Good morning!

I just wanted to remind everyone of some upcoming dates.

1. April 26, Thursday 

• Deadline for all uniforms to be checked in. Students must check in each piece with Mrs. Cartmell or Mr. Robinson. (Jacket (with collar insert), Pants, Gauntlets, Hat, Hat Box, Coat Hanger, Uniform Bag)
• All uniforms must be dry cleaned to be checked in. 
• Drum Major applications due by 9:00 a.m. Students must meet all eligibility requirements in order to audition. Those requirements are listed on the application.

2. April 27, Friday (no school)

• 9:00 a.m. - Drum Major Auditions
• 9:00 p.m. - Final scale tests due

3. April 29, Sunday at 3:00 p.m. - Move equipment from the HS to the gym for spring concerts.
4. April 30, Monday

• Rehearsal at the HS Gym!!
• 7:00 p.m. - Middle School Band Concert (Beginning Band and 7&8 Band)

5. May 1, Tuesday

• Rehearsal at the HS Gym!!
• 7:00 p.m. - High School Band Concert (High School Concert Band and Senior Recognition)
• Senior parents - please plan to come down to be with your child when he or she is recognized during this special time

6. May 2, Wednesday

• 8:00 a.m. - Move all equipment back to the HS band room.

7. May 3, Thursday

• Section leader application are due by 9:00 a.m.

8. May 4, Friday

• Seniors must have all school instruments cleaned and checked in. 

9. May 7, Monday

• Jazz in the Park
• More information coming soon
• Concert will be held at Oak Park Retreat Center

10. Wednesday, May 9

• All school instruments must have been cleaned and checked in by this date. Students can recheck instruments for the summer.

11. May 11, Friday

• 8:30 a.m. - Graduation practice at the HS football field
• 7:30 p.m. - Call time for students to be seated (Nice dress clothes)
• 8:00 p.m. - Graduation begins

Color Guard Auditions - We are looking at the last week of April. More information will be coming soon. 

Have a great day!

The next scale test is due by Friday, February 23. Students must either submit a VIDEO recording of them playing the scales or they can play for me in person. If you do not have access to a video recording device, you may borrow mine before school or during excel OR you can play for me in person during those times. Scales to be played are Concert G, D, A, and E. Scales will be graded according to the performance criteria given to you in your handbook. Each scale is worth 10 points each. I must receive or have heard all tests by the end of the day on Friday.

Pre-District will be this Wednesday, February 21 at Cushing HS. Students must be academically eligible to participate.
​
​Schedule:
7:45 am - Load the trailer
8:05 am - Leave Perkins
8:30 am - Warm-up
9:00 am - Performance and Clinic with judges
10:00 am - Load trailer and come back to Perkins
*We will be back in time for Excel.
​**Please wear nice school clothes for this performance.

OSSAA District solo and ensemble contest will be on Saturday, March 3 at NOC in Tonkawa. A letter will be given out and emailed home very soon. We will be leaving EARLY that morning. Please be on the lookout for that information if you are performing. ​Students must be academically eligible to participate.

The high school band will be performing for OSSAA District Concert Band Contest on Wednesday, March 7 at Cushing HS. Students must be academically eligible to participate.

Schedule:
TBA - Load the trailer and leave
3:30 - Warm-up
3:55 - Stage Performance
4:20 - Sightreading Performance
We will load and come back to Perkins as soon as we have scores and are ready to leave. I hope to be back by 5:30.

*Students will wear their uniforms for this performance, which will consist of: band t-shirt, uniform jacket, uniform pants, LONG, SOLID black socks, and black marching shoes. 
**If we qualify to move on to OSSAA State Contest, it will be held the week right after spring break on either Wednesday, March 28 or Thursday March 29 in Ada at East Central University.

The number of students that are showing up on the probation/ineligible list is starting to become overwhelming. As a direct result, it is going to start hurting the ensemble. Almost every student on that list is on there because he or she is not turning in classwork. (Parents, please keep up with your child's grades and help them stay on top of things.) If have zeroes due to not turning in assignments, teachers DO NOT have to give you that work to make up unless you were absent. It is the responsibility of the student to get work completed AND turned in on time. EVERYONE SINGLE STUDENT IS IMPORTANT IN THIS ENSEMBLE AND WE NEED YOU!! 

I hope everyone had a wonderful break! When we start back to school on Wednesday, we will have 8:00 rehearsals until further notice. We will continue to sight read several pieces so I can decide on our contest repertoire. Once the decision has been made on contest music, there is a POSSIBILITY of having either having full rehearsals or sectionals at 7:30. I will let everyone know as soon as possible if the decision is made to have any early rehearsals.

