7th & 8th Grade Band Parent Meeting

August 14, 2025

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Band Boosters

President - Steve Wiley

Secretary - Ann Gillespie

Accounts Payable - Allison Cianci

Accounts Receivable - Katie Dewey

Cashier - Elizabeth Gerlach

Database - Lindsey Brown

Webmaster - Jen Letourneau

Social Media - Kristy Kuhn

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In Need of:

Vice President

Fundraising Coordinator�Trip Coordinators

Special Events Coordinators

Uniform Coordinator

7th & 8th Grade Bands

7th Grade Concert Band

• All band students in 7th grade
• 2nd Period Woodwinds & Percussion
• 4th Period Brass
• Will rehearse on designated Tuesday mornings.

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8th Grade Symphonic Band

• All band students in 8th grade
• All are in 1st Period
• Will rehearse on designated Thursday mornings.

8th Grade Jazz Band

• Performs on various quarter concerts
• Visits elementary schools to perform throughout the school year
• Performs at the Wando Jazz Festival in Late May/Early June

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Jump Start Clinic

• For 6th graders
• Saturday, August 23, 8:45am-12pm @ Cario
• We need student volunteers. Sign up in CutTime. Click: Events, Jump Start Clinic, then sign up for your desired volunteer position.

New Member

Welcome Breakfast

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• Burton’s Grill in Town Center
• 8am-10am
• Saturday, September 6
• The 8th grade band members are the waiters and waitresses!
• Their job is to make the 6th graders feel welcome and answer any questions they have as they serve breakfast
• We will do sign-ups in class next week.

Concerts & Florida

Please refer to calendar for required dates.

• Rehearsals and Concerts are mandatory.
• Communicate conflicts kindly and early.

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2026 Band Florida Trip - Universal!

• Wednesday - Saturday, April 15-18, 2025
• Soundtrack Session: Instrumental Workshop
• Cost is TBD - Sell Coupon Books!

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Trip Chaperone Meeting

Fine Arts Chaperone Interest Meeting

• Wednesday, September 10
• 6:00 pm
• Cario Media Center
• If you wish to chaperone for our Florida trip this is a required meeting

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Instruments & Supplies

• Properly care for all instruments
• If you use two different instruments, have two different sets of supplies
• Reeds - Set your order of reeds to a subscription. Set it, forget it!
• All students need to be prepared for class with:
• Instrument w/ mouthpiece
• Supplies (reeds, oils, etc)
• Band Binder
• All Music
• Band Books
• Pencil
• Highlighter

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New Uniforms

• NEW Uniforms!
• Boys - vest and bowtie (~$30)
• Girls - black dress (~$65)
• This is a BULK order to save you money
• Friday, September 19 - Uniform Confirmation Form due
• Already Have & Fits Well or Need a New One
• Need a New One + No Response = Charge to Account
• Wednesday, October 1 - Payment Deadline
• If charge isn’t paid, we will remove the charge, not order, and will follow-up.
• Friday, October 3 - Uniform Fitting during class

Get these on your own:

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*Last year’s uniform is OK if it looks good.

*You are welcome to come and get one of our old uniforms for free.

Region & All-State Auditions

• Not mandatory, but strongly recommended for all 7th and 8th grade students
• Mock Auditions: December 4, 2025 @ Cario
• Region Auditions: January 10, 2026 @ Summerville High School
• IW - January 17
• All-State Auditions: January 24, 2026 @ Lexington High School (Lexington, SC)
• IW - January 31
• Region Clinic: February 20-21, 2026 @ Charleston School of the Arts
• All-State Clinic: March 12-14, 2026 @ Furman University
• Great experience for students!
• We prepare the students for these auditions all year!
• Private lessons give you the upper hand!

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Wando Band LEAP Events

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Lessons-Experiences-Access-Performances

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7th & 8th Graders - Highly Encouraged Events

• Sat 10/25 - Trunk or Treat
• Sat 11/8 - Community Performance
• *Wed 12/10 - Mt. Pleasant Holiday Parade Rehearsal
• *Sun 12/14 - Mt. Pleasant Holiday Parade
• *Tue 12/15 - Kaleidoscope Rehearsal & Concert
• Feb 20-21 - Region Band event
• Mar 13-16 - All-State Band trip
• April 20-24 - Wando Band Auditions
• For band placement only

*All 8th graders should plan to participate in the Parade or Kaleidoscope

15x

State Champs

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3x

Regional Champs

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2x

National Finalist

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#1

Region & All-State

Every

Year

Benefits of LEAP

• Membership in one of the premier Band programs in the nation.
• Friendships with some of the most loyal, driven students in the school.
• Travel to destinations across the country for performances and team bonding.
• Visibility with a premier Band program that colleges and universities will pursue.
• Scholarship opportunities from various colleges and universities. Wando Seniors average $3.2 million a year for Music majors and Non-Music majors.
• Musicianship and Leadership training with nationally renowned clinicians.

