Band Update 8/29/2021

Contents:

  • From the Directors:
    • An AMAZING Car Wash caps off a GREAT week!
    • PARENTS – CHAPERONES NEEDED!
    • Water and Tissue Donations.
    • Marching Mustangs:  our First home FB Game!
    • BVN Band Picnic on September 11th EVERYONE is invited!
  • The Week Ahead in the Band
    • Daily Schedule with LOTS of details, including full details for the Marching Mustangs 1st home FB Game.
  • Calendar Updates – Please read carefully and update your personal calendars!
  • Expanding your Musical Horizons – Honor Bands and More

From the Directors:

WHAT. A. WEEK!!. GREAT Rehearsals.  A successful first trip to the DAC… and of course… the CAR WASH!!

The car wash was a HUGE success!!  This was one of, if not the most profitable one we’ve had in the last 10+ years!!!! Hooray!!!
And… better than that – we had SO much fun. This was our first social event since covid shut us down, and it was amazing! So much laughter and fun times, not to mention many soakings of both people and cars. It was an amazing day!!
Many many thanks to our organizer Cyndy Lank!! She did incredible work in her first year as coordinator… wow!!!
And…  BIG thanks to the MANY band students and parents who volunteered time, talent, energy, and donations.  After this, I am even more excited for the year ahead now!!
PARENTS – CHAPERONES NEEDED for our Marching Season!  CLICK HERE to sign up to chaperone any of our home football games and marching festivals.  Please sign up ASAP for the game this week!  No experience necessary – chaperoning is FUN and a GREAT way to support your band students.  We provide on-the-job training, no worries.  😉

Donations Needed!  From All Band Families:  Each year, we ask all band families to donate 1 case of bottled water, and facial tissues (kleenex) – in whatever amount you choose.  It’s time to replenish our stock as we prepare for many band events!  Please send in your donations any time – just have your band student bring them to the front of the band room any time.  You can also drop them in the main office, labeled for the band.

Marching Mustangs Families:  Thanks for a fantastic week last week.  This week is exciting with our first Home Football Game!!   Make sure to read ALL the details in “The Week Ahead” (below).  STUDENTS:  Read, re-read, and then double-check that you know all the details!  Parents:  we’d LOVE to see many of you at the game!   If you attend, make sure to be in your seats by 6:40, as our pregame show will start just a couple minutes after that.  The timing of the halftime show is totally dependent on the pace of the FB game.  On average, the show will be right about 8:00 PM, but could be as early as 7:40. (Low scoring game with lots of running plays = 7:40 halftime.  Lots of passing plays/higher scoring = later).

BVN Band Picnic on September 11th.  ALL Band Families are invited!  Full details will be coming out later this week, but mark your calendars: 11:30 AM on Saturday, September 11th!  Most likely it will be at I-Lan Park (on Nall Avenue, just north of 127th Street).  Given our covid reality, we are not going to provide a meal – rather, it will be a bring-your-own-meal-picnic, and our Mustang Band Boosters will provide water and soda/similar drinks.  FRESHMAN BAND and MARCHING MUSTANGS:  Remember that you have a rehearsal that morning:  Marching Mustangs 8:30 – 11:30 AM, and Freshman Band joins from 10:30 – 11:30 for our first Homecoming Parade Rehearsal…. then we wrap up and head to the park for a great picnic!

A couple of quick reminders:

Looking forward to a phenomenal year of music making ahead!!
Mr. Freeman

The Week ahead – week of 8/30/2021

(NOTE: If other Calendars conflict with this info – then assume THIS info is correct, and let the directors know of any discrepancies)

CLICK HERE for BVN’s Block/Traditional Schedule Rotation for August-September
CLICK HERE for the BVN Bell Schedule

8/30 – 9/3/2021

Monday, 8/30: Odd Block Class Schedule

  • Marching Mustangs: 7 AM Rehearsal.

Tuesday, 8/31: Even Block Class Schedule with Late Start

  • Marching Mustangs: 7 AM Rehearsal.

Wednesday, 9/1: Odd Block Class Schedule.

  • Marching Mustangs: Wednesday Evening Rehearsal for Marching Mustangs.  White out Wednesday!
    • 6:30 – 8:30 at BVN. We will be on the WEST turf field (the one with lights).
    • Please plan to be ON the field, ready to go by or before 6:30 PM

Thursday, 9/2: Even Block Schedule with Late Start:

  • First Home Football Game – Marching Mustangs Performance!!  Schedule:
    • 4:30:  Band Room Open for uniforming and equipment loading.
    • 5:30:  Busses Depart from BVN.  This is your “Call time” – you need to be on the bus, in full uniform, with everything loaded BEFORE 5:30.  Early is on time.  On Time is Late.  Late is left at BVN. Also, make sure to give yourself extra time to pick up your band GLOVES!  We’ll have a distribution station in the band room when you arrive.
    • 5:45:  Arrive DAC.  Unload equipment and Set-up.  (Instruments out, cases in beautiful “sideline stacks” in the grassy area underneath the scoreboard, Set up in stands, then move to Softball outfield for warm-up)
    • 6:40 PM:  Blue Valley North Pregame Show!
    • 7:00 PM:  Game Kickoff.   BVN versus Bishop Miege
    • 7:45, estimated:  Halftime Performance
    • 9:30, Estimated, game finishes, load equipment and return to BVN.  You are dismissed/free to leave once your instrument and any other equipment is put away, and your uniform is hanging NEATLY AND NICELY in its uniform bag on the appropriate uniform rack.
  • Details for FB Game Performances:
    • FULL MARCHING UNIFORM!  (FYI – we are watching weather… it’s going to be a warm day… if it tips from warm to hot, we will consider going to a “summer uniform”, but for now – uniform is your FULL Marching uniform.)
      • Bring/wear from home:  BLUE Band shirt, your Shako (hat), gloves, marching shoes, LONG BLACK SOCKS – must be at least mid-calf length.  NO SHORT SOCKS.  Comfortable shorts to wear underneath your uniform.  Athletic shorts are the best.  Jeans/long pants/sweats are NOT recommended and do not work under the uniform pants.
      • SHOES – Marching shoes have been delivered to BVN.  Pick them up in the band room!
      • GLOVES – Marching gloves will be distributed on Thursday during uniforming time, for anyone who ordered during camp.
      • Your Uniform – (Jacket and Bibbers) will be waiting for you at school.  We will spread them out by section, into a few different locations in the 600 hallway (band room, choir room, PAC lobby).  You will get into uniform in those locations.  If you wear your shorts/band t-shirt/socks/marching shoes to school, you just pull your uniform on over your clothes… it works very easily!
    • TIMING:  the 5:30 departure is REAL.  We will leave at 5:30 whether you are on the bus or not – so, plan accordingly.  Do the backwards math from 5:30:  how long will it take you to get into uniform, get your instrument where it needs to be, get your music and anything else you need for the game, and get on the bus?  Then add 10 minutes to that time… it’s the first game in 2 years for a full marching performance – plan on something delaying you!
    • PARENTS:  plan to drop your students at BVN based on the timing above, and please know that we only have a bad guess at when the FB game will be done… we’ve had games as short as 2 hours to as long as 3 1/2.  We’ll get back to BVN as quickly as we can after the game, and your student is dismissed once their instrument, uniform, and any other equipment is appropriately put away.  My best guess for game finish is 9:30 PM, with a return to BVN of 10 PM.  We’ll have students text you when we’re on the bus heading back to BVN.

Friday, 9/3: Traditional Schedule (all 7 classes will meet) regular school day.  Enjoy the long weekend with Labor Day Monday off school!

BVN Band Calendar

BVN Band Calendar Webpage.
BVN Bands 2021-2022 Calendar of Events (the “Fridge Calendar”)

Recent Calendar Updates – please double-check/make these updates in your own calendars!

  • Wind Ensemble Performances on Friday, February 25th (KMEA), and Sunday, February 27th (Lied Center/KU) have been added.
  • CANCELLATION: The Marching Mustangs will NOT be performing at the Olathe Marching Festival on October 9th, due to Homecoming being scheduled for the same week. We are considering adding a different marching festival. Details TBA Soon!
  • Homecoming Week – Parade and Light Show!
    • Please note the Homecoming Parade will be on Wednesday, October 6th (Marching Mustangs and Freshman Band Combine to perform in this parade!). This is a VERY fun event.
    • Friday, October 8th will be a BIG NIGHT! It will include Senior Night for the Football Team and Marching Mustangs, Homecoming Events, AND our annual Marching Mustangs Post-Game Light Show Performance (they shut off the stadium lights and the band lights up the field!)
  • Save the Dates for Summer Band Camp 2022 (for the 2022-2023 School year!
    • July 25th – July 30th, 2022: “Pre-Camp” week. Percussion/Color Guard/Leadership/Rookies!
    • July 31 – August 6th, 2022: Band Camp! With our parent performance on Saturday the 6th.

Expanding your Musical Horizons!

During the School year, there will be many AMAZING opportunities to make music outside the walls of BVN. Honor Bands, Private Lessons, and much more can and will be highlights of your year, and memories that will last forever.

First up will be auditions for the ECKMEA District Honor Bands (all band students are eligible), and the Kansas Sousa Honor Band (for 9th Graders).  These are FANTASTIC experiences and well worth the effort to audition.  HIGHLY recommended for all students.

Please find all details of these and much more on our Extra Musical Experiences Webpage.
Audition Materials can be found on the Student Resources Login Page of the website.  Students should know the password.