Water

You MUST bring your orange water jug to every marching band function. You will receive this on the first day of camp if you ordered one during registration. Hydration is a crucial priority to our success and your physical health. Be sure to hydrate BEFORE you come to rehearsal, fill up before you come to rehearsal, and fill up during rehearsal if you run out! During outside rehearsal we take a water break every 10 minutes. Students are encouraged to continue to drink water during the inside sectionals and rehearsals. You should stick with water only, no sports drinks or other mixes.

Shoes

It is vital that every member of our band has the proper footwear for learning and executing the drill maneuvers. Your shoes should be designed for running or cross-training. Athletic looking ‘casual’ shoes do not provide the proper foot support for the marching band activity. Brands like Vans, Keds, and Converse are not acceptable for marching band. Also, sandals and flip-flops are never allowed for marching band activities.

Clothing

Proper attire is a must. Jeans are NOT allowed at marching rehearsals. Color guard members should wear required rehearsal attire per color guard director. Sunglasses are required for all marching rehearsals, and we HIGHLY encourage all students to wear a hat during outdoor rehearsals as well (in addition to using sunscreen).

Heat Safety

The safety and well-being of our students is of the utmost importance. Texas summers are always hot, making hydration and nutrition vital. Apply sunscreen in the mornings before you get to rehearsal and wear a hat and sunglasses. Eat breakfast each day and keep drinking water throughout the day, even when indoors. Bring a snack such as a cereal bar or energy bar to eat during the extended break during morning marching rehearsals. We have scheduled the majority of our outdoor rehearsals for the cooler morning hours and we will constantly monitor the temperature in case we need to move a rehearsal inside.

Lunch

Students should bring a lunch and a mid-morning snack each day. A draw string bag is helpful for organizing your summer band materials. We prefer that students stay on campus to eat lunch.

Instruments

Winds, please be conscious about the state of repair for “personal marching instruments.” There is no way that we can perform at the highest levels of musicianship with instruments that are not capable of producing a great sound. Marching instruments will be inspected during summer band to ensure playability and functionality. Students choosing to use a subpar instrument in a state of disrepair for marching band will not be considered for placement on the Varsity Team. Please contact any band director if you need assistance in finding a quality instrument repair specialist. School-owned marching instruments will be distributed on the first day of summer band camp.

Supplies

A band manual will be emailed prior to summer band camp which will include a list of supplies to bring on the first day of camp. All musicians (winds and percussionists) should have a black, three ring binder for their music. Winds will need flip folders and lyres for their respective instruments. Local music stores will assist you in finding the right lyre for your instrument.

Music

Your show music and tech packets are available to print from the emailed Google Drive folder and are labeled by instrument. Students will be notified of which parts they must perform during audition for varsity band. After we set the varsity band, we will assign parts to all players in the ensemble for show music.