Basketball season is upon us. Make sure you have the dates on your calendar for the games we are playing at. These are required performances in casual uniform, unless otherwise stated. WORK IS NOT AN EXCUSE. Homework can be done during the games, as we play before the games and at half-time. You will be dismissed at the conclusion of the half-time of the varsity boys' games. You will need to be in the stands, ready to play, by 6:10pm for each game.

Dates for basketball games are as follows:
Tuesday, January 16
Tuesday, January 23
Friday, February 2 - Homecoming
Tuesday, February 6 - Senior Night

EVERYONE needs to make sure they have a 1/2" black binder and page protectors. You will be receiving new warm-ups, a new set of scale pages, and chorales that you will need to keep in your binder. 

SCALE PLAYING TESTS: You will be receiving a new set of scales required for all HS band students. Everyone will be required to play the designated scales by the date listed. If playing tests are not received by the date listed, YOU WILL RECEIVE A ZERO FOR THAT TEST. You may turn any scale in before the designated date.

January 26 - Concert Bb, Eb, F, Ab, C
February 23 - Concert G, D, A, E
March 30 - Chromatic Scale
April 27 - Concert B, Db, Gb

(All tests are due by 9:00pm on each date.)

HONOR BANDS: If you made an honor band, make sure you are working on the music and have measures numbered, accidentals/key signatures marked, etc.  Please make sure you are prepared!

January 5 & 6 - NCDA Honor Band at Stillwater High School
OkMEA All-State - January 17 (evening) - 20 at Tulsa Performing Arts Center
Cimarron Valley Concert Band - February 2 & 3 at Cushing High School
OSSBDA All-State Band - February 8 (evening) - 10 at Oklahoma City University
Cimarron Valley Jazz Band - April 5 (evening) - 6 at Cushing High School

Let's make this a great semester!

-PC





 

Here are some announcements concerning the Stillwater Parade of Lights for tomorrow night (Thursday, December 7).

5:15pm - Band room will be open
5:40pm - Students need to be at the band room. Lights should already be on uniforms/instruments by this time. 
6:30pm - Band must be in staging area.
7:00pm - Parade begins
8:15pm approx. - Return to Perkins

1. We are entry #41. (Notice where that is in the staging area)
2. The parade should last approximately 30-45 minutes.
3. We will march through the ENTIRE parade route and will come right back to the staging area. IF YOU ARE PICKING UP YOUR CHILD IN STILLWATER, YOU MUST BE AT 11TH & MAIN BY THE TIME WE GET BACK TO THAT AREA. If you are not there, the student will ride back on the buses with us to Perkins. You should have plenty of time to walk down to that are at the conclusion of the parade to meet us. WE WILL NOT WAIT ON PARENTS AND WE WILL NOT ALLOW STUDENTS TO LEAVE WITHOUT A PARENT PRESENT. As soon as we return to 11th & Main, we will head straight to the buses and head back to Perkins. You will need to have the students uniform case and uniform bag before we leave Perkins. There will not be room on the buses for cases and bags.
4. Upon return to the band room, lights will need to be taken off of the uniforms immediately.
5. All students need battery-powered lights and a Santa or Christmas type of hat.

WEATHER: We are going to keep an eye on the weather tomorrow. If we decide not to attend the parade due to the severity of the cold/wind chill, we will make that decision tomorrow afternoon and will send messages out via Remind and email. 

If you have any questions, please get in touch with Mrs. Cartmell via email or text message.

Good morning! We have wrapped a fantastic marching band contest season and I am so proud of the work the students put into this year's show. It's hard to believe that it's already over, but now we move on to the next adventure.

1. Students will audition for chair placement for concert band. This will audition will include three different parts:

• Prepared etude (see below to print) - Graded
• Scale (see below to print)- Graded
• Sight-reading - Used for placement, but not graded
• All sight-reading will be done in class this week. The prepared etude and assigned scale will need to be recorded and sent in by Monday, November 6 at 9:00pm. Percussionists will need to plan accordingly and record themselves playing on the marimba before rehearsals start in the mornings. 

2. Students need to have a black 1/2" 3 ring binder with page protectors and a pencil every day in class. (We have binders for sale if needed. They are $4 each.)

3. NCDA/1st Round OkMEA auditions are THIS Saturday, November 4 at Owasso HS. A separate email will be sent out with information.

