Director's Update

11-28-23
Good Afternoon HMB Family,
I hope that everyone had a restful and blessed Thanksgiving holiday. I want to take a moment to let everyone know how blessed I feel to be a part of this organization. I am very thankful for our students, parents, school board, administration, and community. I am also very thankful for Mr. Twiss, Ms. Willis and our great team of directors at MPMS and HIS that I have the privilege to work with. It truly takes a village to have a successful band program and I am very thankful for all the support that everyone gives us. As we near the end of this semester, it is going to get very busy so I am going to mention quite a few things that are coming up so please read on, so you know what is happening.

To prepare for the game on Friday we will need to have marching practice tomorrow from 4:15-5:15pm after school. Those who are ineligible to attend Friday’s game and those doing the All-Region audition on Friday night do not need to attend.
Our next playoff game is scheduled for this Friday, December 1st at NRG Stadium in Houston at 7:00pm. If you need to pick your student up from the game, please email us by Friday morning. Our schedule is below:
1:00 Release to Band Hall/get into marching shoes/socks, black shorts and HMB t-shirt
1:15 Marching Rehearsal
2:15 Stage equipment to be loaded
2:30 Eat pizza provided by the school
3:00 Get into half uniform/load equipment onto charter buses
3:15 Load buses
3:30 Depart for NRG Stadium (NRG Pkwy, Houston, TX 77054)
5:45 Arrive/Unload
6:15 Enter NRG
6:30 Seated for pregame
7:00 Kickoff
10:00 End of game
10:30 Depart for home
12:00 Arrive at Band Hall/unload/go home!
We are also hosting the 5A Region 9 All-Region auditions here at HHS this Friday, December 1st. We will need 10 adult volunteers to help run this very important audition. Please consider signing up to do that. Here is the schedule for that evening:
4:15 Parent volunteers arrive (you will be fed pizza/water)
4:30 Parent volunteer/room monitor meeting in the library(7 parents)/Concession stand opens in the commons (run by 2 parents) (1 parent will be used as a floater)
4:45 Judges’ meal in the Band Hall (served by Bo and his crew)
5:00 Student check-in at audition rooms
5:15 Judges’ meeting in Band Hall
5:45 Contest begins
9:30 Approximate end of audition
10:00 Cleanup of audition rooms/Band Hall/Commons complete/Everyone is done
Saturday, December 2nd is our Christmas parade downtown. We will be wearing our full band uniform for this. The students are allowed to wear Santa hats and decorate their instruments if they can still play them correctly. Everyone who is eligible can attend.
Schedule for the parade:

3:45 Arrive at Band Hall in marching shoes/socks, black shorts and HMB t-shirt
4:00 Eat pizza provided by Band Boosters
4:30 Set block/practice
5:00 Load truck/get into uniform
5:20 Load buses
5:30 Depart for downtown
5:45 Arrive at parade route/unload
6:30 Parade begins
6:45 Parade ends/load truck and buses
7:00 Return to Band Hall
7:20 Arrive at Band Hall/unload/go home!
Our HMB Christmas Concert will be on Monday, December 11th. A more detailed schedule will be forthcoming.
This Thursday, November 30th is the deadline for paying for the down payment of the spring band trip. Please let us know if you have any questions or need any help getting an account created for your student. Any money currently in students’ charms accounts will be transferred after the down payment is made. We and the trip company need to know that people are committed, and the down payment is one way to know that. It is also a chance for you to purchase the trip insurance as well.

11-27-23

Good Afternoon Students Auditioning for All-Region,
As many of you have no doubt heard, our game has been confirmed for this Friday, December 1st at 7:00pm. It is also the same evening as our All-Region Auditions. Obviously, this creates an unfortunate conflict. Just for some context, the 6A bands in our Region have to deal with this conflict every year when their teams go this far into the playoffs. It is unfortunate but something we have to work our way through.

As I have stated many times in the past, preparing the All-Region audition music makes you better as individual players, and it makes our band better. I stand by that statement but at the same time I realize the unique situation we find ourselves in. I would like for everyone who feels they have a decent shot at making the band to still audition on Friday. For those who feel they have not prepared the music well enough to make the band, please send me an email letting me know that, and we will consider taking you to the game. I am placing a lot of faith in you to make a mature, well-informed decision. Please be honest and do what you know is right, not just what you want to do.

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

11-15-23
Good Morning HMB Family,
Last weekend the pep band did a great job, and we had a lot of fun, but it was also sad not having everyone there at the game. This week we will be taking EVERYONE who is eligible to the game! We were able to secure enough buses for the full band, cheer, GG’s and flag team.
Here are our announcements and reminders for upcoming events:

We will be having our 2nd playoff game this Friday, November 17th at Waco ISD Stadium against LBJ High School. The game will begin at 7:00pm. I am attaching stadium information to this email in case anyone wants to attend. If anyone needs to pick up their student at the end of the game please email us by Friday morning as usual. If any student is unable to attend the game I need a parent email as soon as possible so we can plan for it.
Our schedule will be:

12:55 Release at the end of 5th period to the Band Hall
1:10 Practice Playoff Halftime Drill
1:40 Visual inspection of uniforms
2:00 Load Equipment onto buses
2:15 Load people onto buses (grab marching hat on the way to the buses)
2:30 Depart
4:45 Arrive at Waco ISD Stadium (1401 S New Rd, Waco, TX 76711)
5:00 Eat Dinner (Pizza provided for the students by Band Boosters)
5:30 Unload equipment
6:00 Get seated in stadium
7:00 Kickoff
10:00 Approximate end of game
10:15 Depart for HHS
12:15 Arrive at HHS/Unload
12:30 Go home!
We are hosting the UIL Region 9 5A All-Region Band Auditions on Friday, December 1st here at HHS. Some of our band students will be participating in the audition and we will also need some parent and student help running the contest. I will provide more details after we get back from Thanksgiving Break.
Saturday, December 2nd we will be participating in the Lions Club Christmas Parade. It begins at 6:30pm. I will also provide a more detailed schedule for this after the break.
Our HMB Christmas Concert will be on Monday, December 11th. A more detailed schedule will be forthcoming.

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

11-13-23
Good Afternoon Parents,
Below you will find the QR Code and link to set up your account to begin paying for your student’s spring band trip to Washington D.C.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Parent/Guardian must register for your account. DO NOT HAVE YOUR STUDENT CREATE THE ACCOUNT
Once you register, you will add your student as the person traveling.
Select the student quad/triple occupancy package for $1518.
Select if you want travel protection or not
- I HIGHLY RECOMMEND PURCHASING THE ENHANCED TRAVEL PROTECTION IN CASE YOUR STUDENT HAS TO CANCEL/IS NOT ABLE TO GO (REMEMBER, STUDENTS MUST BE PASSING ALL CLASSES BEFORE THE TRIP TO ATTEND)
Make your $200 down payment ($100 not refundable) and pay for travel protection if selected.
If you can, please make your first payment this Friday. However, since this information is late coming out, we are going to be flexible with this first due date. The absolute deadline for the first payment is November 30th.
We will begin inviting chaperones this week starting with those that have the most chaperone/concession hours and work our way down the list until we have enough chaperones

Your QRC Registration Code is below:

This is your group’s custom registration link:
https://superholiday.grcoll.co/go/hhmb77320-24
If you have traveled with us before and have an account, then just enter the trip code:
HHMB77320-24
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to email me.
Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

11-8-23
Good Afternoon HMB Family,
Over the past several days, we have been figuring out transportation to our playoff game in Texas City. This has been challenging due to many charter companies being low on bus availability. Many other bands, football teams, and spirit groups across the state are looking for playoff transportation like us. We were able to confirm a couple buses to share with Cheer. Unfortunately, we will have limited seating and are only able to take a smaller Pep Band consisting of all Wind Symphony members, Wind Ensemble percussion and tubas, and all Seniors in Symphonic/Concert Band. Weather was also a factor in not taking the entire band. This will be a much more mobile group if the weather becomes a big problem, and we have to leave the stands quickly. This will give us enough of each instrument to still play our music in the stands plus allow all seniors to experience the playoff game. Since we are taking a smaller group, we would not march at halftime for this game.
Students must be academically eligible on the 2nd six weeks Report Card to attend the playoff game. Any students in the groups listed above who are unable to attend the game need to email the Directors ASAP.

