Itinerary for Week of October 22 – US Bands NE States show (New Britain)

Posted on by DSMAwebmaster in competition, Itinerary, marching band

This week’s itinerary has been emailed out to families, and can be downloaded by clicking this link. This Saturday will be our first of two shows in Connecticut as the season ramps up to Nationals at MetLife Stadium! Our online Google calendar has been updated to reflect the rehearsal, performance, and return times as well.

The DSMA has tickets on sale for both shows for $15 each. US Bands requires us to sell 90 tickets for the New Britain show, so buy your tickets from us and save $5 on each ticket! You can pay in person, or you can easily pay online by clicking this link.

Don’t forget about our wreaths and poinsettia fundraiser! This is always one of our most popular fundraisers, and is a hit at the holidays. 

Itinerary for week of Oct 15 – US Bands Somerset, CT show tickets, and more!

Posted on by DSMAwebmaster in competition, Itinerary, marching band

Itinerary

This week’s itinerary was emailed out to all band and guard families, and can also be found by clicking this link. We have a football game on Friday, and a US Bands competition in Somerset on Saturday.

CT Regional tickets for sale

The DSMA has tickets for both upcoming Connecticut US Bands regional events- 10/27 in New Britain, and 11/03 in Danbury. Tickets are $15 each, and you will save $5 by purchasing them through the DSMA. We ask that if you plan on going, that you buy the tickets in advance as we are required to sell 90 tickets for the New Britain show. Tickets will be available during pickup at the end of every Tuesday and Thursday rehearsal, please see Russ Benoit to purchase them, or pick them up if you purchase them online.

Uniform care

Our marching band members are wearing white uniforms and white shoes, and they can become dirty quickly. It is extremely important that the uniform pants be cleaned and ironed before every competition! As the season starts to reach it’s most important shows, every little thing counts. Please have your student remove their uniform from the bag after every competition to wash it, and also clean their white shoes. 

THANK YOU Parents!

The DSMA would like to thank all of the parents who have stepped up to volunteer at our football games, chaperone competitions, and help with props and pit equipment. It’s on us as parents to ensure everything is taken care of behind the scenes, so our students can confidently take the field and put on the best show they’re capable of. If you would like to volunteer to help with equipment or chaperone any of the remaining competitions, please email Russ Benoit. 

Itinerary for Week of September 24, 2018 – Home Show

Posted on by DSMAwebmaster in competition, Itinerary, marching band

The itinerary for this week’s home show rehearsal and competition has been emailed out to families. It can also be found by clicking this link.

Our home show will feature 10 bands from MA, RI, and CT, and is our biggest single-day fundraiser for the DSMA. If you have signed up to help volunteer at the home show, THANK YOU! If you haven’t signed up to volunteer but would like to help, most shifts start at either 3:30pm or 4:30pm. Please email Russ Benoit as soon as possible if you would like to sign up. 

Itinerary for Week of September 17, 2018 – BLACKSTONE US Bands show

Posted on by DSMAwebmaster in competition, Itinerary, marching band

This week’s itinerary can be found by clicking this link. It will also be emailed out to all band & guard families shortly. 

Please note two things for this week:

  1. Thursday’s rehearsal time has been CHANGED due to Open House at DHS. 
  2. This week’s show is actually in Medway, not in Blackstone. The address on the itinerary and in the online Google Calendar is correct.

We are excited for our first competition this weekend!

Band Camp/New Season Reminders/New Parent Meet and Greet

Posted on by DSMAwebmaster in marching band
BAND CAMP PREPAREDNESS
With BAND CAMP upon us, the DSMA would like to remind everyone of the following, just like the Scouts it is always best to BE PREPARED! Here is a list of things to bring while at camp:
 
Plenty of WATER
A hat to shield the sun
Sidewalk chalk to mark your spacing dots on the parking lot
Please RETURN your shorts!
Food and HEALTHY snacks, limit sugary items
 
UNIFORMS
Marching Band and Percussion Students MUST bring in the following uniform items:
ALL Uniform parts including Shako, green and white pants, jacket, gauntlet and plume!
 
Sue Benoit will be at the practice the following days/times to review uniforms, please make every effort to have your student meet with Sue during the following times:
1 hour before each practice:  11:00 – 12:00  and at each break:  1:00-2:00 and 5:00-6:00
Seniors:  Monday
Sophomores/Juniors: Tuesday
Freshman/Sophomores:  Wednesday
NEW Members: Thursday (and the following Monday if needed)
For NEW members without uniforms, uniform sign outs will take place at the upcoming BBQ.
 