4. We will be playing at all football playoff games. The first one will be an AWAY game on November 10. If we win that game, we will play the following week. If we lose, football season is over.

5. We will be working on music for our Veteran's Day Assembly at the high school which will be held on Monday, November 13, at 10:00am in the HS gym.

6. Cimarron Valley honor band auditions (concert and jazz) will be on Saturday, November 18, at Bristow HS. A separate email will be sent with information once we receive it. 

7. We will be performing at the Stillwater Parade of Lights on Thursday, December 7. EVERY STUDENT NEEDS A SET OF BATTERY POWERED CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AND A SANTA HAT! They can typically be found at Wal-Mart and Hobby Lobby. (They are not always easy to find on the shelf.) LED lights work best.

8. MONDAY, DECEMBER 11 - Band Christmas Concert at 7:00pm in the HS Gym. This concert will feature the Beginning Band, 7/8 Band, and the HS Band as well as the Band Queen and King Coronation Ceremony. 

​9. Weather permitting, we will plan to play carols at the Old-Fashioned Country Christmas celebration at the Territorial Plaza in Perkins on Thursday, December 14.

Good afternoon! There are MANY things going on over the next couple of weeks. I want to make sure everyone is aware of all of the activities!

1. Friday - Game at Centennial (Taft Stadium)

• Call time will be 5:00 at the HS band room. We will plan on being in full band uniform (weather permitting). Students need to have casual uniforms just in case!! (Band shirt, blue jeans, tennis shoes)

2. Saturday - Old Settlers' Day Parade

• Students must be at the MS band room, dressed and ready to go at 8:15am. I will have the HS band room open for anyone needing to grab instruments, uniforms, etc. from 7:40am-7:55am. EVERYONE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR GETTING THEIR OWN INSTRUMENT TO AND FROM THE HS BAND ROOM ON SATURDAY. Large instruments will need to returned to the band room after the parade on Saturday. 
• Again, we will plan to be in full uniform (weather permitting).
• If something needs to be changed due to weather, I will send out a Remind message as soon as I know something.

3. Wednesday, October 11 - Bonfire/Community Pep Rally

• I just found out about this yesterday when Mr. McElroy came to see me after band. It will be later in the evening, probably close to dark. Exact time is still to be determined. 
• If your child is scheduled to work and is unable to change, please let me know. I know there will be a few conflicts, but otherwise everyone needs to be in attendance. This is a great event for our school and community and the band is a BIG part of it! I try very hard to give everyone plenty of notice, but this was sprung on me yesterday. :-)

4. Friday, October 13 - Football Game/Homecoming/Alumni Band

• Call time will be 5:30 in uniform. (This might change next week.) We will need to be in the stands BEFORE Homecoming festivities start at 6:30. We will also have members of our Alumni Band with us. 
• THIS WILL BE OUR FINAL MARCHING CONTEST SHOW PERFORMANCE FOR HALFTIME!! (We do something different for senior night.)

5. Saturday, October 14 - OBA Marching Contest at Mustang High School (contest schedule below)

• Call time: 6:15 am to load everything!
• IT WILL BE A VERY LONG DAY!
• We are the VERY FIRST band to perform.
• This is a Prelims/Finals competition. The top 12 bands from Prelims will march in finals that will begin at 6:30. If we do not make finals, we will leave after that announcement happens at approximately 5:00pm. If we do make finals, we will not be home until LATE Saturday night.
• Admission Costs:
  • Prelims only - $10
  • Finals only - $10
  • Prelims/Finals Combo - $15
• WE WILL NEED A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PARENT HELP AT THIS CONTEST! WE WILL NEED PEOPLE TO HELP MOVE EQUIPMENT ON AND OFF THE FIELD, SOMEONE TO PULL THE TRAILER, MEALS TO BE PREPARED, ETC. Be on the lookout for a sign-up list soon. SERIOUSLY, WE CANNOT ATTEND THIS CONTEST WITHOUT YOUR HELP! (If you have ever sent me an email saying you would be happy to help in any way before, NOW IS THE TIME WE DESPERATELY NEED YOU!)

6. Tuesday, October 17 - OSSAA Regional Marching Contest, Victory Christian School (Tulsa)

• Time is to be determined. 
• Again, we will need parent help to move equipment on and off of the field. 
• More details to come...

