Where has the summer gone! It just really flew by this year. Band camp is a week of making music and having fun in the process. Our members will grow as musicians, make new friends, and discover that there are a whole lot of other people their age who are just as serious about music and performing as they are! Because the lessons learned at band camp are essential to your growth as a performer, band camp is REQUIRED.

At GBHS Band Camp it is our mission to ...

to create and maintain a positive, structured, disciplined environment which promotes learning, growth, and artistic development to ensure that our members are safe, secure, and supervised by responsible adults at all times - but without suffocating them in the process to foster and promote social growth as well as musical growth to see to it that the camp experience is FUN - not just for the members, but for adult participants as well!

Part of your marching band fee includes dinner at camp. We will have a food station set up at GBHS. Students will be served by parent volunteers who will be taking necessary food safety precautions. All volunteers that will be serving food will use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol and will also be serving with food-grade gloves. The menu is provided below.

Water and Gatorade will be available to drink each day. If a student has special dietary needs (food allergies, vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free, etc) please make sure it is noted on your heath form. Please message Lacy Dubrulle in the BAND app with questions or concerns about the menu.

YES! We encourage parents to come watch our evening rehearsals from 6-9pm. The school has placed stands out there for you to enjoy the show.

Show Shirt Order Coming SOON!

We are in need of the following for the band. If you can donate an item or two we would greatly appreciate it. Please have your student bring it to rehearsal and put it on the shelfs back by the Band Booster Room. (Back hallway by Mr. Klee's office.)

• forks

• small plates

• bowls

• Ect.  

It is very important that you are in peak physical and mental fitness to do this activity. It is imperative, and your responsibility, to take care of yourself. The following is a list of items that you should do.

1. EAT. You are burning lots of energy all day. Food is your fuel. You need to eat before you get to rehearsal and at the provided dinner. Even if you are not hungry, you should try to eat something at every meal. FYI…candy is not a meal!

2. DRINK. This is the #1 reason performers don't feel well during camp. You need to drink water all the time, all day long. During rehearsal, when a water break is given, you should drink as much water as possible. A good rule of thumb is … if you do not have to go to the restroom, you are not drinking enough water. We can not stress this point enough.

3. FEET. It is very important that you take care of your feet. Tennis shoes and socks will be worn at every rehearsal. Socks will keep your feet dry and help keep blisters from forming. Shoes or flip flops need to be worn at all times during camp. (Free time, evening activity, etc.) If you step on something and cut your foot, you will not be able to perform with this band.

4. HAT & SUNBLOCK. The band is in the sun for the majority of the day during camp. A hat is required at every rehearsal to keep the sun off your head. This also will help keep the sun out of your eyes. Sunscreen is highly recommended. There is nothing worse than a bad sunburn on Monday that will last all week!

5. ILLNESS. If you become ill, you need to notify a chaperone, staff member or director as soon as possible. Our goal is to get you back into the schedule as soon as possible. If you are too ill to attend rehearsal, you will be sent home

6. REST. You are likely doing more physical activity during camp than you have done all summer. It is important that you get enough sleep to be productive the next day.

DOT BOOKS/UDB: Dot books are “miniaturized” versions of the drill that will be carried by each member while on the football field. You need to have a durable, miniature notepad or notebook that will be used to contain the necessary information from each page of your drill charts.

Your Dot Book must be structured in such a way so that both you

and/or a staff member can read it easily and comprehend what you need to do during any given set of drill. It also must be designed to handle the elements, as rain and sun can do some damage.

Your Dot Book will be a reference at all times, and will be required at every rehearsal. Section leaders are responsible for their sections maintenance and content of each dot book.

Devise a way to keep your book on you during rehearsal (shoelace, string, etc.)

In addition to your Dot Book, you must always have a pencil with you during rehearsals to mark changes in your drill.

Each page of your Dot Book should have the following information recorded in order to aid in the understanding of the drill:

Page number

Counts to the set

Coordinates

Interval . . . . ALWAYS know your interval!

Dress point

Corresponding music measures, rehearsal numbers/letters, etc. picture of form (either Xerox copy from drill charts, or accurate sketch)

Subsets

Any special instructions (equipment moves, body movements/facings, etc.)

Band camp is the single biggest event that will turn this band into a real team. Take some risks and get to know some new people. Be proactive and not reactive. You will be tired and may get frustrated. If you feel this way, it means you are normal. If band was easy, everyone would do it. NEVER GIVE UP! Chances are good that you will not get new concepts the first time. Keep trying and never give up. You will eventually get it.