Huntsville High School Band

HHSBPA GENERAL MEETING

February 25. 2014

 

 

Rich Arnold, President, called the meeting to order at 7:34 p.m.

He called up Dr. Spencer to make a special announcement.

 

Dr. David Spencer, Band Director

·        Dr. Spencer announced his retirement date as June 1, 2014 after 34 years of service. He stated that he is trying to arrange to be at Huntsville High part time next year to ease the transition and assist the new band director. He will be participating in the interviews for a new director, and he will be here for freshman band camp this summer.

·        He plans on participating in the overseas trip in 2016.

·        MPA is March 13 and 14, and chaperones are needed.

·        He encouraged everyone to attend All State April10-12 at VBC.

·        The Williamsburg spring trip with the choir has been finalized.

 

Rich Arnold, President

·        Cookie dough credits are currently being applied to student accounts. The delay is because more cookie dough was shipped than was ordered; the company would not split up cases. Therefore, not enough money was raised initially to apply credits. The Fundraising committee has been selling frozen items at a reduced cost to make up the difference.

·        Service hour credits are not one for one.  Volunteering at away games earns maximum of 2 credit hours, even if you work greater than 2 hours. Maximum number of service credits per year is 35. However, wristbanding, VBC concessions, and football game concessions have no caps on the amount of money that can be earned. If you are missing some service credits, please see the organizer of the event to be sure that they reported your hours to the credit keeper.

·        CALENDAR: Feb. 26-Intermediate Band Rehersal

March 4- Intermediate Band Flutes/Clarinets

March 5-Intermediate Saxophones

March 6-Intermediate Trumpets

March7-Intermediate Low Brass/Low Woodwinds

March 10, 11, 12- Intermediate Band practice after school

March 13-Advanced Band MPA at James Clemens H.S.

March 14-Intermediate Band MPA at James Clemens

March 24-28-Spring Break

April 24-27-Williamsburg, VA trip

PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO SPRING BREAK, THE NEXT SCHEDULED BPA MEETING WILL BE ON TUESDAY APRIL 1, 2014.

·        Super Solo Festival is April 9 at UAH. See Dr. Spencer to sign up.

·        Solo and Ensemble is April 5 or May 3, location TBA. Note that HHS prom is May 3.

·        BPA officer/Committee Nominations are currently being accepted for 2^nd VP Fundraising, Treasurer, and Secretary, and Credit Keeper.

 

Andrew White, 1^st VP Chaperones

Not present, but Rich announced that all Williamsburg chaperone slots are filled. 

Chaperones are still needed for MPA on March 13 and 14. Please contact Andrew.

 

Cynthia Smith and Lauren Carter, 2^nd VP Fundraising

·        They are selling remaining frozen items left over from cookie dough sale. Items range from $3 to $5.

·        Flag tote bag sale is being extended to March 10. They are $16.20 each with $5/bag going to student accounts. Order form and flier was sent on Sunday Feb. 23 in the weekly band announcements.

·        There will be NO Pork Butt sale this year; the chef had surgery and is unable to cook.

·        Media guide advertisement sales will start soon. Money raised by selling advertisements will be applied to next year’s account. Media guide sales are organized by the Football Booster Club.

 

Rebecca Brooks, Treasurer

She will send updated financial statements this week. She thought that she had already sent them and apologized for the error.

 

Lisa McCrary, Uniforms

·        Concert uniforms are hanging in the band room and ready to go home; Please take! DO NOT cut hems ore dresses for alteration. This will make them unusable for next year.

·        CLEAN marching band uniforms from Advanced Band students are due back NOW.

·        She requests donations of old band shoes.

Mary D’Arienzo, VBC Wristbanding

·        Wrisbanding is going well, but she is still looking for a larger pool of volunteers who have taken the responsible vendor training course. She will lose some parents when their students graduate.

·        Parents and students who are at least16 years old can work VBC concessions and earn money in a similar fashion to wristbanding.

·        The hourly rate earned is $7.25.  $2.25 goes to BPA and $5 goes to the student accounts.

 

Shelley Corbett, Concessions/Brick Chairperson

She will be placing a brick order next week and will be advertising for brick sales in the Panther Postings.

Jennie Davis. Trips Coordinator

·        There will be a flier in the Sunday’s weekly band announcement detailing the spring trip to Williamsburg.

·        The trip cost has been reduced to $550 for students. The chaperone cost will vary depending on how many are sharing a hotel room.

·        They added a dinner cruise with dancing/DJ and also an additional breakfast will be included in the cost.

·        FINAL PAYMENT DUE DATE IS APRIL 1, 2014.

