Week of November 25

2026 Band Trip — Orlando

The Oshkosh West Bands and Choirs are traveling to Orlando over spring break in 2026!

The trip is open to all students who will be enrolled in a band class at West next school year and their families. This is a totally optional trip; everyone is encouraged to travel with us, but no one is required.

At the meeting on November 18, we shared a tentative itinerary, tentative costs, and fundraising options. Following the meeting, we will begin a fundraiser that will run for the next several weeks. More information will be available on our trip page and fundraising page.

Don’t let money be an issue! We have had many students pay for their entire trip with fundraising! If you are interested in traveling with us but may have financial barriers, please attend the meeting and learn how we can make it work for your family.

Registration is due by January 27th and a deposit is due by February 3rd.

Holiday Parades — November 26 and December 5

Each year, all students in our four bands combine to perform in the Oshkosh and Appleton Holiday Parades. This is a required performance for all students. A single permission slip for both performances was sent via Infinite Campus on October 31.

The uniform for the parades is as follows:

All students will wear their marching uniform jacket, pants, and hat provided by the school. Students are responsible for providing long black socks and all-black shoes. Shoes that are not all-black will be made all-black. Expensive and/or fancy shoes are unnecessary! Find a pair of cheap all-black shoes that will last all four years at Walmart, Target, Goodwill, or your favorite local store. Students with financial difficulties should contact Mr. Singer or Mr. Wilson for assistance. (Students will not board the bus or be able to perform without the proper attire.)

It will be cold! The band program provides clean black ear warmers to be worn underneath the marching hats. The uniforms were fit with a little room so students can wear thermals, sweatshirts, Underarmour, or the like. Please do not wear anything with a hood as that will make the jacket bunchy. It may be a good idea to bring hand and/or foot warmers as well.

Clarinet and saxophone players may wish to purchase plastic reeds for the cold temperatures. Plastic reeds have strengths in quarters (2.5, 2.75, 3, 3.25, 3.5) rather than halves (2.5, 3, 3.5) like cane reeds. We recommend ordering a quarter stronger than you typically play. So, if you typically play a 2.5, order a 2.75 (though we should consider moving you up to a 3 cane reed). If you typically play a 3, order a 3.25. If you typically play a 3.5, order a 3.75. We recommend using the Légère Signature brand. Légère has other cheaper models, but this is definitely a “you get what you pay for” situation. From our experience, we do not recommend other brands at this time.

Brass players may wish to purchase a plastic mouthpiece for the cold temperatures. Please get a clear, white, blue, gray, silver, or black mouthpiece. Below are links to recommended mouthpieces. You can purchase these on Amazon, at Heid, or through the Kelly website.

Trumpet Mouthpiece (choose 3C, 5C, or 7C based on your metal mouthpiece)
Horn Mouthpiece (choose the MC model)
Trombone Mouthpieces
- Double-check your instrument for small or large shank (or ask Mr. Singer)
- Straight Tenor Trombone Mouthpiece (choose the 6-1/2AL model)
- Trigger Trombone Mouthpiece (choose the 5G model)
Euphonium Mouthpieces
- Double-check your instrument for small or large shank (or ask Mr. Singer)
- Yamaha Euphonium Mouthpiece (choose the 6-1/2AL model)
- King and Wilson Euphonium Mouthpiece (choose the 5G model)
Tuba Mouthpiece (choose the KellyBerg model)

Eighth Grade Band Day — DECEMBER 3

Eighth Grade Band Day is an annual event that helps prepare our westside eighth graders for the upcoming Band-o-Rama performance. Eighth grade band students will experience rehearsing and performing with the West Wind Ensemble students to help scaffold playing as part of a much larger group at the performance. This is an excellent opportunity for high school students to act as mentors for younger students.

This is an all-school-day event for Wind Ensemble students. The event is held at West in the auditorium and music wing. Each middle school has one session that consists of a sectional between eighth grade and high school students, a full rehearsal, a performance by Wind Ensemble, and a snack/lunch with time to get to know each other. It’s always a great day and teaches our students a lot about leadership!

BAND-O-RAMA Rehearsals

December is a busy month for our music students and band students will have a bit of time out of class to combine bands in preparation for the district-wide Band-o-Rama concert on December 14. We have worked hard to minimize out-of-class time as much as possible. The tentative schedule is below. Please note the band for each time -- not all students are missing class at all times.

Monday, December 9th - 4th Hour - Wind Ensemble in the Band Room

Monday, December 9th - 6th Hour - Wildcat Band in the Band Room

Wednesday, December 11th - 1:00-3:00 - Wind Ensemble and Varsity Band in the Kimball Auditorium

Thursday, December 12th - 8:10-10:30 - Wildcat Band and Concert Band in the Kimball Auditorium

BAND-O-RAMA — DECEMBER 14

We are excited to continue our tradition of having all 750+ district band students perform at Band-o-Rama!

This year’s performance will be on December 14th at 6pm in the Oshkosh North Field House. Due to fire code, each student we are asking each student to bring only 2-3 audience members. Please let us know if you’d like to bring more, as we may be able to accommodate that as well.

Due to the magnitude of the performance, we will have a required rehearsal in the field house prior to the performance. Below is the high school schedule for the day:

12:40 pm Arrive at North and report to homerooms
1:00 pm 6-12 rehearsal
1:30 pm 7-12 rehearsal
2:00 pm Combined Wildcat, Spartan, and Concert Bands rehearsal
2:30 pm Combined High School rehearsal
3:00 pm Combined Wind Ensemble and Varsity Band rehearsal (Wildcat, Spartan, and Concert Bands students dismissed)
3:30 pm Wind Ensemble and Varsity Band students dismissed
5:30 pm call time to homerooms
6:00 pm Performance

Six Flags Trip — May 28, 2025

This year, we will be traveling to Six Flags Great America on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. This will be an optional trip for any student in the music department.

The only criteria to attend is not missing performances; all performances must be attended or made up by the trip date. Costs will be determined in the spring, but fundraisers will be available throughout the year. Hope to see you there!

Grading and Make-Up Procedures

Are you curious about how grades are determined? Click here for more information!

Do you have to miss a pep band performance? Students who have a school-related activity are excused from the pep band performance. Students missing for any other reason must make up the performance to gain the points. Students wishing to be excused for a school-related activity should fill out this form prior to the date of the performance.

Do you have to miss a concert or parade performance? All students missing a concert or parade performance for any reason must make up the performance to earn the points.

View make-up procedures here. Please contact Mr. Singer or Mr. Wilson with questions.