Annandale High School Bands Sixteen-Time Virginia Honor Band

AHS Bands Weekly Update – 10/11/2016

Hello Annandale Band Families,

Director’s Notes: I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend and had a chance to relax, reconnect, and catch up. We enjoyed a great week last week with a lighter rehearsal schedule and a fun and exciting homecoming game highlighted by the presence of many of our AHS Band alumni, a great crowd response to the best performance yet of our show, and an Atoms Football win! This week it is back to business as usual as we prepare for our final formative assessment—the USBands competition at Westminster High School. We are the only band in our class this week, so we are focused on improving our scores and moving toward where we need to be to earn the coveted

Superior rating at State Assessment on October 29th.

Music Checks Music memory checks for marching band will be on Thursday this week and include the Star Spangled Banner and all four parts of the show music.

Marching Percussion Rehearsals This week there will be no percussion rehearsals outside of our normal schedule. Dr. Halligan will be present at Wednesday’s full ensemble rehearsal to work with the battery and Mr. Johnston will be working with the front ensemble a bit during the game on Friday. Make sure you have your music with you!

Friday Night This Friday night will be an unprecedentedly busy evening for the Marching Atoms. We will be welcoming 8th grade band members who will attend AHS to our Rising Atom Night and also be honoring our seniors for Senior Night at the same game. Due to the final home game being th played at 4 p.m. on Nov. 4 , the decision has been made to our traditional Senior Night Recognition with our seniors and their parents this Friday, October 14th at our normal kick off time of 7 p.m. The decision to have Senior Night this week was made by AHS athletics administration allows for parents/chaperones to attend the event without taking time off of work. Please see Mrs. White’s CHARMS email to sign up to bring a dessert for Rising Atom Night and/or to help out with Senior Night. Report time for underclassmen is 5 p.m. and pizza is being provided by a generous donation.

Saturday As stated above, we will be traveling to Westminster, Maryland for our final competition prior to state assessment this weekend. Because this is a day show, it gives us an opportunity to have a competition morning rehearsal. This is something we typically do, but have been unable to with the competitions so far this year due to the later performance times. The schedule for

Saturday can be found on the final page of this update.

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Joseph Witkowski Scott Niehoff @AHSatomsBand Director of Bands Associate Director of Bands [email protected] 4700 Medford Drive [email protected] Annandale, Virginia 22003 UVA Band Day The ’s Cavalier Marching Band has extended a warm invitation to members of the Marching Atoms to participate in UVA Band Day at on the Grounds of the University of Virginia. On Saturday, November 12th, at the Virginia vs. Miami football game, an honor band of 700 high school students will join the CMB for a blowout halftime performance creating a mass band of over 1000 musicians! I am able to nominate up to 20 juniors and seniors to attend. Please email me ASAP if you’re interested as the nominations are due this Friday, October 14.

Virginia Tech Honor Band The Twentieth Annual Honor Band is scheduled for January 20-22, 2017. The weekend culminates with a performance in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre within the beautiful Virginia Tech Moss Arts Center. Student–musicians, nominated by their band directors, will spend the weekend in rehearsals, clinics, and performances on the Virginia Tech campus. If you are interested in being nominated for this experience, please email me and let me know by Friday, October 21.

Fall Concessions Fall concession shift reminders are being handed out to students weekly. Ask your student if you have been assigned or check the signup genius site. As one of the largest fundraisers for the band program, the concession stand needs you! In order for success, each band member/family is needed to work shifts in the stand this fall. This can be done by the student, or a friend or family member. Please use this link to sign up for a minimum of three shifts: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0f48a5a92daa8-fall?1472057365620. For more information, please contact AHSBB’s Concessions Coordinator Laura Byrne at [email protected] or 703-644-1035.

Social Media We’re on Instagram (@AHSatomsBand)! We have 441 “likes” on our Facebook page and 163 followers on Twitter (@AHSatomsBand)! Have you followed us yet? Links to our pages are on our website, www.annandalebands.org “Like” us today!

This week’s schedule: Monday – No School – Columbus Day Tuesday – Marching Atoms Rehearsal – 3:30 – 6 p.m. Wednesday – Marching Atoms Rehearsal – 3:45 – 6:45 p.m. AHS Band Booster meeting – 7 p.m. Thursday – Marching Atoms Rehearsal – 3:30 – 6 p.m. Friday – Home Football vs. West Potomac HS – 5 p.m. report – Pizza Provided Rising Atom Night; Senior Night

On the horizon: October 21 – Away Football Performance @ South County HS October 22 – Annandale Fall Parades October 29 – State Marching Band Assessment @ Patriot HS – 1 p.m. performance

Thank you, always, for your support. Go Atoms!

-Joseph Witkowski [email protected] www.annandalebands.org Marching Atoms

Annandale High School MARCHING BAND

USBands Westminster (MD) High School

Saturday, October 15, 2016

8:00 am Staff, Equipment Crew, Front Ensemble, and Leadership Report -Prepare the stadium field for rehearsal

8:30 am Band Report – Bolding Stadium [Rehearsal Dress: Black A-Band Tee, Red Band Shorts, Black Marching Shoes. Supplement with warmer AHS spirit wear if warranted by cooler weather] -Guard arrive with hair done -Fight Song downbeat on field at 8:30 then warm up in sections

8:40 am Field Rehearsal

9:45 am Announcements / Dismissal / Load Equipment

10:15 am Load Buses [Tall Black Socks and Black Marching Shoes required to board bus Black A-Band Tee, Red Band Shorts, AHS spirit wear on buses]

10:30 am Depart AHS for Westminster HS

12:30 pm Arrive at Westminster HS -Unload Equipment -Use Restroom -Get Dressed! [Uniform checklist: Black A-Band Tee, Red Band Shorts, Jacket, Trousers, Shako, Gloves, Tall Black Socks]

1:00 pm Report to Pre-warm up -Stretch Out, Breathing Exercises

1:15 pm? Official Warm Up

2:13 pm Perform @ USBands Westminster HS Event

2:35 pm Load Equipment / Change into AHS Spirit wear -Sit together in designated area. -Respectfully and Supportively watch other bands perform -Eat (pack or bring $ for concessions)

3:15 pm (approx.) Awards

4:00 pm (approx.) Depart Westiminster HS for AHS

6:00 pm (approx.) Arrive at AHS -Put away instruments and uniforms

6:30 pm (approx.) Dismissal