1:30 Release from class to Band Hall
2:00 Load Equipment onto buses
2:15 Load people onto buses
2:30 Depart
3:30 Stop at Baybook Mall to eat (Students will be given $9, they may want to bring more)
4:45 Depart for Stingaree Stadium (1431 9th Ave N, Texas City, TX 77590)
5:30 Arrive/Unload
6:00 Get seated in Stadium
7:00 Kickoff
10:00 Approximate end of game
10:15 Depart for HHS
12:00 Arrive at HHS/Unload
12:15 Go home!
Thank you,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

11-3-23
Good Morning Everyone,
I know many have been wondering what is going on with the band trip. I am sorry it has taken us so long to move forward but we have had some issues nailing down the date because of testing. After looking at all the options we are going to stick with the same dates after all. It presents the least amount of conflicts. We will be getting information out to those students affected by the testing conflicts so that they can make a decision on what they want to do. They will be able to do both their AP tests and still go on the trip but it will take some planning and flexibility.
Below is the new payment schedule since we are starting payments for the trip later than originally planned. Monday, I will be sending out information on how to sign up for an account to make your initial down payment. Remember, you will be making payments directly to the trip company, not the band boosters. If you have money in the Charms account, it will be transferred at a later date so you will need to make the initial down payment. The only exception to this is if you have enough money in Charms right now to pay for the entire trip. The other reason everyone will need to make the down payment is when you sign up for your account you will be given the option to buy trip insurance. I highly recommend purchasing that to cover yourself in case an emergency happens and your student cannot travel.
Finally, please remember that the trip will not cost any more than $1500 but that is before any fundraising money has been applied to the cost of the trip. As that money is applied, we will begin eliminating or reducing the last couple of payments accordingly. I recommend following the payment schedule even if you are able to pay more. That way you don’t have to get refunded back money that you have already paid in.
If you have any questions let me know.
★ $200.00 per person deposit DUE BY NOVEMBER 17, 2023 ($100 non-refundable)
★ $300.00 per person deposit DUE BY DECEMBER 15, 2023
★ $300.00 per person deposit DUE BY JANUARY 16, 2024
★ $300.00 per person deposit DUE BY FEBRUARY 15, 2024
★ $300.00 per person deposit DUE BY MARCH 19, 2024
★ Remaining Balance DUE BY APRIL 15, 2024
Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

10-31-23
Good Afternoon Everyone,
The students gave a great performance for our home crowd last Friday night! And what a win that was by our football team. In all the band classes, we are now beginning to multitask as we look forward to All-Region auditions, the Christmas parade and our Christmas concert, all of which will be here before we know it! Below are some announcements and reminders for the upcoming weeks.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 1st we will have regular marching practice. Students, it will be chilly so dress appropriately.
Thursday, November 2nd will be our last regular season away game. We will be taking charter buses to this game because of the distance and the fact that the game begins at 7:00pm. If anyone needs to get picked up from the stadium please email us by Thursday morning.
2:00 Release from 7th period
2:05 Change into band shoes/socks, black shorts and black HMB t-shirt
2:25 Visual uniform inspection with uniform bags
2:40 Stage instruments on marching field for loading
2:45 Begin loading equipment under charter buses
3:00 Meet in Band Hall
3:05 Begin loading students onto charter buses (everyone will get their gameday meal as they board)
3:15 Depart HHS for Traylor Stadium (1000 E Stadium Dr, Rosenberg, TX 77471)
5:30 Arrive/Unload
5:50 Form up
6:00 March into stadium
7:00 Game begins
10:00 Approximate end of game
10:10 Load buses
10:30 Depart for HHS
12:30 Arrive at HHS/unload
12:45 Go home!
I know that report cards will be coming out this week, but I need everyone to understand how eligibility works in this case. There is a 7-day waiting period before students can regain or lose their eligibility after the 6 weeks ends. This means that no student will lose or gain their eligibility until this Friday at 3:40pm. In other words, whoever was eligible/not eligible for last week’s game remains the same for this Thursday. When we go into playoffs next week whoever passes the 2nd 6 weeks will be who is eligible going forward.
As I mentioned before, we will be heading into the playoffs next week. The game would most likely be next Friday, November 10th but it could also be on Thursday or Saturday. I also do not know the location currently. We will send out more details as we get them.

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

10-25-23
Good Afternoon Parents and Students,
I just want to start off by saying how proud I am of the students for all of their hard work this year. While I know the students are disappointed that we did not advance to finals yesterday, I want them to step back and realize how far they have come from last year until now. This is a totally different band in so many ways from last year and I want to encourage the students to continue to strive for excellence in everything we do! I know that this year was just the first step in building toward the future!
Here are the announcements and reminders for this week and looking ahead:

First, I want to say thank you to all of those who volunteered to work at the concession stand so far this year. This provides a great service for the games and benefits ALL our band students financially! I would like to encourage you to consider getting on the list to work if you have not yet done so. We still need more help filling all our spots so that the concession stands can run smoothly and make as much money possible for our students. Remember, we are trying to cover two home and one away side concession stand which requires a lot of folks. As more incentive to work, each person will be provided with a drink and one food item during the evening. There is also a large monitor in the concession stand with a live feed of the game, so you won’t totally miss out on the band or team during the game. Below is a message from our Booster Officer in charge of concessions, Shannon Atnip:

I still need 6 volunteers for the game this Friday. There are positions for cashier, runner, kitchen, clean-up/stocker. You must have your food handlers’ certificate, and it must be current, to volunteer. If you have already emailed me your certificate, or if you completed the class I enrolled you in, then I already have your certificate. The dress code is a HMB/Hornet/athletic t-shirt or polo. No tank-tops allowed. You can wear shorts or jeans, but the shorts must be at least finger-tip length and neither the shorts nor the jeans can have holes in them. Closed toed shoes are required and hair must be pulled back. Kick-off is 7:30pm so you will need to arrive between 5:30-6pm. You will park in the parking lot off MLK and walk across the bridge and meet under the big H. Please let me know if you are available. hmb.concessions@gmail.com
Friday, October 27th will be our last home game against Brenham. This is also Senior Night. At the end of this email there will be more info for the seniors and senior parents.
Our schedule will be:

3:40 Eat Dinner
*** If you did not purchase a meal through the band boosters bring a sack dinner with you to school.
4:15 Run through drill
4:35 Cool off/restroom, etc.
4:45 Get in Uniform
5:00 Squad Leader/Section Manager/Senior Uniform Inspection (with Flip-Folders)
5:15 Full Band Uniform Inspection (with Flip-Folders)
5:30 Meet in Band Hall
5:40 Form up on band lot
5:50 Head down to stadium for march in
6:05 March into stadium
6:15 Release seniors to track (See Senior info later in this email)
7:30 Kick-off
10:30 Approximate end of game
10:40 Head back to Band Hall to put away equipment
10:50 Go Home!!!
We have a pep rally this Friday and the students need to bring their pep rally attire with them (Green HMB polos tucked into jeans with a belt). Seniors have the option to wear their overalls/senior shirts OR the pep rally uniform. Seniors will also be allowed to go over to the senior bleachers at the end of the pep rally for the Class Spirit competition.
Below is the info for the seniors and senior parents about the senior recognition before the game:

Pregame recognition of Seniors will start promptly at 6:30pm. Parents and Seniors will line up together in the Northeast corner of the stadium by the field house at 6:20pm. Parents will enter the northeast gate by the field house and your student will meet you there when they are released from the stands. Everyone will get in line by the senior’s last name in alphabetical order. Parents and Seniors will take their pictures with Game Day Photos in front of the field house and be given a QR code if you want to purchase the pictures. You will then proceed around the track toward the home side where the senior and parents will be announced. Yearbook staff will probably be there to take one more picture. The band will be recognized first so they can get back into the stands to play our pregame music. Once the photos are done, everyone will go into the stands and the band students must get back into the band setup quickly and parents head to their seats. As usual, we have been told that each senior is to be escorted by a maximum of two parents/guardians. The seniors are telling us who those people will be today so that we can turn that into athletics.

