The itinerary for this week’s rehearsals and performances can be viewed and downloaded from this link. This is the last one for the fall marching band season.
Itinerary for Week of Oct 19, 2020
The itinerary for this week’s rehearsals and performances can be viewed and downloaded from this link. It has been posted to the BAND app, and our online calendar has been updated as well.
Please Note: Mare Pictures will be at the Live Virtual Performances. Don’t forget to bring your completed order form and payment that was emailed to you
Itinerary for Week of Oct 13, 2020
The itinerary for this week’s rehearsals and performances can be viewed and downloaded from this link. It has been posted to the BAND app, and our online calendar has been updated as well.
Please Note: There have been changes to rehearsals and showtimes due to the weather.
Itinerary for Week of Oct. 5, 2020
There is no Winds performance this week, and Percussion has been moved to Sunday due to a scheduling conflict.
The itinerary for this week’s rehearsals and performances can be viewed and downloaded from this link. It has been posted to the BAND app, and our online calendar has been updated as well.
The Itinerary now includes taping times so families can watch outside the stadium along the fence. Friendly Reminder: Because it is town property, all bystanders should be wearing masks when viewing any one of the three recording sessions to be in compliance with town mandates.
Itinerary for Week of Sept 28,, 2020
The itinerary for this week’s rehearsals and performances can be viewed and downloaded from this link. It has been posted to the BAND app, and our online calendar has been updated as well.
Please be sure to read the itinerary for information on arrival/pick up times and any student uniform guidelines. Any questions about uniform criteria should be directed to the appropriate staff member for their section (Winds – Mr. Flint, Percussion – Mr. Aungst, Guard – Addison).
PLEASE NOTE! As of this time, families are NOT allowed in the stadium to watch the performances. If/when this changes, the music office will send out an update.
With virtual concerts, DHS band proves the show can go on
This article appeared in the Dartmouth Week on September 20, 2020, by Christopher Shea. To view the original article, please click here.
Despite the postponement of Dartmouth football to February, Memorial Stadium is once again in-use.
This weekend saw the first two socially distanced shows put on by Dartmouth High’s marching band as part of its fall season of virtual concerts.
“It’s great to be able to do something like this,” percussion director Tom Aungst said. “The kids were really excited about the season.”
To prepare, the band has been having regular rehearsals via Zoom, Google classroom, and — in since August — in person.
The band is taking many physical precautions when it comes to Covid-19 safety. 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.
“Six feet is pretty normal distancing for the drumline,” band director Ian Flint said. “Wind is a whole nother story.”
To meet those regulations, shows were split into different days, with wind playing on Sept. 18 and percussion on Sept. 20.
At the wind show, the band played a couple of jazz songs. At the percussion performance, the band played two songs about masks — “The Mask of Zorro” and the theme to “Phantom of the Opera.”
“This music was actually something we did in 2001,” Flint said. “We weren’t sure if the competitive season would happen, so we chose something that would work for this season.”
Normally, the band would play these songs in-front of a judge where they can immediately get outside feedback on how they did.
Since the concerts are done virtually, the band instead records its shows and uploads them online where judges will watch the submitted videos and rank the bands.
While this can take multiple takes, Flint said his students try their best to perform the song once.
“Our goal is always consistency,” Flint said.
Aungst agreed, adding that, if anything, going virtual is “even more of a motivation” for the band.
Moving forward, Flint said he hopes to find a way to get parents watching the shows beyond standing by the fence.
“We’re taking baby steps with this whole thing,” he said. “But I think at some point we can spread people out. But we still need to take things one week at a time.”
“It’s a lot different season than normal,” Flint added.
Color guard, band march on with in-person practices
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.