Reynolds Band E-News

Please note that we do not yet have access to our Skyward class lists and all of our contact info is based upon previous information. If you believe you are receiving this email in error, please feel free to scroll to the bottom of this email list to unsubscribe. If you know if a family member or other band family that did not receive this email, please feel free to forward it along (or share the link: reynoldsband.com/news). There is a subscribe button at the bottom of this newsletter for anyone who wishes to receive our band news. We will update this email list as soon as our Skyward student access has been activated for the 2024-2025 school year!

PRO TIP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER: Opening the web version of this letter will allow you to access a convenient table of contents that allows you to click on sections of this newsletter (great if you are searching for specific information throughout each week).

July 29 - Aug 2 - 12-3 PM - Symphonic Winds Camp (SW)

July 31 - Reynolds Drumline plays for Eagle Camp! (SW and CB1)

Aug. 1 - All-Region Etudes Released

August 5-8 - 5-7 PM - Reynolds Band Camp (required for all 7/8 band members)

August 15 - Parent Meetings: 5:30 PM - Beginning Band | 6:30 PM - CB1 and CB2

August 19 - Symphonic Winds Sectionals Begin

August 21 - Band Registration Forms and Fees Due

August 30 - 5-8 PM - Hawaiian Waters Band Social

We look forward to seeing Symphonic Winds members this week! Camp will run from 12-3 each day. The band hall will open to Symphonic Winds members as early as 11:30 AM. Students should plan to enter through Door #09.

Required for all 7th and 8th grade returning band members.

**If you volunteered to bring items, please be on the lookout for a reminder email from signup.com soon!

*The last CutTime update was Sunday, July 28th at 4:30 PM.

Each year, all band members in grades 6-8 must complete the annual band on-boarding paperwork and pay band fees for the school year. Returning families, the process has changed just a little bit for the 2024-2025 school year. We hope that these changes have made the process quicker and easier for you! Please see below for more details and helpful tips:

STEP 1: Band Registration Forms - Visit reynoldsband.com/register

This step should take about half an hour from start to finish. Your band student will need to be present for parts of this process. During this process, you will take care of all final on-boarding requirements for 2024-2025 Reynolds Band membership.

• Due to important medical and trip paperwork included in Registration, we cannot take students without a completed registration on field trips or allow entry to off-campus events such as Hawaiian Waters or 8th Grade Football Night.
• This is the only time throughout the year that we are able to open up purchasing for additional band shirts, band hoodies, and Hawaiian Falls Band Social tickets. Once the Band On-Boarding window closes for the school year, the directors cannot take any additional t-shirt or hoodie orders.

STEP 2: Set up your CutTime Account

• For returning families: CutTime is the replacement for Charms and is so much easier to set up! It should only take about a minute to complete and is all done from your phone.
• It will take the band directors a few days to set up your guardian account in CutTime - it is done manually by the directors for each individual student and takes up a large chunk of time. We will do our best to complete this step as efficiently as possible.
• Once your account has been created, you will receive a text with a special link. This link is unique to you and is not a spam attempt. Please save the link that is texted to you - this is how you log in to CutTime!
• If you do not wish to receive texts from the directors, we can help you take steps to avoid receiving them after your profile has been created. Let us know if you need help with this!
• This system is still very new to the band directors, so please be patient with us as we work through all of the kinks that are very likely to occur as a result of switching to a new management system.

STEP 3: Pay for Band Fees / Instrument Usage Fees / Other Optional Purchases

• Please give us a few days to process any requested fees into your child's CutTime account. These fees are done individually by the band directors. Please note that all requested items in your child's registration will be billed to your CutTime account. For changes to charges, please email Ms. Taylor directly.
• Fees can be paid for via check made to PBBC, cash, or online**.
• Please place cash/check into a clearly labelled envelope with your child's first and last name, band class, and what you are paying for on the envelope. If paying with a check, please include your child's full name on the memo line.
• All payments and fees can be tracked via your child's CutTime account. If paying with cash or check, please give us a few days to manually update your child's account.
• Please double check your CutTime invoice - most items are billed manually by the directors for each individual child. If we miss an item on your child's account, please let us know and we will update it for you!

