Welcome to TWHS Band!

Welcome to The Woodlands High School! Whether you (or your child) are a rising Freshman, or an incoming transfer student from another school, we are so excited to meet you and welcome you to our awesome Band Family!

Scroll down for some basic information that will get you started. And be sure to email anyone on the Booster Club listing if you have any specific questions or concerns. Everyone is friendly and eager to help. 

You're joining a fantastic organization. Get ready to be a part of something extraordinary! 

Incoming Freshmen

Transfer Students

Everything I Wish I'd Known...
 
If you've spent the last two years as a McCullough Junior High student or parent, you're probably already familiar with many aspects of the TWHS Band program. Click the button below for important information for rising freshmen.
You're new to The Woodlands, but we know you're not a rookie! We're so excited you're joining this amazing group of band kids and parents. Click below for detailed info, including a short "do-first" list that will help get you up to speed.
Band can be so confusing sometimes but we've got all the answers for you. Everything you wanted to know about TWHS Band, a lots of things you didn't know you wanted to know. Keep reading or just jump right in to our Glossary by clicking... 

“EVERYTHING I WISH I’D KNOWN AS A NEW BAND PARENT”

Welcome to the TWHS Band Family! By now you may be feeling a little confused and a bit overwhelmed. Fear not! We are here to help! Who are “we”? We are everyone who is part of this amazing band and color guard. We want you to enjoy this fabulous experience that is TWHS Band. And we want you to love being part of our “we” so that next year and in years to come, you can be there for other freshmen parents. Whether you believe it takes a village to raise a child or not, it most definitely takes a village to handle a high school band. So welcome! We are very glad you’re here!

Even if your child has gone through the intermediate and junior high levels of band, this is a whole different experience. This is also true if you have been at other high schools. We are a large operation with many moving parts, but we do try to move as efficiently and cost effectively as possible. Everything we do is with the purpose of helping our kids and directors have the best possible outcomes for all their many hours of work.

Our terrific Band Glossary: "Everything I Wish I'd Known as a New Band Parent" is extremely detailed and written by parents for parents. This glossary serves as a supplement to the Band Handbook and as a general guide of the band year.  This Glossary is a must-have resource for all TWHS band students and parents alike so bookmark this page for easy access. Please also read the Band Handbook and sign up to receive band emails and text alerts. While this document has a lot of information, it is surely not all-inclusive and it is meant to serve as a general reference tool for the whole year.
 
WHAT'S THE FIRST THING I SHOULD DO AS A NEW BAND PARENT?
There are actually several things you should do first.
  1. Set up your child’s Charms account. (See “Charms” in the glossary). As soon as you get a notification from the Band Secretary that it’s available, log into your account and set it up. This is your number one link to band communication (email), as well as the portal for paying band fees and other payments. Make sure the email address for you on that account is one that you access daily. Critical information is distributed OFTEN via email. Be in the know – don’t miss out!

  2. Locate and bookmark the band calendar on the Band website. Like most organizations, we live by the calendar. This is your number one tool for staying organized. You can find a calendar link inside Charms. 

  3. Sign up for Band Communications. Parents can get quick alerts from the band directors by downloading and registering with the Band App. More information about this vital communication avenue can be found here. 

  4. Visit our website and look around. There is a lot of information there for you now and it is updated throughout the year: www.twhsband.org. This is the public face of our band.

GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE BAND YEAR

Early Summer
May Day
May day is the first official Band event for the next school year.  It is traditionally held on the 4th Saturday of the month.  All rising 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade students will meet together for the first time.

July 4th Parade.    The band marches in the July 4th parade at Market Street. There is a rehearsal the day before at the TWHS main campus. The students will meet at their designated meeting spot at the parade site the morning of July 4th. The parade starts pretty early (9:00 a.m. in past years) and students are generally finished by mid-late morning. Band students wear their greens and blacks. The Guard students wear their reds and blacks. If your freshman was part of 8th grade night at a football game last year, he or she received a green “TWHS Band” or red “TWHS Guard” shirt. For now this is his/her green shirt. Black shorts are worn on the bottom.

