Huntsville High School Band

We are pleased to announce the hiring of Holly Connell as the new Associate Director of Bands at Huntsville High School.  Please visit the Band Director page for more information about Mrs. Connell.

Please note:  Our calendar is now located on our Charms page. 

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@huntsvilleband1 

Mass Texting Service - Remind 101

Stay up to date with breaking news and announcements by joining our mass texting service!  We use Remind101, an education based communication service also used at HHS by many teachers.

To join the HHS Marching Band thread of Remind101, text "@mrtanke" (do not use quotation marks) to the number 81010.  You can also go to https://www.remind.com/join/@966h3 to join via smartphone or computer.  The easiest way to communicate through this service is by downloading the "Remind" app.  You can also use it through your phones's usual text messaging interface. 

Huntsville High School Band Parent Association

January 15, 2019

Huntsville High School Band Room

President Carolyn Drake called meeting to order at 6:03 pm and welcomed every one to meeting. She asked that everyone please make sure you signed in and received handouts. A nominations committee will soon be formed to put together a list of candidates for next year’s board.

Angela Davis, Secretary:  Minutes from last meeting have been posted to the website. No corrections were received. Melissa Lebella moved to approve minutes.  Joe Rist seconded. Minutes were approved as posted to website.

Carolyn Drake with Treasure’s Report: A financial statement was handed out and reviewed. Individual Charms statements will be emailed out later this week. The next band fee payment is due February 1. We have a few outstanding winter guard fees. All VBC credits have been posted. Also next Chicago trip payment due soon.

Jeff McCluskey, 1^st VP- Chaperones: We have MPA February 27-29 and will need lots of help for this event. Please watch Charms to sign up.

Sandra Moore, Paula Lindon, 2^nd VP- Fundraising: Sandra reported that next spirit night is February 12 at Tortoras in Hampton Cove. We will receive 10% of sales made between 4:30 and 8:30pm. You will have to tell them you are supporting the HHS Band and put students name, grade and Mr. Tankesley or Mrs. Connell’s names on receipt. Also each student can only be represented once.  April 25 spirit night will be at Yogurt Mountain. Both locations will participate due to Cecil Ashburn roads closure. For brick sales we have 2 sold but need 5 to place order. 

Paula reported on Boston Butt sale. This will take place from February 25 to March 25. Pick up will be March 30 at Lowes in Hampton Cove.

Marcia Flatau, Color Guard Liasion:  The winter guard will have an exhibition at Bob Jones High School on February 11. They will compete in two competitions one February 23 at Bob Jones High School and the other March 9 at Thompson Station in Tennessee.  She will need help getting the students to the competition in Tennessee.  Please let her know if you can help drive.

Melissa Lebella, Communications: If you are not getting emails please let her know. Mr. Tankesley made us aware that Remind may be going away. There is an issue with Verizon charging for the texts at a high rate. We are hoping they get the issue resolved.

Jennifer Applebaum, Credit Keeper:  She was not present to give report.

Joe Anderson, Equipment:  He was not present to give report.

Ben Boles, Media: Thank you for all pictures you have sent him. He is looking forward to doing more videos and pictures. The mattress sale videos were a big hit and helped with the sales.  The band banquet is next big thing he is working on and will need help from everyone to get information in on the senior students. Our YouTube channel has all videos that have been made. This channel is youtube.com/HHS Band

Erin Boles, Uniforms:  Thank you for getting marching uniforms turned in and clean. Please check ties and cummerbunds for boys to make sure you have them. Also check dress and pant lengths on formal uniforms.  The deadline to turn in formal wear will be May 10.

Mr. Tankesley, Director’s Report: He let us know that in class students are getting ready for MPA at the end of February. They have been working with guest clinicians after school and it is going well. MPA is our time to shine and show off our program. We will need lots of help to make this happen, please consider helping. We will train you on what needs to be done. MPA is February 28 and 29.

         Winter band camp is the next event for our students this will be February 7-9. They will miss class on Friday; it is excused. Our guest clinician for wind ensemble is Freddie Martin. The guest clinician for symphonic band is Michelle Klupper. It is an honor for us to have them come work with our students. The students will be fed dinner on Thursday evening of band camp. Winter band camp will end with a concert on Saturday at 12:00 pm.

         We are still working on the logistics of the Chicago trip. We have about 50 students going. The itinerary has not been set at this time.

         All state band will be held in Huntsville this year at the end of April. This is also same day as prom. Students will be able to do both All state concert will be over in the afternoon.

Questions:  

What hotel will students be staying at for the Chicago trip?

 Mr. Tankesley will call travel agent to see if it has been decided yet.