The link below is a map to show everyone where everything will occur for Senior night activities.
Senior Night Staging Map

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

10-22-23
Good Evening Everyone,
I am sorry it has taken me so long to get this information out, but there have been a lot of logistics that we needed to take care of before we sent out the information. Below is our schedule for our UIL State Military Marching Contest this coming Tuesday. We have also included some information that might be useful for everyone if you want to attend the contest or watch us online.
7:40 Arrive at Band Hall in black HMB shirt, black shorts, tall white socks
7:50 Get uniforms from racks
8:00 Squad leader/Section Manager/Senior inspection (no flip folders)
8:10 Full band inspection (no flip folders)
8:20 Spot check drill (in marching shoes, shorts and t-shirt)
8:45 Stage equipment on practice field sidewalk
9:00 Begin loading equipment
9:05 Meet in band hall
9:10 Load buses
9:30 Depart HHS for McLane Stadium (1001 S M.L.K. Jr Blvd, Waco, TX 76704)
(On the way the students will be provided with a sandwich, chips and dessert item by the school/Band Boosters)
11:45 Arrive McLane Stadium - Use restroom/Unload buses/Get into uniform
12:15 Form up
12:25 Move to Warm-up
12:30 Warm-up
1:15 Perform
1:30 Group Photo
1:45 Put away equipment/get out of uniform
2:00 Talk about the performance
2:15 Head into stadium to watch bands (break in performances at 2:30)
4:30 Leave the stands to eat at the buses
5:15 Eat dinner (Box dinner from Jason’s Deli provided by the school)
6:15 Seated in stadium for Class 3A Finals
7:45 This time frame depends on if we make Finals or not (regardless, we will stay and watch Finals)
10:00 Load buses
10:20 Depart for Huntsville
12:30 Arrive at HHS/Go home!

(if we don’t march in finals we should be able to leave earlier and arrive back in Huntsville around 11:50)
Other info:
If you are unable to attend the contest below is the link for the livestream broadcast.
Live stream broadcast link - https://c.streamhoster.com/embed/media/WasBNW/OkdiSASLs2B/r/kgas
If you are able to come watch the contest in person here is some information that will be helpful.
Ticket Prices:
$20 Prelims Only
$20 Finals Only
$35 Day Pass (Prelims and Finals)
Spectator Parking is Free
Souvenir booth takes credit card/cash (You may want to send some spending money for this)
Concessions are debit/credit only (If you want your student to be able to purchase concessions you will need to send them with a credit/debit card. As an alternative I recommend that the students bring their own snacks on the bus. They will also have lunch and dinner provided.)
Also, please remember that we have marching practice 5:00-7:30pm tomorrow evening. We will be putting finishing touches on the drill and getting the uniforms and shoes in great shape for Tuesday.
We will NOT be having practice on Wednesday after the contest. This will give a little extra time for the students to take care of making up assignments if needed.
Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

10-18-23
Good Evening Everyone,
Congratulations to the students on a great performance of our drill yesterday at Region Marching Contest! I am so proud of how they performed but more importantly, I am proud of how they prepared for it this year. Their work ethic is much improved, and it shows. This will allow them to be successful not only in band but in life and I am so proud of that. Now it is time to turn our attention to advancing to the UIL State Military Marching Contest! We have many things that we can improve upon to be competitive there so let’s all stay motivated! Here are our announcements and reminders:

Friday, October 20th is our next away game against Montgomery. All our normal uniform and grooming rules apply to this game. As always, if you need to pick your student up from the game, please email us by Friday morning letting us know who will be picking them up.
2:45 Come to Band Hall at end of 7th period
2:50 Change into black shorts and t-shirt
2:55 Get into uniform
3:10 Squad Leader/Section Manager Inspection (with flip folder)
3:20 Full Band inspection (with flip folder)
3:40 Head down to turf
3:50 Practice on turf
4:30 Load Truck
4:50 Meet
5:00 Load Buses (Get gameday meals)
5:15 Depart for Montgomery ISD Stadium (22628 TX-105, Montgomery, TX 77356)
6:15 Arrive/Unload Truck
6:30 Form Up
6:40 March into Stadium
6:50 Seated in Stadium
7:30 Kickoff
10:30 Approximate end of game
11:00 Depart for Huntsville
11:45 Arrive at Band Hall/Unload
11:50 Go Home! (Pickup students behind HHS Commons)
Tomorrow we are going to be ending practice early around 5:00pm because we are going to be missing several people for various events. I also want to give the band a little bit of time back as a reward for all their hard work these last few weeks.
I am supposed to receive our schedule for next Tuesday’s UIL State Contest tomorrow. As soon as I do, I will be sending out more details about our schedule ASAP. With that being said, I believe we will be leaving sometime around 10:30am and getting back between 11:00pm and 12:00am. Stay tuned!

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

Good Evening Everyone,
Below is our contest information for tomorrow. I have added information in the email about tickets for the event if anyone wants to come watch us perform.

If you would like to come see the band tomorrow go to the following link and you can buy tickets online. From what I understand, buying tickets online is the ONLY option. https://conroeisd.hometownticketing.com/embed/event/222?es=4qik47sbljirffn4lv1k4kqage&single=0
As mentioned before, our UIL Region 9 Marching Contest is quickly approaching. It will be Tuesday, October 17th at Woodforest Bank Stadium (19115 David Memorial Dr, Shenandoah, TX 77385) in The Woodlands. Here is our schedule:
9:45 Dismiss from class and come to the Band Hall
9:50 Get into uniform
10:00 Squad leader/Section manager inspection
10:10 Full band inspection
10:15 Run through drill in half uniform
10:30 Load the truck
10:45 Meet
10:55 Load buses (Students will receive Gameday meal if they signed up for the meal plan. If not, they will need to bring lunch from home.)
11:10 Depart HHS for Woodforest Bank Stadium
12:00 Arrive/Unload/Use Restroom
12:35 Warmup
1:45 Perform
2:00 Get out of uniform
2:30 Discuss results
2:45 Head back into stadium to watch bands (students will be given $9 for concessions/they will also have the chance to buy t-shirts, patches etc. if you want to send spending money for that)
5:15 Head to buses to go home
5:30 Depart for HHS
6:15 Arrive at HHS/Unload/Go Home!
If you would like to pick up your student early from the contest, please email one of us before the contest tomorrow so we can plan for that.
If we earn a 1st division at our contest next Tuesday, we will advance to the UIL State Military Marching Contest in Waco on Tuesday, October 24th. More information on that soon.

