Welcome to Fenton Bands 2024-2025

Dear Parents, Guardians, Friends, and Families:

Welcome (or welcome back) to the Fenton Band Family!

First, congratulations on making the smART choice and becoming a high school musician! Whether you are feeling really strong and inspired on your instrument or a little unsure or behind, we promise that this will be a year of musical growth, new friends, and new experiences.

If you are a part of the Marching Band, then please be sure to check out the latest newsletter located here. For everyone else, there is nothing that you have to do before school starts, but there are some things you might want to do. In this letter, you will find some information about what to expect in the fall, a list of recommended supplies, and other helpful information.

We are ready to greet you on August 14th and begin the journey of developing "Great people making great music!"

Please read this entire newsletter as there is some important about how to get involved and what to expect this fall.

Sincerely,

Garett A 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

All band students are either enrolled in Concert Band or Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Regardless of what a student's schedule says, ALL of the Marching Band students should report to 4th hour band on the first day. All students NOT in Marching Band should report to 5th hour band on the first day.

You can bring your instrument on the first or second day of school and drop it off in the band room. You will have a band locker assigned to you (once they are installed in the new band room!). If you need a school instrument, please email Mr. George so we can make arrangements. If you are in need of something before school starts, please let Mr. George know.

Non Marching Band students will be in Bison Chamber Band for the first quarter of the school year. This group is still one of our bands and will perform band music as well as small ensemble music at the Bandarama concert in October.

Students will be assessed at the end of the first eight weeks and will then be placed into Concert Band or Symphonic Wind Ensemble at that time. Reminder to all new students that band IS a class during the school year. Students EARN a grade and band class is a CREDIT towards graduation. It also meets the Fine & Applied Arts requirement.

Click here to access our FAQs and other informational documents about high school band.

We want to be sure that all band students and families have taken a moment to become familiar with our tentative Band Calendar. Please note that some dates or events are subject to change. We will keep you updated.

I also want to encourage you to get connected with the FHS Bands on Facebook (@Fentonbands), Twitter (@bands_fenton), on Instagram (@fhsbisonbands) and through Remind. Remind offers students AND parents the opportunity to receive text alerts (and email) for the various activities and ensembles that they are a part of. The codes to join these bands are located in the Band Handbook below.

The Fenton Band Handbook also has all of the information regarding band for the year. This includes attendance expectations, grading procedures, and more.

The Fenton H.S. District 100 school board has approved our trip to Southern California! The Fenton Band & Choir will be experiencing Catalina Island, San Diego, Los Angeles, Hollywood, university clinics, and more! Our travel dates are February 14-17.

The Fenton Music Staff will be having an informational meeting for any and all interested band & choir students on Thursday, August 22nd at 7:00 PM. Any interested band & choir student should plan on attending this meeting with at least one parent, guardian, or adult designee. Please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Parents, please accept this invitation to join us as a music booster! We meet the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 7:30 PM.

Our first meeting of the year is scheduled for Wednesday September 11th. We will be discussing many of the upcoming year’s events as well as many fundraising opportunities that are available for your “individual music account” which can be used for all music related expenses and our trip to Southern California. Please feel free to contact a member of our exec board with any questions or concerns by contacting them here.

Remember, band parent volunteers make our band successful. We need and want you to help! Please volunteer to assist the bands sometime throughout the year by clicking here.

Click here for a list of band supplies that will be helpful in keeping your instrument in good working condition (you probably have most of them already). These items can be purchased at your local music store or online. If you are thinking of purchasing a new instrument for high school, please let us know, and we can assist in finding a quality product that fits your budget.

We never want the cost of supplies to keep students from participating in music, so please let us know if there is a need for any of these supplies.

Private lessons are a great way to provide extra challenges and opportunities OR help students get caught up through personalized instruction. Most teachers average about $25-$30 for a 30 minute lesson. The Fenton Music Boosters will offer private lesson scholarships in the fall to those that apply and are accepted. Our list of private instructors can be found here.

Our Bison Band goals are simple: "Great people making great music!"

Ideally, we can take these skills into adulthood and have memories to last a lifetime. I’m looking forward to starting this exciting musical journey with you soon! I hope the rest of your break is restful, relaxing, and recharging. See you in the fall!

Musically yours,

Garett George

georgeg@fenton100.org

630-860-4944

Follow the Bison Bands below:

Twitter: @bands_fenton

Facebook: @FentonBands

Instagram: @fhsbisonbands