September 2020

September Update #5 - 9/20/2020

Our next rehearsal will be this Thursday, 10/1/2020 from 6 to 8:30 PM (please note the change in time). The rehearsal schedule will be posted in Remind tomorrow afternoon.

Please don't forget:

1. Mask 

2. Water jug

3. Printed music for warmup exercises 

4. Pep music flip folders if you were issued one

5. Bell covers for hornline members (please make sure they have been cleaned!)

We will follow the same precautions as last week, lining up outside the main stadium gates for temperature checks and maintaining 6-foot spacing. Please complete the COVID-19 screening form by noon tomorrow. This will be sent through Remind tomorrow as well, but future reference, the form has also been posted on the Documents and Forms page.

We will have your tickets for Friday night's home football game at rehearsal tomorrow. If you do not need both tickets, please give back any you won't be using, as there are a limited number of seats available for spectators. We will put out the reporting time for the game either tomorrow at rehearsal or through Remind. We will wear Woodstown spirit wear or orange/blue for the game (no uniforms).

If you ordered spirit apparel (hoodies, sweatshirts, etc.) they will be available for pickup at tomorrow's rehearsal. Jackets are backordered right now but will be delivered when they're ready. If you are participating in band virtually and ordered spirit apparel, please email Mrs. Nowmos at nowmos.c@woodstown.org to arrange pickup.

The results of the pep music vote are in! Here are the top choices:

1. We Will Rock You

2. Thriller

3. Bad Guy and Bang Bang (tie)

Note that, to be fair, the vote tally only reflected each person's first form submission (if you voted more than once, the extra votes did not count). We will hopefully have music for at least a couple of these at upcoming rehearsals.

Thanks, and looking forward to seeing you this Thursday!

September Update #4 - 9/23/2020

Ok, lets try this again :-) We will rehearse in person on Thursday, 9/24/2020 from 6 to 9 PM. The rehearsal schedule will be posted in Remind tomorrow afternoon.

We will be taking a band photo for the yearbook at this rehearsal. Please wear a show t-shirt from a previous year, or any Woodstown spirit wear (or orange/blue) if you don't have that.

Please remember the following items for rehearsal (in addition to your instruments/flags):

1. Filled water jug

2. Music in binder (please bring printed warmups)

3. Pencil

4. Wear comfortable, athletic clothing (no jeans)

5. Wear running sneakers (no flip-flops, sandals, flat-bottomed shoes, etc.)

6. Wear a mask

Also, please be prepared to follow these precautions/procedures during rehearsal: 

1. Student questionnaires (re: symptoms) - will be sent out on Remind tomorrow

2. Temperature checks

3. Masks on at all times (wind players may remove masks only to play)

4. Bell covers will be provided for wind instruments (thank you, Mrs. Sheridan, for making these!)

5. Students must provide their own water or will not be able to participate in rehearsal  

6. Maintain social distancing at all times (at least 6 feet, or 12 feet when playing wind instruments)

We still have a few students who haven't completed the Show T-Shirt Order Form. Please do so by 9/24 if you want to order a t-shirt, so we know how many of each size to order. If you have your check or cash for the shirt, you can give it to a staff member at rehearsal or have your parents pay through Paypal. 

Today is the last day for the SaveAround coupon book fundraiser! Remind family/friends to get in their orders ASAP.

Please add your suggestions for pep tunes to play in the stands during football games! If you have ideas, please complete this form by midnight on Saturday, Sept. 25. We will have a vote once suggestions are in.

For parents: our next Band Parent meeting will be this Sunday, September 27 at 7 PM. Here is the Google Meet info for the meeting: 

Meeting ID: meet.google.com/cjz-vffg-qge

Phone: (‪US‬)‪+1 301-882-5241‬PIN: ‪712 804 973#‬

Thanks, and looking forward to seeing you this Thursday!

September Update #3 - 9/16/2020

Hopefully the weather will cooperate so that we can finally have our first in-person rehearsal this Thursday, 9/17/2020 from 6 to 9 PM. The rehearsal schedule will be posted in Remind tomorrow afternoon.

Please remember the following items for rehearsal (in addition to your instruments/flags):

1. Filled water jug (we will not have access to a water source and cannot share)

2. Printed music in a binder with sheet protectors

3. Pencil

4. Wear comfortable, athletic clothing (no jeans)

5. Wear running sneakers (no flip-flops, sandals, flat-bottomed shoes, etc.)

6. Wear a mask

Also, please be prepared to follow these precautions/procedures during rehearsal: 

1. Student questionnaires (re: symptoms)

2. Temperature checks

3. Masks on at all times (wind players may remove masks only to play)

4. Bell covers will be provided for wind instruments (thank you, Mrs. Sheridan, for making these!)

5. Students must provide their own water or will not be able to participate in rehearsal  

6. Maintain social distancing at all times (at least 6 feet, or 12 feet when playing wind instruments)

If you have definitely decided to opt out of face-to-face band, please contact Mr. Ludlam at ludlam.j@woodstown.org ASAP. Please do not relay this information through another student; contact Mr. Ludlam directly. We need to get accurate numbers for each section so we know how many spots are needed in the drill.

Don't forget to complete the Show T-Shirt Order Form before rehearsal on Thursday, if you haven't already done so. If you have your check or cash for the shirt, you can give it to a staff member at rehearsal or have your parents pay through Paypal. Only about half of the band has ordered so far, and we need to know how many of each size we need before we can put the order in. If you can't pay yet, that's fine, but please fill out the form to let us know what size you need so we can get the order in to the printers!

