If you would like to order an EXTRA shirt for your student (one is included with their band fees) or any shirts for your family or friends, please fill out THIS FORM. We will only be collecting orders for extra shirts through August 24th. Extra shirts must be paid for by September 7th - we can accept cash, checks (made out to Hudson Band Boosters), or Paypal through Charms (under miscellaneous payment) for extra shirts.

If you would like to order a Hudson Band car decal or yard sign, you can find the order forms below:

Car Decal Order Form

Yard Sign Order Form

Car decals are $10 each or $12 if they are personalized. Yard signs are $20 each or $25 if they are personalized. These signs are made by a former Hudson band mom, who is now a Sachse HS band mom. Orders must be submitted by October 6th and delivery of all signs and decals is early November. Please understand the delivery timeframe before ordering - high school marching band season is busy! Order can be paid by cash, check (made out to Hudson Band Boosters), or Paypal in Charms (under the miscellaneous payment tab).

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 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

Welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed your summer and were able to spend time with family and friends, recharging your batteries, and getting excited for a new school year. I can't believe it's time to get started, but am so excited to see all of you soon! You will receive a Smore newsletter once a month this year (a change from the every week newsletters sent the last 2 years). I will try to include all pertinent information for the upcoming month, but it would be wise to revisit the newsletter throughout the month as more details for specific events are added. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read ALL THE WAY THROUGH the newsletter each month! This is the best way you can stay up-to-date with what is happening with the Hudson Band and I do everything in my power to keep you informed well in advance. You can also visit our website for any handouts and to see the band calendar.

Students DO NOT NEED INSTRUMENTS ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. We will spend that day assigning lockers, going over school policies and procedures, and getting to know one another. Advanced Band students can start bringing their instrument on the 2nd day (Wednesday, August 9th), and Beginner Band students can bring their instruments for the first time on Thursday, August 10th.

Beginner Band

If you have yet to purchase supplies or rent an instrument, use this link to see your instrument's supply list as well as a list of our recommended music stores. If you ordered from Music & Arts or Brooks Mays, they have delivered all instruments and supplies that were ordered prior to this past weekend. They will continue delivering as orders come in.

Advanced Bands

Every year students need new supplies and to replace those items that have been lost/damaged/etc. We have tried to make it super easy by linking needed items directly through Amazon. This link will show you the required supplies for Advanced Band students for this year. If your student is in the 8th grade, they should already have Book 1 from this list. You would only need to purchase it again if it is lost, damaged, or they did not have one last year. All students will need Book 2 as well as a flip folder and a tuner/metronome and clip-on microphone. Please read over the handout carefully to make sure your student has all of the supplies they will need for band this year.

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.

We do have a limited number of scholarships available for those who want to take lessons, but finances are the only thing stopping you from signing up. If this is your situation, please fill out this Lesson Scholarship Application and return it to Mrs. Becker by August 18th. Scholarships will be based on need and will be given for either 2/5 or 3/5 of the lesson cost. Please be sure to answer both questions on the form - one is answered by parents and one by the student.

Before school let out, all advanced band students received a Summer Practice Club flier. If your student has been keeping up with their practicing this summer, please make sure they fill out the form so they can attend the ice cream party at the end of the first week of school!

Please take a few minutes to read through our Band Handbook. Our handbook explains our policies and procedures, but is not an all-encompassing document. We have included as much information as possible and would appreciate it if you took the time to read through it. All students will receive 4 forms (a handbook acknowledgement form, image release form, cost form, and field trip/medical release form) on the first day of school that must be filled out and signed by parents. The forms are due by August 18th.

Once school starts, students will be taking their instruments home daily to practice. This means they will need to put their instruments in their band locker before school starts in the morning, and pick it up from the band hall at the end of the day. Most of our band parents choose to utilize the back entrance of the school for this purpose. The band hall exterior door is #11. After the first few days of school, the traffic using the back of the school for drop-off and pickup is typically much lighter than the front of the school. We hope you will use the back for your band student! Please be mindful of the traffic patterns - the left lane is for parking and loading/unloading while the right lane is drive thru only. Please do not stop to pick up your student in the right lane - this is dangerous for all!

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!

All students will receive their band binder during the 2nd day of school. We will be taking grades on the organization of the band binders from time to time. Please help your student stay organized and remind them to put their papers in the rings and behind the correct divider.

**ALL REQUIRED BAND HANDBOOK FORMS AND A 2023-2024 PERFORMANCE CALENDAR IS IN THE HANDOUT SECTION OF EVERY BINDER.** You can always find the most up-to-date version of the calendar on the band website.

All of the forms are due by Friday, August 18th.

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!

Beginner Woodwinds (flutes, oboes, bassoons, clarinets, and saxophones) - Wednesday, October 4

Beginner Brass & Percussion (trumpets, French horns, trombones, euphoniums, tubas, and percussion) - Thursday, October 5

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.