BOA

Welcome to the Anderson Trojan Band!

Greetings Anderson Band Family!

<marching show reveal coming soon!>

A few helpful preparation hints for the upcoming season:

  • Make sure that you subscribe to THE TROJAN BAND BLAST. This includes parents AND students. You can find the sign up in the footer of every page on our website: www.andersontrojanband.com.
  • Parents:  Sign up on the BAND app or at band.us, then send your user name to president@andersontrojanband.com to get invites for the main band group and the parents group.  (Your kids are probably already on this.) Notifications of bus arrivals after games & events come via the app, so if you want to avoid waiting in the parking lot for an hour, don’t miss this! Please email our band booster president at president@andersontrojanband.com if you have any issues.
  • Students:  Make sure that you’re practicing over the summer. If one thing influences our entire fall more than anything else, it’s practicing.  
    • There will be a playing audition the first week of band camp that will determine who earns a primary spot.
    • You can access music on the website at STUDENT FILES and enter the password <when we have updated it>.  These are assigned parts loosely based off of your current band placement and where we think you might end up. Because we know that some people practice more than others, please understand that everyone has the same opportunity to move up or down.  If you want to move up, spend some extra time with our show music over the summer.  If you want to guarantee that you’ll be an alternate to begin the season, don’t look at your music until summer band starts!
    • You must pass off the first part of your show music by memory, during the first week of band camp.
      • This means that you should be able to stand in place and play all parts without using any music at all.
      • Specifically, you should be able to play with a good tone quality, count all rests, and perform the music at tempo and free of errors. (This won’t happen if you take 2 months off.)
    • All eligible students will march during football games, but only primary marchers will perform at marching contests. Some sections will be competitive due to the size of the sections versus the numbers we can take to have a balanced instrumentation. A solid music audition will greatly improve your chances of securing one of these spots.
  • There will be forms!  Information coming soon.
  • Fair Share are the ‘band fees’ required for all band students enrolled in concert band, marching band and dance guard.  
    • Fair share for your child this year covers but is not limited to:  uniform fees, show shirt, competition meals, dance guard and band costuming, charter bus and school bus expenses for competitions, football game snacks and bottled waters, registration fees, marching show licensing . . . it’s a long list.
    • All fair share personal checks should be made out to “Anderson Band”. It takes a lot of organizing and it is costly to put together a program of this size. This year we are slated to field more than 200 people.  We will have many expenses for marching season that are due immediately and we rely on timely payment.  Any small dollar amount multiplied by that many people adds up very quickly. If you need financial assistance, please contact the band director at cheryl.lee@austinisd.org.
  • Please try to attend summer practice sessions. These are organized by section leaders throughout the summer and are the perfect opportunity for you to practice and be ahead of the curve when we come back in August. They are typically followed by a social activity that allows everyone to get to know each other.  Specific information for each instrument will come out via the TROJAN BAND BLAST and the section group in the BAND app.

Please get outside this summer and enjoy Austin and especially the Texas heat. We will be spending a lot of time outside and you need to start early to get your body acclimated to the weather. The more time you spend outside early on, the less likely you’ll feel the effects of the heat during summer band camp. It seems that every year, people don’t heed that warning and we end up with some students who have a rough first week as they adapt. We are outside for around 4 hours a day, moving around and being pretty active. It can be a big change for someone who has spent all summer in front of a computer or game console!

This is going to be an amazing year!  We have some great music chosen for our program, and we have the best kids we could possibly ask for!

Cheryl Lee
Director of Bands
Anderson High School

Director Contact Information

Summer Band Camp Information

  • Throughout June – July.  It is going to be HOT! Spend time each day outdoors so that you are acclimated to the heat!  The summer dates organized by section leaders are a great time to learn music, meet band members, and learn & practice marching fundamentals.
  • July 22-24: Band Leadership Retreat (section leaders and drum majors, officers)
  • July 26 – August 13: Summer Band Camp . . . FULL BAND (all woodwinds, brass, percussion and dance guard)
    • Where to go: Meet outside in the student (south) parking lot!  
    • What to bring: <coming soon>
    • What to wear: <coming soon>
  • **There will be a MANDATORY picture day!  This will include section pictures, individual pictures and brag buttons (each family gets 2 brag buttons!)

Instruments – If you still need a summer horn, contact Mr. Cleveland (jeffrey.s.cleveland@austinisd.org).  Music should be practiced all summer long. It needs to be memorized for marching season! We will hold playing auditions, from memory, for field placement during the first week of camp.