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

10-11-23
Good Evening Everyone,
What a game last Friday night was! The band did great! The team won and the atmosphere at the game was really fun! I hope everyone enjoyed it! Our drill Friday night and our rehearsal in the stadium Monday night was another step toward our UIL Marching Contest on Tuesday, October 17th. If we keep progressing like we have been, I’m really excited about what we can accomplish! Here are our announcements and reminders for the week:

We talked to the students today about doing a preview performance for all the parents who can make it tomorrow evening in the new stadium at 6:00pm sharp. The football team does not have games, so they will be practicing until 6:00pm otherwise we would do it earlier. This will give us a chance to run through our drill one more time for a live audience on turf before our contest next Tuesday. If you are going to come watch, please park in the lot behind the HISD administration building and next to the new field house/stadium. This way everyone will not have to walk very far to enter. We will have the gate nearest the field house open for you to come in and enter the stadium. We will have someone there to show you where to go. The front gates by the press box will NOT be open. After we are done, everyone can drive over to the band practice field to pick up their students. I know this will put us a few minutes past 6:00pm but it is much better than having to do it after school on Friday on our day off! I hope to see everyone there to watch!
As mentioned before, our UIL Region 9 Marching Contest is quickly approaching. It will be Tuesday, October 17th at Woodforest Bank Stadium (19115 David Memorial Dr, Shenandoah, TX 77385) in The Woodlands. Here is our schedule:
9:45 Dismiss from class and come to the Band Hall
9:50 Get into uniform
10:00 Squad leader/Section manager inspection
10:10 Full band inspection
10:15 Run through drill in half uniform
10:30 Load the truck
10:45 Meet
10:55 Load buses (students will receive Gameday meal if they signed up for the meal plan. If not, they will need to bring lunch from home.)
11:10 Depart HHS for Woodforest Bank Stadium
12:00 Arrive/Unload/Use Restroom
12:35 Warmup
1:45 Perform
2:00 Get out of uniform
2:30 Discuss results
2:45 Head back into stadium to watch bands (students will be given per diem money for concessions/they will also have the chance to buy t-shirts, patches etc. if you want to send spending money for that)
5:15 Head to buses to go home
5:30 Depart for HHS
6:15 Arrive at HHS/Unload/Go Home!
As soon as you get your student’s uniform back from the cleaners, please have them bring it back to school and hang it on the uniform racks. That way we can begin rebuilding the cross belts. Also, please have them turn in the receipt to us when they bring it back.
If we earn a 1st division at our contest next Tuesday, we will advance to the UIL State Military Marching Contest in Waco on Tuesday, October 24th. More information on that next week.

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

10-2-23
Good Evening Everyone,
Again, I would like to say how proud I am of the job the students did this past Saturday. We are heading in the right direction to be successful as we get closer to our UIL Marching Contest on Tuesday, October 17th. Here are our announcements and reminders for the week:

Our homecoming parade is this Thursday, October 5th in downtown Huntsville. The band will be wearing their pep rally uniform for this event! This will work out well because at the end of school on Thursday the band will already be in this attire for the school pep rally. As a reminder, the pep rally uniform is tennis shoes, nice blue jeans, green polo tucked in with a belt. This is a required performance for all band members who are currently eligible.
Here is the schedule:

3:40 As soon as the pep rally ends everyone comes back to the Band Hall
3:45 Marching Practice
4:20 Eat Pizza
4:45 Load Truck/Get into uniform
5:00 Meet
5:05 Load Buses
5:15 Depart HHS
5:30 Arrive at Parade/Unload
6:00 Form up
6:15 Parade Begins
7:05 Parade Ends/Load Truck
7:30 Depart for HHS
7:45 Arrive at HHS Band Hall/Unload/Go Home!!!
Friday, October 6th we have our next home game against Rudder High School. This is also Homecoming. Because of this the band will be performing the drill before the game begins. We will march at 7:00 pm. If you want to see us perform you will have to arrive early for the game. This is also our first game in the new Huntsville ISD Stadium! After the game the students will return to the band hall to put away their equipment and they will be ready to pick up earlier than in the past since we are not leaving campus. Also, the students don’t have school on Friday so please pay attention to when they will need to be dropped off for the game. See schedule below:
Our schedule will be:

3:45 Arrive at the Band Hall
4:00 Marching Rehearsal
4:45 Eat dinner
5:15 Get into Uniform
5:30 Squad Leader/Section Manager Uniform Inspection (with Flip-Folders)
5:45 Full Band Uniform Inspection (with Flip-Folders)
6:00 Meet in Band Hall
6:10 Walk to turf practice field
6:15 Setup stand seating
6:20 March into stadium
6:30 Seated in stadium
6:45 Setup in North end zone for warm up
7:00 Perform the drill
7:30 Kick-off
10:30 Approximate end of game
10:45 Head back to Band Hall
10:55 Put away equipment
11:00 Go Home!!!
This week is homecoming so that makes our game a little bit different than usual. Instead of marching at halftime, the band will be marching before the football game begins to accommodate all of the homecoming court festivities at halftime. If you want to see us march you will have to get to the stadium a little before 7:00pm. Also, mums/garters will not be worn into the stadium by the band students. They must be given to them by their parent after the game begins early in the 1st quarter. The boosters will not be able to carry them into the stadium either because they will be carrying their own student’s mum/garter along with all of the band equipment that they have to carry. Once we are a few minutes into the 1st quarter I will let everyone know when it is ok to pin the mums/garters onto the students. We will to do this in a designated area to be announced. I will send that info out as soon as I know. I will release the students by groups/sections so that everyone doesn’t go at once. Thank you for your understanding with this.
Monday, October 9th is a school holiday but we will still be having regular marching practice 5:00-7:30pm. We cannot afford to lose this rehearsal as we prepare for the UIL Contest the next week so please make sure everyone is in attendance! If rides to practice are a problem please let us know and we will find your student a ride.
As mentioned before, our UIL Region 9 Marching Contest is quickly approaching. It will be Tuesday, October 17th at Woodforest Bank Stadium (19115 David Memorial Dr, Shenandoah, TX 77385) in The Woodlands. I will send the detailed schedule out next week but we will be leaving around 11:00am, performing at 1:45pm and returning sometime in the late afternoon or early evening. I am not sure of the arrival time back at HHS because I have to work out those details with transportation.

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

9-28-23
Good Afternoon Everyone,
Thank you, parents, for letting your students stay the extra 30 minutes on Monday night! That allowed us to finish ALL of our drill for the 2nd march. This is huge as we look to Saturday for our Pre-UIL. Here are the announcements and reminders for upcoming events.

Tomorrow right after school, we will be doing a run-through of our drill in our new football stadium. This will give us a chance to perform our drill since we do not have a game that evening. Once we are done, the students will come back to the band hall and be ready to go home no later than 5:00pm. Parents, please wait for your students and pick them up on the marching practice field.
This Saturday, September 30th is our Pre-UIL marching contest. After the contest we will then head to the Hornet football game against Lamar Consolidated. This game was originally scheduled for Thursday of that week, but their district moved it to Saturday. Fortunately, the game starts at 6:00pm which will mean we won’t get home as late. All academically eligible students will be able to attend. Here is the schedule for the entire day:
8:30 Arrive at Band Hall
8:45 Load buses
9:00 Depart for Pridgeon Stadium (11355 Falcon Rd a, Houston, TX 77065)
*** Eat lunch on the way to the contest on the bus (Everyone will get a meal from the Booster Club!)
10:30 Arrive/Unload Truck/Use Restroom
10:50 Form up
11:00 Head to Warmup
11:10 Warmup
12:15 Perform
12:30 Get out of uniform/load truck (get drink/snack from Boosters)
1:15 Get into stands to watch Langham Creek
1:45 Awards
2:10 Discuss results
2:30 Load buses
2:45 Depart for the football game
4:00 Arrive at Traylor Stadium (1000 E Stadium Dr, Rosenberg, TX 77471)
4:15 Eat dinner (Pizza provided for everyone by the Band Boosters)
4:45 Unload Truck/Get into uniform
5:15 Form up
5:25 March in
6:00 Kickoff
9:00 Approximate end of game
9:10 Load truck
9:30 Depart for HHS
11:00 Arrive at HHS Band Hall/Unload/Go Home!!!
We are now in our second week of our fundraiser through GroupFund. We have already raised over $19,000! As of this morning we have 144 students registered for the fundraiser. That means we still have 33 students who need to register so they can help. Right now, we have 71 students who have received at least 1 donation (around half the band). For them to be able to receive donations, they need to enter names and telephone numbers to send the fundraiser out to. They can do this by hitting the share button and/or entering them as contacts in the system. We would like each student to share the fundraiser with at least 10 contacts. Of course, more than that is even better! I truly believe we can hit our goal of $60,000 if we ALL work together! Remember, this money will go to help the entire band, not just those going on the band trip in May. This helps the Band Boosters pay for things such as the two meals provided for the students on Saturday.
Next Thursday, October 5th we will be marching in the HHS Homecoming Parade. We will have marching practice, feed the kids pizza, and then march in the parade. We should be back at the school around 7:30pm. I will send a detailed schedule next week.

