The Sound And The Fury 2011 Member Book
Marching Band Staff & Contact Information Dr. Gary Westbrook Director of Athletic Bands gwestbrook@tarleton.edu 254-968-9439 www.tarleton.edu/band ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Clint Cox Administrative Assistant Sierra Sant Librarian Uniform Manager Kristiana Flores Brett Batchelor Equipment Manager DRUM MAJORS Natalie Rose Head Chris Gaitan Assistant Marcus Rodriguez Assistant SECTION LEADERS Flute Micki King Clarinet Tomi Elliott Saxes Fredy Gonzales Horn Sara Fischer Trumpet Caitlin Jacobs Trombone Becca Kimmons Baritone Bobby Spillman Tuba Alex Trejo John David Hamilton assistant Percussion Justin Hawkins, captain Steve Seymour, assistant Guard Amanda Arthurs 2011 TSU Student Athletic Band Advisory Committee - The TSU Student Athletic Band Advisory Committee was appointed in Summer 2011 by director Gary Westbrook to act as the voice of the band on certain topics (requested and unrequested). Natalie Rose chair Amanda DeBusk Alicia Contreras Alonzo Steve Seymour JD Hamilton Kristiana Flores Amanda Arthurs Jay Gillean Sarah Wnek
INTRODUCTION As a member in the The Sound & The Fury, you are a valued member of the finest organization on campus. Our goal is to always keep it that way, and you will naturally have a lot to do with the success of that goal and with many others. There are a few hundred things that you will learn this week about the Texan Band: mostly, who we are, what we do, how we do it. Many of these things will be very familiar to you, since you have spent the better part of your musical life marching in mud, playing in rain, sitting in plastic chairs, riding on buses--the normal band stuff. However, some things will be drastically different for you, so we have put this little booklet together to help you make a smooth and quick transition from high school to University band life (and to help remind the old heads of the things that are most important about the Texan Band). This is the framework in which we approach the 2011 version of The Sound and The Fury. We hope that you will receive and provide as much fun and enjoyment during your tenure with the Texan Band as the old heads. Before you know it, you ll be a senior wondering why all these freshmen look so young!
Guidelines To Get You Through The Year RULE #1: DON T MISS ANYTHING!!! That seems to be pretty reasonable and universal among all successful groups. Let s see if we can make it even clearer: * Roll will be taken every day. *Unexcused absences will NOT be tolerated. We cannot be productive without EVERYONE participating. Every unexcused absence from a rehearsal will result in a One Letter Grade Reduction from your final grade in the course. **Furthermore, an unexcused absence from a game day rehearsal will result in a two letter grade reduction. ***An unexcused absence for a performance will result in a two letter grade reduction and an immediate review of your participation. *Absences will only be classified as excused by the Director of Athletic Bands. The earlier you discuss a potential absence, the higher the probability it can be excused. Things that are typically excused * Death in immediate family (we hope not) * Personal illness (must be validated with a doctor s note) * Pre-approved (by Dr. Westbrook) absence for official University function (bear in mind that very few things are more important than Band from 3:00-5:00 MWF).
GRADING POLICY RULE #2: DON T FORGET RULE #1!!! I expect everyone to make an A in band this semester. Sometimes, on rare occasions, a student will receive something less. Here are the reasons why: * Points off for infractions of the attendance policy * Not able to perform music proficiently * Not able to march drill design proficiently * Negative contribution (I hope this never has to be an issue) These last three are my responsibility to prevent as your teacher. However, you share that responsibility as the student. Let s work together on it! When in doubt always remember this: Be where you are supposed to be, when you are supposed to be there, ready to do whatever it is you are supposed to do when you get there. REHEARSALS 3:00-5:00 on Monday, Wednesday, Friday. On Saturdays, we will run the show before the game (Typically game day rehearsals occur when we can get into the stadium). Please bring your own water. Kappa Kappa Psi will provide extra at all outside rehearsals. Soda, etc are not conducive to marching in the hot sun (so go easy on them, and do not drink them at practice). You must be on time: It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the band hall to our practice field. You may drive, but I urge you to be familiar with parking regulations. Don t sit outside the band hall until 2:55--you won t make it in time. At 2:59 you must be in your spot on the field. No excuses. At NO time will ANYONE be allowed to park on the grass. Work Schedules: Work will not be excused. It is easier to find a new job than to leave band early to go to work. We will even help you find a new job.
