Band Glossary

 

 

All-State Band – See Region Band and TMEA.

 

Band Alerts – Parents/students can receive quick text alerts from the band events coordinator by signing up at www.remind.com/join/ravenwoodmarchingband. These lists will clear every summer after June 30, so you and your student will need to sign up annually.

 

Band Fees – These are mandatory fees that are collected from every band member. These fees are to help pay for travel (hotels and meals when we travel), bus rentals, competition entry fees and a host of other expenses that a band of this caliber must face. In an “Indy Year”, the fees will be higher to pay for buses/hotel to Indianapolis and the additional costs that are incurred on that longer trip. In a “Regional Year”, fees are slightly lower because those contests are all in Middle TN. (See Indy Year and Regional Year).  There is a fee payment schedule set up with deadlines for each payment. You can find the due dates on the calendar. Please note that the first payment in due during the summer and must be paid or a marching spot cannot be offered.

The trip to Grand Nationals is not made every year because It’s expensive. While BOA and Regionals both marching competitions but are completely different competitions. You can read more about BOA at www.musicforall.org.

 

Banquets – These are ticketed events organized by the Events committee. Ticket information will be sent out as the events get closer. There is an additional charge for this event and it is a mandatory payment to attend.

 

Battery – also known as Drumline. These are the percussionists who march. (See also The Pit)

 

Bibs – Overall style uniform pants

 

BOA – See Bands of America and Indy Year.

 

Body Warm Up – The Body Warm Up is how the band students get ready to work before every practice and competition during marching season (musicians only, guard have their own warm up). It is a few minutes of choreography which they do in unison. It changes every year and incorporates several of the fundamentals which will be vital moves in the show for the year. So not only does it act to loosen them up and start working as a team, it also serves to reinforce the choreography for the year. They will start summer band learning this routine.  (See also Fundamentals)

 

Booster Board – The band booster board is made up of several volunteers elected by the booster organization to serve for a pre-determined amount of time to help run the booster organization. The list of who is currently on the board can be found on the website. You will see many emails from the various divisions of the board, but they will all come through the band charms account. We strive to keep emails short and to the point, but there is a lot of information for a band this size, so please take the time to read these communications or at least save them so you have them for future reference. Please do not hesitate to contact any board member with your questions. We are happy to help you navigate all that is band and guard.

 

Booster Organization and Meetings – As a band parent, you are part of the booster organization. We highly encourage you to attend the monthly booster meetings throughout the calendar year (including summer). This is where the majority of questions are answered and a lot of information can be learned in a short amount of time.  Check the band calendar for details on timing.

 

Calendar – your number one go-to guide for what’s going on and when. The calendar will be updated from time to time. Updates are highlighted in yellow. The calendar “lives” on Charms and can be downloaded/printed from that site once you log in.

 

Camps – See Band Camp, Guard Camps and Percussion Camp.

 

Chaperoning – Please consider chaperoning for the band. We need chaperones for buses to and from football games. We also need chaperones on our bus trips to competitions. Chaperones pay for their own travel (unless we go by bus), meals and accommodations, but if you really want to see the band up close and personal, this is a good option. Watch for emails about chaperoning opportunities.

 

Charms – Charms is our band-only, password-protected site that consolidates all internal band information for parents and students. If you need assistance, please email info@ravenwoodband.com.

The direct link for Charms login in is https://www.charmsoffice.com/charms/plogin.asp

The school code is: Ravenwoodband

Your password is issued by the band director. Once you are established in Charms, you will be required to change your password.

 

Communication – The band is large and the directors and booster board will have a lot of information to share with you. We all strive to keep this to a minimum so as to not overwhelm your email inbox (see Email). All band email communication is sent through our charms account, so our emails will come from Charms@ravenwoodband.com. Please take the time to read these emails. There is also a monthly booster meeting (See Booster Organization and Meetings) at which you can ask questions for any band issue. In addition to all these ways to get information, we have our public band webpage at www.ravenwoodband.com and our password-protected Charms page which has several documents, forms, and volunteer listings. (See Charms). The band calendar is frequently updated with changes, so please make note of changes sent out or check it for updates. If you are unclear about anything, please contact the appropriate booster board member or anyone in a band t-shirt. (See Booster Board) Everyone is happy to help.

