41ST ANNUAL OCTOBER 14, DIRECTOR S INFORMATION Westlake Marching Festival 1
Welcome to the Westlake Marching Festival! The Westlake Band Parent Organization thanks you for choosing to attend the Westlake Marching Festival. We hope you, your band, and your band parents have an excellent time at the event. This packet is meant to provide you with all the details you need to know as performers at the festival. If after reading through this packet you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the festival coordinators directly at westlakemarchingfest@gmail.com Getting to Westlake Refer to Map A in this packet for an overview of the Austin area and where our high school is located in relation to the city. We are conveniently located off Loop 360, Capital of Texas Highway. The exact address is 4100 Westbank Drive, West Lake, Texas, 78746. Arrival at Westlake High School Please note that parking around our high school and stadium is limited. Therefore, we have to carefully orchestrate bus, trailer, and car parking to make sure everything fits! But we have 41 years of experience at this and we make it work! Refer to Map B for a wide view of our campus and the parking areas. In the week prior to the festival we will send out parking assignments detailing where your buses will park. It is very important that you unload and park in your assigned area! Our hardworking parking crew will assist you and your truck and bus drivers to find their designated parking and unloading areas. Once your buses are parked, they will not be required to move. This will be your parking spot for the whole day. You can settle in here. Our high school is located in a relatively low-crime area. But it is still important for your band members to secure all equipment and personal items on the buses. Note that Eanes ISD, The Westlake Band Parent Organization, and Westlake High School will not be responsible for any losses or thefts. Band Crew Parking Parents/guardians who are helping move props are expected to have ridden on the band buses as chaperones. If band crew parents are arriving via their personal vehicle, they will need to park in one of the spectator parking areas. Check-In Once you have parked, a director or assistant director will need to check in at the Host Table. The location of this table is noted on Map D. The Host Table will provide you with: a) Passes for directors, drivers, chaperones and videographer b) Updates on any program or schedule changes c) Answers to any questions you might have at this point Warm-Up Please report with your band to the Host Table (see Map D) at the time indicated in the Schedule of Events in this packet. Note that your front ensemble (pit) will need to Westlake Marching Festival 2
report to the Pit Gate (see Map C) area at their scheduled warm-up time. You will be escorted from the Host Table/Pit Gate to the warm-up area. A twelve window tuner will be provided in each warm-up room. To keep the festival on schedule, be prompt in entering and exiting your assigned warm-up room. The band following will appreciate you! All bands will have 30 minutes for warm-up and will perform at 15 minute intervals, NO PLAYING OF INSTRUMENTS IS ALLOWED EXCEPT IN THE WARM-UP ROOM AND ON THE FIELD. Guards may warm up on the Practice Fields, but the mets/blocks must not be heard from the stadium. We will provide warm-up areas for the front ensembles. All bands will enter the stadium through the southeast gates (visitor side) and exit the stadium through the southwest gates (home side) as indicated on Map C. Front ensembles, pit equipment, and props will enter through the Pit Gate in the northwest corner of the stadium. Your pit may place their equipment in the READY AREA near the Pit Gate (see Map C) 30 minutes prior to your performance. You must clear this area immediately after your performance. Instrument Case and Prop Storage There is no space within the school buildings for storing instruments, cases, or props. Please arrange to store instrument cases on your school s equipment truck/bus. Props and front ensemble equipment may be stored in the area north of the end zone in the stadium (see Map C) after prelim performances. Please consider bringing plastic sheets to cover your equipment in case of rain. Dressing and Changing Rooms We do not offer space within the school buildings for dressing/changing. Please have your students wear uniforms or change on the buses. Judging All judges will be located in the Press Box on the west side of the stadium. Current UIL rules and procedures will be observed. All judges will be giving a numerical score. Composite scores will be announced at the conclusion of each CLASS (4A+5A, 6A) during the awards ceremony. Comment sheets will be available in the press box immediately following the awards ceremony for your band s competing class. Your comments will be available via your email address within one hour after your performance. Timing The Westlake Marching Festival follows standard UIL competition timing guidelines. The scoreboard clock will display the official time. In case a band does not adhere to UIL rules, a warning will be issued. Awards During PRELIMS, First, Second, and Third Place trophies will be awarded in each classification (4A, 5A, 6A). In addition, there will be class awards for Percussion, Color Guard, Marching, and Music. The awards ceremonies will be held on the field in front of the west (spectator) stands. Refer to accompanying Schedule of Events for the timing of these events. Please have Westlake Marching Festival 3