7. As Mr. Robinson and I told the kids on Monday morning, these next 2 1/2 weeks are critical. EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE AT EVERY REHEARSAL EVERY SINGLE DAY! Please refrain from scheduling appointments and other things during rehearsal time until we get through marching season. The weather is not helping us right now and we may lose important, outside rehearsal time due to rain. It is very difficult if everyone is not there, as we have MANY changes to make and things to add to the show. 

8. This gets us up to Fall Break. We will not be traveling to the away football game over fall break. Our final regular season game is on October 27 and is senior night. We will also have members of the 8th grade band and members of the OSU Marching Band in the stands with us. It will be a great way to wrap up our marching season! 

We have several things going on this week that I want to make all of you aware of.

1. FRIDAY - Home football game against Berryhill.
5:45 - Meet at the band room. Change into FULL uniform. (Band shirts, THIN athletic shorts, jackets, pants, gauntlets, LONG black socks, black marching shoes, black gloves, hats, and plume.) If students do not have gloves, they are $2.25 a pair. You must supply the socks. All students have shoes.
6:25 - March to the stadium. Play at tailgate party on the northeast corner of the gym. 
7:00 - Kick-off
9:30(approximately) - Finished for the evening. Students will need to change out of uniform before leaving the band room!

2. SATURDAY - Cherokee Strip Parade in Perry
8:45 - Meet at the band room to load trailer and change into uniform. (Same as Friday night.)
9:00 - Depart for Perry
10:30 - Parade starts
*At the conclusion of the parade, we will give the students the opportunity to eat lunch where all the food vendors are set up downtown, so they will need to bring money for lunch.
*If you need to check out your student after the parade, please see Mr. Robinson or myself before you leave with them. Students may only ride home with their own parents. We cannot allow them to leave with anyone else unless you have prior approval from Mr. McElroy.
1:30 (approximately) - Return to Perkins

3. Fall Fundraiser
Today, we are kicking off our Cherrydale Farms fundraiser. The success of this fundraiser is VITAL to the upkeep of the band program as we receive no funding from the school. It is very expensive to run this program and we rely on fundraisers and donations to be able to do things such as: pay contest fees, purchase music, purchase stands and chairs, purchase supplies, pay school participation fees to be able to participate in honor band auditions/clinics, plus much, much more! Fundraiser forms will be due back by September 20 and we are asking every students to strive to sell 10 items. Money will be due when the items are delivered. 

4. All-State Honor Band Auditions
Any 10-12 grade student that would like to audition for all-state honor bands will need to pay their entry fees.
OSSBDA (Small School) All-State Fee - $15 per instrument due by THIS Thursday (9/14)
OkMEA All-State Fee - $15 per instrument due by NEXT Thursday (9/21)

5. Cleaning of Band Uniforms
All band uniforms will need to be dry cleaned REGULARLY throughout the marching season. They MUST be taken to Duffy's Dry Clean City in Stillwater. PLEASE stay on top of this. Last year, MANY uniforms were neglected and were not cleaned enough. Permanent stains are already starting to set in. We need them to last at least 10 more years!! If your child wears it both Friday night and Saturday for the parade, they will need to be cleaned next week. It is supposed to be hot!

6. Eligibility
Eligibility will begin this week. Students must be passing all classes to stay eligible. IF a student show up on the ineligible list, they cannot participate in any type of contest. Students will be expected to still perform at football games or any performance that is not a contest. I encourage you to REGULARLY check your child's grade online. If you do not know how to do that, please contact the high school office and they can set you up.

              

Here are a few reminders as we get ready to start school on Thursday!

1. Early morning rehearsals will begin on Thursday, the first day of school, and will start promptly at 7:30am! Remember, punctuality and attendance is part of your grade in band. You must be in your place when the whistle blows or you will be counted as late. IF YOU ARRIVE AFTER THE TARDY BELL RINGS AT 8:15, YOU MUST CHECK IN AT THE OFFICE BEFORE COMING TO CLASS!

2. We will be marching Friday night during half-time at the Cushing game (weather permitting). Uniform for this game will be casual uniform with your most recent black band shirt. 9th graders, if an upperclassmen has an extra, see if you can borrow one of the HS shirts. Otherwise, your MS band shirt will be fine. 

We will meet at the HS band room at 5:45pm to load the equipment trailer and depart for Cushing. We will return upon the completion of the game, anywhere from 10:00-10:30pm. Rides need to be at the band room upon our arrival. PLEASE DO NOT PARK ON THE EITHER SIDE OF THE STREET IN FRONT OF THE BAND ROOM. WE MUST HAVE ROOM FOR THE BUSES AND EQUIPMENT TRAILER TO BE UNLOADED!