 

Competitions/Contests – The marching band and the individual concert bands all compete at various levels. Please refer to Bands of America and TMEA. Please also see Region Band. The guard competes as part of the marching band in the fall and has guard only contests in the winter and spring (See Winter Guard and WGI).

 

Contests – see Competitions/Contests

 

Corporate Donations/Sponsorship – Ravenwood band actively seeks corporate donations to offset the expenses of the band program. The band has 501(c)(3) status. Your company may offer matching funds as well as volunteer hour matching. If you or your company would like to make a donation to the band, please email our corporate donations chairperson at donations@ravenwoodband.com.

 

DCI – Drum Corps International is a non-profit summer drum corps competition circuit. While Ravenwood band does not compete in any of their events, many of our students have auditioned for and received marching spots with one of these prestigious drum corps. They generally spend two and half months in the summer training, traveling, performing and competing. These bands are for bell front brass, percussion and guard only (no woodwinds like saxophones, clarinets and flutes). Students must be 17-21 years of age to participate. To read more about DCI: http://www.dci.org/parents/

 

Dots/Dot Books – Dots are the specific points of each individual person in the show at any given moment. A dot book is a spiral bound 3×5 or 4×6 index card book in which students write all their sets. (See also Sets and Drill.) Students will need to put a shoe string though their spiral so they can wear them around their necks while marching and have a mechanical pencil handy to make notes in their books.

 

The Drill – or just Drill. Collective dots make up a set. Collective sets make up the drill. (See also Dots/Dot Book and Sets). The drill is the complete show.

 

Drumline – also known as The Battery. These are the percussionists who march (see also The Pit).

 

Drum Majors – Student conductors/leaders for the marching band when they are on the field. The squad is made up of a head drum major and an assistant. Drum major auditions are held in the spring. Drum majors are selected by an independent judging panel, not the directors.

 

Email – Please make sure you have a working email correctly entered into Charms (see Charms). This needs to be an email you check on a daily basis. You will get a lot of email from the band from various committees. Please read them all as this is our number-one way of communicating with the very large band family. Emails come from charms@ravenwoodband.com. (See Communication.)

 

Etudes – An etude is a short piece of music designed to show skill and fundamentals. TMEA (Tennessee Music Educators Association) selects three etudes each summer which will be the audition pieces for Mid-State Band. The high school band also uses them for their own audition process.  For more information and for etude selection in mid-July, please visit www.tmea.org.

 

Event Coordinator – Is responsible for coordinating meals, activities, forms, chaperones for all band related events.

 

Fees – See Band Fees and Guard Fees.

 

Football and Football Games – One of the main duties of the band is to support our Raptor sports teams. In addition to pep rallies held throughout the school year, the band performs at every varsity football game from August through playoffs (with exceptions for competition conflicts). They only play at varsity games.  They play stand tunes, perform the marching show at halftime. The show will vary from week to week depending on what the students have been learning during the week. You generally won’t see the entire show at a football game because there isn’t time and/or they haven’t learned it all just yet. The band stays for the entire game and is bused back to the school after the away game.

 

Football Game Day Schedule – On game days, all students need to go to school with everything they need for the evening (clothes, garment bag, water jug, instrument, etc.). Students may go home after school but must return by the appointed call time for football games. The band rehearses and loads the buses to head to dinner & the game. They are bused back to school after the completion of the away game to drop off their uniforms and for parent pick up. Those students with items on the truck are responsible for helping to unload the truck after the games. (See Truck and Uniforms.)

 

Football Tickets – Students in the band do not need a ticket when they are with the band. However, parents do. For most games, you can get tickets at the gate.  Chaperones and Pit Crew will receive a pass to enter the games so that you will not need to purchase a ticket.  Please see the Events Coordinator and/or Pit Crew Coordinator to receive these passes. Another option is purchasing season tickets. Season tickets get you into every home game, but not the away games.