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

9-23-23
Good Afternoon,
I have a couple more things for everyone to know about.

Thursday, I talked to the band about our remaining 4 Monday rehearsals until we go to our UIL Contest on October 17th. We are making excellent progress, but we need to move faster to get everything onto the field so that we have time to clean it before our contest. Due to this, I told them I’d like to practice 5:00-7:30pm for the next four Mondays. Yes, it is only 30 extra minutes each day, but it will make a huge difference in helping us be successful. I appreciate your understanding of this.
Friday, September 29th at 4:30pm we will be doing a Pre-UIL run through of our drill. This will give us one more chance to do a performance of our drill right before our Pre-UIL Contest that Saturday. Once we are done, the students will come back to the band hall and be ready to go home no later than 5:00pm.
As you have probably heard, we have started our fundraiser through GroupFund. We have already raised over $10,000 and we have just begun. Here is what I need your help with. Each student needs to register for the fundraiser and then enter names and telephone numbers to send the fundraiser out to. We would like each student to have at least 15 contacts in the system! Of course, more than that is even better! I truly believe we can hit our goal of $60,000 if we ALL work together! I also want everyone to know what this fundraiser will do to help our students. Everyone will want to participate even if they are not going on the spring band trip because a portion of the proceeds will go toward the Band Booster general fund. This money goes to pay for meals, drinks, private lessons scholarships, senior scholarships and much more! This will also go toward reducing the cost of the spring trip for every student! Please help us by entering those phone numbers into your student’s contact section of their fundraiser account. You can also help by sharing via social media!

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

9-21-23
Good Evening Everyone,

As of today, we have 58 students failing at least one class. PLEASE ensure that your student has done EVERYTHING possible to pass their classes. We have been on them about it since last week. The biggest thing is making sure they don’t have zeros in the gradebook! Zeros kill their average. We CANNOT have that many students fail, or we will not be successful at our upcoming competitions.
As of right now I have 130 students who have said they would like to go on our band trip to Washington D.C. later this year. The first payment of $200 will not be due until the middle of October but please make plans now to prepare for that. We just sent out information about our first fundraiser that we will be doing. Please help us lower the cost for ALL students by fully participating in the fundraiser! Right now, we are asking the students to collect at least 25 names and phone numbers that they can share the fundraiser with. It can also be shared on social media. The representative from the fundraiser company will be here tomorrow to talk to the students and then we will begin on Thursday.
We will have our next home football game this Friday, September 22nd against Montgomery. Our game will be at SHSU again this week. Everyone is required to ride the bus to and from the stadium with us unless there is a very good reason, and it has been cleared by the directors beforehand. Our schedule will be:
2:15 Students come down to Band Hall after 7th period
3:40 Pep Rally Ends
3:45 Friday Night Meals are passed out for kids to eat (if you didn’t purchase a meal plan, please send your child with a sack dinner to school Friday morning/the school doesn’t allow food to be dropped off at the front kiosk to students)
4:15 Change into black shorts/black HMB t-shirt
4:20 Marching/music rehearsal
4:45 Load truck
5:00 Get into uniform
5:10 Squad Leader/Section Manager Inspection
5:20 Uniform inspection
5:35 Meet
5:45 Load Buses
6:00 Depart HHS
6:10 Arrive at SHSU Bowers Stadium
6:25 Form Up
6:35 March into Stadium
6:45 Seated in Stadium
6:50 Get 8th graders seated for 8th grade night!
7:30 Kick-off
10:30 Approximate end of game
10:40 Load truck
11:00 Depart for HHS
11:10 Arrive at HHS Band Hall/Unload/Go Home!!!
On Saturday, September 30th we will first be attending our Pre-UIL marching contest. This will give the students a dress rehearsal for the UIL Contest a couple of weeks later. It also lets us and the students know where we need to improve. After the contest we will then head to the Hornet football game against Lamar Consolidated. This game was originally scheduled for Thursday of that week, but their district moved it to Saturday. Fortunately, the game starts at 6:00pm which will mean we won’t get home as late. Below is our schedule for that day. This could change slightly but hopefully this is really close.
8:30 Arrive at Band Hall
8:45 Load buses
9:00 Depart for Pridgeon Stadium (11355 Falcon Rd a, Houston, TX 77065)
*** Eat lunch on the way to the contest on the bus (Everyone will get a meal from the Booster Club!)
10:30 Arrive/Unload Truck/Use Restroom
10:50 Form up
11:00 Head to Warmup
11:10 Warmup
12:15 Perform
12:30 Get out of uniform/load truck (get drink/snack from Boosters)
1:15 Get into stands to watch Langham Creek
1:45 Awards
2:10 Discuss results
2:30 Load buses
2:45 Depart for the football game
4:00 Arrive at Traylor Stadium (1000 E Stadium Dr, Rosenberg, TX 77471)
4:15 Eat dinner (Pizza provided for everyone by the Band Boosters)
4:45 Unload Truck/Get into uniform
5:15 Form up
5:25 March in
6:00 Kickoff
9:00 Approximate end of game
9:10 Load truck
9:30 Depart for HHS
11:00 Arrive at HHS Band Hall/Unload/Go Home!!!
Monday, September 25th there is a senior parent meeting at 6:00pm in the HHS commons. I have checked with Mrs. Shaw and she has assured me that it is fine for the parents to attend this meeting without their students. This will allow our students to stay at band practice so we can continue learning our contest drill.

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

9-14-23
Good Evening Everyone,
Our students did a great job for it being our first time to march the real contest drill last week. We are excited about that progress, and we kept the positive momentum going Monday night by learning a lot more so come check it out at this Friday’s game! As you will see later in the email the schedule for this week’s home game is pretty much the same. The only difference is that we plan on being in the actual uniform this week.

After looking in detail at the progress reports MANY students are failing one or more classes right now. Please check in on your student’s grades and help us get them where they need to be by next Friday. That is the end of the 6 weeks. After that, anyone who is failing a class will lose their eligibility for band, athletics, etc.! We have talked with the students who are failing classes, but we need your help in encouraging them also. If you are unsure, reach out to their teachers and ask them about their status or you can email us.
As of right now I have 130 students who have said they would like to go on our band trip to Washington D.C. later this year. The first payment of $200 will not be due until the middle of October but please make plans now to prepare for that. We will also be sending out information about our first fundraiser that we will be doing here in a couple of weeks very soon, so be on the lookout for that email. Remember, students must be academically eligible to attend the trip so they need to get used to having their grades in order now, so it is not a problem in May.
We will have our next home football game this Friday, September 15th against Clear Springs. Our game will be at SHSU again this week. Everyone is required to ride the bus to and from the stadium with us unless there is a very good reason, and it has been cleared by the directors beforehand. Our schedule will be:2:15       Students come down to Band Hall after 7th period
3:40       Pep Rally Ends
3:45       Friday Night Meals are passed out for kids to eat (if you didn’t purchase a meal plan, please send your child with a sack dinner to school Friday morning/the school doesn’t allow food to be dropped off at the front kiosk to students)
4:15       Change into black shorts/black HMB t-shirt
4:20       Marching/music rehearsal
5:00       Load truck
5:15       Get into uniform
5:25       Squad Leader/Section Manager Inspection
5:35       Uniform inspection
5:50       Meet
6:00       Load Buses
6:15       Depart HHS
6:30       Arrive at SHSU Bowers Stadium
6:45       Form Up
6:50       March into Stadium
7:00       Seated in Stadium
7:30       Kick-off
10:30    Approximate end of game
10:40    Load truck
11:00    Depart for HHS
11:10    Arrive at HHS Band Hall/Unload/Go Home!!!
Here are more details for Saturday, September 30th. We will first be attending our Pre-UIL marching contest. This will give the students a dress rehearsal for the UIL Contest a couple of weeks later. It also lets us and the students know where we need to improve. After the contest we will then head to the Hornet football game against Lamar Consolidated. This game was originally scheduled for Thursday of that week, but their district moved it to Saturday. Fortunately, the game starts at 6:00pm which will mean we won’t get home as late. Below is our schedule for that day. This could change slightly but hopefully this is really close.
8:45       Arrive at Band Hall
9:00       Load buses
9:15       Depart for Pridgeon Stadium (11355 Falcon Rd a, Houston, TX 77065)
*** Eat lunch on the way to the contest on the bus
10:30    Arrive/Unload Truck/Use Restroom
11:00    Form up
11:15    Head to Warmup
11:25    Warmup
12:30    Perform
12:45    Get out of uniform/load truck (get drink/snack from boosters)
1:30       Get into stands to watch Langham Creek
2:00       Awards
2:20       Discuss results
2:30       Load buses
2:45       Depart for dinner
3:15       Eat dinner (location TBD)
4:15       Load buses
4:30       Depart for Traylor Stadium (1000 E Stadium Dr, Rosenberg, TX 77471)
5:00       Arrive/Unload
5:15       Form up
5:25       March in
Next Monday, September 18th we need to make a change to our practice schedule. We need to move practice up to 4:00-6:00pm to accommodate the National Honor Society students being able to change clothes and get ready for their induction ceremony that evening. Our jazz band will also be playing at that event. I have communicated with all the athletic coaches about our athletes getting to band earlier than usual so that we can get some good work done to continue our momentum on learning our drill. Please make sure that all tutoring occurs on Tuesday afternoon.
Monday, September 25th there is a senior parent meeting at 6:00pm in the HHS commons. I have checked with Mrs. Shaw and she has assured me that it is fine for the parents to attend this meeting without their students. This will allow our students to stay at band practice so we can continue learning our contest drill.

