Hudson Hawk Band Updates

October 2023

BandFest

Monday, Oct. 2nd, 6:30pm

1209 East Centerville Road

Garland, TX

GISD BandFest is a night that showcases all 7 high school marching bands and all 12 middle school varsity bands. The event is open to the public and we would LOVE to have a huge audience that evening. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in advance from any HMS Wind Symphony student. You can also purchase tickets at the door, however, if you purchase them from a HMS Wind Symphony student, our program will directly benefit from your ticket purchase.

If you don't know any HMS Wind Symphony students, contact any HMS band director and they can help you with your ticket purchase.


Wind Symphony BandFest Performance Itinerary
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Parking Help!

When you come to pick your student up for a band event where we have taken a bus somewhere, please do not park in front of the sidewalk that leads to door #11. Our buses need a place to unload and the grassy area in front of the band hall is that place for us. Thank you so much for your attention to this matter!

Adv. Band Football Game - DATE CHANGE

Tuesday, Oct. 3rd, 5-8pm

3901 Miles Road

Sachse, TX

The Advanced Bands will be performing at the football games on October 3rd. This is a date change from our original October 17th performance date due to the high school UIL Region marching contest on the same date. The detailed itinerary can be found here. Thanks for being flexible!
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Beginner Band Fall Demonstrations

Beginner Band Fall Demonstrations

This year, we will be holding our fall beginner band demonstrations during the school day. We are inviting parents to attend an entire band class period to see how things are done in band and how the students are progressing. We want you to have these dates now, so you can schedule time off to come and join us!

Wednesday, October 4 Beginner Woodwinds (flutes 8:50-9:36am , oboes & bassoons 3:24-4:10pm, clarinets 2:34-3:20pm, and saxophones 9:40-10:26am)


Thursday, October 5 Beginner Brass & Percussion (trumpets 8:50-9:36am, French horns 3:24-4:10pm, trombones 2:34-3:20pm, euphoniums & tubas 9:40-10:26am, and percussion 9:40-10:26am)

We understand that not all parents will be able to come in person, so we will also live-stream the class performances on our Band Booster Facebook page. Since we can't livestream 2 classes on that page at the same time, the Percussion class will be streamed on our YouTube channel. Due to privacy laws, we will not be able to post the livestreams for viewing after the class.


Parents will need to check in at the front office and get a visitor badge before coming to the band hall for the performances.

Beginner Band Fall Demonstrations

Booster Club Meeting

Wednesday, Oct. 4th, 7pm

4405 Hudson Drive

Sachse, TX

Please join us for the next booster club meeting. We will be discussing the Practice-a-Thon party, which will require a LOT of parent help. We will also be discussing the rest of our fall semester events and needs. Please enter through door #11 in the back of the school. We can’t wait to see you there!
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Practice-a-Thon Party!

Friday, Oct. 6th, 6-10pm

4405 Hudson Drive

Sachse, TX

We are excited for our 6th annual Practice-a-Thon party! Students will sign up for a time to practice the week of the party. Throughout the evening, they will enjoy a game truck, laser tag, movies, snacks, pizza, sodas, games, and a photo booth. Students can also earn entries into a drawing for prizes by raising at least $50. All students will go home with a prize of some sort!


We are still in need of chaperones, particularly during the 2nd half of the party. If you are cleared to volunteer through GISD, please help us make this party a success by volunteering your time as a chaperone. Use this link to see our needs.
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Sachse High School Region Marching Contest

Go out and support the Sachse Mustang Band on Tuesday, October 17 at Mesquite Memorial Stadium as they take the first step in the UIL process this year. They will be performing their show "Coloring Silence". They perform at 5:45pm and tickets can be purchased at the door. The timeframe is very strict, so you'll want to arrive in plenty of time!