 

Forms and Documents – There are several forms that the band must have on file. Please make sure you have each of these completed and turned at the start of summer band. These forms include the sports physical form, commitment form, contact form, over the counter (OTC) medication form. These will be emailed to you as attachments, but you can also find copies for download in the “Band Forms and Policies” section in Charms (See Charms, Medication, and Physicals).

 

Fundamentals – The marching basics (posture, body carriage, marching technique, step size, etc.) that the directors teach and the students will apply to the marching show.  (See Body Warm Up.)

 

Fundraising – The band does a lot of fundraising to help defray the cost of band fees, competition, and running the band. In addition, occasional one-time costs are encountered. The district does not pay for as much as people often think it does. The bottom line is that the band needs money to function at the level at which we are, so please support as many of the fundraisers as you can. You will see emails addressing different fundraisers throughout the year, so please watch for those. Our balance sheets are available at every booster club meeting for your consideration.

 

Gauntlets – Gauntlets are school-owned marching uniform pieces worn over the wrists of marching band performers.

 

The Guard – This talented group of dancers and flag/rifle spinners are an intricate part of the marching band. They are a vital visual part of any show. During marching season, the Guard is always included when we say “Band.” When marching season is over, they have their own calendar of Winter Guard-only events.

 

Handbook – There is an online copy of the band handbook available within Charms.

 

Hospitality – See Event Coordinator

 

Hydration – see Red Jug

 

Hyponatremia – see Red Jug.

 

Indy – The nickname for Indianapolis, Indiana. See Bands of America

 

Kroger cards – you are able to link your Kroger card to the general band account. Kroger will donate a portion of sales back into our general band account. Information can be found on our website or at booster meetings.

 

Mailbox – There is a large wooden box with a mail slot inside the band directors’ office. The Booster Organization uses this for students to drop off payments for various things: Documents, Band Fees, Merchandise etc. It helps us greatly if your student puts payments in this box. Thank you in advance for that consideration.

 

Marching Band – The Marching Band is comprised of everyone in the band and color guard.

 

Marching Season – From May through potentially early November depending on the football schedule. Performing the show will end in late October at the completion of competitions. However, we continue to support the football team until the completion of their season.

 

Marching Spots – Every member of RHS Marching Band has an assigned spot in our competition show.  A drill writer has to work with certain parameters for each section in order for the mathematical parts of drill writing to work effectively and smoothly.  It is critical that once drill begins, all members attend practices. This begins with the first practices in July.  If you must miss a practice, please contact the directors immediately.

 

Marching Techs – They are usually college music students who help us during summer band and throughout the marching season.

 

May Camp – Also known as Rookie Camp. This is three full days in late May when the kids come together as a new band for the first time. Incoming freshmen are given new music for football “stand tunes”. They begin to learn marching terms, positions and how to hold their instruments properly.

 

Media (contacting) – see Publicity.

 

Medication/Medical – Please also refer to the Band Handbook.

 

Prescription medication: If your student needs to take any prescription medication while travelling with the band, the medication must be signed into the events coordinator. The medication must be in the labeled prescription bottle and only the amount needed for travel days should be checked in. A parent/guardian must sign in the medication. Your pharmacy can make you a separate bottle for just the amount needed for the trip if you request it. On our trips, we have a parent volunteer in charge of prescription medications. Most of the time we have an RN within our band family who can do this job for us, but it is within the volunteer standards that a director or Tier 3 approved volunteer may dispense medication. We can work with students who have inhalers or epi-pens on a one to one basis. While the band strives to make things easy for every student who needs medication, we must also act within legal parameters and the policies of the district. All school rules apply when we travel, and students are not allowed to carry any medication.  Please understand the staff appreciates all student privacy when it comes to medications and we do the very best we can in the circumstances we are given to maintain that privacy concerning medications. If you are an RN and are willing to volunteer for our trips, please contact the events coordinator.

 

Over the Counter (OTC) medications: One of the forms you must complete for the band is an over the counter medication approval form. This form is your pre-approval for the band to give your student any of the OTC medications on the list. Regardless of whether or not you allow for your student to request all/some/none of the medications on this list, the band must have one on file or we cannot give them anything should they request it. Again, just like in school, students are not allowed to carry any medication when we travel, so if they need something for example, like Tylenol or Ibuprofen or Tums, they must get it from the adult in charge of medications on the trip. On the OTC form, you may disallow any of the medications. For example, you may want to approve Tylenol, but not Ibuprofen. There is a place for that on the form. 