Uniform Fitting Dates – Uniform fitting dates for marchers and guard will be during camp . Your band student will be fitted for a marching band uniform and a concert season uniform. A tailor will be on hand at this time to measure for any necessary alterations. During the first two days of band camp, students will try on hats, marching band shoes and gloves so they can be ordered. We will also take photos for brag buttons at this time. (Each family gets 2!) Since so much happens AND we rely on volunteer manpower and the much-reduced services of a local tailor, it is difficult to offer extra times if you aren’t there. The tailor will likely charge YOU full price if fittings are not done during these days.

New Band Parent Meeting –  May 19, 2021, 5 pm, Anderson courtyard by the band hall.

Find answers to your questions, meet other parents, ABBA officers, the directors, and help your student have a great band career at AHS, Please come for a brief orientation, followed by a Q & A session with experienced band parents. It’s the best way to find out about what your band kiddo will be doing, what is expected of them, and to learn all you need to know about Flamingo-ing!

Flamingo-ing – July 26 – August 9. This is our largest Fun(d)raiser of the year and a really fun team-building event! Questions?? See the FLAMINGO-ING page on the website and come to the New Parent meeting. Flamingo-ing starts on the evening of the Band Picnic, July 26.

Each band section has 8 pink plastic birds called a flock. Each evening during Flamingo-ing, sections head out to people’s houses, place the flock, then offer to protect the homeowner from the flamingo invasion. The goal is to move the flock quickly from house to house.  Most kids are home by 10 pm, but parents CAN and DO set individual curfews.

The idea here is that the kids work together, get to know one another, and raise money for the band’s activities. Flamingo-ing supplies the bulk of ABBA’s yearly operating fund.

While it can be scary to send off your kiddo with a teen driver, know that we’ve got eyes and ears all over, and we’ve never had a dangerous incident. The kids KNOW that if there is a major problem, flamingo-ing STOPS immediately! With this activity, the sections also use quite a few PARENT DRIVERS!    With younger students and  driver’s license restrictions, we are requesting each parent help by driving at least once.  This is an activity for ALL BAND MEMBERS.

Summer Social Events

Band Family Picnic – TBD at Anderson High School. This is a student AND FAMILY event. Family members are encouraged to come, meet, eat and socialize.  It is the best time to meet the section leaders and other section members that your band student will spend so much time with (and their parents). It is also a good time to set up carpools.  Each family is usually asked to bring a dish to share–details will come out in a Blast.

Swim Party – TBD. This is a social event for band students and is usually at a city pool. All are usually asked to bring some sort of snack.  Some parents do attend to keep things flowing at the snack table.

BAND CALENDAR –  PLEASE CHECK THE WEBSITE FOR THE MOST CURRENT AND UP TO DATE INFORMATION.  WE ALREADY HAVE FALL DATES INCLUDING ALL GAMES AND CONTESTS! You can also subscribe to our calendar so that all band events with sync with iCal, Google calendar, etc.  Visit the TROJAN BAND CALENDAR today.

What is Fair Share?

Fair Share are the ‘band fees’ required for all band students enrolled in concert band, marching band and dance guard.  

FAIR SHARE Payment options:
Option 1:  Payment in full due July 26 $TBD
Option 2:  TBD
Option 3:  TBD
*individualized payment schedules can be scheduled by contacting Mrs. Gonzalez (andrea.k.gonzalez@austinisd.org) directly.
You can pay by mailing a check to “Anderson Band”, addressed to Anderson Trojan Band | 8403 Mesa Drive | Austin, Texas 78759. You will also be able to pay online with a credit card at the TROJAN BAND STORE.

All students participating in band/guard are expected to meet the payment schedule listed above. However, no student will be denied participation due to a family’s inability to pay.  Parents of any student with financial difficulty must contact the director by email in advance of any due date affected for an extension or fundraising option. Communication is the key and TOTAL PARTICIPATION in all fundraisers is required for anyone in this circumstance. We incur many costs in advance on students’ behalf. For this reason, there can be no refunds due to ineligibility or change of schedule, as expenses are pre-paid.

ABBA: The Anderson Band Booster Association

Our group actively supports the Anderson Band program (marching, jazz, guard, concert season…etc), the band students, the directors, and all sanctioned band activities.

