2021-2022 Rising 9th Graders and New Student Information
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Please CLICK HERE to complete this form to sign up for more information about joining the Wolfpack!
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Percussion Placement Auditions - Begin May 11th
Colorguard Auditions - TBD
NEW MEMBER ICEBREAKER - May 15th 9:00AM-6:00PM (Parent Meeting at 5:00PM in the Cafeteria)
SUMMER BAND CAMP
*All students are required Band Camp.
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Percussion, Color Guard, and All 9th and 10th Graders - July 19-22 and 24th
FULL BAND CAMP - July 26-29 and 31st
FULL BAND CAMP - August 2-5 and 7th
Friends and Family August 7th 5:30pm
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Thank you for your interest in joining the Newsome High School Band Program! Regardless whether you are a rising 9th grader or transferring in from another school, you have likely invested countless hours, invested a lot of money, and made many memories in band over the past few years. This dedication has prepared you to be successful in the Newsome High School Band. Joining the Marching Band can help with the transition to High School as you will make 170 friends before the first day of school arrives! You get to find your way around campus and meet some faculty before school starts! As we approach the end of the school year, I would like to offer some information about the Band program at Newsome High School so that you can be prepared for what is to come over the next several months. My goal is for you to be able to make informed decisions and answer as many questions as possible.
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About our program:
The Newsome Band is a comprehensive band program that offers many opportunities for students. It is our mission to provide our students with a world-class level of instruction and inspire students to practice and perform at the highest level. We will offer the following opportunities in 2020-2021:
Concert Band (Required Participation) All-County Band
Marching Band (Required Participation) All-State Band
Jazz Band (Audition Only) Indoor Percussion
Percussion Ensemble Indoor Winterguard
Solo and Ensemble Several camps and festivals
Weekly Instruction from Instrument Specialists
The Newsome Band is a past participant in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC, National 4th of July Parade in Washington D.C., Bands of American Regional Marching Band Champion, and has earned superior ratings with the Marching Band, Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band. Our Indoor Percussion and Winterguard programs have competed on the state and national level. The future of the Newsome Band program is bright and I hope you will join us next year and beyond! Please find information about upcoming dates, auditions, and the financial commitment in this packet. As always please reach out to me if you have any questions!
Sincerely,
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Mitchell Reed
Director of Bands
Joe E. Newsome High School
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The Newsome High School Band Program is built upon the following philosophy:
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Cultural – To foster the continued development of music appreciation and understanding through the study and performance of high quality music literature.
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Educational – To develop interested and critical listeners, provide a well-rounded musical education and prepare members for musical activities beyond high school.
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Service – To lend color and atmosphere to certain school and community affairs while promoting and enhancing the dignity and reputation of Newsome High School at all appearances.
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Citizenship – To develop the ability to function as a responsible member of the group, to enhance the member’s ability to interact with others in a positive manner, and to develop the ability to function as a responsible member of the community.
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Recreational – To provide all members with the opportunity for worthy use of leisure time, an emotional outlet, and memorable social experiences.
Within these objectives, we hope to instill a strong work ethic, high integrity, exceptional musicianship, and outstanding citizens. Students in our program will be pushed to achieve at the highest level, both in the band and in their other academic classes.
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Marching Band: All Students enrolled in Band will be expected to participate in the Newsome Marching Band. Band at Newsome is co-curricular which means there are requirements outside of the normal school day. Marching Band is a vital component of the Band curriculum and allows our students to learn valuable performance skills and build strong character traits.
*In the event that your student is physically unable to participate in Marching Band, a waiver can be submitted to the Band Director. This is only for extreme circumstances which would prevent a student from meeting the requirements of Marching Band and must be approved by the director.
The Marching Band schedule is extensive. While daunting, students are very capable of meeting these expectations and we offer several peer and staff support opportunities to help train students on time management. It is incredible to watch students rise to the occasion to maintain their commitments and meet their homework requirements! Please visit the Calendar portion of our website to view the schedule.