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

9-7-23
Good Afternoon Everyone,
This will be the first week for our students to begin performing our contest drill for this year so I hope everyone can come out to the game tomorrow to check it out! More details about the game later.

Progress reports came out for the students yesterday and while I have not been able to look at everyone’s grades yet here is what I can say. I feel like we are in a better position on student grades than we were last year at this time. The students need to keep working hard in their classes so they can achieve passing grades.
As a reminder, for students to be able to attend the games each Friday night they must attend practice each week. An unapproved absence will result in them not being allowed to attend the game that week. Tutorials and club meetings should take place on Monday before 5pm, Tuesdays, before school or during lunch.
The trip choice sheets that I sent out a while back are due tomorrow, Friday the 8th. Remember, I need a sheet turned in for EVERY student, whether the answer is yes or no. This is for us to get a ballpark number for who is going on the trip. There will still be time to change your mind so please get those turned in tomorrow! Attached is the trip packet with the choice sheet on top in case you don’t have it.
We will have our next home football game this Friday, September 8th against Belton. Our game will be at SHSU again this week. Everyone is required to ride the bus to and from the stadium with us unless there is a very good reason, and it has been cleared by the directors beforehand. Our schedule will be:
2:15       Students come down to Band Hall after 7th period
3:40       Pep Rally Ends
3:45       Friday Night Meals are passed out for kids to eat (if you didn’t purchase a meal plan, please send your child with a sack dinner to school Friday morning/the school doesn’t allow food to be dropped off at the front kiosk to students)
4:15       Change into shorts
4:25       Marching/music rehearsal
5:15       Load truck
5:30       Change back into Jeans/t-shirt uniform
5:40       Uniform inspection
5:50       Meet
6:00       Load Buses
6:15       Depart HHS
6:30       Arrive at SHSU Bowers Stadium
6:45       Form Up
6:50       March into Stadium
7:00       Seated in Stadium
7:30       Kick-off
10:30    Approximate end of game
10:40    Load truck
11:00    Depart for HHS
11:10    Arrive at HHS Band Hall/Unload/Go Home!!!
The temperature for this game will be over 100 degrees, so we will wear what we did to the first home game again. Band shoes, blue jeans with no holes, and their black HMB t-shirt tucked in with a belt. This will also be what the students wear for the pep rally at the end of the school day tomorrow. They can either wear those clothes all day or bring them and change right before the pep rally. Also, please bring a pair of shorts to wear for marching practice before we go to the game.

Even though we are not wearing the band uniform the following uniform grooming rules still apply. Make sure all of this is taken care of before the game.
For all students, hair must be of a natural color. Hair will always be worn close to the head and will fit under the hat when the hat is worn. If no hat is worn, then it should be worn tightly braided and close to the head. When the hat is not worn, the hair should fall no lower than the uniform collar.
For all marching performances, hair must be worn as close as possible to the head. For many, this means braiding the hair before the performance. Beads should not be worn to secure the ends of the hair braids. Please use rubber bands, black or brown hair ties or bobby pins. No bows or scrunchies should be used.
The only jewelry allowed is the Senior’s own class ring. The Juniors will earn this privilege toward the end of marching season. All other jewelry must be removed and should be left at home where it will be safe. This includes necklaces, watches, and rings other than the senior class ring.
All piercings may have a small discrete stud in them that is not distracting from the uniform.
Fingernails must be natural color, nude polish, or French manicure. Nails must not be too long for playing the instrument or be distracting.
All males will be clean-shaven for marching performances.
Even though it is still a few weeks away I want to put Saturday, September 30th on everyone’s radar now. That will be a very important and busy day for us. We will first be attending our Pre-UIL marching contest. This will give the students a dress rehearsal for the UIL Contest a couple of weeks later. It also lets us and the students know where we need to improve. After the contest we will then head to the Hornet football game against Lamar Consolidated. This game was originally scheduled for Thursday of that week, but their district moved it to Saturday. Fortunately, the game starts at 6:00pm which will mean we won’t get home as late. Below is a rough schedule to give everyone an idea but it will most likely change some. We would leave Huntsville around 9:30am, perform at Pre-UIL around 1:00pm, stay and watch a few bands, eat an early dinner, do the football game at 6:00pm and return home around 11:30pm.

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

8-30-23
Good Afternoon Everyone,
Considering the events of last Thursday, I thought our kids handled the game last Friday very well! Our attendance was good, the spirits were high, and our halftime performance got us off to a good start toward success this marching season. There will be more information about this week’s away game as well as other important announcements and reminders as you read on.

If your student purchased clothing from the Band Boosters, please check that payments have been taken care of or arrangements for a payment plan or scholarship have been made. Reach out to Sabrina Hendricks at hmb.merchandise@gmail.com if you have questions. For Friday night everyone will need their marching shoes, all-white socks, black basketball shorts and their black HMB t-shirt. They need to bring those items with them when they arrive at school on Friday. The uniform itself is here at the school.
For students to attend the games each Friday night they must attend practice each week. An unapproved absence will result in them not being allowed to attend the game that week. We tell them they can’t have the fun without putting in the work. Tutorials and club meetings should take place on Monday before 5pm, Tuesdays, before school or during lunch. For us to be competitive we must have everyone at rehearsal. If students are in other UIL school events, then we are working with those students and coaches to share them between the events fairly.
I sent out the trip information yesterday via email and in paper form with the students. Please turn in those trip choice sheets by next Friday and let me know if you have any questions.
We will have our first away football game this Friday, September 1st against Bryan HS at Merrill Green Stadium. (3450 Campus Dr. Bryan, TX 77802) If you need to take your student after the game, please send a written note or email to us by Friday morning. Our schedule will be:
2:45       7th period ends/Everyone come to Band Hall
2:50       Get into uniform
3:05       Senior/Duck uniform inspection
3:15       Full band inspection by section
3:25       Take off jackets and get into half uniform
3:35       Head to turf
3:45       Run through drill
4:20       Load truck
4:40       Meet
4:45       Load Buses (Students get game day meals as they get onto the buses)
5:00       Depart HHS
6:10       Arrive at Merrill Green Stadium
6:15       Unload/Unpack
6:30       Form Up
6:50       March into Stadium
7:00       Seated in Stadium
7:30       Kick-off
10:30    Approximate end of game
10:40    Load truck
11:00    Depart for Huntsville
12:10    Arrive at HHS Band Hall/Unload/Go Home!!!
Uniform notes: (all of this has been covered with the students multiple times.
For all students, hair must be of a natural color. Hair will always be worn close to the head and will fit under the hat when the hat is worn. If no hat is worn, then it should be worn tightly braided and close to the head. When the hat is not worn, the hair should fall no lower than the uniform collar. Beads should not be worn to secure the ends of the hair braids. Please use rubber bands, black or brown hair ties or bobby pins. No bows or scrunchies should be used.