Grading

Students will earn their grade by completing the following:

• 10% - Written work
• 20% - Professionalism (materials, participation, class etiquette)
• 30% - Pass-offs
• 40% - Attending each scheduled rehearsal & performance each quarter

Practicing

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• There are many ways to practice that do not require the instrument
• Counting, Singing, Air playing, fingerings, listening, etc.

Honor Medal

• Top Band Student Award
• Maintain an A in Band all year
• Attend 4 performances outside of school - write a reflection
• Earn a spot in the Region or All-State Band
• Earn a Superior at Solo & Ensemble in late April
• More specifics given in class and in FTBR

The Fun Cycle

• On average, 10-15 minutes a day to start is sufficient practice.
• Quality and consistency of practice is WAY more important than the amount of time they practice.

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Band and the Gifted Child

• Music is humbling. Everyone will struggle at some point.
• Failure is not fatal, it is essential.
• Music is a separate intelligence.
• They will have to work differently than they would for other subjects, especially those that come easily for them.
• Slow and steady wins the race (and this is a long race).
• We teach them to face, deal with, and learn from failure.
• Activates the whole brain.

The Wall and Wet Glue

• The Wall:
• Your child will hit a wall at some point in the year.
• There are no shortcuts. Help them be Consistent & Persistent.
• Being frustrated is part of the process.
• Giving up guarantees failure.
• Wet Glue:
• Beware of Band Class Syndrome: Only playing in class, and not practicing at home, is like wet glue...without extra effort it never sticks the right way.

How can I help my child?

• Be encouraging - even when it’s loud or sounds bad. Progress is the goal.
• Give them a comfortable place to practice.
• Help make sure they have the needed supplies.
• Be an audience for them. We practice so we can perform.
• Do not pester them about practicing, but be remindful.
• Enroll them in Cario Lessons Academy.

Cario Lessons Academy (CLA)

• Nothing beats 1-on-1 instruction
• 80% of the SC All-State Band takes private lessons.
• Our private teachers set their own rates. Most range around $40 per lesson.
• CLA will run on Tuesdays after school from 3:30-8 beginning on August 26.
• $50 registration per Semester covers use of facilities and staff presence on campus.
• Registration Form & Fee due Wednesday, August 20. (See calendar for form)

General Fundraising

• Snap! Raise
• Our only fundraiser for the general fund. It benefits EVERYONE in the program, so we ask that all participate.
• Starts Monday, August 25
• Students will need their chromebook in class to make an account
• Come up with 20 email addresses, 10 phone numbers,
• More information will come home via email and handouts

Personal Fundraising

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• Save Around Coupon Book
• Fall
• $25/book
• Online and in person
• Double Good Popcorn
• Spring
• Prices vary
• 100% online
• Students earn 50% into their Band account
• Applied to any band needs and/or trips
• Participation not required

Make sure you have a Beginning of Year Checklist

• Due: Student/Parent Info Form
• Financials (can be paid together):
• Fair Share Assessment (all)
• Cario Lessons Academy Registration (highly encouraged)
• School-Instrument Rental
• Bassoon
• French Horn
• Euphonium
• Tuba

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Fair Share Assessment

• $250, or two installments of $125
• Shirts, Materials, Music, Contest Entry fees, Clinicians for Sectionals, etc.
• Due Friday, August 22
• If you are in need of a scholarship or reduced fee, please fill out the Financial Assistance Form linked on the calendar and in FTBR.
• No student will be turned away due to financial reasons!

Please note:

The band program is here for you. If you are in need of something, please contact a director to work it out. Please do not withdraw your child solely because of financial stress. No member will be denied the opportunities of the organization due to financial difficulties. Please talk with a director or a member of our Booster organization.

Closing

This is the beginning of an exciting journey, but will be filled with ups and downs and many challenges.

There are countless rewards for the patient, strong, and persistent.

There are future All-State musicians, scholarship winners, performers, teachers, and life-long lovers of music in this group.

We are here to help.

Closing

Christian Gordon

christian_gordon@charleston.k12.sc.us

Kalyn Todd

kalyn_todd@charleston.k12.sc.us

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Please include both of us on your email.

Please give us 24 hours to respond to emails.

We check emails every school day in the morning and at 3:30pm.

We do not see emails sent outside of school hours.