Marching Bison Band Letter #2 2024

Welcome!

Hello again from Fenton bands. We hope we find you and your family enjoying a relaxing summer. Thank you so much to all of the parents and students who connected with us at our Marching Band rehearsals back in early June and at the 4th of July parade! We appreciate all of the efforts, communication, and dedication of all the students participating in the Marching Band!

We are very excited to continue our Marching Band season with our annual Band Camp! I can't believe that it is about a month away! PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU AND YOUR STUDENT THOROUGHLY READ THIS ENTIRE LETTER as there is a lot of important information that pertains to your student.

The marching band consists of students who choose to be in the Fenton High School Marching Bison Band. I know that all of the students new and seasoned are good enough to participate in this ensemble! Your student’s participation in the FHS Marching Band will not only provide another opportunity for them to perform, but make them a lifelong appreciator and listener of live music. They will also get an experience of friends, music, fun, and achievement that they will never forget. It's not too late to join! See below for info on becoming a member.

I look forward to visiting with you soon. As always, I am just an email or phone call away.

Sincerely,

Garett George

he/him/his

Director of Bands

Fenton High School

1000 W Green Street

Bensenville, Illinois, 60106

O: 630.860.4944

C: 929.322.4944

F: 630.787.4093

music.fenton100.org

Marching Band is the school's largest "group project," for which you are a part of. Together we will use our skills and energy to enhance the Friday Night Lights experience, support our athletic teams, energize the student body, and make our loved ones proud! Just ask the seniors...they'll tell you that the days can be long, but the years fly by. We ask that you do a few things to help this group project be successful:

• Show up and be on time. It doesn't matter what you play or how amazing you are. This is the ultimate group activity. We can't move forward without you. Remember, "to be early is to be on time. On time is late. Late is...." well, you know the answer 😄
• Make great choices. Choose your words and actions carefully, inside and outside of band.
• Keep things in perspective. What may seem like a big deal after a long day may not after some rest and food. Keep your eye on the prize!
• Remember that you are important. It doesn't matter what you play or how many years you've been in band, we believe that you are important and we want you to have a great experience. Do what we ask and give it your best!

Our continuation of the season begins Monday, July 29 at 8:00 AM for Freshmen, student leaders and ALL NEW MEMBERS in the Fenton Band room. Everyone else will start at 10:00 AM in the band room!

At Band Camp, students will continue to learn music, marching fundamentals, and begin learning drill. All music was passed out at mini-camp, so those students who missed can access this website to print their music or visit the "Marching Band for Students 2024" folder. Please check the part assignments document for the correct music.

Students should come prepared to camp with their music, an instrument in good working condition, reeds, mouthpieces, mallets, a pencil, and the three ring binder they received in June with sheet protectors. Students should wear gym shoes and comfortable active clothing as we will begin learning some marching techniques outside and working on our physical training program. Please see the checklist later in this letter to make sure you have all that you need for camp!

All FHS Band students and color guard members who have committed to the Marching Band must attend camp! We understand and expect high school students to be involved with other activities; however, we feel confident that with communication, we should be able to work out any conflicts that may arise. Students who have conflicts will need to work those out with Mr. George at least 48 hours in advance. Please note: transportation and work are not excused absences! If a student needs help with transportation, please contact Mr. George.

EVERY ABSENCE AFFECTS THE ENTIRE GROUP! Do these rehearsals affect your grade? Your section? Your learning? The band? Your success? Yes! By choosing to be in the marching band, you have committed yourself to a higher pursuit of excellence and the ultimate group activity! The Marching Band is still a part of your band grade in the fall. In addition, those who meet the commitment with 100% participation give themselves the best opportunity to start the school year with a feeling of success, both personally and academically. In addition, your attendance and effort helps you earn your band letter. This is unique to Marching Band!

We please ask that families avoid scheduling doctor appointments, physical therapy, college visits, vacations, work, or other things during Marching Band Rehearsals and camp.

The camp schedule is here. (lunch is provided Monday - Wednesday. Thursday is “section bonding” lunch. Students are encouraged to participate in the lunchtime activities, but may bring a sack lunch to eat at school if they choose. All events take place at FHS EXCEPT August 2, which may take place at the Redmond Sports Complex. More details to follow)

Our fun themes for band camp are as follows:

Monday - Twin Day

Tuesday - Little White Lie Day

Wednesday - Pirates vs. Surfers Day

Thursday - Section Pride Day

Friday - Disney Day

This year’s show title is currently called "Fenton Mosaic 2.0". It consists of four songs. They are:

• Centroamerica - based on Son de la Negra
• Polska - based on the Krakowiak
• Caribbean - based on El Cumbanchero
• Melting Pot - Based on On FHS, America, & With Bison Pride

Part assignments are posted in the "Marching Band for Students" folder, which is on the website and google classroom.

We will also continue learning Pregame music, which will consist of On FHS, The Star Spangled Banner, Seven Nation Army, Purple Majesty, and more. We will prepare this entertaining show for the Bensenville, Wood Dale and other communities across Chicagoland!

In addition to the music, every student should have access to the Band Resource Packet for their instrument. All of this music, is available in Google Classroom (see code above), on our Marching Band webpage, and in this folder. We will print out copies for everyone to receive at camp. You can also annotate this music on Kami, a google chrome add on.

Are you in need of a band instrument, percussion instrument, or other learning tool to help you with summer music making? Please reach out to Mr. George as soon as possible so arrangements can be made at georgeg@fenton100.org or text him via Remind.

Click here to view all of our Marching Bison Band Summer Dates 2024, and more. Feel free to reach out to Mr. George with any questions or to see how you can make this work with your schedule!

Our tentative fall calendar with all of the rehearsal dates and performances is here. Please note that this is subject to change, but will give you an idea of what is ahead.

