Get your new Marching Band and Color Guard Logo clothing here! Order Now and show your DARTMOUTH spirit sporting some NEW great Logo gear!
Make checks payable to: DSMA.
ALL ORDERS ARE DUE TO THE MUSIC BOX or VIA EMAIL TO ANDREALEE101599@GMAIL.COM B
Click here to view the Color Guard order form. Click here to view the Marching Band order form.
Lawrence Family Greenhouses is once again helping out our music students with a Black Friday Weekend Christmas Tree sale! Head on over to the Lawrence Family Greenhouses 679 Hathaway Rd. New Bedford and let them know you’re there to help support the DSMA, and a portion of your sale will be donated to help our program.
The scholarship committee would like to celebrate the 2020 virtual fall competition season with a commemorative ad book. The book features each fall competing group and includes the ads previously purchased.
The books are $5.00 each. All proceeds go into the scholarship fund that directly supports eligible seniors continuing their education beyond high school. We are asking you to preorder your ad book. All orders are due by Friday 11/20. The books will be ready the week after Thanksgiving.
To preorder your ad bookPaying online:
Paying with cash or check:
Be on the lookout for our silly socks! This fundraiser will run from Monday, November 30 through Monday, December 14, and is the perfect way to find gifts for that “hard to shop for” person on your list. We’ll share a link to the online store where you can view and buy all the available socks, which will be shipped to your home.
In the absence of holiday concerts when we usually have our Lottery Tree fundraiser, we will be holding an online raffle where you could win hundreds of dollars in gift cards to give your holiday shopping a huge boost! Last year’s fundraiser earned almost $2000 for our students, and we’re hoping to double that this year. Details to come!
Get your Dartmouth Music-branded mugs and help support our students! You will be able to view and purchase all of the mug designs online by clicking here. Mugs will be shipped directly to your home, and a portion of all of the sales will be directly donated to the DSMA.
Click the images below to see more options!
Get your holiday decorating started! Our annual Wreath and Poinsettias is one of our most popular fundraisers, with beautiful arrangements that help benefit our students. You can download the order form here. Money will be due on 11/20 and pickup will be on 11/28. Please see the DSMA Website for payment.
Any questions can be sent to Ann LaMere or 774-365-2678.
This article appeared in the Dartmouth/Westport CRONICLE on October 21st by Curt Brown. To view the original article, please click here.
DARTMOUTH — The first time Ian Flint saw the Dartmouth High Marching Band was 1998 and he was a teenager in the Blue Ridge High School Marching Band in New Milford, Pennsylvania.
His high school didn’t have a football team, but it had a big-time, 120-member, competitive, marching band and that was how Flint first became acquainted with the Dartmouth High School Marching Band.
“I grew up watching the Dartmouth band. It’s a program I’ve always looked up to,” he said.
The following year in the spring of 1999, still a Pennsylvania high school student, Flint crossed paths with the DHS Indoor Percussive Unit at the World Championships in Dayton, Ohio.
“The level of excellence was so high. I’ve always wanted to be a part of something like that,” he said. “It has such a long-storied tradition.”
In 2006, Flint became part of DHS Marching Band program when he was named a system-wide brass instructor. He remained in that position until 2015 when he left to become the head band director at Bellows Free Academy Fairfax in Fairfax, Vermont.
And 22 years from when he first saw the Dartmouth band as a Pennsylvania teenager, Flint, now 39, replaced Bill Kingsland, who retired in June as the band’s director and the music director for Dartmouth Public Schools.
“For me, it is about continuing the tradition we have,” he said.
Superintendent of Schools Bonny Gifford said Flint is “a tremendous addition” to the Dartmouth music program.
“When I interviewed him I was impressed when he said he had his eye on this position for a long time. To prepare for a chance to be chosen he took a position in Vermont that would provide him with leadership experience. How many folks look so far ahead and do what is necessary to achieve their goals? He is enthusiastic, talented and well respected,” Gifford said in a statement.
It’s not an ideal time to take a band program under wing because of the pandemic, but Flint said he is focused on making this year as meaningful as possible for his students. “The students come first and they make it a great experience,” he said.