  • We sponsor the summer picnic and swim party.
  • We help plan fun activities during summer band.
  • During the school year, we provide refreshments at concerts.
  • We chaperone buses to and from competitions and football games and transport instruments.
  • We sit together at football games and contests to cheer for the band.
  • We sponsor this web site.
  • We raise money for new instruments, music, contest fees, tuners, yard signs, letter jackets, color guard flags and the marching show.
  • We fit and mend uniforms and arrange for tailoring.
  • We assist students with contest and game day preparation and meals.
  • In addition, we help fund supplemental summer band instruction, as well as drum line/front line and color guard instructors.

The Anderson Band Booster Association provides all of these services to benefit all band and dance guard students.  WE NEED YOU! More importantly, your student needs you (even if they say it would be embarrassing to have you around). By being an Anderson Band parent, you are already a BOOSTER, so please, look out for announcements in the Blast about signing up for activities. We’d love to have you and we make it easy for you to volunteer.  Please find out more about how we’ve set up our volunteer opportunities to make it easy for everyone.

It’s worth saying again:  volunteering is the BEST way to meet other band parents and to keep up with your kiddo. No matter how much they say they don’t need you, and no matter how grown up and independent they are, they DO, and WE do!!! Our monthly meetings are at the band hall, and all interested parents are welcome to attend.

Dates and times (usually the first Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m.) are announced on the website calendar and sent out through the Trojan Band Blast.

FAQs

Is summer band important? YES, it is THE time for learning all marching fundamentals, and the band begins to learn halftime drills, stand music, and the marching contest show and music. Marching spots on the field are maintained by knowing your music and drill.

Are Contests and Concerts required? YES, these are the ‘exams’ for the Marching Band and the Concert Bands.

When will we know the dates and specific times for contests and concerts? As soon as the contest personnel set them and make them available to the directors. Check the website for details as they become available.

What if I have a conflict/soccer game/grandma visit/SAT test? Band is a TEAM ACTIVITY. Participation during rehearsals AND contests and concerts is vital to the success of the band. If you miss a practice or performance, there is a hole in the group. We know that band students are involved in a variety of activities (both in and out of school) and some conflicts will arise. The BEST THING to do is to TALK to the DIRECTOR AS SOON AS YOU ARE AWARE OF A CONFLICT or potential conflict. The directors can help students solve conflicts if given enough time to do so. Sometimes a compromise can be made, but understand that sometimes another band member will need to take over your spot.

Why is there a summer uniform? It is HOT during much of our outdoor season, and we want the students to be more comfortable and safe, while maintaining a ‘uniform appearance’. We usually begin to wear our full marching uniform the last week of September.

Is participation in both concert bands and marching band required? YES! While we have different seasons and functions, we often work on marching music during the school day. It is also important that a music student’s skills continue to be practiced and developed during the spring semester. This is also the reason that we have our ‘dance/guard class’ during the school day.

WHO is a member of the marching band?  Everyone.

Uniforms

Summer/Casual Marching Uniform –

  • <this is being revised for the 2021 marching season>

Dance Guard Uniforms:

  • Summer: TBA
  • Formal: TBA

Marching Uniform:

  • <this is being revised for the 2021 marching season>

Concert Uniform:

  • <this is being revised for the 2021 marching season>

Jazz Band Uniforms:

  • TBA

*Please, consider buying extra black and white socks as a donation for the band. We sell them on game days to those who forget theirs. STUDENTS may buy additional black socks for $2/pair and gloves for $4/pair from the uniform staff.

Also, black/brown bobby pins, brown or black hair rubber band ties or a wide black hair band are useful to keep hair up inside of the band hats. Boys’/girls’ hair may not hang below collars during contests. Also consider buying extra hair accessories for the band. We go through a LOT of these on game/contest days.

PLEASE note that any uniform part that is not returned must be paid for by students. Also–it is the student’s responsibility to return their uniforms properly cleaned, on the hanger in the bag in which it was checked out. All uniform part numbers are noted on the bag tag for each student, and students should return their own uniform.

QUICK LIST OF ANDERSON HIGH SCHOOL COMMUNICATIONS

Anderson Band Website – www.andersontrojanband.com

Anderson Band Blast (for parents AND students) – This email will be sent out weekly once school begins and will contain all the information that you need to know for the upcoming week.  Please visit our website for more information on how to sign up.  If you have questions, please contact our booster president at president@andersontrojanband.com.

Anderson PTSA website –  http://www.andersononline.org

Anderson HS Trojan Times – News from all areas of Anderson High School.  Subscribe to make sure you receive yearbook announcements, campus announcements, communications from the principal, and more.