BA Bands eNews

February 5, 2017

Directors Notes


NBDA All District RESCHEDULED
The NBDA has rescheduled to High School All District Band Clinic and Concert to Feb 10 & 11 at Union Public Schools. Specific rehearsal and performance times have recently been received from the NBDA. We will make that info available once we are informed from NBDA. See the attached itinerary HERE for detailed information.  There are many conflicts anytime an event is rescheduled and this event will be no different. I know that many of our BA Band Students have prior commitments to this weekend (ie. BAHS Musical, College Auditions, Work, ACT exam, etc). We understand and respect that students may have to make difficult choices regarding this rescheduled NBDA event. Students unable to participate (that have already communicated with the HS band directors) will receive their patch and medallion if they qualify. Students that have previously communicated to the HS band directors WILL be permitted to participate in the All District Band AND be excused from rehearsal on Saturday morning to take their ACT exam. The event and concert will be at UNION HS. Transportation for HS students is not provided on Saturday to and from Union HS, however, ALL HS All District students will take school transportation to and from Union on Friday.


Future Band Travel Opportunities - European Concert Tour
The Broken Arrow Bands are excited to announce a Concert Tour to Europe! This amazing tour and musical experience will explore Austria and Germany in June 2018. The tour will include performances in Germany, as well as a performance in the city of Mozart’s birth AND the musical "The Sound of Music" - Salzburg, Austria! All members of the 2017-2018 Broken Arrow HS Wind Bands are eligible and will have the opportunity to travel on this OPTIONAL significant cultural experience. An informational meeting will be held on February 21 in the HS band room to share trip details, travel dates, pricing and answer any questions. …Pending all final approvals from the Broken Arrow BOE.


Championship Ring Orders and Sizings
Due to popular demand, we will once again offer Pride Championship Rings to commemorate the Age of Discovery season. Mark your calendar for Thursday, February 16 for the Jostens representatives to place Championship Ring orders from the 2016 Season. Ring orders may be placed at the HS Band Hall with the Jostens Reps from 2:30-4:30. More info to come regarding total price and deposit info. This is an optional item that Pride members may choose to purchase. Jostens will size member, take orders and receive all payments. All payments will be made directly through Jostens.


Pride Banquet Date coming soon
We are still finalizing the banquet date. With so many school wide events that continue to add to the school calendar, it has been extremely tedious to lock in a date that minimizes other school conflicts and match with hotel site availability. Date and Ticket Information will be available soon. This will be an amazing event to celebrate all of the successes of the season.


Sale of Old Pride Uniforms
The sale of the old Pride uniforms has been approved. The old Pride uniforms are now offered for sale to current and former students at a cost of $75.00 per uniform. If you are interested in purchasing your uniform bring payment to the band office. Unfortunately, no student account funds may be utilized for this transaction and no partial uniforms will be sold. Specific uniform part #’s can’t be guaranteed. All uniforms must be paid for by Feb 27.


Uniform Check-In for Old Pride Uniforms
All Pride uniforms must be checked in on Monday, Feb 27 after school.  You have the option to purchase and keep your uniform. 


Pride Go Cart Sale
Info will be available soon regarding the opportunity to purchase an "Age of Discovery" Go Carts.


Age of Discovery Helmets for Sale
Helmets are available for sale for $20. Color Guard will have first opportunity to purchase their helmet until January 26. All other Pride members will have an opportunity to purchase the helmet beginning on January 27. The Helmet sale will end on February 10.


2017 Pride Color Guard Training Sessions
All current color guard members and prospective guard members will continue their training sessions and rehearsals every Friday at the Freshman Academy Gym from 5:30-8:30pm. Wear comfortable black attire. $30 instructional / participation fee. Sessions run each Friday night until auditions on March 6-7.



Next Band Parent Meeting - February 21
The next meeting of the Band Parent Association will be on Tuesday, February 21st at 7:00pm. This meeting will review and recap the 2016 Pride of Broken Arrow Rose Parade trip to California, and the Percussion at the Midwest Clinic AND provide detailed info about the 2018 European Concert Tour!


Indoor Percussion

Rehearsal Schedule
Rehearsal Schedule for Broken Arrow Indoor for this week includes the following:
Monday, February 6th: 5-9 PM (All Members; Staging Rehearsal)
Tuesday, February 7th: 3:30-7 PM (All Members; Staging Rehearsal)
Thursday, February 9th: 5-9 PM (Battery and Front Ensemble)

Rehearsal Schedule for the week of February 13th:
Monday, February 13th: 5-9pm (Battery and Front Ensemble)
Tuesday, February 14th: 3:30-7pm (Battery and Front Ensemble)
Friday, February 17th: 5-9pm (All Members)

As a reminder, all rehearsals are mandatory for membership; each student is allowed two (2) unexcused absences before the risk of a grade reduction. Absences due to work-related issues are unexcused, and absences due to illness are only excused with a doctor's note. All absences must be communicated to Mr. Wiencken at awiencken@baschools.org.

Winter Guard and Percussion Contest @ Broken Arrow!
THANK YOU to all parent and student volunteers for your work and preparation in hosting our first WGPO Winter Guard and Indoor Percussion contest at Broken Arrow HS Saturday. The event was a tremendous success, and will continue to serve as a foundation for years to come. Because of your hard work, our Indoor Percussion students will benefit directly towards their student fees for the 2017 season, traveling to local contests, WGPO Circuit Championships, WGI Dallas Regional, and our first appearance in the WGI World Championships. At the contest on Saturday, our very own Broken Arrow Indoor had their performance debut of the 2017 season, performing to an enthusiastic crowd and earned first place in Percussion-Scholastic World and received a score of 75.95. Congratulations to all performers and staff! Be sure to watch for upcoming "open rehearsal" dates in the upcoming weeks so parents and supporters can see how our program develops!

Fees
Broken Arrow Indoor Percussion fees for this 2017 season are $1600*. Payment due dates for fees are due on the following dates:
February 15th- $400
March 15th- $400
April 15th- $400
May 15th- $400

*The price per student will go down after hosting the WGPO Broken Arrow contest on February 4th. Every dollar that is made from the contest will go directly to reducing each student's fee. With enough volunteer support to run the contest, we have the opportunity to reduce each student's fees by approximately 20-25 percent. That is why we need your help for our event! Once we collect all data after our contest, the student fees for Indoor will be adjusted accordingly. There are additional fundraisers in the works for Indoor Percussion that are both group and individual fundraisers. More information regarding these additional fundraising opportunities will be released shortly.


WGI World Championships Hotel and Ticket Information
If you are planning to make the trip to Dayton for the WGI Championships to support Broken Arrow Indoor Percussion, it’s recommended to make hotel accommodations and purchase tickets now, as hotels and finals tickets will sell out! For a comprehensive list of Dayton-Area hotels and prices, please visit http://www.wgi.org/hotels.php. Broken Arrow will be staying at the DoubleTree Suites in Miamisburg. Tickets for World Championships can be bought online, over the phone, or by mail; Prelims and Semi-Finals tickets are general admission and only sold at the door (unless purchased as part of the "VIP" package). World Finals tickets are reserved seating, and can be purchased online or by phone. Ticket information can be found at http://www.wgi.org/contents/Tickets-Perc.html. All World Class events for Broken Arrow Indoor will be held at the University of Dayton Arena.