Fenton Marching Band Letter #1 2024

Welcome to the 2024-2025 Marching Bison Band! We are very excited to get under way with another year of exhilarating music and pageantry with the Fenton High School community. 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.

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, memories, and achievement that they will never forget. 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!

Parents and students, please check out the documents and videos below that are tailored just for you.

I look forward to visiting with you in person soon. As always, I am just an email away.

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

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 “jump start” music rehearsals will be Tuesday, June 4 through Thursday, Jun 6 from 5-7 PM.

At these rehearsals, students will receive all pregame and halftime show music available at the time. All music and information can be found in Marching Band Google Classroom, THIS FOLDER, and on the Marching Bison website . The code for the Marching Band Google Classroom is: jxjl4e2. Students can access the folder from anywhere, this website, and classroom (with a Fenton email address) for extra copies of music and part assignments throughout the summer.

Our fun themes for rehearsals are as follows:

Tuesday - Favorite Color Day

Wednesday - Crazy OR Favorite Hat Day

Thursday - Mismatch socks OR shoes OR both day

Incoming freshmen students without Fenton login credentials should access the necessary information from the folder or website. We will be sure to get your chrome book and login credentials for you at the first rehearsal.

Students should come prepared with an instrument in good working condition, reeds, mouthpieces, mallets, and a pencil. Students will receive a three ring binder and sheet protectors at the first rehearsal. Students in need of a school owned instrument should contact Mr. George PRIOR to this rehearsal so we can make arrangements.

All FHS Band students and incoming freshmen who have committed to the Marching Band must attend these rehearsals. 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? The band? Your success? Yes! By choosing to be in the marching band, you have committed yourself to a higher pursuit of excellence! The Marching Band, while volunteer, 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. 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.

Are you in need of a band instrument, percussion instrument, Fenton Chromebook, 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.

For Chromebooks, we will have the incoming freshman Chrome Books ready to go with credentials at the first rehearsal.

Click here to view all of our Marching Bison Band Summer Dates 2024, MB commitment forms, 4th of July Parade information, 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!

A calendar with all of the rehearsal dates and performances will be coming soon!

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 will be on the website and google classroom. Copies of all music will be passed out on Tuesday, June 4.

We will also be 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 on Tuesday. You can also annotate this music on Kami, a google chrome add on.

Color Guard assessments will happen June 5-7. Students interested in participating should plan on familiarizing themselves with the instructional videos in the Color Guard Google Classroom. The link for joining that is here. Mrs. Behnke, our Color guard sponsor, will hold assessments during this time. Interested students should:

1. Complete the Marching Band commitment form.

2. Familiarize themselves with the instructional videos (see above)

3. Wear comfortable athletic clothing to work on this material

4. Meet at the guard closet outside of the band room on June 5 at 5:00

Please email Mrs. Behnke with any questions at behnke@fenton100.org

All percussionists participating in Marching Band will need to demonstrate their percussion skills to our percussion instructor using the "Drumline Cook Book." This is in the Marching Band for Students folder. The drumline assessments are informal skill assessments for us to see which instruments are the best fit for each student for the season. These assessments will take place June 5-7 at Fenton from 5-7PM.

Percussionists will demonstrate the following exercises from the "Drumline Cook Book" June 5-7:

• 8s

• Accent grids

• Double Triple

• 16 Note Diddles

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.

Click here to learn about YOUR participation in the 4th of July Parade (students AND alumni).

Click here to sign up for the parade.

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 Tuesday, June 5 at 5:00 PM. "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, click here, or simply show up on Tuesday June 5th!

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