Advanced Bands Fall Concert

Wednesday, Oct. 25th, 6pm

4405 Hudson Drive

Sachse, TX

Please join us for our Advanced Bands fall concert in the competition gym at Hudson. Students will wear their band t-shirt and jeans for the performance. Students will need to arrive at 5:20pm to warm-up before the concert begins. We will open the doors for parent seating at 5:50pm. All performances adhere to the GISD clear bag policy.
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Fall Practice Challenge

Students who complete the Fall Practice Challenge (practicing for 50 out of the 63 days between October 8 and December 9), will be invited to the Elf Pajama Dodgeball Extravaganza on Thursday, December 14. Parents must initial in each box when students practice for at least 20 minutes. All papers must be turned in by December 12 and MUST have a parent signature to count and for an invitation to the party - no exceptions!

Students all received a paper copy the week before Fall Break, but you can find an electronic version of the challenge here.

Advanced Bands Fall Field Trip/Festival Performance

Advanced Bands Fall Field Trip/Festival Performance

Advanced Band students who pass all of their classes on the 1st quarter report card (locks October 6th), will be eligible to attend the Epic Music Festival at Epic Waters in Grand Prairie. We will take all 3 advanced bands to this festival on Monday, December 4. The total cost of the trip is $40 for students and $35 for chaperones. It includes the festival performance, Epic Waters waterpark entry fee, lunch, and transportation. Students will receive a trip contract this week - the contracts as well as at least a $10 deposit are due Friday, October 20.

Click here for a link to the trip contract.


To sign up for one of the chaperone spots, click here.

Advanced Bands Fall Field Trip/Festival Performance

Repeat Information From Last Month

Parent Meeting Presentations

If you missed the parent meetings last week, you can find the presentations below. Please take a few minutes to go through the slides and contact us with any questions or concerns.


Beginner Band Parent Meeting Presentation

Advanced Band Parent Meeting Presentation

Advanced Band Sectionals

Advanced Band sectionals will begin THIS week (August 21st). Every Advanced Band student will have a before/after school required rehearsal every other week. Pass-offs and playing tests will be given during these sectionals - attendance is mandatory and will be graded. **Percussion sectionals will take place during the school day with Mrs. Manaois.**


Wind Symphony Sectional Schedule

Honors Band Sectional Schedule

Symphonic Band Sectional Schedule

2023-2024 HMS Band Performance Calendar

Private Lessons

Private lessons are the single best investment you can make in your student's music education and growth. We have wonderful teachers for ALL instruments! The district has changed the price of lessons this year - they will now cost $25 each week, payable directly to the private lesson teacher. You can find more information about private lessons and an enrollment form at this link. If you know you want to enroll in lessons, please send the enrollment form back ASAP - those students will have first preference when it comes to scheduling lesson times.
Join Groups on the Band App

Join Groups on the Band App

The BAND app is the quickest way for us to communicate with you and we use it often. You can sign up for the BAND app by clicking on the link for the group you wish to join: ALL Band Parents & Students, Beginner Band, Symphonic Band, Honors Band, Wind Symphony, Parents ONLY. We will send reminders about upcoming concerts, when practice records are due, sectionals, etc. Please sign up for this wonderful service! There is an actual Band app you can download as well.
Join Groups on the Band App

Amazon Wish List

As you are doing your back-to-school shopping, if you feel inclined to donate any items to the HMS Band, we do have an Amazon wishlist for our classroom. We are so grateful for any and all donations we receive, as well as just your support!
Log in to Charms

Log in to Charms

Please take a moment this week to log in to Charms. www.charmsoffice.com

Log in as a parent/student/member

The school code is hudsonsoundmachine


If you did not receive an email from Charms to change your password (new students), or you are a returning student who cannot access your Charms account, please send Mrs. Becker an email to have your password reset link emailed to you. **The link is only good for 24 hours after it is sent.**

Please update contact information (add adults as necessary), check your student's birthday, ID, instrument, etc. and make changes as necessary. If you have questions or have difficulty logging in, please contact Mrs. Becker.

Log in to Charms

Need another copy of a handout? It's on the website! (Click this button to find them.)

About Us

About Us

About Us

Heather Becker - Director

Dan Urban - Assistant Director

Ryan Neff - Assistant Director

hdbecker@garlandisd.net 972-675-3070 hudsonband.org