all Drum Majors in full uniform and ready to take the field as soon as the last band prior to the ceremony clears. All trophies will be presented to the Drum Majors at this time. Participation plaques will be given only to those bands that did not receive a placement trophy. Plaques will be in your check-out packets. FINALS trophies will be awarded to each participating band during the Drum Major retreat at the end of Finals competition. NOTE: DUE TO INJURIES DURING PAST FESTIVALS, NO OTHER STUDENTS WILL BE ALLOWED ON THE FIELD DURING THE AWARDS CEREMONIES. Practice Fields We have several artificial turf fields around the high school that are available for practice time (outside of your assigned warm-up time). Please contact the festival chairs at westlakemarchingfest@gmail.com if you would like to schedule a time for your band to use one of these fields during the day. Please note that food and drinks are not allowed on these fields. Do not eat meals on the practice fields. And the softball field near the tennis courts is off limits at all times. Packets All packets containing comment sheets, participation plaques, and other festival materials can be picked up in the south end of the press box immediately following the awards ceremony. NO RESULTS OR INFORMATION CONCERNING SCORES OR AWARDS WILL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL THAT TIME. First Aid A first aid station will be located just outside the southwest corner of the stadium in the school building. An EMS unit will be onsite for your convenience. Please walk to First Aid - we do not have vehicles available to transport anyone in need of first aid. If the person in need of first aid is unable to walk, please call 911. NOTE: TO AVOID DELAYS, PLEASE BRING MEDICAL RELEASE FORMS FOR YOUR STUDENTS WITH YOU. Hydration Hydration is always a big concern at our marching festival. Every year, we experience multiple hydration-related illnesses in visiting bands. Over 50% of people seeking medical attention are there due to a lack of hydration. Please take the necessary steps to keep your students hydrated. We will have a water station set up to serve water to bands exiting the stadium after their performance. Performers are always welcome to get water from this table at any time during the day. Spectator Information A separate packet with spectator information will be provided to you prior to the festival. This will include parking, admission, concession, and other important information. Please ensure that this information is passed along to your band parents. Westlake Marching Festival 4
Passes Festival passes will be distributed when you check in at the Host Table (see Map D). You will receive one pass for each bus driver, one pass for each director, and one pass per ten band students, up to 25 passes, for chaperones and field crew. No other passes are available. Participating students may sit in the visitors stands on the east side of the stadium. Participating students must pay the $5.00 admission fee to sit in the west stands. Patches and T-Shirts WESTLAKE MARCHING FESTIVAL t-shirts ($15 each) and patches ($5 each) will be available for purchase at the festival. You may also pre-order t-shirts and patches by using the form in this packet. Preordering will ensure you will receive your shirts and patches on the day of the festival. Email the form in this packet to westlakemarchingfest@gmail.com before October 8,. All pre-orders must be paid for at the festival. Restroom Facilities Restrooms are located on both sides of the stadium. Remember, you must pay to enter the west side of the stadium. There are also portable toilets available in the parking areas. Refer to Map D for locations of the portable toilets. There will be toilets available off the tennis court parking lot and in the Performing Arts Center lobby near the host table. Concessions Concession stands are located under the stands in the stadium. There will be one concession stand on the west side and one on the east side. Access to the west side concession stand is limited to paid attendees. Judges We are fortunate to have a highly qualified judging panel from a variety of backgrounds and areas. The judges for the Westlake Marching Festival are: Mike Leitzke, Tim Pierce, Ferd Vollmar, Glen Fugett, and Michael Higbe Finals The finals competition will begin at 7:15 PM. Immediately following the announcement of the finalists at 6:00 PM, there will be a directors meeting in the press box to draw for performance times in finals. Finalist bands will be separated into top five and bottom five groups. The draw will occur within these groupings to determine performance order. Finals Awards All finalists scores will be announced during the finals awards ceremony. Trophies will be awarded to those bands that place in the Finals. The finals awards ceremonies will be held on the field in front of the west stands. Refer to accompanying Schedule of Events. Please have all Drum Majors in full uniform and ready to take the field as soon as the last band prior to the ceremony clears. Finals trophies will be presented to the Drum Majors at this time. Westlake Marching Festival 5
Performance Schedule Westlake Marching Festival 6
T-shirt and Patch Pre-Order Form T-shirts and patches for the Westlake Marching Festival are available for purchase. and shirts will be sold at the festival. Pre-ordering guarantees that your items will be available the day of the festival and will not have to be shipped to you later. Please complete the following information and return a copy of this form before October 8,. Westlake Marching Festival Shirt and Patch Preorder Form Item Order quantity Cost per Item Total cost WMF Patch $5.00 $ WMF T-shirt Order quantity Cost per Item* Total cost Adult Small $15.00 $ Adult Medium $15.00 $ Adult Large $15.00 $ Adult XL $15.00 $ Adult XXL $15.00 $ Total $ School Name: Contact Name: Contact Phone: Contact Email: Please scan and return this order form to: westlakemarchingfest@gmail.com Westlake Marching Festival 7
Map A - Austin and surrounding areas Westlake Marching Festival 8
Map B - Parking Westlake Marching Festival 9
Map C - Restrooms, Check-in, and First Aid Westlake Marching Festival 10
Map D - Festival Services Westlake Marching Festival 11