·        Students are required to register for the trip online.  Dr. Spencer has fliers with the details.

·        The choir  is taking 1 bus and the band will have 2 busses.

·        ALL BAND FEES NEED TO BE PAID IN FULL BEFORE STUDENTS WILL BE ALLOWED TO GO ON THE SPRING TRIP.

 

 Meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.

 

 

 

 

HHSBPA GENERAL MEETING

February 4, 2014

 

Rich Arnold, President

Meeting was called to order at 7:35 p.m.

·       There were some difficulties getting Williamsburg spring trip information in time for tonight’s meeting.  Jennie Davis is working on it, and she will have trip details as soon as possible.

·        CALENDAR: Feb. 14-15-District Honor Band at Bob Jones. Concert will begin  at 7 p.m. on Feb. 15.  Feb. 14 is a scheduled practice. Information is available at http//abadistrict1.info

He recommends bringing a lunch on Sat. Feb. 15

Feb. 18-Pre MPA contest concert at HHS auditorium (TBA)

March 13-14-MPA (Music Performance Assessment) at James Clemens High School (Advanced band on March 13; Intermediate band on March 14). Busses will be provided.

March 24-28- Spring Break

·        Super Solo Contest/Festival will be April 9 at UAH . Interested students should see Dr. Spencer.

·        He congratulated all students who made District Honors Band and/or All State. A record number of students made these two distinctive events!

·        Huntsville High School has been reclassified as a 7A school for next year. This means the furthest the band will have to travel to a football game is Gadsden City (no more games in Birmingham or Pell City), with the possible exeption of playoff games.

·        Please check the band website for all updated information.

Dr. Spencer

·        Congratulations to the 12 students who made All State and 17 students who made District Honors Band! He encouraged everyone to attend District Honors Concert on Feb. 15.

·        The band will perform in Newport News, VA during the spring break trip. Choir will be performing in Williamsburg. The trip is in the process of being finalized.

·        He mentioned the dates for MPA and the pre MPA concert (see above).

·        Thursday, Feb. 20 will be Freshman orientation for next school year. It will be held in the auditorium at 6:30 p.m. The band plans to have a table in the lobby from 6 to 6:30 p.m. with information about the band. There will also be items for sale such as cookie dough (from earlier fundraiser).

·        He pointed out the new cabinets that have been built in the band room for extra storage.

Andrew White, 1^st VP Chaperones

·        He needs a total of 10 chaperones for the spring trip; he currently has 8 parent volunteers. There will be a total of 3 busses going on the trip (2 for band and 1 for choir).

·        He needs 4 chaperones per day for MPA. Students will be riding busses. Volunteers will earn credits.

Cynthia Smith and Lauren Carter, 2^nd VP Fundraising

·        The chef who was going to prepare pork butts for our fundraiser is having surgery and will be unable to cook. We are exploring other options for a different cook.

·        Band will be selling U.S. flag totes made by a local company called Phoenix Industries. They hire disabled employees who make burial flags for Veterans. They make the totes with leftover scraps of fabric. The sale price will be $15 per tote; students will earn $5 credit per each bag sold.

Rebecca Brooks, Treasurer

·        She asked attendees to see the treasurers report on the back of the meeting agenda.

·        She will be sending out statements this month. No statements were emailed in January.

Lisa McCrary, Uniforms

·        She has started issuing concert uniforms. Uniforms were available for parents to take home tonight. Males, please make sure that pants fit. She requested that concert uniforms NOT be permanently altered in any way.

·        She requested that Advanced band students return CLEANED marching uniforms (bib and jacket) on issued hangar in red garment bag as well as hats. Uniforms should be cleaned ONLY at Wilson Cleaners (cost is $5.50). If a uniform is returned dirty, student accounts will be charged to cover the cleaning costs.

·        Intermediate band-please keep marching uniform for MPA

·        Intermediate students going to Williamsburg will  be issued concert uniforms at a later date.

·        Males need to purchase a white tuxedo shirt.

Mary D’Arienzo, VBS Wristbanding Liason

She was ill and not present. Rich made announcements in her place

·        She still needs more parent volunteers for wristbanding; this is a great way to earn credits.

·        She will be announcing another responsible vendor training course which is required in order to wristband.

Shelley Corbett, Concessions/Brick Chairperson

·        She is currently accepting additional orders for bricks. Please use yellow forms in band room.

Jennie Davis, Trips Coordinator

·        Spring break trip to Williamsburg will cost approximately $550, depending on the total number of students going. The trip is planned for April 23-27.

·        She will have the finalized breakdown of costs soon.

·        All band fees need to be paid BEFORE students can attend trip.

