Year at a Glance

Band at Firestone is a yearlong course and students make great memories and share fantastic experiences with their peers. We have something almost every month, with some months being a little less busy than others.

July is when we start our Marching Band season. We hold a few rehearsals to “get our feet wet.” Towards the end of the month Band Camp starts. Think of Band Camp like Training Camp or Spring Training for professional sports teams. We practice and learn the music we will be using for the marching band season and start learning the marching maneuvers we will use on the football field.

August is the time we start refining the work we learned during band camp, as well as continue to learn new material that we didn’t get to. We have shorter rehearsals, like a typical sports practice session, but we still have a lot to get accomplished during these few weeks. Towards the end of the month High School Football starts. Our Friday nights will be filled with bus rides to stadiums, hanging out with our band friends, and cheering on the Firestone Football team (there are the occasional games on Thursday and Saturday throughout the season). When school starts we have two evening rehearsals a week, where we continue to refine and develop our marching show.

September sees the beginning of our competition season. Between September and October we typically take part in 4 marching band shows or competitions - these are in addition to the football games that we perform at. Competitions are generally held on Saturdays, and mostly in the evenings.

October has a familiar outlook to September. We have probably had 2 competitions under our belt, and are looking to qualify for the State Marching Band Finals if we haven’t already. State Marching Band Finals is dependent on us earning a I or Superior Rating at a marching band event. The first weekend of State Marching Band Finals usually falls on the last weekend of October.

November sees marching band season come to a close. The second weekend of Marching Band Finals is usually the first weekend in November. Once we finish with marching band season, we can begin to focus on our skills in the concert band setting. We also start to prepare students for OMEA’s Solo and Ensemble Event.

December usually sees the Winter Band Concert and Cookie Walk fundraiser. The concert will feature our two concert bands at Firestone - Concert Band and Wind Ensemble - as well as the Jazz Ensemble. [Students will have a seating placement at the end of the previous school year to divide us into the two bands, which are based on playing ability.]

January we begin our preparation for OMEA’s Large Group Adjudicated Event. Indoor groups - Drumline and Color Guard - continue their preparation for their season and start competitions. Solo and Ensemble also takes place towards the end of the month (which we have been hosting the past couple of years).

February can get a little bit busy with the APS Winter Concert Series. One of the concert ensembles takes part in the High School Bands in the Round, and the Jazz Band takes part in the HS Jazz Festival. We also try to fit in a Pre-Large Group Concert to give the students a test-run for the upcoming event.

March is when OMEA’s Large Group Adjudicated Event takes place for concert band (which we have hosted the past few years). Depending on the ratings each group receives, it can dictate a little bit of what our plans for the end of April/beginning May will be.

April sees the band preparing for the end of the school year, and our final performance(s). There is potential for the concert ensembles to take part in the State Large Group Event.

May is another potential weekend for the State concert ensemble event. We have our final concert of the year, as well as a banquet to celebrate the band’s accomplishment and to recognize our great students. Towards the end of the month we start getting ready for marching band with a couple after school rehearsals, interviews for student leadership positions, and Drum Major auditions. We also begin the process of determining who will be in which concert and jazz ensembles for the next school year.