Symphonic Band: Symphonic Band is our traditional concert band in which all 9th grade brass and woodwind students will be enrolled. This band performs in four concerts throughout the year and performs at the Concert Band Music Performance Assessment in March. Students in this band will be required to attend weekly sectionals after school and will be responsible for several written and playing assignments. The Symphonic Band is broken up into two class periods (Brass and Woodwinds). Percussionists will be placed in Percussion Class.
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Wind Ensemble: The Wind Ensemble is the highest level ensemble in the Band program. Admittance to this class is by audition only and is typically filled by 11th and 12th grade students. This band performs four concerts throughout the year and performs at the District and State Concert Band Music Performance Assessments in March. Students in this ensemble are encouraged to take private lessons on their instrument. If you feel that your instrument technique and musicianship are at a level where you can succeed in Wind Ensemble, I would be happy to setup an audition. You will also need to secure a written recommendation from your Middle School Band Director.
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Percussion Class: All 9th grade percussionists should enroll in the Percussion Class. Percussion is unique in that there are many different instruments and techniques to learn. This class allows us to focus on specific percussion techniques to prepare percussion students for placement in Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble. This class gets weekly instruction from percussion specialists, performs at the Fall, Winter, and Spring Band Concerts, and participates in Solo and Ensemble.
Jazz Band: The Jazz Band is by audition only. If you feel that your instrument technique and musicianship are at a level where you can succeed in Jazz Band, I am always willing to setup an audition. You will also need to secure a written recommendation from your Middle School Band Director.
The Financial and Fundraising Commitment:
The cost of operating a band program of this caliber is quite high. The Newsome Band Boosters (NBB) is a 501c3 non-profit organization which exists to help facilitate the band director’s vision. In a recent study of our program and other programs of similar stature, it was determined that it costs roughly $1000 per student to provide the extensive opportunities that we offer. Through fundraising and sponsorship efforts, the NBB works to cover over half of this cost. It is important to understand that fundraising is an expectation of all students. It is vital that all students help promote and participate in our fundraisers to help us meet our fundraising goals!
Through coordination with the Newsome Band Boosters, we ask that each participating student in our program contribute approximately $475 to help offset the cost of meeting our operating budget (This amount will be officially determined when the NBB approves next year’s budget this spring). We call this the Newsome Band Participation Fee. A $100 deposit will be due at the Icebreaker event in May to secure your on-field drill spot in the 2021 Marching Band show. This deposit lets us know how many drill spots to write and allows us pay invoices from our show designers.
The Fair Share Fee is due in August. The NBB is happy to accommodate reasonable payment schedule requests and consider need-based financial aid on a case by case basis. Contact Mr. Reed if interested in a payment schedule or financial aid.
New students will also be responsible for the following financial commitments:
Marching Shoes - $42 (Can be used all 4 years of HS)
District Uniform Fee – $37.74 (Paid to NHS)
District Instrument Rental Fee (Percussion, Low Brass, Mellophones, Tenor and Bari Sax) – $43.13 (Paid to NHS)
Percussionists will be responsible for sticks and mallets.
Concert Band Uniform - More details coming soon.
Looking Ahead!!
As we approach the end of the school year, please put Saturday, May 15th from 9AM-6:00PM on your calendar. This is when we will hold our annual Icebreaker. All rising 9th grade students should attend. This will be a time for our new members to meet and rehearse with our current members. This is always a great event filled with music, team building, and bonding! There will be a mandatory parent meeting at 5:00PM in the Newsome High School Cafeteria. We will cover details about the schedule, financial commitment, and answer any questions that you may have. We are always looking for new members for the Newsome Band Boosters and encourage all parents to become NBB members. We will have details about joining the NBB at the Icebreaker parent meeting.
Contact Info:
Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns so that we can ensure a smooth transition to High School Band!
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Mitchell Reed, Director of Bands
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