Tim McElyea, Web Master

·        Only 1 person has sent him pictures for the senior video.

·        He encourages all senior parents to put pictures on a DVD labeled with student’s name and place in the band room box. Another option is to email pictures to him (address on band website).

·        He will give each student a duplicate copy of the video.

Ben Davis, Equipment

·        He has 2 truck drivers and is looking for 1 more as a back-up.  No special license is required. Please let him know if you are interested.

 

Rich Arnold adjourned the meeting at 8:10 p.m.  Our next meeting will be on Tuesday Feb. 25 and subsequent meetings will be the last Tuesday of the month.

 

HHSBPA GENERAL MEETING

November 12, 2013

 

Rich Arnold, President

Meeting was called to order at 7:33 p.m.

Dr. Spencer not present due to a prior obligation.

·        Recap of October’s travel games and contest in Florence. Band got 1’s, the highest possible score, in every category!

·        Thanks to all of the chaperones.

·        November 27 to December 1 is Thanksgiving break.

·        NO BPA MEETING DECEMBER 10

·        December 7 is Holiday Parade, which starts at 12 p.m. Drop off is at Lot K (same as Veteran’s Day Parade) at 11 p.m. The route is longer than the Veteran’s Day Parade, ending at Huntsville Middle School. Band trucks will be near Adam’s Street; please make plans to get there early to locate trucks and park for pick-up. Band will not march if bad weather.

·        December 12 is the holiday concert which starts at 7 p.m. Plan on it lasting approximately 2 hours. There will be a dessert reception in the cafeteria following the concert. Look for emails requesting food.

·        SILENT AUCTION/MARKETPLACE (vendors selling their goods) will take place in the auditorium lobby prior to the concert. Bidding for the silent auction will end at 7 p.m. All money raised for both events goes to the BPA general fund. Last year, the band made approximately $1244. Please plan on arriving early (more details on shopping start time to follow) to shop!

·        Band is planning to have a truck or golf cart follow behind the band in all future parades to carry water and transport sick/injured students.

·        NEW DAY FOR MONTHLY BPA MEETINGS STARTING IN JANUARY 2014 WILL BE 4^TH TUESDAY OF EACH MONTH (same time and place). This change was necessary due to conflicts of some of the board members meeting the 2^nd Tuesday.

·        Several band parents have expressed dissatisfaction with Lifetouch band pictures. Rich will work with parents and Principal Mincher to resolve any problems. Lisa McCrary stated that Lifetouch refused to provide her pictures on a CD so that she could review them prior to printing. They had allowed this in the past.

·        There was a recommendation to implement a “411” texting program to keep parents/students informed of all band announcements. Rich will look into this.

Andrew White, V-P Chaperones

·        Chaperones are needed for the Holiday Parade, MPA (2014), and Williamsburg spring trip (goal for trip is 1 chaperone for every 10 kids). Please email Andrew if you can help.

Cynthia Smith and Lauren Carter, 2^nd V-P Fundraising

·        The band earned $2000 (general fund) for Enjoy the City book sales!

·        Cookie dough sales amounted to approximately $3000. Approximately half of the sold amount will go directly to the students’ accounts.

·        Remember to use Publix key cards at checkout to raise money for the band.

Rebecca Brooks, Treasurer (not present) (Rich made announcements)

·        The budget is currently in good shape.

·        Rebecca will send updates on student accounts via email. They are also available via Charms.

Marcy Simon, Secretary

·        Please notify me of any inaccuracies of the minutes.

Lisa McCrary, Uniforms

·        Please be sure to take uniforms to dry cleaners before the Holiday parade.

·        Many hats are broken. Please ask students NOT to throw hats onto ground.

·        Please continue to snap pant cuffs to prevent them from fraying.

·        She will start issuing concert uniforms this week. UAH honors band students will be the first to receive uniforms since the performance is this weekend.

·        If a student is in intermediate band they will be issued uniforms for the spring trip performance.

·        Boys need to purchase their own tux shirts (cumberbunds and bowties will be provided).

·        Dress for Holiday concert is “Sunday clothes.”

Cathey Patneaude, Color guard (not present)

Mary D’Arienzo, VBC Wristbanding Liason

·        Eight parents out of the 35 who took the vendor training class have been working events.

·        NEW-The VBC is now allowing parents and/or students to work concessions (students have to be at least 16 years old). This opportunity will not be taking work away from permanent VBC employees. They have a shortage of workers so we are needed! Just like wristbanding, a portion of money earned will go to the band and the MAJORITY will go to the student’s account (great opportunity to offset band fees). THERE IS NO LIMIT ON MONEY THAT CAN BE EARNED.