Asthma: If your child needs to carry an inhaler, you must note this on the medical form with any special instructions.

 

Merchandise – Band stickers and t-shirts for the whole family, we do all of that, too! There will be purchasing opportunities early in the marching season Watch your email for these opportunities.

 

Music for All – See Bands of America.

 

Percussion Camp – The percussion section will hold a summer camp in July. Please check the calendar for exact dates and plan your summer activities accordingly.

 

Physicals – All band members must have an annual sports physical. We have a Doctor who volunteers her time each year to provide these free of charge for any band member.  Watch for a sign-up genius to secure your time slot.  If you do not wish to make use of this benefit, the document that must completed by you and your physician may be downloaded from the Band Forms section of Charms (see Charms). Forms need to be turned into the band prior to the start of summer band camp. It is recommended you make a copy of this form for your records. Physicals may be performs no earlier than mid-April of the previous school year.

 

The Pit – These are the front line percussionists in the show, and even though they do not march on the field they do rehearse on the same schedule as the Drumline and play an integral part in the band’s overall performance and production. (see Drumline)

 

The Pit Crew – This fantastic crew of parent volunteers is responsible for the loading and unloading of all the instruments from the truck. They oversee getting the props and pit instruments onto the field. They also help with the building and management of props and other items we use on the field. (See Truck.)

 

Publicity – The band has a board member who handles contacting the local media and so forth. All our media contact should come from this person. With a band this size, we know it’s very exciting when we do well and we want everyone to know, but these things need to come from the directors/Boosters, please. If there is an event or an acknowledgement that you feel should be addressed and isn’t, please contact our publicity person.  Please do not post videos on your personal facebook pages or in any other public space.  The shows are copyrighted and must not be publicly distributed.

 

Red Jug, Hydration, Hyponatremia – Everyone in the marching band and guard is required to have a gallon sized insulted Igloo-style jug. These can be found at stores like Walmart. This jug is to be filled with ice and cold liquid and brought to all practices. Please put your student’s name on it. The band is given several water breaks throughout practice and it is critical that your student stay hydrated throughout practice and even off the practice field.

 

Hydration – Replacing fluids with both water and with a sports drink helps students maintain hydration as well as electrolyte levels. Signs of dehydration can include dry sticky mouth, thirst, hunger, sleepiness or tiredness, decreased urine output, dry skin, headache, constipation and dizziness or lightheadedness.

 

Hyponatremia – You should also ascertain that your student is getting some sort of electrolyte replacement during the day Replacing fluids with water only can lead to hyponatremia, which is when the body has too little sodium or it has been diluted by drinking too much water. Signs of hyponatremia include: nausea and vomiting, headache, confusion, loss of energy, fatigue, restlessness, irritability, muscle weakness, spasms or cramps. In extreme cases hypernatremia can lead to seizures and coma. We don’t tell you these things to scare you because many of those symptoms also look like the result of a hard day on the practice field in August. What we are saying it to be aware and to help your student stay hydrated. You know your student best.

 

Section – a group of musicians playing the same instruments.

 

Section/Squad Leader – These are student elected student leaders who help run the sections. (See Band Officers).

 

Sectionals – Rehearsal for a section. These are required!

 

Sets – A set refers to the collective dots of individual marching show participants. It’s the collective picture, if you will, that the band makes at any given time in the show.  (See Dots and Drill.)

 

The Show – The marching competition show. The band hires a person to write our show drill every year. We work actively with the writer and other people such as a choreographer and music arrangers throughout the season to perfect our performance. The show is how we compete at BOA and Regional marching competitions in addition to entertaining at halftime of the football games. It is kindly requested that you DO NOT post any video of the show. Shows are copyrighted and can change a little here and there from one level to the next, so we never want to reveal our whole hand prior to a competition.