High School Games: For some inexplicable reason, an occasional freshman (or immature senior) wants to skip band on Friday to go home to see their former high school band march at half-time. We understand, but this is not going to be excused. Music: You have to bring it with you at every band function. You will memorize everything we play on the field! However, you have to bring your music anyway. Be prepared to rehearse any piece of music in the folder, including music that we are not marching to that week. You will be allowed to use music in the stands (with your lyre); it is best to put the pieces in alphabetical order to speed up the process of finding them. Drills: Drills will be taught quickly: one page of drill every 6-7 minutes. Section leaders will usually teach the drill, drum majors will usually help to fix the collisions, and Dr. Westbrook will clean it up. Keep up. We don t have 11 weeks until contest... GENERAL PROCEDURES FOR GAMES Home Games: This is typical of what to expect. Exact times will vary, depending on whether it is a night or afternoon game. The main thing is that full band will begin the rehearsal four hours before kickoff: 2:00 Rehearsal begins 3:00 - run through show in stadium with Texan Stars 4:00 - eat; change into uniform 5:15 - uniform inspection at FAC; warm-up 6:00 - Concert for our fans 6:15 - March to stadium 6:30 - Pre-game 7:00 - kickoff 10:00 - game is over; return to band hall to put uniforms and equipment away. Note: With the addition of new pregame activities, this may change; BE FLEXIBLE. Away Games: The Texan Band is a representative of Tarleton State University, the State of Texas, occasionally the United States of America, but most of all, we are representatives of ourselves. As such, we will exhibit the finest behavior at all times, both in and out of uniform. We always travel
on school sanctioned vehicles, and provide adequate food allowance. These extra guidelines are necessary for a trip: Uniforms *No alcohol at any time - not on the bus, the hotel, nor in a restaurant *Use earphones when listening to music on the bus *Control your language so as to not offend others *You alone are responsible for making sure you have all of your equipment: instrument, uniform, underwear, etc. Any time we are in uniform, we wear all of it (except plumes and sometimes shakos). The exception is football games when it is too hot to breathe, and Dr. Westbrook will let you know when that is. In those rare situations, we will remove our jackets only (please keep your pants on). For that reason, you are required to wear the official Texan Band T-shirt to all football games NO other shirts of any kind are acceptable. Consequences are - no shirt, everyone keeps on their jacket. Pride, discipline, and professionalism are expected at all times when you are representing the band. Smoking in uniform is never allowed Eating in full uniform is not allowed. Black Socks must be worn. PEP RALLIES Our pep rallies are held on different nights or days of the week. They last about 15-60 minutes. We will inform you, when the school informs us. Everyone is required to attend all pep rallies, unless otherwise notified. IN THE STANDS Food: Please keep eating/drinking (besides water) in the stands to a minimum. We are there as athletic support. THUS, we need you all available to play, yell, etc. Cell Phones: You will not need it and should not have it. Emergencies need to call/email my cell phone. Moving Around: You need to stay where you belong. You must be ready to play at all times! So, while we do not have assigned seats, stay within your section AND equalize your spacing. Refusal to do this makes the make appear less than it can. Visitors: Visitors are not allowed in the stands! If family are visiting they typically can find seats next to our section. Band Alum and recruits often visit
during games and are welcome to sit at the front of the set with the admin staff; frequently we may allow a recruit to sit with their designated section. Playing: When it is time to play, we all play - no vacations for the first kazoos because your lips are tired (if you can t cut it, we ll get someone else). When it is time to not play, no one plays. We play what and when Dr. Westbrook decides to play. Don t take it upon yourself to perform your favorite high school song. And never ever play along with the visiting band. That s just tacky. We play enough tunes (usually 30) every game without the Susquehanna Valley Community High School Fight Song. SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY Noone make speak for the band without consent of the director (via media, facebook, twitter, etc.) Noone make schedule the band (in full or in part) for any activity (such as yell contest, bang the drum, etc.) without the consent of the director On Band Social Media sites: Remain POSITIVE No cursing, or putting down of others or their ideas No discussion of illegal acts No discussion of frowned upon acts (milk & cookies, etc.) Just consider social media sites as an extension of the classroom, if it is not allowed in class, then it should not appear via social media outlets. BAND FRATERNITIES & SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS We have two outstanding chapters of these national band organizations. If you are the kind of person who just can t get enough of band, check them out.