·        Mary stated that if students sign up, they need to be responsible and show up to work at designated time.

·        Concession workers will need to wear black shirt, black pants, and black shoes. VBC will provide a chef jacket.

·        She needs 14 people to work concessions and wristbanding for the UAH-A & M game on November 14. Please respond to her email.

Shelley Corbett, Concessions/Brick Chairperson

·        Bricks have been installed in the courtyard.

·        Less money than expected was made on football concessions.

Jennie Davis, Trips Coordinator (not present, Rich made announcements)

·        The spring trip to Williamsburg will be approximately $600 for students and chaperones. An exact amount should be announced by the end of the month.

·        The original itinerary is approximately 90% accurate at this time.

Susan Pendergrass, Credit keeper (not present) 

Tim McElyea, Webmaster (not present)

·        Rich asked if there were any recommendations for the band website.

Ben Davis, Equipment

·       TWO MORE EQUIPMENT TRUCK DRIVERS ARE NEEDED FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. No special license is required. Please let Ben know if you are interested.

Meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.

 

 

 

 

HHSBPA GENERAL MEETING

OCTOBER 8, 2013

 

Rich Arnold, President

Rich made announcements for Dr. Spencer, who was absent.

·      Students have started playing concert music. Chair tests will be soon, as well as playing selections for a grade.

·      End of marching band season will be here soon; band will play during games if the football team makes it to playoffs. There will be no more afternoon practices once the season ends.

·      He encouraged students to start practicing All State tryout music.

·      There is a link to the All State Music Educators Association (AMEA) website on the HHS band website.

·      All State Jazz auditions are due NOVEMBER 1, 2013. Students need to record their music then transfer it to a CD to submit by mail.

·      Please let Dr. Spencer know in advance if a student is unable to attend a band event.

·      Rich reminded everyone that the General BPA meeting is scheduled for the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30 in the band room (auditorium if there is a large attendance) and encouraged attendance by all band parents.

·      UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

·      Friday, October 11-Away football game, Pell City. Students will be dismissed at 2:15 p.m.to load chartered busses which will leave at 3:00 p.m. Students will be allowed to leave backpacks on the busses, which will be locked with drivers present. Please bring $5 for pizza. Pell City is 2.5 hours away, so expect late arrival back at HHS (around 1 a.m.). Parents, please be on time. Students will call when 30 minutes away. Please do NOT park on Billie Watkins to allow room for the busses to pass. Park in the new parking lot, which can be entered from Marscheutz by the softball field.

·      Friday, October 18-Homecoming Game vs. Chalkville at Milton Frank, 5:45 p.m. Please be aware that the band will not be performing during the half-time show due to Homecoming activities.

·      Friday, October 25-Home football game vs. Gadsden City, 5:45 p.m. This is Senior Night, which honors the senior band and cheerleading members, and football players. Margaret Turner (not present) has volunteered to chair the band portion of Senior Night.

·      Saturday, October 26-Marching band competition in Florence, AL, 2:00 p.m. departure time. Students taking the ACT test that day will be finished in time to participate.

·      Senior parents- Please remember to submit pictures for the end of the year senior video. Prior emails have been sent with details.

·      The next BPA meeting will be Tuesday, November 12, which is AFTER the Veteran’s Day Parade on Monday, November 11. The band will be participating in the parade.

 

Andrew White, V-P Chaperones (not present)

Rich stresses that being a chaperone is a difficult  but rewarding job!

Several chaperones are still needed for the Florence competition on October 26. Please contact Andrew if you are interested.

 

Cynthia Smith and Lauren Carter, 2^nd V-P Fundraising

·      They have placed the last order for Enjoy the City coupon books; order should arrive soon.

·      Our next fundraiser is the cookie dough/SCC collegiate tumbler sale. 100% of money raised goes directly to the student’s account. This is a fantastic opportunity to raise money for band fees and/or the Spring trip to Williamsburg.

·      December: Holiday Market Place and Silent Auction (100$ proceeds to BPA)

·      March: BBQ Pork Butt sale (100% to student account)

·      April 2014: Media Guide Sales (100% to student account)

 

Rebecca Brooks, Treasurer (not present)

Rebecca is able to collect band fees via credit card over the phone.

Goal is to have band fees paid in full by December, so parents can start making payments toward spring trip.

 

Marcy Simon, Secretary

Minutes should be posted to the band website by early next week.

 

Barbara Bozeman, Communications

No announcements

 

Lisa McCrary, Uniforms

·      There have been issues with lost uniform pieces, i.e. 1 shoe. She has some “found” pieces in her office in the band room. Lisa is in band room all day on Fridays and after most practices.