To say this year has been different is an understatement. Competitions are virtual. They are filmed at the stadium by DCTV and sent to the judges. The band season is half over and there have been no in-person concerts.
The woodwind and brass sections, the percussive and color guard don’t practice as one because of space limitations at the high school parking lot. The woodwind and brass sections practice 10 feet apart without masks. The percussive unit and color guard wear face coverings and are 6 feet apart. The shows are written specific for the spacing.
There will be no trip to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where the band will be going for its fifth consecutive national championship. There will be no New Bedford Veterans’ Day Parade where the band was one of the crowd favorites, proudly marching down William Street to the delight of spectators. There is no traveling at all this year.
But even though the competition has been virtual, the results have been the same — the percussive and wind and color guard are all undefeated, according to Flint.
Madison Bettencourt, a 17-year-old DHS senior member and tri-captain of the color guard, said this is not the senior year she envisioned because of the pandemic, but Flint’s positive attitude has made it as enjoyable as possible. Many schools have dropped band all together because of the virus.
Bettencourt, who has been in the band for 6 1/2 years, said Kingsland is “an icon” with the band and in Dartmouth and Flint was faced with the enormous challenge of organizing a band season because of the limitations caused by COVID-19. “He came in and showed he can fill Mr. Kingsland’s shoes because this was not an easy task for anyone,” she said.
Still, she remains excited about the band season, saying they are “making history” by rehearsing through the pandemic, which is “special” because it has never been done before.
Bettencourt said people are suffering and others have it far worst than the band because of COVID-19. “I’m trying to remember that,” she said.
She also wanted to give credit to her two other tri-captains on the color guard, Mia Paynton and Ryley Thatcher, who with her have tried to make this band season a great experience for the younger color guard members.
Flint credits the band members for the results. “They’re doing it for themselves. That’s why virtual works for us,” he said. “It worked out better than I ever could have imagined. I don’t see any difference in the motivation.”
He told the band their competitive scores reflect their rehearsals. “Nothing comes easy. It’s all about hard work,” he said. “From the first day, they were ready to go. Let’s be great. The results happen because of the rehearsals. You can’t play defense (in band competitions). You can only play offense.”
Flint said he can’t wait for the pandemic to be over and for things to return to normal.
“It works. It’s good. It’s positive. Let’s keep pushing ahead,” he said.
The full article can be found on Zildjian’s web site. For direct access to this article, please click here.
We want to thank Zildjian for putting together this great WORKOUT episode featuring Tom Aungst, who runs through some exercises he does with the Dartmouth HS Drumline.
Not only does it show an awesome video, but it comes with a free PDF download of all the exercises the Dartmouth drumline does.
TOM AUNGST is the Director of Percussion at Dartmouth Public Schools in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. His job includes teaching percussion students at all levels of the program, from the beginners starting in 5th grade, to the middle and high school students. Mr. Aungst has been in the Dartmouth school system for the past 24 years. Under Tom’s direction, Dartmouth has participated in the WGI indoor percussion activity since 1998, capturing five World Class Percussion Championships (1998, 1999, 2008, 2009, 2014) and has consistently placed in the top three.
Mr. Aungst has also been involved in the drum corps activity for over 36 years. Tom has recently returned to The Cadets Drum & Bugle Corps as the Caption Head and Arranger for the 2017 season. He was formerly the Caption Head for Carolina Crown in 2015 and 2016. Mr. Aungst got his start in drum corps in the late 70’s by marching with the Reading Buccaneer’s all-age corps, winning two DCA World Championships in 1979 and 1980. In 1981 Tom became involved with The Cadets, first as a member from 1981-1984, then as the Percussion Arranger and Caption Head through 2008 and later returning as a consultant in 2013. While with the corps, Tom was involved with capturing nine championships and seven percussion awards. Mr. Aungst has always remained actively involved in the drum corps activity, recently writing for the Cadets2 corps in 2013, and working with various groups like the Blue Stars, Pacific Crest, Hawthorne Caballeros, and the Connecticut Hurricanes. Tom is a member of The Cadets, Drum Corps International and the WGI Halls of Fame.
