Week of September 9

Welcome!

We are excited to welcome all of our Oshkosh West band students and families to a new school year! We have a lot of great music, performances, and travel planned for our students this year. Thank you for choosing to be a part of our life-changing organization!

Families, there have been countless studies that prove how valuable a music class is to the minds of our young adults. We certainly don’t expect the majority of our students to become music majors or enter the professional music field, but the long-lasting impact of participating in a music class for an extended period will undoubtedly aid all of our students’ successes in whatever they may do after graduation. Please take a few moments to read this short article published by Forbes magazine about a recent study done on students studying music in high school.

Performance Calendar

We have a great year full of a variety of performance opportunities planned for our students! Please check out this page on our website to subscribe to our band calendar or to view and print a PDF of the band events. When looking at the PDF calendar, please take note of the rightmost column which denotes which students are participating in the event.

Each performance is a demonstration of musical skills by the students. Since band is a class and performances are a part of the learning process as well as graded public demonstrations of skills learned, attendance and participation at each performance is expected, required, and graded. If a student must miss a performance, we do have opportunities for students to make-up the missed points. The procedures can be viewed on this page on our website.

Students who are participating in a school-related activity (game/match/meet/etc.) during a pep band performance are excused. This may include being on the team playing while we perform or on a team that has an away event during our performance. To be excused, students must fill out this form on our website prior to the beginning of the performance. We recommend filling out the form for all absences once the team calendar is released. Our athletic director states that performances supersede practices. The same is true the other way around — games/matches/meets/etc. supersede band practices. With that said, coaches aren't allowed to hold this against students in any way, especially by reducing playing time. If this is an issue, please let the directors or Mr. Jodarski know and we can work it out with the coach.

When planning absences during the school year, please try to avoid performance dates so that your student has the opportunity to be a part of the full experience of a performance with their classmates.

Swag Sale

This week, we introduced a swag sale, where students and families can purchase shirts, hoodies, jackets, hats, and other items to show their support for the West Bands. We do not require students to purchase any of these items, but most band students and families end up ordering an item or two throughout their band careers!

How do I order? We are running the sale through September 22nd. Items must be ordered on our website, but can be paid by card, cash, or check made out to Oshkosh West Bands.

How do I pay? Items can be purchased by card, cash, or check made out to Oshkosh West Bands. The district is pushing card payments heavily this year as their preferred payment type. PHowever, you may place cash or checks in an envelope with your name, the amount, and what you've ordered online. Students, please do not place money in the turn-in drawers.

When do I receive the items? All items will be custom-made once the order period ends on September 22nd. We anticipate that we can hand them out in class prior to Homecoming, but that may change based on shipping.

Football Pep Band

This year, we will be performing at three home football games on September 13th, October 11th, and October 18th. These are required, graded performances for all students unless a school activity conflicts (see above).

The games are at Titan Stadium and students must provide their own transportation to and from the stadium. Student should be at Titan no later than 15 minutes prior to performance time (each game is at a different time; please consult the calendar). For the September 13th game, we will play pregame only. For the October games, we will play pregame and halftime. When we play halftime, students may sit in the student section during the first half but should be back down on the track with two minutes left on the clock before halftime to prepare for the second performance. After we are done with our performances, students should pack up their equipment and either take it to the trailer to be taken back to West or take it home. Please note that instruments will be left on the trailer until Monday. The uniform for games is either West or blue and white gear or the student section theme, with considerations taken for the weather.

There are two home games that fall on non-school days. We typically avoid pep band performances when there is no school, however the homecoming game falls on a non-school day. We made the concession to give students the night off on September 27th so that we can be present for the Homecoming game on October 11th. Thank you for your flexibility!

Required Supplies for Success in Band

Each West band student has required materials in order for them to be successful. Most students have had these supplies required since 6th grade, though you may have run out of some items or they may have been lost. A complete list of required items for each instrument can be found on this page on our website. We will have a supply check on September 26th and at various points throughout the year.

ALL woodwind and brass students will need a Korg TM-60 Metronome/Tuner with 1/4“ jack and Peterson TP3 Contact Microphone or similar in good working order. Please do not purchase a single-unit guitar tuner. These do not have the necessary features and do not attach to band instruments in a way that allows the student to read music properly. We have chosen the Peterson TP3 contact microphone for its increased durability. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors, if either part of your setup from last year doesn’t function, you must have a working replacement for this school year.

We encourage students to have their own tuners and contact microphones. However, this year, we are able to remove the tuner rental fee for students who need to use a school-owned tuner and contact microphone. Families of students using school-owned equipment are financially responsible for damages beyond normal wear-and-tear. Batteries are available, free-of-charge, for all students.

We are building a component into our online store where families can purchase needed supplies and upgrades throughout the year in partnership with Heid Music. Items will be populated over the next week. A notification will be sent when all supplies are available.

School-Owned Instruments

Students who use a school-owned instrument were issued one on Wednesday, September 4th. The district has eliminated rental fees; however, families of students using school-owned instruments are financially responsible for damages beyond normal wear-and-tear.

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.