What will the students’ role be during MPA?

 They will be in class but will need some of them to help. He will work around the schedules.

With the small amount of students going on the trip will the price change?

 It should not change much. Most of the cost for the trip is the bus and we may be able to go with just one bus.

Announcements:

Spring concert is May 2.

Band banquet is May 10 at Campus 805 and will begin at 6:30pm. Student tickets were included in band fees. Any guests will need to purchase ticket.

Meeting adjourned at 6:34pm.

Huntsville High School Band Parent Association

October 16, 2018

Huntsville High School Band Room

President Carolyn Drake called the meeting to order at 6:34pm and welcomed everyone.

Angela Davis, Secretary: She stated that minutes from last meeting had been posted to website. Ben Boles moved for minutes to be approved. Melissa Labella seconded. Minutes were approved as posted to website.

Liz Boykin, Treasurer: She reviewed the budget that was distributed. We are about half way with income and expenses. This is where we should be. All credits have been posted to accounts. The sheet sales credits will be posted next month. If you have a question about your account please contact her.  Also the AffiniPay option is now active to use; you must login to Charms to access it.

Jeff McCluskey, 1^st VP- Chaperones: He thanked everyone for their help volunteering. We still have several opportunities to help. Please check Charms often.

Sandra Moore 2^nd VP-Fundraising: We finished the travel mugs sales and still have a few on hand that may be purchased. We also have car magnets available for sale, you can email her to get one.

Melissa Labella, Communications: Stated she sends out the Sunday newsletter. She has had some trouble with Gmail accounts bouncing back since the beginning of the school year but has not has any bounce back in the last two weeks. We will be doing away with the eteamz website so be looking for the new one to be announced.

Ben Boles, Media: Thanked everyone. He told everyone to follow us on Facebook. Once following on Facebook you will be able to see all videos and be directed to our YouTube channel.  Youtube.com/HHSBand.

April Chapman and Erin Boles, Uniform:  They have started issuing formal wear to the students. Some of the girls’ dresses may need to be hemmed. Please use the seamstress listed on the sheet that came home with the dress, as the dress can NOT be cut. Also girls must have black hose or knee-highs and black flats for shoes.  Boys’ may need their pants hemmed. Please use the seamstress listed on the sheet that came home. Parents are responsible for the white tux shirt; you can find these at Hobby Lobby for reasonable price. Boys may wear their black marching shoes or black dress shoes.

         We only have one more parade this year (Veteran’s Day) after that we will start collecting the marching uniforms. You MUST have them dry cleaned before turning them in. If they are not cleaned first there will be a $25 charge for it.

         Please be aware that the cleaners have been taking the hems down on the marching pants please tell them not to do this. Also they have been pressing them how they want instead of the proper way. Check your uniforms before leaving the store. Pant hems should be at the top of the shoes.

Marcia Flatau, Color Guard Liaison: The jackets for the cold season performances arrived. Please make sure your student has everything they need for each performance in their bag. If anyone is missing something the others will not be able to wear that piece either. Everyone must be uniform.

Jen Skupien, VBC Liaison: This is the busy season for the VBC. Havoc games are starting. The dates are on the Charms calendar and in the weekly email. Please see her if you would like to help. Training for wrist banding is complete.

Mr. Tankesley, Band Director:  He discussed the upcoming trips.

         The Chicago trip will be April 10-14. We are using the same travel company we did last year. He passed out an information sheet. He noted the payment schedule is on the sheet. We will be leaving on Wednesday night and returning on Sunday. He is trying to arrange for us to preform the national anthem at Wrigley Field. If we are not able to perform, we will still see a game there.

         The Central Europe trip is the big trip for the 2019/2020 school year. This trip is over a year away. There will be lots of questions on this trip and all information available right now is general and broad. The itinerary is likely to change. He passed out information sheets on this trip and reviewed them. It will be a 10-day trip with two of those as travel days. He would like as many people as possible to go but noted it is not mandatory. Immediate family is welcome to come. We will be using Gateway Travel for this trip. The cost of the trip is about $3,318.00. He went over the payment schedule for this trip and mentioned that there will be a link to the travel company to setup your own personal and direct account and payment plan. He will get that out to everyone as soon as it has been set up. We will have lots of fundraisers to help pay for this trip. If you are considering going please get your passport now. We will ride a charter bus to Atlanta and fly out from there. He would like to create a committee of parents to do research and planning for the trip. He would like it to be comprised of four or five parents that have experience or knowledge of the area, exchange rates, international calling plans, etc. If you are interested in being part of this committee please contact him. The kids will miss two or three days of school for this trip with the rest of the days occurring during spring break. He also stated that current 8^th grade students attending this trip are welcome to start fundraising for it.  We will need contact information for 8^th grade students who will be going. Travel insurance will be each family’s responsibility as the travel company we are using does not offer it. The cancelation and refund policy is on the handout. The schedule you have is VERY tentative and is likely to change. At this time we are not sure how much spending money will be needed. Some of that information will depend on the exchange rates. You do get a better exchange rate with credit and debit cards. He has never had a problem using his internationally. You will want to look ahead for an international cell phone plan. Chaperones will be responsible for safeguarding student passports. If you have any other questions or concerns for this trip please contact him by email.

