Performance Explanations

Main 2026-2027 Performances:

Participation in concerts and festivals scheduled for each band is mandatory per Fairfax County Public Schools regulations. (FCPS Regulation 3866.)  Please check the band calendar in the back of the handbook for your respective performances. Students that miss a performance due to personal illness or a family emergency will be expected to present a note from home upon their return to school and complete a mandatory make-up assignment.

There are also several opportunities throughout the school year for individual students to choose to audition and/or participate in other music activities. Please see below for all information.

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1. Friday, October 2, 2026 – 8th Grade Band Night at South County High School (Open only to 8th Grade Band Members.)  

Each fall, all 8th grade band members have the opportunity to attend and participate in a Varsity home football game at South County High School and play their instruments in the bleachers with award-winning Marching Stallions. “8th Grade Band Night” is designed to educate and inform all students about the marching band in hopes they will sign-up to be a part of the marching band program as 9th graders. 

 “Pep Band Music” or “Stands Tunes” will be provided to the students and will need to be practiced before the event.  All 8th grade students are required to attend their future high school’s game due to it being co-curricular per FCPS Regulation 3866.  All students need to bring their instruments and music. Each student will receive a Middle School Band Night T-shirt that they will need to wear that night.

If a student is unable to make this event, a make-up assignment will be given.

Students need to secure their own transportation to and from South County High School.

Concert Dress is the Black Middle School Band Night T-Shirt and Jeans/Slacks and Tennis Shoes. (No crocs/slides/flip-flops/sandals as students will be marching from the Band Room to the Football Field with the Stallion Band.)

2.) Wednesday, December 1, 2026 – Winter Holiday Band Concert (All Bands) – 7pm

Mustang Jazz, Concert Band Green, Intermediate Percussion Ensemble, Symphonic Percussion Ensemble, Concert Band Blue, and Symphonic Band perform their Winter Concert program for the overall school community in the Main Gym. Please invite your families, friends, and loved ones to support the students!  Students wear their concert band uniforms.

Call time for all students is 6:15pm to the Main Gym. Concert begins at 7:00pm and will conclude by 8:30pm.

Concert Dress is Band Tuxedo, complete with Black Dress Shoes (for all) and black socks (for the guys).

3.) December TBA- Winter Holiday Assembly (Symphonic Band and Mustang Jazz)

The Advanced Music ensembles of SCMS (Symphonic Band, Mustang Jazz, Chorus, and Symphonic Orchestra perform for the school community during the morning Learning Seminar period to provide the students and staff some welcome holiday cheer. Students may wear something “nice casual”, Santa hats, reindeer antlers, etc.

4.) January 21, 2027 – Jazz Band Recruitment Tour (Jazz Band only)

Mustang Jazz will perform at Halley ES, Laurel Hill ES, Newington Forest ES, and Silverbrook ES 5th and 6th grade classes.  South County HS Symphonic Band would also perform. (We need parent drivers for this event!)

5.) Thursday, February 25, 2027 - Pre-Assessment Pyramid Concert {Concert Band Blue (2nd and 7th Periods)/Symphonic Band (6th Period and 7th Periods) only}

Concert Band Blue and Symphonic Band will perform at South County High School for a “Mock-Adjudicated” performance. 

There are TWO Separate Concerts –

1.)    MS Concert Band Blue and HS Concert Band at 5:30pm (Call Time 4:45pm to SCHS Choir Room)

2.)    MS Symphonic Band and HS Symphonic Band at 7:30pm (Call Time 6:45 to SCHS Choir Room). 

All students enter the SCHS Music Wing at Entrance 14 at the front of the school.

Concert Dress is Band Tuxedo, complete with Black Dress Shoes (for all) and black socks (for the guys). 

6.) Friday, March 5, 2027 - State Band Assessment (Intermediate Percussion, Advanced Percussion, Concert Band Blue, & Symphonic Band only)

            On March 13, 7th and 8th grade bands from Fairfax County middle schools participate in the Virginia Music Educators Association’s District Ten Band Assessment Festival, held at Carl Sandburg Middle School in Alexandria, VA.  All bands prepare and perform three pieces of music, along with sight-reading a newly composed piece of music for a rating from four state-appointed adjudicators (judges).  This performance is the band/music equivalent to the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. Concert Band Blue (with Intermediate Percussion Ensemble) and Symphonic Band (with Advanced Percussion Ensemble) will participate in this festival and is mandatory per FCPS Regulation 3866.

Both Concert Band and Symphonic Band will perform on Friday, March 5.  Please mark your calendars NOW!  Absences due to having sports games or practices are not considered FCPS-excused for missing any music performance.  Please hold the entire afternoon and evening open until the exact time is known, which will be in late January 2027.

Concert Dress is Band Tuxedo, complete with Black Pants, Black Dress Shoes (for all) and black socks (for the guys). 

7.) Tuesday, March 16, 2027 – South County Pyramid Band Concert featuring the Elementary Area Honor Band, SCMS and SCHS Percussion Ensembles and SCMS and SCHS Jazz Bands.