Mr. Aungst is a graduate of West Chester University, where he received his Bachelor’s in Music Education and also has a Master’s in Jazz Performance from Rutgers University. Tom is a Vic Firth, Yamaha, Zildjian and Remo artist. He is also a proud father to Alan Aungst and Noah Aungst.
This article appeared in the Dartmouth Week on August 21st by Kate Robinson. To view the original article, please click here.
While most teenagers spent their summer at the beach or escaping quarantine outdoors, kids in Dartmouth High’s marching band and color guard cut their breaks short to get back to practice via Zoom, Google classroom, and — in the past couple of weeks — in person.
On Aug. 20, nearly 50 students broken into groups by instrument could be found playing for three hours in a parking lot behind the high school. The wind instruments practiced in the afternoon, and the percussion and color guard practiced separately in the evening.
Students remain socially distant — six feet apart for regular instruments, and thirteen feet for wind instruments — and masks are required for all except those who need their breath to play.
This is the second week of in-person practice since the pandemic started — but some have been working virtually almost since school let out last March.
“I let them off for two weeks,” said percussion director Tom Aungst with a laugh. “These are really good kids.”
“It’s just nice to be back, because this is what the kids enjoy,” he said. “To get out here and be social, and play and drum and feel the energy, it’s really cool. Even for me.”
Aungst noted that every single one of his students attended his classes since March 13. “I had 100% attendance,” he said. “Indoor percussion competes at world championships — so they understand what it takes.”
“I was really impressed with their dedication and commitment,” he added. “I’m lucky.”
This year is also unusual because new band director Ian Flint took over from longtime director Bill Kingsland this spring.
Flint taught in Dartmouth for nine years and came back to take on the position after five years away. And with four national championships to the school’s name, he said, “We don’t want to lose momentum.”
“Some of the seniors here, I had five years ago,” he said, smiling under his mask. “The program’s evolved even in the five years I’ve been gone…It just keeps getting better.”
As for starting the job during a pandemic, he said, “It was a lot of planning.” But he credits his staff and the kids for pulling off the in-person practices.
“The kids, from day one, they took it super seriously,” he said. “They know if they don’t follow the guidelines, they’re not able to do this.”
“And they love this,” he added. “They take a lot of pride in it.”
As for the teachers, Flint noted, “We were so excited to teach again!”
“We’re lost without being in front of students and teaching them music,” he added. “This is our passion.”
Flint said that with the pandemic, this year will look a lot different. He’s already had to cut the number of hours kids can rehearse each day from nine hours to just three.
“We’ve reduced our rehearsal time to a third of what we would normally do,” he said, adding that due to the changes, they had to cut the show to half its normal runtime.
There will also be no in-person competitions. Instead, bands across the country will compose videos of their performances to send in to a virtual competition.
“We’ll film the show at the stadium, then submit it to the adjudicators,” Flint said. “It’s a little different.”
Senior Sergio Sao Marcos, who has played trombone in the marching band for four years, said that practices are going well.
“It’s just fun,” he said. “I like playing with friends.”
As for giving up part of his summer for the band, he added with a grin, “I don’t mind the heat.”
The color guard has also started in-person practices in a field behind the school. Director Addison Kaeterle said that the kids are “just excited to be out of the house.”
He noted they also tried out a virtual platform over the summer, with students given level-based assignments to complete and submit videos for feedback, as well as virtual live practices and a weekly zoom catch-up.
“It was very different. I’ve never done such a thing before,” he laughed. “A lot of the kids actually came back a lot stronger with their skillset, because a lot of them took advantage of it.”
Color guard co-captains Ryley Thatcher and Mia Paynton said that everyone is happy to be back.
“We’ve been in our houses since March now, so it’s good to be back and doing something,” said Paynton. As for the virtual experience, she said, “It’s weird when you’re still practicing but you’re not with everyone you’re used to being around.”
“I love that it feels like a family,” said Thatcher.
Enter as a single or up to a foursome, join us for dinner + raffles, or sponsor a hole in our DSMA Scholarship Golf Event on May 5, 2024!