3. Your first playing test over Work Song/At the End of the Day is due on Thursday, 8/24, by 10:00pm! It must be a video of you playing the opener FROM MEMORY. The easiest way to get it to me is to set up a Google account (if you don't already have one), upload the video to your drive, and email or text me the link. If it is not received by 10:00pm, a late penalty will be assessed to your grade. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE! This test has been announced with plenty of time to take care of it in a timely manner. 

If you do not turn in a test, you run the risk of not being allowed to perform during half-time or will not be allowed to march during class until the test is turned in. This makes it VERY DIFFICULT for EVERYONE ELSE when you don't do your part!

Below is the updated rubric that will be followed for grading your playing tests. 

4. New band shirts: We ran into a few problems getting everything designed in time to get them for the Cushing game. However, we are now ready to go. ALL STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE ONE FREE SHORT-SLEEVE T-SHIRT! (Courtesy of the Band Boosters) I HIGHLY recommend you order a second shirt. You will be wearing these shirts a lot and there will not be extras if you need one. You also have the opportunity to order a long-sleeve t-shirt on this order. That will be all that will be available this time around. We will do another order for other items later. IF YOUR PARENTS OR ANYONE ELSE WOULD LIKE A SHIRT, I MUST HAVE THE ORDERS NOW! Payment is due at the time of the order. I MUST have all orders by FRIDAY, 8/24 in order to have them for our first home game!

Short sleeve shirts - $10 (up to 3XL)
Long sleeve shirts - $20 (up to 3XL)

You may email me sizes and type of shirt needed to: plcartmell@p-t.k12.ok.us
The sooner you do this, the better! :-)

Please let me know if you have any questions!

-PC

Good morning! It's hard to believe we have already been through 2 weeks of band camp. The kids have been doing a FANTASTIC job and I am very pleased with the progress made. Our final week of camp will be very different as we have students that will be starting Meridian Tech classes on Wednesday and Freshman Camp on Thursday. Here is our schedule for the week:

Monday       10:00-2:30 - Full Camp
                        2:30-5:45 - Swimming at the Cushing Water Park (admission is $3.75)
                        6:00 (approximately) - Return to HS Band Room

Tuesday        10:00-3:00 - Full Camp
                         3:00-4:00 - Group Skits

Wednesday  10:00-12:00 - Full Camp

Thursday       8:30 - Warm-up for Freshman Camp Performance
                         9:00 - Freshman Camp Performance (At the conclusion of the freshman camp performance, band members will                                          be dismissed for the remainder of the day.)

Friday             10:00-12:00 - Final camp rehearsal
                          12:00 - Band Camp concludes

At the conclusion of Friday's camp, that will be the last time we see the students until the first day of school on Thursday, August 24. WE WILL BEGIN 7:30AM REHEARSALS ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. 

On Friday, August 25, our first football game will be in Cushing.  More details will come soon.

Please make sure you have all band calendar dates on your personal calendar. The Google calendar on the website is the most up-to-date way to keep track of things. Also, this is just a reminder that ALL performances are mandatory, unless otherwise stated. Performance grades cannot be made up and will not be excused. (There are VERY few exceptions to this rule.)

BAND SHIRTS/APPAREL: We are working to finalize the design of our band shirts. We will be featuring all members of the P-T Band Sweepstakes Society on the back of the shirt. The Band Boosters have agreed to purchase 1 short-sleeve t-shirt for all members of the band. If extra shirts or other apparel is wanted, we will have that information soon. The  short sleeve shirt will be what band members will wear as part of the casual uniform AND what will be worn underneath their band uniform jacket.  

​Hello All!

We would like to invite ALL of our band families to a cookout and bonfire on Friday evening, August 11th.  The location for the cookout will be at the home of Phil and Dorothy Fagan at 4223 E. 122nd St. We will begin the festivities at 6:30pm. We had a GREAT time last year and had an incredible turn out! Let's make this year even better!

The Band Booster Organization will provide hot dogs, buns, condiments, plates, napkins, silverware, cups, and drinks.  We ask that all families bring a side dish or dessert to share.  This will be a great opportunity to relax and socialize before the busy school year gets underway.  

Please plan to join us on Friday, August 11th. Don't forget to bring:
1. side dish or dessert to share
2. lawn chairs
3. bug spray
4. any fun outdoor games or activities to play (e.g. corn hole, horse shoes, etc.)


See you there!