Falcon Band Buzz Reminder for December 4-9, 2017

​December 3, 2017
Hello Falcon Band and Color Guard Students/Parents,
Attached is this week’s Falcon Band Buzz Calendar Reminder for December 4 – Saturday, December 9, 2017.
Region Band Auditions begin this week.  If you plan on picking up your student after their audition, be sure and complete an Alternate Transportation Form and turn it in to the Band Director.
The third payment for the Spring Trip is due on Friday, December 8th.
Please see Mary Anne Plaza’s note below regarding dessert donations for the upcoming Winter Concert on Thursday, December 14th.  
Any pre-ordered Holiday Plants and/or Butter Braid® pastries will be delivered to you at the Winter Concert. Pick-up instructions are below. Thank you to everyone who placed orders. The funds received will help support the Band program.
If your student is in the Full Orchestra, the Orchestra Winter Concert will be on Wednesday, December 13th.
Below is an explanation about the upcoming UIL Region Band Auditions and the UIL Region, Area and State calendar.
 Have a great week,
Suzanne Rupp
2ND VP – Communications

​UIL REGION AUDITIONS EXPLAINED

 
 
UIL Region Auditions are an opportunity for students to audition and compete against other high school students in their designated region. The top performing students have an opportunity to advance to their designated Area Audition.  The finest musicians from Area advance to State.   For the purpose of UIL Music Competition the state is divided into 7 areas, which are broken down further into 28 geographical regions.  CLHS is in Region 17 Area E.  Region and Area alignment is determined based on a combination of geographic and population factors. Each region offers competition in band, choir and orchestra as well as solo and ensemble competition and medium ensemble competition.
 
Students that qualify at Region Orchestra and/or at Region Phase 2 for High School Region Band will have the opportunity to participate in a Clinic and showcase their talent in a concert.    Students who advance to State participate in a four day clinic/concert in San Antonio at the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) which takes place in February.
 
The Band Directors will be passing out information on the various Region Auditions.  A small fee will be required per student to participate.
 
Transportation is normally provided on school days from CLHS to the high school where auditions are taking place. Once all auditions for the evening are completed, students will then be transported back to CLHS.  If you choose to pick up your student after their audition, an Alternative Transportation Form must be completed and turned into the Band Director prior to the audition date.  
 
Types of Auditions
 
9th Grade Region (Nov 28) – Freshmen have an opportunity for a Region audition competing only against other freshmen.  This is a great opportunity to experience Region Auditions. In intermediate school, region auditions were against other CCISD students.  Auditions are against all schools in our region.   After their audition, students are ranked by their instrument.  There is no advancement to other auditions in Freshmen Region.   Interested freshmen can also participate in the Region Orchestra and the Region Auditions. 
 
Phase 1 and Phase 2 Region Auditions (Dec 8 – 11) – This region audition is open to all high school students. Wind Ensemble students are required to participate.  Larger groups of instruments have auditions in both Phase 1 and Phase 2.  Phase 1 is spread across 2 days, and the student attends only on the day his/her instrument is scheduled.  Smaller groups of instruments do not have a Phase 1, but participate in the Non-Phased group on December 8th. The top scoring students in Phase 1 advance to Phase 2.  The scores in Phase 2 determine which students earn the ranking of Region Band or District Band.  Region Band ranked students participate in the Region Clinic/Concert on January 19 and 20, 2018. Students who rank the highest also advance to the Area Audition scheduled in January.
 
Area Auditions (Jan 13) – A select number of students who performed at the top in their Region Audition advance to Area Audition.  Four regions feed into our Area.  After this audition, the top ranking students advance to State at Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) in San Antonio. 
 
State (Feb 14-17) - Top ranking musicians from the state of Texas come together at TMEA, which is scheduled February 14 – 17, 2018.  Students who qualify as State have the opportunity and privilege to participate in a 4 day clinic.   The students audition, and per their ranking are placed in a ranking of concert bands or full orchestras.  They work in clinics with esteemed conductors and on the final day of TMEA showcase their talent in a concert.  Parents and family are welcome to attend these concerts.
 
 
 
LUSH FLOWERS

 
Think of Lush Flowers for Hostess Gifts, your Christmas and Holiday Decorations, and Winter Formal.  If you go in and order flowers for ANY occasion and mention Clear Lake Falcon Band, 10% of the purchase price will be donated to the Falcon Band Booster Club.  Rene Johnson, owner of Lush Flowers and CLHS alumnus, and her team will help you with all your floral needs. What a great way to support the FBBC.  Spread the word…this offer is good any time and for any person. Lush Flowers is located at 1131 Clear Lake City Blvd Houston, TX 77062.  281.486.5874
 
                                                                                                                                                  
EMPLOYER MATCHING FUNDS

 
Minimal effort needed from you > maximum benefit for our band program
 
Band parents,
 
The Falcon Band Booster Club corporate fundraising committee is asking for your help to expand our corporate matching gift fundraising effort.  Many companies offer a charitable matching gifts program as a benefit to their employees.   So far this school year, the band booster club has received matching gifts program checks from BP and Quantlab with checks from Albemarle and Morgan Stanley on their way.  
 
Does your employer offer a charitable matching gifts program so we can add their name to this list?
It only takes a minute for you to find out and if the answer is “yes”, the paperwork only takes a few minutes to complete but the benefits to our band program are tremendous.  
 
Is your employer also Albemarle, BP, Morgan Stanley or Quantlab?  If so, we know they match charitable donations to music programs such as ours.  
 
The money received from employer matching gifts serves all band and color guard students by partially or completely paying for the cost of many important parts of our program including private music lessons, percussion and color guard technical support, props for the marching band and winter guard shows, instruments and trailers maintenance, and the annual banquet.  

Please contact Jennifer Green ([email protected]), CLHS Band Booster Club Corporate Fundraising lead, for assistance completing your company’s charitable matching gifts program paperwork.