect!

Spring Concerts are quickly approaching. Please be sure to encourage students to practice so they can perform with confidence. All dates located on the calendar. 

 We can see the light! January, the month that just won't go away, is almost over! 
EVERYONE - The garbage bag sale ends on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Orders are estimated to be in around the 18th. As soon as we have a confirmation, we will send that info out asap! Remember, each student that sells 10 cases in invited to the party held on Feb. 28 and for every case sold, the student earns $1 to their account in band. 

The Mattress sale is coming back! Students were given materials on it this week. The sale is on March 7th. This is a great opportunity for the students to earn great rewards and to help the band prepare for the future. 

Speaking of the future.......we are looking forward to planning a trip for the DC Bands coming Fall 2021. We were able to help many students march in the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade from fundraising and amazing donations and are hoping to do the same for this coming trip......is that Lady Liberty I see?? More details coming soon.....

DMS Students - Please get all forms turned in. We have reminded students and also made multiple copies. 
Students are bringing home practice logs. These are to be filled out through this 9 weeks. We are encouraging students to practice anything they have! While there are things that performs need to practice to improve, simply practicing what you enjoy can make a huge difference. The class with the most logged time will get a party. The Student with the most practice time logged in each class will earn a free Dollywood ticket!

7th-12th Band - 
Concert Camp is next week (see letter that came home.....there are extras if lost...) on Friday and Saturday. This is an amazing opportunity for our students with many professional musicians coming to work with them. Concert Camp helps prepare students for the upcoming Concert Festival in March when they will go perform and be scored on their performances. We know they will do great!

As always, if you have an questions, please give us a holler. We are always happy to help in any way. Thank you for allowing your student to be a part of band! #bandrocks #bandgeeksruletheworld 

Starting this week, DMS students can log their practice for a chance to win a FREE ticket to Dollywood when the band travels in May.  Practice logs will need to be signed off by parents each week for time to count.

Jazz band begins today(Tuesday, Jan 21)! Any student in 7-12 grade bands are invited to participate. Rehearsals are from 3:15-4:20 on Tuesdays in the DCHS band room. 

Practice recordings have been uploaded for most songs students are working on in class. Listening and even playing along are encouraged! There is also a link for them to practice with their class book which can be a great help. 

Don't forget to sell those trash bags! All orders due on Students that sell 10 cases each get to attend the party on Feb. 28. 

The Second Mattress Sale will be March 7th at DCHS. This was a tremendous success last year! Be sure to pass the word to all those ready to buy new mattresses this year. More details to come.

It's time for the annual garbage bag sale! Please look for your student to bring home their materials in the next couple of days. Remember, you can order online through the website store.

All classes have received new music in the last week. Encourage them to practice! Practice really does make perfect and also helps build confidence in playing. Practice recordings will be uploaded shortly as another means to help practice. 

Please remember that Solo/Ensemble letters are due back soon if your student chooses to participate(not required, but so much fun). The Concert Camp letter that went home to 7-12 is also due back. This is a required event for those grades. It is such an amazing opportunity to watch students grow as musicians when clinicians come in to help focus in on individual sections. 

Don't forget to check and see if your student needs more valve oil, cork/slide grease, reeds, etc. Now is a great time to restock. Also consider getting cleaning supplies to give your instrument a good cleaning(youtube has many great tutorials on cleaning) during sick season. We do keep germicidal spray, but nothing compares to a proper cleaning. 

Please be sure to check back often for any updates. We hope you have a wonderful start to the new year! 

Hello December! Attached are the letters going home to students today about the fruit delivery and the upcoming concerts. The fruit will be available for pick up starting at 7 am on Wednesday and everything needs to be picked up by 7pm. The fruit will be in the DCHS Band room this year. Please drive to the right side of the high school and pull up to the overhang. 

The DMS Christmas Concert will be Tuesday, December 10th in the DCHS auditorium at 7pm. The students have been working really hard and are excited to share some holiday spirit. Concert attire is black.

The DMS Bands will perform for their school on Wednesday, December 11th in the DMS gym at 1:25. Please let students dress in tacky Christmas clothes. 

The Christmas Parade is December 14th. Marching Band students will wear tacky Christmas attire and are encouraged to include lights. 

The DCHS Christmas Concert will be Tuesday, December 17th in the DCHS auditorium at 7pm. Great holiday music and the traditional final performance of the Marching Band field show. Concert attire is black.

Please help encourage students to practice at home. Class time is rehearsal time and gives them a chance to work their parts together and to fine tune their skills. Home practice gives them the chance to learn their parts and improve individually. Even 10 minutes can make a tremendous impact on their playing abilities. 