• New in CutTime: Payments can be shared with family members and do not have to be paid in full right away.
• When looking at your financial summary, the total amount still owed will show up in red.
• The payment screen will look confusing - the easiest way to do a quick check on any fees still owed is to find the red square in the upper righthand corner. Please see the photos below for references.
• Your fees should already be populated once your account is created. Please double check it for accuracy! Each item is billed separately for each child and is done manually by the directors. It's easy to miss items or even charge for extra items inadvertently.
• If you are unable to make the band fee payments in full by August 21st, please reach out to Ms. Taylor to set up a payment plan. We firmly believe that any child who wants to participate in band should be able to do so, regardless of any financial status.

WHEN: Friday, August 30th from 5-8 PM

FORMS AND FEES DUE: Wednesday, August 21st

HW SEASON PASSES: Cannot be used for this event since the park will be closed to the general public for the event.

WHERE: Hawaiian Waters - The Colony

TRANSPORTATION: Not provided by the district

FOOD: Provided! Choice of hamburger, hot dog, or vegetarian meal

COST: $35 per student - can be paid online or with cash/check made to PBBC. Please include your child's name in the subject line if paying with check.

WHAT TO WEAR: Wear Reynolds Band shirt (or a Reynolds shirt if you do not yet have a band shirt) for check-in.

WHAT TO BRING: Sunscreen, water shoes, a towel, and extra cash (if extra concessions are desired) - can be brought in a beach or drawstring bag, but must be clearly labelled with your child's first and last name plus Reynolds.

*Students will receive a paper copy of the permission form during the first few days back to school*

We have a few slots still open for Hawaiian Waters chaperones. Please sign up if you wish to help us out at our first social of the year. It's a great way to get to know fellow band parents at an easy event!

A note regarding beginning band supplies:

We receive numerous emails from parents each year asking to purchase the instruments outright instead of renting. This can be done through Brook Mays! Simply call the McKinney location and let them know you are a Reynolds beginning band parent looking to purchase instead of rent.

We strongly advise against purchasing items from outside of our recommended stores - a good general rule of thumb is if you can buy toilet paper and deodorant from the store, it's not a great place to secure an instrument from. A good, quality musical instrument will typically keep its value over time if it is taken care of. An instrument purchased from somewhere other than a music store is not likely to work after a couple of short months and repair shops typically will not repair them due to faulty materials used to make them. These instruments will not hold their value over time and are very likely to break and cause frustration for both you and your child. The instruments sold at reputable music companies have been quality tested through years and years of use by band directors and repair shops around the country. They are going to sound better, be easier to play, and will be much less likely to break. If you wish to purchase an instrument from somewhere other than our recommended music store, please reach out to your child's director with a picture of the instrument and its brand. We will let you know whether it is worth purchasing or if we think it will be a waste of money.

Private lessons are a vital part of any successful band program and are what make the Reynolds band students really great musicians! Prosper ISD bands are very fortunate to have a staff of incredibly highly qualified teachers that have been vetted by the same intensive processes as all Prosper ISD school teachers. We very highly recommend that any and all band students enroll lessons offered through the Reynolds Band. Additionally, most students who take lessons from Reynolds lesson staff are able to take lessons during band class!

**Reminder: Private lessons are required for Symphonic Winds members as well as french horn, double reed, and percussion students.

Clarinet, saxophone, low brass, and percussion: Due to the high demand of for lessons from our amazing teachers at Reynolds as well as other schools, these sections tend to fill up FAST - we highly recommend signing up sooner than later to ensure a spot in the studio!

For more information about our lesson program, please visit reynoldsband.com/lessons or click the link below to enroll your child in the 2023-2024 Reynolds Band Private Lesson program today!