Kappa Kappa Psi & Tau Beta Sigma Are the national honorary band fraternity and sorority. You will notice them a lot throughout the year. As honorary band organizations, they are extremely busy with activities related to social events, service projects, and general all-around smoother band functioning. The band simply would not function without their valuable assistance -- music, signs, food, and drinks, etc. They have received numerous national and district awards for excellence in a wide variety of areas. You should be involved with them! In addition to these two band fraternities, the Fine Arts Department also has two outstanding music fraternities: Mu Phi Epsilon and Phi Mu Alpha. For all of these fine organizations, please feel free to ask any of the members. They will be more than happy to tell you more. One more organization is a great help to our athletic bands, and that is The Percussion Club. The percussion club is a service organization made up of members who love percussion; but not necessarily all members are percussionists. The directors of the Tarleton State University Bands are very appreciative of all that these organizations do, and could not get it done without them. THANK YOU!!! Our Proud Texan Band Heritage Welcome to Tarleton and the newest version of the Texan Band! We are delighted to have you as a member of this great organization. It is a fine musical group, but so much more: a social club, an academic class, a core curriculum subject, a recreational franchise, and something along the lines of a way to inner peace! The Texan Band has been around Tarleton for a long time in a wide variety of forms, but it has always been a central focus of the University. It is one of the oldest and most respected groups on campus, having been active since 1920. Historically, it had its beginnings as a corps in the Tarleton ROTC program (like the little aggie band, only better) under the direction of Mr. Dennis Hunewell (the women s dorm is named after his wife). The band was one of the best in Texas (in the days before the mega-university programs), consistently winning competitions across the Southwest (these competitions ended before WWII). During the war, Tarleton band members were consistently in combat action, serving the nation admirably in combat and in music. From its early beginnings until the 1980 s, the band at Tarleton was small (about 30-40 members), yet dedicate, and spirited. The band maintained the military association and marching style until the early 70 s. It also changed band directors every 2-3 years, each one promising to make the band bigger, but no one ever did. In 1983, the band doubled in size to a whopping 68 members, went corps style, and began the modern era. In 1986, Mr. Jonathan Hooper was appointed as Director of
Bands. The band became known as the Texan Band, and added The Sound and the Fury to match the reputation for excitement and power. Since that time the band has maintained the dedication and spirit of its founders, but added size and power. In 2003, Mr. Rich Bahner was appointed Director of Athletic Bands and Percussion Instructor. During his tenure, the band grew to its largest size to date. The band traveled to London to be featured in the New Years Day Parade seen by an audience of over four million. The band continued to have great success at home, on the road, and as a featured group at band contests. In 2009 Dr. Gary Westbrook was hired as the Director of Athletic Bands, Associate Director of Bands and the Instructor of Percussion Studies. This made 2009 a year of change for The Sound & The Fury and a change for the overall university band program. Dr. Westbrook continued the upward path set by his predecessors in all aspects. With this change came new excitement and interest in the program. Band traditions have been reinstalled and created with this change. In 2010, The Sound & The Fury increased in membership by 30%, bringing the band near/at its largest membership ever. In 2011, the band surpassed its 2010 membership becoming the largest band in Tarleton State University history. For all that have passed before, work hard to carry on the tradition of The Sound and the Fury! WAHOO FOR BAND! For all updates go to www.tarleton.edu/band
Please remember to register for the course (MUSC 100/300) THIS IS REQUIRED; and submit your intent to participate form www.tarleton.edu/band/summer