 

Show Shirt – Every year a t-shirt is designed with the name of the current year’s show.  Every student is required to have a show shirt when we travel. Some years the booster club can afford to pay for these, and some years we cannot. It depends on the needs of the band in any given year.

 

The Staff – the RHS band directors.

 

Stand Tunes – Music played in the stands at football games and pep rallies.

 

Summer Band – SUMMER BAND IS A REQUIREMENT OF ALL BAND AND GUARD MEMBERS. Summer band starts at the beginning of July and runs every Tuesday/Thursday right up to the start of school. Summer band is how the band hits the ground running for the fall marching contest season. Start dates will vary for guard and band, so please be aware of your student’s start date. Summer band checklist will be available in the summer newsletter. These are the items you will need by the end of June. Summer band is hard work, yes, but also a lot of fun. Please refer to the calendar for exact dates and times and please schedule summer appointments accordingly. (See also Camps.).

 

MANDATORY PURCHASE ITEMS:

Thick, black socks, crew height only:  We recommend at least three pair of socks.

Khaki Shorts (WCS Dress Code Appropriate)

Black compression shorts worn under Bibs.

 

The Truck – Most large high school marching bands have their own 18-wheeler truck and RHS band is no exception. We use this truck to haul the pit equipment and electronics amongst other things back and forth from the school to various events. Students with large instruments which travel via the truck will be required to stay at the school after the football games to help unload their items. The loading and unloading is managed by our volunteer group known as The Pit Crew.

 

Uniforms – It is important that parents understand that school issued uniforms are school property and replacement for loss or damage will be the responsibility of the parent.

 

Marching Uniforms: These are school issued and are fitted during summer band by our uniform crew. This is a fun time to get to know some band parents and some kids. Sewing & ironing skills not required, jobs can be taught on the spot. Marching uniforms stay at school. They never go home, not even the gauntlets. Kids pick them up on game day from the uniform room and return them after the games. Uniforms must be transported in a luggage quality garment bag (see Totes). A volunteer group of uniform washers takes care of the laundry.

 

Concert Band Attire: Girls: Attire is a long black formal dress purchased in the fall from the approved vendor and black shoes. Boys: Boys will need to purchase a tuxedo from the approved vendor and black socks and shoes. All students will be fitted for these items in the fall.  Watch for information regarding fitting dates and pricing.

 

Video – It is kindly requested that you DO NOT post any video of the show online (including your personal social media accounts). Shows are copyrighted and can change a little here and there from one level to the next. (See The Show and Publicity)

 

Volunteering – Yes and yes! We have so many fun and wonderful opportunities for you to help the band. Please keep an eye on your emails for volunteer opportunities. This organization is well run, but it takes a lot of willing hands and hearts to make it all work. Opportunities are wide ranging from helping to build props and load trucks to helping put together competition goodie bags for the students. We need uniform fitting help in the summer, chaperoning help, fundraising committee help, merchandising help, pit crew help, event coordination help, uniform washing help, and help and also at the Exhibition and End of Season Banquets. Our booster board is elected every spring, so please watch for opportunities to submit your name to serve there as well. There is sure to be something that fits your time and talent.

 

Website – www.ravenwoodband.com. The website is our public internet presence. Here you will find links to Charms (for our band only password protected information) as well as links for lots of other information. Chances are if you need to know something it’s somewhere on the website or in Charms.  If you cannot find an answer, contact one of the booster board members or simply ask anyone wearing a RHS Band t-shirt. We’ve all had questions and we are all happy to help you.

 

WGI – Winter Guard International. This is contest circuit for guard once the marching season is complete (see Winter Guard). Similar to the BOA contests (See BOA), the guard will compete at the local and regional level throughout the spring. There will also be years where they will get to compete at the national level in Dayton, Ohio, but this is not on an established schedule. Winter Guard – For the Guard, “Winter” means mid-November through mid-March, and this is when Winter Guard takes place. These are guard-only contests. The Guard will start auditions for Winter Guard fairly soon after marching season ends, and will begin regular rehearsals for their contest season. Costumes for winter guard will be measured and paid for after the Fall semester break.  The Winter Guard will rehearse 2-3 times a week for up to three hours each. (See also WGI.)