Disney Trip Deadline is Monday

Right now I have 28 people who have brought in deposits and are definitely going on next year's February Disney Trip.  I need 60 by Monday or the trip will not happen.  If you are on the list on the Website with a question mark next to your name please let us know your status.  If you do not bring in a check to Mr. Gazzo or myself by Monday we will take you off the list. Please get the word out!

Student Leaders List Up Tomorrow

The student leaders for 2011 will be posted tomorrow.  All people on the top 20 service point list will be receiving positions.  This is really the top 28 if you put the 8 seniors back in.  So if you were in the top 20% of the service point earners for the 2010 marching band season, you definitely have a position (we had 100 in the band last year). The service points are a significant part of this process now.

While most band members get to rehearsals right on time, and leave right after the rehearsal, approximately a quarter of the band comes early, stays late, and spends many hours helping out whenever they can.  These top 20 people have ALL gotten positions.

If you didn't get a position, you didn't get into the top 20 percentage of the service point earners which means you didn't do enough extra things while others did.  Translated, you did not come early, stay late, or volunteer doing extra things enough to break into that top group, which would have secured you a position on the leadership team.

This was clearly stated at Band Camp last year and the point and attendance sheet was updated after every single event and rehearsal.  It is always on roslynband.com.

Next Year's Schedule is Finalized - Our Attendance Rules

As of March 30th, we finalized our 2011 Marching Band Schedule.  Please realize that all rehearsals from Band Camp on are absolutely mandatory to be in the Roslyn Marching Band.  Due to the academic nature of our high school, our entire schedule is one third to one fourth the amount of practice hours of all our competitors.  Check their websites and you will see.  We can be competitive due to the fact that we have 100% attendance, rehearse efficiently, and focus incredibly well at each and every rehearsal and event. We also do about half of the shows other bands due.  We leave several weekends open for college visitations while our competition goes every single weekend.  It works for us but you must understand, for this reason, we need everyone at everything on the schedule. All information, forms, directions, the band camp packet, absolutely everything, is on the roslynband.com website. As always, if you have any questions just e-mail me.

Now on to the schedule.  Band Camp will be Monday, August 15th through Sunday, August 22nd at our new Camp Taconic. Our first performance will be at the home game on Saturday, September 10th.  We will be doing one more show this year, the Brentwood Show on Sunday, September 18th, the "Friday Night Lights" Soccer game, which is the only date we do not know yet, and the Homecoming on Saturday, October 1st.  Since the Homecoming is on the same day as SAT's it will be in the late afternoon, with the Parade and game scheduled so that it does not conflict with the tests.  There is a home game on October 6th, a Thursday afternoon, due to the holiday being that weekend.  Our regular Columbus Day weekend is off with nothing scheduled, the Huntington Show is on Sunday, October 16th, Newsday on Thursday, October 20th, the Mineola Show on October 22nd and the Phoenix and Championship on the 29th and 30th of October as we always do.  We will be staying for the finals this year and coming home on Monday, October 31st by 2pm.   Remember, with our marching band having so few rehearsals and so few shows, attendance is mandatory for every single day on the schedule. Any absences will result in immediate removal from the group.  Our show is a "Broadway type show" designed for every single person in the group! I start writing the drill after July 5th, so anyone can be added or get a full refund for marching band through that date. If you have any questions just e-mail me. The schedule can be downloaded by hitting the schedule link on the roslynband.com website.

Big Changes in the Field Band Classes!

Wow, there was a reclassification of the bands in the New York State Field Band Conference this week.  Click this link to view http://patpat15.com/2011nysfbcclasses.  They moved Leroy, Mohonassen, and Mineola up a class to Small School 1, which leaves us to be top ranked in our class.  In addition, they moved the three bottom bands in SS1 down to our class, Johnson City, Corning East, and Jordan Elbridge.  This is really good news for us because it pretty much means that everything will be more open.  Copiague is now out of National and in LS2, Huntington has been moved down to LS3 and a whole bunch of other bands have been moved around.  Malverne has been moved into our class SS2 due to their win last year in SS3.  We will still be on in the middle to late part of the Long Island Shows, with only Mineola, Huntington, Brentwood and Copiague in higher classes than us while the other 6 bands are in the lower class LS3.  This will be an exciting year!

Trip On!

We have reached a total of 55 people who say they will go on a trip to Disney next February!  Traditionally, when we have had 50 commit verbally, we hit about 65 to 70 band members actually taking part in the trip.  We will be departing Roslyn on Friday, February 17, 2012 at around 6pm and arriving back to Roslyn on Friday, February 24, 2011.  We will be performing in two parades, have a dinner at Epcot for all parents and students one night (to be determined) and visit each of the Disney and Universal Parks during the week.  This trip will cost around $1300 and will include food money each day.  Remember, at this time it still needs to be approved by the Roslyn Board of Education. I will be proposing the trip to the school board within the next month or so.  Due to the economy, I am proposing this trip very early so that families may get the best prices if they want to meet us down there.  It is also easier to plan ahead and save money for the trip.  Remember, all students must ride the busses down to Florida and back to be a part of this trip.  More information to follow.

We're Almost There!

We are now up to 45 people going on the Florida Trip to Disney next February break.  If we get 5 more people I am going to go ahead and propose the trip!

Bowlathon a Huge Success!

The bowlathon last night was a huge success!  We had over 80 people attend, it was a great time, and a successfull fundraiser!  Thanks to Claudia Wolfson, Sherri Marx-Eisenstadt, Linda Woods, and Nancy Goldman for running this incredible event.  A special thank you to  Terri Kurtz for getting our amazing donations of the ipad, nook, etc, and for so many pre-sales of our incredible raffle!  It was a great event!

Disney Trip Update, Extending Deadline

We need another 22 people to go on the Disney Trip next year.  I am extending the deadline to Monday, March 7th to make the final decision.  In all likelyhood, this trip will not happen in 2012.  Right now we have 28 people who e-mailed me that they will go on the trip.  I need at least 50 to do the trip.  I will not bring a band to disney unless we have at least half of the band going.  Please e-mail me if you plan on attending.  If you do not e-mail me, I will assume that you are busy and not interested in taking part in this trip next year.  In that event we will skip a year and try to do a trip during 2013.

Disney 2012 Update 2

We now have 26 people out of 76 listed in the band who want to go on a trip to Disney next year.  Understandably, it looks like the current economic conditions are impacting everyone and we will most likely have to skip a year.  I am keeping the decision to be made on March 1st, so please, if you are planning on going on a trip next year with the marching band, e-mail me asap!

Disney 2012 Update 1

After receiving only 17 positive responses from people interested in going on a trip to Disney next year, we will most likely be skipping a year and/or rethinking this Spring trip strategy for our program.
Due to the economy, the costs involved in band camp and Syracuse, along with family plans, we will probably be going with the every other year trips and doing the odd numbered years. Even this past trip included only 68% of our 100 piece band.  Perhaps there is just not enough interest in these Spring trips with our Marching Band.  Many people are hurting with this economy and as a band director I must be sensitive to this.

I will still make the final decision around March 1st, so if you are interested in going please e-mail me before that date.  In addition, if you know of any new members or incoming 9th grade definites who want to do the trip, tell them to e-mail me.

I need to hit participation by 80% of the marching band in order to go forward.  Right now, with 17 people out of 75 (I am not even including the incoming 8th graders or any new members) I am at 23% interest.