All students are required to wear gym shoes or sneakers, Fenton Marching Band Hat to protect their face (Veterans: please bring your hat; new people will receive one at camp - it looks like this), and comfortable athletic clothing every day.

DO NOT WEAR SANDALS/FLOPS/JEANS/CROCS! Also, please make sure your gym shoes are tied tightly as we will be doing activities that will require us to get physical. Please plan on wearing something you can exercise in. We will be outside during the mornings and inside during the afternoons, so please dress appropriately. Sunblock is highly recommended!

All FHS Marching band members are required to have their Marching Band Binder with sheet protectors for ALL MUSIC and MARCHING DRILL. This will be collected and graded throughout the grading period. Students are highly encouraged to bring their own water bottle or cooler for water. Water will also be provided regularly during camp.

Click here for a checklist.

Click here for an awesome visualizer of what to bring to camp!

Want to get a head start on your Marching Fundamentals? Check out these helpful videos to get you familiar!

In the spirit of effective communication, we are asking that all members join Google Classroom (GC code: jxjl4e2) and that all students & parents of the Marching Bison Band subscribe to Remind as soon as they read this letter. ALMOST ALL COMMUNICATION will take place via Remind, which is a text messaging and email app that allows subscribers to receive text alerts and reminders. This is also a great tool for parents!

For text message subscriptions: text the message @bisonband to 81010

For email message subscriptions: email bisonband@mail.remind101.com

You can also download the app. Click here for more information.

The Fenton High School Athletics/Activities policy is designed to encourage students at FHS to participate in activities and athletics without penalizing the student. Being involved in activities and athletics is a very normal thing for an active high school student! With this encouragement comes the agreement that:

• All Performances or Games take precedent over all practices/rehearsals.
• It is the responsibility of the student to communicate with their coaches/sponsors when FHS practices/rehearsals/meetings conflict with each other. Regardless of student choice, there is no penalty from either activity as long as coaches/sponsors have been made aware of the situation in advance and the student’s participation decision is fair to their commitments.
  
• It is the responsibility of the student to communicate to their coaches/sponsors when there is a direct conflict between activity/athletic performances or contests. In this situation, every effort should be made to meet both commitments. In the event that this is impossible, students have the choice of activity without penalty.
  

The FHS Marching Band will be wearing black “Drillmaster” marching band shoes for all marching band activities. These shoes also serve well as “concert dress” shoes. This is a shoe specially designed for the marching techniques that the FHS Marching Band uses. All students who need shoes will be fitted during band camp. During fitting, please tell the volunteer your shoe size. If you are a returning member and need new shoes, please tell Mr. George that you need new shoes and tell the volunteer your shoe size. Shoes will arrive prior to the first performance. The cost for a new pair of shoes is $37.00 and can be paid for at camp or registration. Fundraising opportunities are available for the expense of these shoes. The band also has a small amount of gently used marching band shoes for $5.00! These will also be available to try on at band camp.

Color guard members who do not have shoes will also need to purchase shoes for the season and will be fitted for shoes during camp. Color guard members can expect to pay around $37.00 for shoes.

Students will be fitted for a uniform (marching & concert) during camp. Each student will receive a provided FHS Marching Band t-shirt, which will also be a part of their uniform. This includes color guard members. Students who are in need of a second Marching Band t-shirt will incur a fee of $10.00 for each additional shirt.

Marching band members will also receive a free pair of Fenton MBB sunglasses and a Fenton MBB hat. Parents and family members may purchase a hat if interested for $15.00 while supplies last.

Also, as a member of the Fenton MBB, you have the opportunity to order a MBB jacket for yourself or a family member! This jacket order is optional. Please visit http://bit.ly/mbbjacket to order!

Students will have the opportunity to letter in Marching Band throughout the fall season. The following criteria must be met in order to letter in Marching Band:

1. Attend all of the Marching Bison Band camp dates

2. Attend all of the Marching Bison Band performances

3. Miss a maximum of one rehearsal during the season

4. Have a maximum of three tardies

5. Maintain eligibility throughout the Marching Bison Band season

6. Maintain a strong work ethic and positive attitude throughout the season

*In the event that a student is excused from a performance, the student will be excluded from lettering eligibility

Students who have earned a letter will receive their music numerals (first year students), lyre patch (second year students), JV music patch (third year students), and varsity music letter (fourth year students). All seniors will earn their varsity letter. These will be passed out at our end of the season marching band party.

The pizza party and catered lunches are all sponsored by the FHS Music Boosters! Any parent who is interested in volunteering to help the bands in any way during camp or throughout the year should feel free to contact Mr. George or one of our music boosters.

You can also contact our executive board members and learn more about the boosters here.

The 2024 Marching Bison Band season will be a novel experience for all of us! We will have a newly renovated band room to make music in, a new performance field for Friday nights, some much needed upgrades in our instrument inventory, new students, and new opportunities. We are hopeful to provide the best possible music education experience for our students. The Fenton band program has one goal: to develop great people and make great music!

We hope that this letter gives you some guidance as to what we need to do to make the marching season fun, rewarding and successful. If for any reason you need to speak with me, please email me at georgeg@fenton100.org or call the band extension at 630-860-4944 or our band cell phone at 929-322-4944. You may also find more information at music.fenton100.org/bands/marchingbison.

See you Monday, July 29 at 8:00 (new people & leaders) or 10:00 AM (veterans). "Great people making great music!"

Musically yours,

Garett A. George

Fenton Community High School Bands

p.s. Do you know of someone who would like to be in the Marching Band but didn’t fill out their commitment form? Please have them contact Mr. George ASAP or click here!

Remember, you ARE good enough to be in the Marching Bison Band!