8.) April 14, 2027 - Month of the Military Child Breakfast – (Mustang Jazz only)
South County MS invites current active Military Personnel to a special breakfast in the Cafeteria to thank everyone for their service.  We are a Purple Star School. The Jazz performs during 1st block of the day.

9.) Tuesday, June 3, 2027 - Spring Band Concert and Awards Night (All Bands)
Mustang Jazz, Concert Band Green, Intermediate Percussion Ensemble, Advanced Percussion Ensemble, Concert Band Blue, and Symphonic Band perform their Spring Concert program for the overall school community in the SCMS Main Gym.  Students will wear their Formal Concert Attire. Student Call Time is 6:15pm.  Concert begins at 7:00pm.  Annual Spring Band Awards will follow at the end of all performances. 

Concert Dress is Band Tuxedo, complete with Black Dress Shoes (for all) and black socks (for the guys). 

10.) Friday, June 11, 2027 - 8th Grade Awards Ceremony Performance (Symphonic Band only)

All Advanced Music ensembles perform at the End-of-the-Year 8th Grade Overall Excellence Awards Ceremony during the last block of the day. Students are expected to wear something “nice casual” for this performance.

Additional Music Performance/Audition Opportunities

(optional but recommended and encouraged!!)

Mentorship Mondays: Participant in the South County High-South County Middle School Bands Mentorship Program on Mondays beginning in November 2025 at 3:00pm-4:00 in the SCHS Band Room.  You will then walk back to SCMS to be picked up by your parent or take the late bus home.  

6th Grade Winter Concert Mentor: Serve as a “Mentor” by participating in the TWO rehearsals before the Winter Concert and perform with the combined 6th Grade/SCMS Bands pieces at the Winter Concert.  The TWO rehearsals will be on Monday, November 23 and Monday, November 30th from 5:30-6:30pm. Sign-up on the Google Form on Schoology.

Elementary Area Honor Band Mentor: Serve as a “Mentor” by participating in weekly rehearsals with the South County Pyramid Elementary Area Honor Band. Rehearsals will on Wednesday evenings from 5-6:15pm beginning Feb. 11 in the SCMS Band Room.  They are on Wednesdays – February 10, 17, 24, March 3, & 10.  These rehearsals culminate in the annual SOCO Pyramid Concert on Tuesday, March 16th at 7:00pm in the South County Middle School Gymnasium.  This concert will feature SCMS and SCHS Percussion Ensembles, SCMS and SCHS Jazz Bands and the Elementary Area Honor Band.

All-District Honor Concert Band: Individual musicians from middle schools in our district, audition for a chair in this honors ensemble on Saturday, December 12, 2026. Students who earn the right of participating in this honor band, rehearse under a guest conductor and perform during the first weekend of February. (Feb. 4-6, 2027)  Any non-beginning student may participate in these auditions. Students interested in auditioning should obtain audition music and information from the director in the fall. There is an audition fee of around $10.00 to audition for this event. It is the student’s responsibility to practice the audition music, be serious about the audition, and work their best to achieve the best quality musical product. If any student does not show up to his/her audition, they will not receive a refund of their money. Auditions are scheduled for Saturday, December 12, 2026 at Glasgow Middle School in Alexandria.  Auditioning for this ensemble is optional.  Audition materials will be distributed in September. If selected after your audition, you will be expected to participate in the full event February 4-6, 2026 at Hayfield Secondary School.  Learning Seminar Practice Sessions will be scheduled for all students who would like to audition during 2nd block.

All-District Jazz Band: Individual musicians from middle schools in our district, audition for a chair in this honors Jazz ensemble on Wednesday, January 13, 2027 @ Alexandria City High School in Alexandria.  Students who earn the right of participating in this honor band, rehearse under a guest conductor and perform at the All-District Jazz Event, January 22-23, 2027 at Meridian High School in Falls Church.  Students interested in auditioning should obtain audition music and information from Mr. Niehoff in the Fall. There is an audition fee of around $10.00 to audition for this event. It is the student’s responsibility to practice the audition music, be serious about the audition, and work their best to achieve the best quality musical product. If any student does not show up to his/her audition, they will not receive a refund of their money. Audition materials will be distributed in the Fall.

Solo and Ensemble Festival: This district-wide festival takes place on Saturday, April 17th at Holmes Middle School in Alexandria. Students from our Virginia Music District (1/3 of FFX County, Alexandria City, and several private schools) perform a solo or in small ensembles for an adjudicator (Judge), who will give a rating based on the student’s performance.  Students receive written comments and a rating (superior, excellent, good, fair, and poor) for their performance. All band students, including beginners, are eligible and strongly encouraged to participate. Each student who receives a I (Superior) or II (Excellent) rating will earn a medal which will be distributed at our Spring Band Concert and Awards Night. There is a small fee to participate in this event. (About 400 student musicians participate in this festival each year.)