The only jewelry allowed is the Senior’s own class ring. The Juniors will earn this privilege toward the end of marching season. All other jewelry must be removed and should be left at home. This includes necklaces, watches, and rings other than the senior class ring.

All piercings may have a small discrete stud in them that is not distracting from the uniform.

Fingernails must be natural color, nude polish, or French manicure. Nails must not be too long for playing the instrument or be distracting.

All males will be clean-shaven for marching performances.
Next Monday, September 4th will be a school holiday, but we will still have our regular marching practice from 5-7pm.
This Thursday, 6-8pm at Chic-fil-a there will be a band spirit night. 20% of the dine-in and carry-out proceeds that night will go to the Band Booster Club! Drive-thru does NOT count so please come inside and show your support for the band!

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

8-29-23
Good Afternoon Everyone,
Attached is an information packet about the upcoming Spring Band Trip in May. PLEASE read over it thoroughly so that everyone knows what is going on. We sent home paper copies of this packet with the students today during classes as well. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

8-21-23
Good Afternoon Everyone,
This will be an exciting week for us as we look forward to our first football game of the season this Friday! There will be more information about that game as well as other important announcements and reminders.

As a quick reminder, our rehearsal schedule this week is Monday, 5-7pm, Wednesday, 4-5:30pm and Thursday, 4-6pm. Please make sure to keep hydrated and wear appropriate marching clothing including lace-up tennis shoes.
Please make sure if your student purchased clothing from the Band Boosters that payments are made no later than Thursday of this week so that they will have everything that they need for Friday. In addition to our first game on Friday we will be doing our first pep rally at the end of the school day as well. They will need tennis shoes, blue jeans (no holes), and their green HMB polo tucked in with a belt. That is our pep rally uniform. For Friday night they will need their marching shoes, all-white socks, black basketball shorts and their black HMB t-shirt. The uniform itself is here at the school.
For students to be able to attend the games each Friday night they must be in attendance at practice each week. An unapproved absence will result in them not being allowed to attend the game that week. I have been telling them that they can’t have the fun without putting in the work. Tutorials and club meetings should take place on Monday before 5pm, Tuesdays, before school or during lunch. For us to be competitive we must have everyone at rehearsal. If students are in other UIL school events, then we are working with those students and coaches to share them between the events fairly.
In a separate email I will be sending out an HMB spring trip choice sheet for everyone to fill out and bring back to us. I will also be giving paper copies of it to the students to bring home.
We will have our first home football game this Friday, August 25th against A&M Consolidated. As you may or may not have heard, until further notice we are having our home games at SHSU like in the past. We will let everyone know when we will be moving into the new stadium. Everyone is required to ride the bus to and from the stadium with us unless there is a very good reason and it has been cleared by the directors beforehand. Our schedule will be:

3:40       Pep Rally Ends
3:45       Friday Night Meals are passed out for kids to eat (if you didn’t purchase a meal plan, please send your child with a sack dinner to school Friday morning/the school doesn’t allow food to be dropped off at the front kiosk to students)
4:15       Marching rehearsal
5:00       Music rehearsal inside
5:20       Load truck
5:40       Meet
5:50       Load Buses
6:00       Depart HHS
6:10       Arrive at SHSU Bowers Stadium
6:15       Unload/Unpack
6:30       Form Up
6:50       March into Stadium
7:00       Seated in Stadium
7:30       Kick-off
10:30    Approximate end of game
10:40    Load truck
11:00    Depart for HHS
11:10    Arrive at HHS Band Hall/Unload/Go Home!!!

Uniform notes: (all of this has been covered with the students multiple times)

For all students, hair must be of a natural color. Hair will be worn close to the head at all times and will fit under the hat when the hat is worn. If no hat is worn, then it should be worn tightly braided and close to the head. When the hat is not worn, the hair should fall no lower than the uniform collar.

For all marching performances, hair must be worn as close as possible to the head. For many, this means braiding the hair before the performance. Beads should not be worn to secure the ends of the hair braids. Please use rubber bands, black or brown hair ties or bobby pins. No bows or scrunchies should be used.

The only jewelry allowed is the Senior’s own class ring. The Juniors will earn this privilege toward the end of marching season. All other jewelry must be removed and should be left at home where it will be safe. This includes necklaces, watches and rings other than the senior class ring.

All piercings may have a small discrete stud in them that is not distracting from the uniform.

Fingernails must be natural color, nude polish or French manicure. Nails must not be too long for playing the instrument or be distracting.

All males will be clean-shaven for marching performances.

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

8-10-23
Good Afternoon Everyone,
I have a few reminders and updates for everyone.

Our practice tonight is going to be 6:30-8:30pm. After talking to the kids Tuesday night, they said they would rather do that, so we had more cooler weather for marching practice. We sent out a text yesterday about it, but I wanted to mention it here as well.
This Friday, August 11th is our Summer Preview, Band Store and HMB Game Night. Parents will get a chance to hear some of the music the students have been working on this summer and hear a lot of valuable information about the upcoming school year. Parents will also be able to pay for their student’s supplies, meal plans, etc.

The schedule is:
5:10pm - Student arrival time. Students, please park in the lot behind the large ensemble room, parents park on the band practice lot. Parents, please wait in your cars until 5:25pm to enter the band hall so we can get setup and warmup. We will have parents enter the glass doors close to the construction, NOT the practice field doors.
5:30pm - Preview performance begins in the band hall. Students will perform music from this year’s drill and a few pop tunes. Directors will discuss important topics for the year. Limited seating will be available due to space constraints, please be prepared to stand.
6:30pm - Band store night in the large ensemble room. The Boosters will be available to help with meal plan and required supplies purchases, as well as chaperone sign-up info. Mr. Twiss will be available for Charms log-in help.
7:45pm-10:45pm - Game night for students - basketball, karaoke, dancing, etc. Students are encouraged to bring games. Students are encouraged, but not required, to attend. (We must have the student info packet for your student to be able to attend)
10:45pm - Late Night Marching Madness on the practice field
11:00pm - Go home!

Monday, August 14th will be our last practice of the summer! Our schedule is 8:00am-12:00pm. We will continue working on our music and marching. We will also be taking our full band and section pictures. I would like for everyone to get their all-white marching socks and their black shorts by this day so everyone can get used to wearing those with the uniform. Also, please bring your black HMB t-shirt or the new gray t-shirt that the boosters gave everyone to wear under the unform that day. If you already have your marching shoes bring those, if you don’t we will have you wear your white socks.
Attached to this email is this year’s full calendar. It is as detailed as possible so everyone can plan for these events. We will have paper copies of this calendar available on Friday at the preview performance. There are a couple of dates that I want to bring to everyone’s attention.
1. Monday, September 4th and Monday, October 9th we will have our regularly scheduled marching practices from 5:00-7:00pm even though there will be no school on those days. We cannot afford to give up that practice time.
2. Friday, September 29th we will have a Pre-UIL Contest Preview performance in our new stadium to help prepare us for our Pre-UIL Contest that Saturday. That performance will be at 4:30pm so everyone can enjoy their weekend afterward. We will not be going to the game on Thursday the 28th because Lamar Consolidated is not letting visiting bands and drill teams travel to their stadium this year. This was communicated to us by the athletic department.