Thank you so much for the amazing support to the program. Music is a wonderful window to the world and watching the students grow daily in their abilities is amazing. See you at the concerts!
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We are off to a fantastic start to the year. The beginning band is working hard on their fundamentals. They will thrive on encouragement and would love to show you what they have learned so far. Mary had a Little Lamb sounded great today! the 7th/8th grade bands have been working on reviewing and are getting ready to get everyone hyped up by learning their Pep Tunes. The DCHS Band is gearing up for their first ever Live Stream Concert.  Keep your eyes and ears open for more details to come. The Marching Wolverines have been hard at work and can't wait to show off what they have added to the half-time show for Friday! 

7th-12th grade students will be bringing home a letter today for GMEA and UGA Honor bands. Both are very different events, but are wonderful opportunities for the students. 

Please make sure you are signed up for our class Reminds (codes located on the home page of dcband.org). Follow us on Twitter @DadeCoBands and on Facebook at Dade County Bands.

Below is some great information for keeping instruments clean and students free of illness.

Happy summer break! We hope that everyone will be able to relax and recharge over the break. But, before you close the book on this year, we would love to have you take a look at the Fine Arts Scrapbook for the school year. It is fantastic and helps show just how hard these students work and how passionate they are about their craft. The link is shared at the end of this post. 

Please, please, please don't put instruments in the closet! We know summers can be filled with lots of activities, but you have spent a lot of money on instruments that require special care. Being closed up all summer invites mites, mold, and funky smells galore, none of which are fun. Encourage students to get their instruments out to practice some so they can keep the instrument in good order and keep their memory and muscles working. 

Marching students. You need to make sure you prepare for camp long before camp gets here. It is already a hot summer and it isn't even summer yet! Drink plenty of fluids, spend time outside, practice, exercise, carry your instrument. The percussion, guard, drum majors and other officers are hitting it hard every Tuesday to be as prepared as possible for camp. 

Have a great summer and we will see you soon!

Parents and Students,

Did you know that there tons of summer music camps close to our area for students to attend?  Summer music camps are a great opportunity for students to expand their musical knowledge and abilities, learn leadership skills, improve their marching, and meet new people!!!! 

Below are links to a few of the summer camps within relatively easy driving distance of Dade County.  You can click the camp name in the table below to visit their website for more information.

Spring is very busy time in the band and school world. Here are some updates to keep you in the know.

There is a band booster meeting today, Tuesday, March 12 at 6pm at DCHS. We will be discussing the upcoming concerts and banquets and need all the help we can get to help. 

The DMS Spring Concert is quickly approaching. It is on March 26 at 7pm in the DCHS Auditorium. Students report in their seats by 6:30. Students should be dropped off at least 15 minutes before to get set up. All students should wear all black and be in dress code. Please see the handbook for more details. Handbooks are linked to the website. 

The DMS Dollywood trip letter was sent last week. It is also uploaded to charms and at the bottom of this post. This is always such a fun trip and we look forward to having fun with the students. 

Please help encourage students to practice. Even 5 minutes a day can make all to difference in how quickly the grow as a musician. We highly encourage using musicracer.com and musictheory.net for good none playing practice. Both are free and great at reinforcing what students have learned in class. A wonderful addition is also smartmusic. This one is not free, but is very inexpensive with a yearly fee. It offers a  tuner, metronome, over 1000 songs, a testing system that helps the student know what they need the most help on. Last in the list, but by far not the least, is private lessons. These are 30-60 minute private sessions between your student and an instructor. This can make a huge impact on a student. 

Be sure to visit the calendar to keep up to date. Have a wonderful week!

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It's already March?! Time flies when your having fun and these students have been hard at work and being goofy getting ready for their Spring Concerts. There are a lot of dates to keep on your radar for this month. Here goes:
Winter guard practice Mondays 3;30-7:30.
Jazz Band rehearsals Tuesdays 3:15-4:15.
Solo and Ensemble students (this is a sign up event) practice on Thursdays 3:15-4:30.
Philadelphia students rehearsal Thursdays 3:15-4:15.
All rehearsals are at DCHS.
March 9 Dade County Bands Mattress fundraiser. DCHS Commons 10:00-4:00.
March 12 Band Booster Meeting. 6:00pm DCHS. We need help working concerts and preparing the banquets.  We would love to have your help.
March 23 Winter guard competition at Mill Creek High School.
March 26 DMS Spring Concert 7pm at DCHS Auditorium. 
March 28 - April 1 Dade County Bands and Chorus go to Philadelphia.

Shew! Busy month! Please encourage students to practice frequently. Just like learning to throw a ball, you only improve with practice. It is wonderful to watch them evolve as performers. From finally learning how to put their instruments together to creating music. They need all the encouragement to be the best they can be!

Be sure to look ahead on the calendar for dates coming up in April and May.