Summer Band!    This starts at the end of July and is mandatory for all band/guard. The keys to surviving summer band are sleep, sunscreen, nutrition, hydration and good comfy shoes. Students need a gallon sized insulated RED jug for summer band. Please write your student’s name on it! The kids work hard for several hours a day, half of which is spent marching outside. There is not only a lot of physical training happening, but mental training too as they learn drill and fundamentals. Consider arranging a car pool if your student does not drive him/herself to practice. (Please refer to Summer Band and Red Jug below.)

At the end of Summer Band, the band will put on an exhibition of all they have learned, you will be introduced the new officers for the year, and there will be a BBQ dinner in the commons area (see Exhibition below in the glossary). After the dinner the students hold a dance in the band hall until midnight. Ticket sales happen during summer band.

The Totes order day will be during summer band (see Totes below in the glossary.)

Autumn
Summer band rolls right into the start of school. Right out of the gate they will be playing at football games. The band will have after-school marching practice several days each week. UIL rules stipulate that a band may have eight hours of rehearsal outside of school, plus an additional 1 hour for every performance (i.e. 1 extra hour for a football game performance, 1 extra hour for a marching band contest, etc.). The band directors ask for flexibility in maintaining these hours if for unforeseen reasons (bad weather for example) time needs to be shifted during the week. Please stay on top of your band emails and alerts for the latest information. Typically, Mrs. Perez sends out a weekly email with that week’s marching schedule and any updates.

October and November are busy times for the marching season. The show gets tightened up and we start heading to competitions. In October, TWHS Band hosts the Lone Star Preview, a marching band competition. This is our number one fundraiser for the year, and all band families are asked to volunteer some time to the day. Marching competitions end in mid-November.

Concert band auditions will run through the fall. There are four to five rounds of auditions based on the same etudes selected for Region Band auditions. These auditions take place during band classes and help to solidify concert band placement, chair order, etc., as well as help prepare many students for the Region Band auditions in early December (see Region Band below).

Winter
For Band, “Winter” is generally from mid-November to the start of January, which is the time between when marching season ends and the official concert season begins. The number of after school rehearsals diminishes dramatically after our last marching competition. However, the band continues to rehearse once a week in order to play and perform at football games until The Highlanders are no longer in the playoffs.

For the band musicians, concert music starts to take the forefront, but things don’t necessarily slow down. Everyone begins to focus their efforts on preparing for their final concert band auditions and the upcoming Region Band auditions in early December. The 9th grade Region Band auditions are in January. Both will have weekend clinic and concerts in December and/or January.

For the Guard, “Winter” means mid-November through mid-March, and this is when Winter Guard takes place. The Guard start their auditions for Winter Guard fairly soon after marching season ends, and they will begin regular rehearsals for their WGI contest season. The Winter Guard will rehearse 2-3 times a week for up to three hours each.

Check your calendar later in the year for a contest schedule!

Spring
Spring is a concert band fan’s delight! Percussion holds its ensemble concert in April. Each concert band competes at UIL and there is a Pre-UIL concert before spring break at the school. Check the calendar!

One of most exciting events in the spring is the Chamber Music Festival.

Spring Concerts cap off the season in late April/mid-May. During concert season, every concert band has a full 2-hour rehearsal once a week after school and each individual section will have a 1-hour sectional with their director once a week. These after-school rehearsals are required.

Depending on the year, different concert venues may be used.

The end- of-year Band Banquet will be held towards the end of May. This is a ticketed event. This is a dress-up, catered affair to celebrate the end of what we know will be a year full of amazing accomplishments. All are welcome to attend. Afterwards, the students stay and have a dance until midnight.

And then it’s time for May Day and we start all over from the top!

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