The HMB Directors

8-6-2023

HMB Family,
We have had an awesome first two weeks of the year - the freshmen class is off to an outstanding start in the HMB! We had a great time this past week adding in the upperclassmen and getting to work on full band marching and this year’s drill music.
Due to the limited parking situation, we will have Friday night’s Preview Performance indoors in the Band Hall so that we may use the band hall lot for parking. The good news - air conditioning!

Here is the schedule for the next two weeks, including all remaining summer band dates:
Tuesday, August 8 - 6:00pm-8:00pm - Marching/Playing Rehearsal
Thursday, August 10 - 6:00pm-8:00pm - Marching/Playing Rehearsal
Friday, August 11 - 5:30pm - Preview Night/Band Store/Game Night
Monday, August 14 - 8:00am-12:00pm - Marching/Playing and Band Pictures
Tuesday, August 15 - First Day of School!
Wednesday, August 16 - 4:00pm-5:30pm - Regular after school rehearsal
Thursday, August 17 - 4:00pm-6:00pm - Regular after school rehearsal

Preview Night/Band Store/Game Night
5:10pm - Student arrival time. Students, please park in the lot behind the large ensemble room, parents park on the band practice lot.
5:30pm - Preview performance begins in the band hall. Students will perform music from this year’s drill and a few pop tunes. Directors will discuss important topics for the year. Limited seating will be available due to space constraints, please be prepared to stand.
6:30pm - Band store night in the large ensemble room. The Boosters will be available to help with meal plan and required supplies purchases, as well as chaperone sign-up info. Mr. Twiss will be available for Charms log-in help.
7:45pm-10:45pm - Game night for students - basketball, karaoke, dancing, etc. Students are encouraged to bring games. Students are encouraged, but not required, to attend. (We must have the student info packet for your student to be able to attend)
10:45pm - Late Night Marching Madness on the practice field
11:00pm - Go home!

Booster Info Packet/Order Form - Due ASAP
Students received the Booster Info Packet last week. It will be made available in the Google Classroom on Monday as well. This packet has an order form for the required band fee, uniform pieces (shirts, shoes), flip folders, and meal plans. Students must either purchase a meal plan or bring their own meals on game days. We highly recommend that students purchase a meal plan. This order form may be turned in at rehearsals this week to the drop box in Mrs. Stifflemire’s office with cash or check, or parents may log in to Charms and build a cart for purchases and pay with credit card. Purchases may also be made Friday evening at the Band Store Night using cash, check, or credit. The Boosters offer a payment plan of ½ the balance due up front and the other ½ due 9/5/23. Please talk with a director if other arrangements are needed. There are scholarship applications available through the Booster club as well.

Band Pictures
Band pictures will take place on Monday, August 14. Students must meet HMB grooming standards or they will not be able to participate. Gentlemen should be clean-shaven. No jewelry of any kind may be worn and hair should be natural colors only. Fingernails must be either French manicure or nude color and not too long. Students also need all-white socks at least calf height without logos and a pair of black basketball shorts to wear under the uniform.

Band Calendar
We will have printed copies of the finalized band calendar for the school year available Friday evening.

Regular School Year Rehearsal Schedule
Mondays, 5:00pm-7:00pm
Wednesdays, 4:00pm-5:30pm
Thursdays, 4:00pm-6:00pm
*Please avoid marching rehearsal when scheduling routine medical/dental appointments. Great attendance at combined marching rehearsals is required for the group’s success.

Stay Healthy!
Students need to continue drinking lots of water and eating healthy foods - not just on the days we have practice! The high temps are forecasted to continue and we want everyone to be as prepared as possible to stay healthy and feeling well.
Please reach out with any questions. We are looking forward to a great year!

The HMB Directors

7-24-2023

Hello Parents and Students,
We are looking forward to seeing everyone for Summer Band Camp! Some quick reminders:

Attached to this email is our HMB Student Info Packet. All students must complete these forms with their parents/guardian and turn them in to the Directors or Mrs. Stifflemire by Friday, August 4th. It is also posted in our HMB Google Classroom.
Remember that we must have a physical for your student before they can participate in ANY Summer Band Activities! Feel free to scan and email your physicals to Mrs. Stifflemire at vstifflemire@huntsville-isd.org. If you need a new copy of the physical form, they were sent out in an email earlier this summer and are also in the Google Classroom.
The first day of Summer Band for Sophomores is Monday, July 31st. Juniors and Seniors will join us the following day, Tuesday, August 1st. We will start each day at 8AM, so plan to arrive at the Band Hall by 7:45AM!
Senior, Junior, and Sophomore uniform sizing/class meetings will take place this week. Students can arrive for uniform fitting anytime between 1-5PM and the class meetings will start at 5:15PM. Seniors will be on Wednesday, July 26th, Juniors will be on Thursday, July 27th, and Sophomores will be on Friday, July 28th.
Attendance at Summer Band Camp will play a large part in who gets selected for UIL Contest Marching Spots and who will go to our first football game!
If your student is a member of another school organization/club/sport and wants to help work Freshmen Orientation, they need to pick one session (preferably afternoon 1PM) and communicate with Mr. Twiss or Ms. Willis.

As always let us know if there are any questions or concerns!
Thanks,
The HMB Directors

7-12-23

Good Afternoon,

Here are a few reminders and some new information as we get closer to summer band:

1.            This is a reminder for EVERYONE to get a physical done before summer band if you have not already done so. Our students must have physicals to participate in marching band. We must have those before they do ANY activity at summer band. If your student did not participate in the on-campus physical day back in May, you now have two options to get one done before summer band. Take care of it soon as appointment times may book up between now and then. I have attached the paperwork for the physical to this email. You MUST use this paperwork, or the physical is not valid in the eyes of UIL.
Option 1: Go to your family doctor. ***Most likely free if you have insurance. If you go to your family doctor, you don’t need the 3rd page of the physical packet.
Option 2: Go to Texpress Urgent Care. ***$35 at their clinic. You need all 3 pages of the physical packet.

2.            Mellophone, Baritone, and Sousaphone players! We are planning to have an instrument pick-up day on Monday, July 24 so you can practice before the first day of band camp. We will send more information on that closer to that date.

3.            Students please join the HMB Google Classroom! This year's squad leaders made videos introducing and demonstrating many of our marching fundamentals - this is a great review for all of us, and especially great for freshmen to check out so that you feel prepared for summer band! You will also find music/part assignments for both marches, several of this year's GG tunes, plus the physical and student info packets. If you don't see an invite in your school email, please let Ms. Willis know.

4.            Students, since we are about two weeks away from summer band starting, now would be a good time to start getting some exercise outdoors and ditching the sodas/energy drinks so you are conditioning yourself to be out in the heat. It is going to be HOT so prepare now!

Sincerely,
John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637

6-6-23

Good Afternoon,

There is one additional date for Summer Band that we wanted to share with everyone so that you can put it on your calendars. That date is for our Summer Band Preview, Band Store and HMB Game Night. The Summer Band Preview is a great chance for everyone to see what the students have been working on all summer and we share valuable information about the upcoming school year. The Band Store is super important for the incoming freshmen and their parents and any 10th-12th graders who need to purchase required uniform items or flip folder/pages. The Game Night is open to any band student who wants to come. They get to play basketball, play video games, do karaoke and at the end of the evening we do midnight marching madness! During Summer Band we will do an RSVP so we know how much pizza to get for that night. The times may change slightly between now and August but below is a rough schedule for that evening:

Friday, August 11th
Preview Performance- 5:30pm
Band Store- 6:30pm
HMB Game Night- 8:00pm
Everyone gets picked up from the Band Hall- Midnight

Sincerely,

John F. Green
HISD Director of Music
HISD Director of Bands
HHS Fine Arts Department Chair
441 FM 2821 East
Huntsville, Texas 77320
office 936.435.6147
fax 936.435.6637