         He then introduced Milea Kirby who talked about our annual mattress sale. He requested that everyone help get the word out about the sale.

Milea Kirby, Mattress Sale Representative: She introduced the mattress sale and stated that we sold over $5000 worth last year. She explained this works because 10% of people will buy a mattress. They will buy it somewhere why not here and help the band. We just have to get the word out that the sale is going on at the high school. This also works because people can come here on November 11 and get a name brand mattress for 30/50% less then at a chain store. We can sell them for less because there is no overhead. Yes they are name brands. Another reason this works is our organization is not asked to sell or collect money they just have to come here to the freshman cafetorium on November 11 from 11:00 to 5:00 and it will look just like a store. They can lay on the beds and try them out. The mattresses are made fresh when they are ordered not found in a warehouse. How do we get the big check? Get the word out and make it important, give out the blue referral fliers that have your child’s name on the bottom. Your child’s name needs to be on the bottom of the blue referral slip to get their credit. The orange sheet that you receive will have directions for social media and what your child will receive for the sale of a mattress. There is discount for military and faculty members of $100. Everyone else that brings in blue referral paper will get $50 discount. They deliver mattress here and out of state if someone needs it. There is a warranty for all mattresses that are sold. You can text 205-291-0049 and receive a text with link about our mattress sale. This information is on the orange sheet also. Potential customers can get preapproved for financing. They also have lay-away options. Please get the word out you can use social media, yard signs and fliers.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:34pm,

Respectfully submitted by

Angela Davis

Huntsville High School Band Parent Association

July 19,2018

Huntsville High School Auditorium

Carolyn Drake, President called the meeting to order at 7:08pm and welcomed everyone. She then introduced Director of Bans, Mr. Tankesley.

Mr. Tankesley, Band Director: Provided a status on how band camp was going and what the students would need to bring to next week. He introduced the new assistant band director, Mrs. Holly Connell and Huntsville Junior High School band director, Mr. Mark Connell. He also introduced the new assistant band director for Hampton Cove Middle School was Ms. Emily Parker. He requested parents to consider volunteering to help the band. It is a great way to get to know the kids and other parents. There is a place for everyone to help out.

He announced practice schedules: Marching band will be every Tuesday and Thursday until 5:45. Percussion and color guard every Monday from 4:00 to 6:00pm. If we have a Thursday game, practice  will be on Wednesday.

CHARMS will tell you everything and this is our new information hub, so make sure your information is correct. The students commit a great amount of time to band and need to be present for every practice please try to avoid scheduling appointments during these times. The trips for this year and the international trip will be announced soon, still finalizing with Mr. King.

Carolyn Drake, President: She introduced the board officers and committee chairs/ directors for the 2018/2019 school year. All information for board members can be found on the website. She reviewed our modes of communication CHARMS, Facebook, and the weekly email. If you cannot login into Charms please contact her to get this resolved. Please read the email that is sent out every Sunday as it gives you a lot of important information and also share this with your child so they know what is going on. She also reviewed the schedule (which was passed out at the meeting) listing all the games and competitions. To log into CHARMS you will need to go to Chramsoffice.com then put in HuntsvileHSBand. She demonstrated how to login and use CHARMS.

Liz Boykin, Treasurer: She reviewed the proposed budget that (a copy distributed to attendees at the meeting). She pointed out that there is a page in the handbook that contains some incorrect information. Band fees have gone up this year and we are at a comparable rate to other bands in the area. The band fees are how we get most of our funds to make this band function. Both our trucks are in for service right now. Meals that students are provided when required to stay on campus for band activities are now included in the band fees along with one student ticket to the end of year band banquet. New fees are as follows: all marching and concert band $600, color guard $400, concert only $300, and siblings $300. Instrument rental is $100 per semester. If you pay in full by July 27 you will get 5% discount.  Motion was made and seconded to accept the proposed budget. Budget was accepted unanimously. She also announced that the board is working on offering an online payment option- called AffiniPay. This feature is integrated through Charms and you can use American Express, Visa, or Master Card. We need to test it and hope to roll it out next Friday. It will be sent out in newsletter when it is ready to use.