There's still time left to participate in the SaveAround coupon book fundraiser! Online orders are due 9/23/2020. If you haven't created an online selling page yet, it's not too late! Follow the link/instructions under Order Books Online in the information letter to register as a seller, and then share your link with family/friends or share on social media. 

Thanks, and looking forward to seeing you this Thursday!

September Update #2 - 9/7/2020

We are starting our in-person rehearsals this Thursday, 9/10/2020 from 6 to 9 PM. If you will not be able to participate in band face-to-face and haven't already done so (or if you have any questions regarding the start of face-to-face rehearsals), please contact Mr. Ludlam at ludlam.j@woodstown.org by tomorrow to let him know. We will try to find some way for students who can only participate virtually to still be part of the experience this year.

Please remember the following items for rehearsal (in addition to your instruments/flags):

1. Filled water jug (we will not have access to a water source and cannot share)

2. Printed music in a binder with sheet protectors

3. Pencil

4. Wear comfortable, athletic clothing (no jeans)

5. Wear running sneakers (no flip-flops, sandals, flat-bottomed shoes, etc.)

6. Wear a mask

Also, we will not need these until probably next week, but all students except for Front Ensemble will need a mini spiral notebook as a dot book for drill.

As per Mr. Ludlam's email last week, please be prepared to follow these precautions/procedures during rehearsal: 

1. Student questionnaires (re: symptoms)

2. Temperature checks

3. Masks on at all times (wind players may remove masks only to play)

4. Bell covers will be provided for wind instruments (thank you, Mrs. Sheridan, for making these!)

5. Students must provide their own water or will not be able to participate in rehearsal  

6. Maintain social distancing at all times (at least 6 feet, or 12 feet when playing wind instruments)

September rehearsals will continue each Thurs. evening 6-9 PM (other dates are TBD). Please complete the Attendance Conflicts form if you will need to miss rehearsal.

Continue to work on Jupiter this week so we can begin to put the music together at rehearsal!

Congratulations to sophomore Samantha Williams on her fantastic show t-shirt design! We will have information on purchasing t-shirts soon.

There is still time to order band gear through our online spirit apparel store! Please submit your orders by Sept. 15.

Our SaveAround coupon book fundraiser is still ongoing and will run through 9/23/2020. If you haven't created an online selling page yet, it's not too late! Follow the link/instructions under Order Books Online in the information letter to register as a seller, and then share your link with family/friends or share on social media. Book orders will be shipped directly to the customer (please note that there was a delay in printing the South Jersey books; orders will be shipped when the books are ready). For each book sold, you will receive $12.50 towards your band account! 

Thanks, and looking forward to seeing you this Thursday!

September Update #1 - 9/1/2020

Happy September! We will continue our Thursday Google Meets this Thurs., September 3, at 6 PM. Please see the link for your individual section and sign in at the appropriate time.

Woodwinds: meet.google.com/tst-itmh-yed or join by phone +1 650-933-5897‬ PIN: ‪876 398 017‬#

Brass: meet.google.com/buq-xdis-sda or join by phone ‪(US) +1 302-316-4699‬ PIN: ‪113 897 275‬#

Battery (drumline): meet.google.com/ywv-kgab-jxf or join by phone (US) +1 386-361-3013‬ PIN: ‪555 610 662‬# 

Front Ensemble: meet.google.com/gge-rncc-qsk or join by phone (US) +1 316-530-5917‬ PIN: ‪966 425 595‬#

• Marimba - 6:00 PM

• Bells - 6:30 PM

• Mallet station - 6:45 PM

• Bass guitar - 7:00 PM

Color Guard: meet.google.com/vmx-jzvv-jwg or join by phone ‪(US) +1 413-341-4401‬ PIN: ‪416 221 028‬#

We will continue with online Thursday night meetings through the end of September. The Attendance Conflicts form has been updated to include the new dates. 

Please continue to work towards accuracy in performing "Jupiter" for our virtual band video. We will have a click track and instructions for practicing/recording your video soon. We will most likely have you record 3 separate videos for the 3 different sections/tempos rather than one continuous video, as it will be easier to be accurate in shorter chunks. Here are the tempos for each section:

• m. 1-37 and 62-76: 100 beats per minute

• m. 77-99: 74 bpm

• m. 100-105 and 110-113: 100 bpm

Please practice with a metronome, as these tempos are different from the sample recording. Our goal is to finish the videos by the end of September. We hope to have color guard choreography soon. If we can get our band t-shirts printed before the end of September, we may try to distribute those to you so you can record our virtual band video in our new band shirts!

T-shirt designs are due to Mrs. Nowmos at nowmos.c@woodstown.org by midnight on 9/6/2020. Right now we only have one contest submission, and it would be great to have more students participate. Looking forward to seeing your creative ideas!

A reminder that our online spirit apparel store is still open! Please visit the website to purchase personalized embroidered band jackets, hoodies, sweatpants, and more, to show your band spirit! The store will be open through Sept. 15, and we will make arrangements for an order pickup once the apparel is ready.

Our SaveAround coupon book fundraiser is still ongoing and will run through 9/23/2020. If you haven't created an online selling page yet, it's not too late! Follow the link/instructions under Order Books Online in the information letter to register as a seller, and then share your link with family/friends or share on social media. Book orders will be shipped directly to the customer (please note that there was a delay in printing the South Jersey books; orders will be shipped when the books are ready). For each book sold, you will receive $12.50 towards your band account! 

Thanks, and looking forward to seeing you in our sectionals!