Sue needs help at any/all of these times so if you are interested in pitching in please contact Sue and let her know – she will greatly appreciate any assistance and it’s a great chance to meet some of the kids and other parents.  She can be contacted at suebenoitdsma@gmail.com
 
PROPS
Tim Enos is heading up Prop Construction once again this year and anyone with an interest in assisting him are welcome to join him next Saturday, August 18th between 9-5 on the side of the high school. People with any skill level can assist as there are many things to do that help make the props the success they have always been. Any questions can be sent to Tim at timenosdsma@gmail.com
 
GILLETTE CONCESSION
Please consider signing up for a Gillette spot for August 16th. We are currently in need of 9 more people to fill out our roster.  This important program is responsible for raising over $30,000 every year, money that directly supports the Marching Band program at the school, it is also a great way for families to offset the various costs involved in participation. Tracy can be reached at tracynapertdsma@gmail.com
 
NEW PARENT MEET AND GREET
The DSMA would like to welcome the parents of our new band students and give them a chance to meet each other in an informal setting over light refreshments. This will give everyone a chance to say hello, ask questions about the program and put names to faces of the DSMA board, committee people and other new parents. The meet and greet will be this Monday, 7:30 at the High School. Feel free to stop in any time after 7:30, before picking your child up from camp.
 
That about covers it for now, thank you for your help making the upcoming Marching Band another success! 
 
-Greg Jones, Corresponding Secretary gregjones@dsmahome.org 

August updates – Madeira Parade, car wash, and band camp!

Posted on by DSMAwebmaster in DSMA News, fundraiser, marching band

Madeira Parade

Our marching band and color guard will be performing in the Madeira Parade on Sunday, August 5. Students will report to Dartmouth High School at 12 noon, and will be bussed to the beginning of the parade route. Step off is at 2pm, and students will return to the high school by bus once they are done marching. 

All students have been provided with their summer uniform (white band t-shirt and green shorts) for the parade. If your child did not receive their summer uniform during mini band camp, please contact Lisa Perry as soon as possible.

Car Wash

We will be holding a car wash at Town Hall on August 19 from 9am-1pm. Tickets are $5, and we are asking all families to sell 5 tickets. Ticket money is due by August 13, the first day of band camp. Students will have the opportunity to sign up for a shift to help wash cars, and we encourage everyone to tell family and friends about our first fundraiser! We will be posting a Facebook event for the car wash, so be sure to look out for that to help share it. If you have any questions about the car wash fundraiser, or need more tickets to sell, please contact Tim Enos.

Band Camp

Full camp for all marching band and color guard members begins on August 13, and will run Monday – Thursday for 2 weeks. Camp begins at 2pm and ends at 9pm, with a one hour dinner break that will usually run from 5pm-6pm. Percussion students (drumline and front ensemble) have a 12pm report time during camp. All band camp dates and times can be found on our online calendar, as well as within the BAND app. Students are encouraged to bring a large water jug/thermos that they can drink from throughout the day to stay hydrated. 

All returning students will be re-fit for their uniforms the first week of band camp, and once that is complete all new students will be fit for their uniforms. Returning students should bring in their full uniforms (jacket, white pants, green pants, gauntlets, and shako) on the following days:

Monday, August 13 – seniors
Tuesday, August 14 – seniors, juniors
Wednesday, August 15 – juniors, sophomores
Thursday, August 16 – sophomores, freshmen

Band camp will conclude on Thursday August 23 with the annual family BBQ at the high school, which will begin at 6:30pm. Please be sure not to arrive before 6:30, as DSMA staff and volunteers need to clean up from feeding the kids first! Families will have the opportunity to sign up for volunteer shifts and chaperone opportunities during the competition season as well as Gillette shifts during the BBQ. If you would like to volunteer to help serve the students and families at the end of camp BBQ, please contact Lisa Perry or Russ Benoit.

Introducing the new DHS Marching Band & Colorguard BAND App!

Posted on by DSMAwebmaster in DSMA News, marching band
Last season, a number of families asked the board if we could consider using the BAND app as a way to communicate updates & info. After researching the app and speaking with other marching bands who are using it, we have created our own DHS Marching Band & Color Guard BAND app for everyone to use!
 
The BAND app is private and secure – only people who have an invite can join. We will still use email & Facebook to help get messages out, however the BAND app will provide instant updates to our families directly to their phones. It also provides a single place to find calendars, itineraries, competition directions, fundraiser & volunteer updates, and more. The BAND app can be used on either your phone or a computer, based on your own preferences.
 
To see how our friends right down Rt 195 are successfully using the BAND app, take a quick look at this quick video about how the Somerset-Berkley Marching Band uses it.
 
 
All families of our 2018-2019 students should have received an email with instructions on how to install the DHS BAND App. If you have any questions about installing or using the BAND App, please contact russbenoit@dsmahome.org for assistance.