Frequently Asked Questions
COMMON GENERAL BAND PROGRAM QUESTIONS
1) Can we rent an instrument from the school/program?
Students in the program obtain their instruments in different ways depending on the instrument & student situation. Some students do own their own instruments but many rent from our school/program.
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2) How does a student get placed in a certain level of band class?
Students are selected & slotted by our program’s Directors into a particular Concert Band Class based on ability, learning potential, instrumentation, cooperation, & overall musical experience. Additionally, there are times that students need to participate in one class vs another due to schedule conflicts based on the student’s selected academic courses.
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3) Is a student required to do marching band if they are in a band class?
Students at Hamilton Southeastern High School are not required to be in any of extracurricular band activities, including marching band, to be in a band class. Students are welcome to participate & enjoy the various music based academic courses offered without joining the various non-classroom based ensembles. Students are encouraged to become involved & try all aspects of the program as there are so many benefits to participating.
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4) What are the various opportunities for students to get involved in the band program at Hamilton Southeastern High School?
While not a completely comprehensive list as new opportunities develop all the time & offerings can change from year to year, the more common ensembles many of our students participate in include: Royal Command & Guard marching band, pep band, jazz band, symphony orchestra, pit orchestra for the school’s annual musical theater production, winter percussion, & winter guard.
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5) Are there fees for participating in the various extracurricular activities offered through the band program?
Similar to sporting activities at Hamilton Southeastern High School, the extracurricular band & other music activities are a pay-to-play situation. The school district provides minimal financial support for these extra ensembles. Therefore, the program has a volunteer parent not-for-profit booster organization that collects fees & organizes fundraisers to provide students these opportunities. Fees are set each season as low as they can be in order to cover the cost of the show music, design, uniforms, meals, transportation, staff, & more. There are several ways to cover these costs including a variety of fundraising opportunities organized by our parent booster organization.
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6) Where do I order a varsity jacket?
The band program provides the student with their varsity letter & many of the other patches as each one is earned that go on their varsity jacket. Students/families are responsible for purchasing their own actual jacket. The jackets are available from particular vendors at any given time based on who currently has been selected by the school to provide them. The Athletics Office can typically provide this information and often has example sizes students can try on as needed.
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COMMON MARCHING BAND QUESTIONS
1) At what age can a student start marching band?
Any high school aged student going into grades 9th-12th are welcome to join Royal Command & Guard marching band. Additionally, the program has many junior high students that begin their marching career while in 8th grade. Additionally, the Directors will consider any interested student going into 7th grade on a case-by-case basis.
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2) Can a student do other sports or activities along with marching band?
Yes, the band program Directors do what they can to accommodate students to allow them to pursue other interests they may have in addition to music. Select sports are difficult to do along side with marching band, winter percussion, and winter guard depending on the season of the sports and others are no problem at all. Many of our music ensemble students participate in various other activities, sports, & clubs such as wrestling, track & field, Scouts, hockey, We the People, Olio Road Productions, martial arts, & more. If you have a student interested in our programs that needs to coordinate with another sport or activity, reach out to discuss how to make it work with our Directors.
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3) What happens if my student has a vacation or family event scheduling conflict with the marching band calendar?
While students/families are encouraged to do all they can to plan vacation time around the marching band schedule, we also understand that some situations are not avoidable & conflicts arise. The key to making these situations work is early & proactive communication with the Directors so you can work together on a plan.
4) How long is the marching band season?
Each marching band season kicks off with approximately a week of band camp the beginning of June. The students are then off for the summer with no mandatory commitments until they return for the final two week of band camp at the end of July/beginning of August. From there the season generally goes to late October/early November.
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5) Can my student have a job while doing marching band, winter percussion, or winter guard?
Many of the students in the various band programs also work. During the more demanding times of the year with marching band & the winter activities, students will still have two weeknights and Sundays off each week to allow them have a job.
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COMMON WINTER PERCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) How long is the winter percussion season?
Winter percussion auditions typically begin in November and the last competition of the season is in April.
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2) Do you have to be in marching band to participate in winter percussion?
While many of our students do participate in both marching band & winter percussion, the two ensembles are separate activities & students can choose to join one or the other or both based on their interest.
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3) Do you have to play a percussion instrument in band class or marching band to join the winter percussion ensemble?
Winter percussion is open to any student in the band program who wants to perform & compete in this percussion specific ensemble. Many students who play brass or wind instruments or are part of our marching band color guard join winter percussion & learn a percussion instrument or become part of the visual team for this ensemble’s competitive show.
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COMMON WINTER GUARD QUESTIONS
1) How long is the winter guard season?
Winter guard auditions typically begin in November and the last competition of the season is in April.
2) Do you have to be in the marching band color guard to participate in winter guard?
While many of our students do participate in both marching band & winter guard, the two ensembles are separate activities & students can choose to join one or the other or both based on their interest. Some of our students even choose to play an instrument in marching band during the fall season & transition winter guard in the winter season.