Ben Boles, Media: He shared where he posts pictures and videos. Please go to youtube.com/hhsband to watch the videos and like or comment on them. He also discussed band fees and how you can help reduce your costs. Simple ways to earn money are to volunteer and work the VBC concession and wrist banding. If you work the VBC you will get $50 for each of the first three times you work at the VBC only – and after that you will get $6.00 /hour into your account. This is a fun way to earn some money for your account and you get to see a lot of fun stuff. All opportunities for the VBC are put out in the weekly newsletter, which comes from Melissa Labella. He also stated we will no longer be staffing the Milton Frank Concession stand. This will give you more opportunity to be with your student in the stand or helping in other areas that are needed by the band.

Sandra Moore and Paula Lindon, Fundraising: Sandra discussed Publix cards and planet fundraiser app. The app can be used anywhere in the USA, so use it when traveling and encourage family and friends that live elsewhere to use it, too! We just finished up with the media guide. Our next fundraise is the travel mugs (similar to Yeti and Tervis). There is also a USB charger. The blue mugs say Huntsville High School Band on them and the red just say Huntsville High School. This fundraiser will end August 8. In October we will sell Boston butts, November will be mattress sale, December will be silent auction. We will sell sheets but exactly when has not been decided yet. We may also do a color run in the spring, in which the students will get all proceeds for their accounts. We will have one sprit night a month and they will be announced in the weekly newsletter and on remind.

Elizabeth Butz, Hospitality: She reminded everyone that next week all lunches are included on the band fees. This year we will have the band banquet at Campus 805 again and the student ticket is included in band fees - parents and guests will have to purchase a ticket for themselves. Next Friday July 27 we will have a preview show and will have a baseball themed picnic. Meals will be $10 for guests and student meals are included in band fees. If you would like to help on the Hospitality Committee, please contact her.

Jen Applebaum, Credit Keeper: She let everyone know that when you volunteer she will receive all information on the event then pass along the amount of your credit to the treasurer. If you don’t see the credit right away please contact her not the treasurer. Also it does take time to get this information together and to the right people. Many of us work so please be patient with us.

Erin Boles and April Chapman, Uniforms: All students have their marching uniforms. The uniforms cost $800, each so please take care of them. Each student received a red garment bag, black hanger, name card, show shirt, black shoes, shako, and gloves. Student will need their own long thick black socks, athletic shorts for under bibbers and their band provided show shirt at every game. If they lose the show shirt, it will be $35 to replace it. If they need gloves or socks they will be charged $5. When it is time to turn in marching uniform – they must be returned with a receipt from the dry cleaners. If there is no receipt as evidence the uniform was cleaned there will be a $25 charge. The uniform must be dry-cleaned and we have contract with Wilson Cleaners. They will charge $7.50 for you to take it to them to be cleaned. If you have buttons or snaps that need to be fixed they are able to do this also. Band pictures are on Friday July 20, please send students in uniform with their instruments at the assigned time. Pictures can be ordered online or on the form students receive tonight. New this year you have the option of purchasing a composite photo it is 11x14.

Respectfully Submitted by

Angela Davis

Holly Connell comes to Huntsville from Maryville, Tennessee, but grew up in Kingsport, Tennessee, where she attended Tri-Cities Christian High School.  She attended Tennessee Technological University where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor's degree in Music Education, and she also holds a Master's degree in Music Education from the University of Florida.

Mrs. Connell spent the first two years of her career in elementary general music and middle school choir before accepting a band position in Blount County, Tennessee, as Director of Bands at Union Grove Middle School and Assistant Director of Bands at William Blount High School.  Most recently, she was the band director at South Doyle Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee.  During her tenure in both Blount and Knox counties, her bands enjoyed tremendous growth and achievement as the groups received Superior ratings in both stage and sight reading performances at the East TN School Band and Orchestra Association and TN Secondary Schools Band Directors Association Large Group Performance evaluations.

Holly has been a guest clinician for the TN Secondary Schools Band Directors Association Jr. Band Clinic, as well as a Concert Performance adjudicator for the South Carolina Band Director's Association.  She is a member of the National Education Association, TN Education Association, Knox County Education Association, East TN School Band and Orchestra Association, Women Band Director's International, and TN Bandmasters Association.

Outside of school, she is wife to Mark Connell and mom to son, Zachary.  She also enjoys playing flute in the Tennessee Wind Symphony and is a nationally ranked member of USA Triathlon, where she regulary competes and places in the top tier of her age division.