·      PLEASE take uniforms to the dry cleaners often. She has noticed some dirty uniforms, and stains are harder to remove if left for long periods of time. She would like all uniforms to be cleaned before the Florence competition on October 26. PLEASE USE ONLY WILSON CLEANERS (IN HAMPTON COVE OR ON WHITESBURG). COST IS $5.67 INCLUDING TAX.

·      If anyone is interested, she can do another order for parent band shirts.

 

Cathey Patneaude, Color Guard (not present)

No announcements

 

Mary D’Arienzo, VBC Wristbanding Liason

·      Mary stated that 35 people attended a responsible vendor class at the VBC, which is a requirement in order to participate in wristbanding.

·      Even with this large number of people, she is not getting enough volunteers to work the past two VBC events. For example, she only had 3 people at an event that she had requested 10.

·       We could lose our privilege to wristband if there is not more participation.

·      There are no limitations on the money that you can earn by wristbanding.

·      Please make sure that you are on Mary’s email list to receive notification of upcoming events (i.e. Havocs Hockey season). Please add Mary’s name to your address book to ensure that her emails won’t go to Spam.

 

Shelley Corbett, Concessions/Brick Chairperson (not present)

She has placed brick orders; they should arrive in approximately 1 month. She is still able to take orders. Students earn $5 for a small brick and $10 for a large brick with no sales limit.

 

Jennie Davis, Trips Coordinator (not present)

Check band website for preliminary information on the spring trip to Williamsburg, VA. She should have a better idea of cost and agenda in November.

 

Susan Pendergrass, Credit Keeper (not present)

No announcements

 

Tim McElyea, Webmaster (not present)

No announcements

 

Stephanie Thomas, Hospitality (not present)

No announcements

 

Ben Davis, Equipment (not present)

PLEASE DON’T PARK ON BILLIE WATKINS FOR LATE PICK-UP AFTER A GAME OR OUT OF TOWN EVENT. ROAD NEEDS TO BE CLEAR FOR PASSAGE OF BUSSES.

 

Meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m.

 

 

 

 

Welcome to all Crimson Panther Band students and parents to the start of another great year at Huntsville High School. I am excited to begin the 2013-2014 school year as your new Band Parents Association (BPA) President. I look forward to working with some familiar faces as well as getting to know our new band members and their families.

WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE DO: The Huntsville High School BPA is a parent led organization that provides both volunteer assistance and financial support to the year round band program and its director, Dr. David Spencer. Our goal is to assist in providing the resources needed for a rich music curriculum that meets a high set of standards and keeps our band program viable and competitive in marching and performance competitions. Unfortunately, the band is not funded by Huntsville City Schools or the State of Alabama. Therefore, we fund our program through band dues and fundraising efforts. Our BPA will do its best to control cost while maintaining a top quality band program.

As an organization, we believe that communication is critical in meeting our goal. Throughout the year, our BPA Communications Representative will push information to parents through email channels. She will send a weekly email announcement to keep everyone up to date on the planned week’s activities as well as send out flash email notifications for any changes or time sensitive information. Also, we invite you to stay informed by pulling information from our website where you can find the band planning calendar, forms, and general information. We will do our best to keep the website up to date and reflective of changes as they happen.

MEETINGS: The HHS BPA will meet monthly on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm in the band room. Our first meeting will actually be on Tuesday, 20 August instead of the 2nd Tuesday of the month. Everyone is welcome and we hope to see everyone who can make it.

VOLUNTEERING: The BPA could not function without volunteers and we believe that many hands make for light work. Over the course of the school year we rely on our band parents to assist with chaperone duties, concession sales, assisting at concerts, helping with hospitality, and assisting the various committee chairs with other band endeavors. We try to offer service hour credits as compensation where applicable. See the HHS BPA Bylaws on our website for more details on service hour credits.

FUNDRAISING: Our fundraising efforts serve two purposes. The first and primary purpose is to raise funds that will supplement our annual operational budget needs. The secondary purpose of our fundraising efforts is to allow students an opportunity to raise funds through their own initiative that can be applied toward their annual dues and/or trip fees. The revenue raised during fundraising activities is difficult to predict, but these funds play an important role in supplementing our budget. Fundraising efforts are a critical link between our budget needs and maintaining low band fees.

In closing, let me reiterate how excited I am about this coming year in band and how much I look forward to seeing everyone at our BPA meetings. Over the next ten months, I can promise you that your band students will: be directed by an award winning professor, be challenged musically, be rewarded for their hard work, and have a lot of fun as a member of our Crimson Panther Band family. Please let me know if I can answer any questions or be of assistance to you.

Warm Regards,

Rich Arnold, HHS BPA President