What is the Northern Marching Band?

2017 ORIENTATION GUIDE NORTHERN BAND What is the Northern Marching Band? The Northern Marching Band is comprised of nearly 100 student members who not only perform music, spin flags, and march on a field, but we also support one another on and off the field. We are truly a FAMILY in every sense of the word. In the Northern Marching Band, we are not individuals, but a large jigsaw puzzle constructed from many pieces that work together to create the whole. Each piece fits perfectly and fills a role that no other piece can replace. Attend the MB Orientation Meeting and 2017 Show Reveal Join the Northern Marching Band, join our family, continue our tradition of excellence, and become part of something great something more than yourself! Learn music, make friends, and create memories which will last a lifetime! Thursday, June 1 6pm HS Band Room DESCRIPTION: The Northern Marching Band is the most decorated and successful organization in the history of Northern High School. The Northern Band has been committed to excellence and setting the standard for band performance since 1957. MEMBERSHIP: All students grades 9-12 are eligible for membership in the Northern Marching Band. Students that do not play a band instrument but are interested in joining the band should contact Mr. Balseiro ASAP! EXCELLENCE INTEGRITY TRADITION

SEASON PREVIEW PAGE 2 2017 PREVIEW Planning for the 2017 marching band season is well underway and the staff and design team are working hard to bring you another great season of music and pageantry! Our staff and design team remains largely unchanged. We are excited to announce that we plan to bring Ms. Caitie Simmons to the design team as our official Head Color Guard Instructor and Caption Head. In addition, we are pleased to be working with composer and music arranger Dr. Zachary Cairns. After several years competing in the Tournament of Bands Circuit, it has become evident that the season schedule of TOB is not best-suited for the needs of our competitive program. The short TOB schedule and our community commitments and priorities create many obstacles for our program. As a result, our band will be competing in the Cavalcade of Bands circuit starting the fall. This means new stadiums and fields to march on. New bands to compete against (and some familiar ones, too!). This means new opportunities for everybody and the most unforgettable season yet! We begin our season with our annual post-band camp Family and Friends performance. The band will also welcome back all school district employees at the opening day inservice on August 29th. We open our competitive season hosting our first of two shows on September 16. The month of September ends with the Homecoming game on September 29. The schedule picks up in October, as the marching band will be on display for our community with two major eventsour annual Northern Lights marching band festival on October 14th and the 101st annual Farmer s Fair Parade on October 21st. In addition, look forward to hosting our Middle School Band students again for our second annual Band Night on October 13th (Friday the 13th!). The season concludes on November 12th at Hershey Stadium for the Cavalcade of Band Championships. 2017 is sure to be an unforgettable season. Sign up today. Don t miss out!

2017 SCHEDULE PAGE 3 ORIENTATION SCHEDULE REVEAL NIGHT (ALL MEMBERS): 06.01, 6-8 PM ROOKIE ORIENTATION (New Members and Leaders vets are welcome too) 06.06, 6-8 PM Rookie Parent meeting at 6PM 06.08, 6-8 PM SUMMER SCHEDULE Summer Ensemble (All Members) 6-9 PM Every Tuesday/Thursday (no rehearsal the week of July 3rd) Vacations are EXCUSED bring souvenirs! Training Camp (All Members) 08.07, 08.08, 08.09, 08.10 08.14, 08.15, 08.16, 08.17 Attendance at Training Camp is critical to the success of the group. Contact Mr. Balseiro with conflicts/questions ASAP! FALL SCHEDULE (Tentative) Ensemble Rehearsals (All Members): Tuesdays 6-9PM, Thursdays 6-9PM Performances: Fridays - Northern Varsity Football Games (TBA) Saturdays - Rehearsals/Contests (Report @ 9AM unless otherwise noted) September 2 - OFF (Labor Day) September 9 - Mini-Camp (9AM-4PM) September 16 - NORTHERN LIGHTS #1 September 23 - Competition @ Big Spring September 30- OFF (Homecoming weekend) October 7 - Competition @ Southwestern October 14 - NORTHERN LIGHTS #2 October 21 - Farmer s Fair Parade October 28 - Competition @ Manheim Central November 4 - Competition @ New Oxford November 11-12 - Championships @ Hershey November 17 - Fall Band Concert MB Showcase Post Camp (All Members) 6-9 PM 08.21, 08.22, 08.23, 08.24, 08.29, 08.31 Summer Performances FAMILY AND FRIENDS NIGHT 08.18 6PM WELCOME BACK INSERVICE 08.29 8AM

FAQs PAGE 4 Q: Does high school band conflict with academics? A: No - research shows that it ENHANCES academics! Students participating in band score higher on their SATs (Verbal: 20 points. Math: 25 points). MORE THAN 75% of Northern Band Students take Honors and AP Courses. 60-75% of band seniors graduate with honors. Band students often occupy the top seats with regards to class rank. Q: To be in Concert Band, do I HAVE to be in the Marching Band? A: While it s highly recommended that you do both, Concert Band and Marching Band are mutually exclusive - you can be in a Concert Band and NOT in Marching Band. That being said, a majority of students do BOTH in high school. :) It's important to know that you MUST be in either a Concert Band, Percussion Ensemble, or Marching Band to participate in Jazz Ensemble, Indoor Percussion, and other ensembles. Or, you could just do them all! Q: I am interested in taking part in other activities where there may be conflicts; can I still be in band? A: For sure! Band students also play football, softball, basketball, baseball, track, swimming, cross country, soccer, tennis, volleyball and more! All coaches and advisors work together in order to come up with a schedule compromise that most benefits the student. If you want to participate but don't know if it will work out...email me! Q: Do I need to play an instrument to join? A: NO! Many of our best performers in Marching Band do not play a musical instrument, or did not when they joined. It takes hard work to learn a second instrument, but if you work hard and stay positive, you will be amazed what you can do. There is also the option of color guard for non-instrumentalists. Q: Can I be in high school band AND choir? A: ABSOLUTELY! If you are a singer who is interested in joining the marching band, consider learning an instrument or joining guard. A portion of our high school band members also participate in both! Q: I feel like I can barely play my instrument while sitting down. Now you want me to memorize the music and run around on a football field!?!? Are you crazy!? A: Great question! My response to this is always you ve gotta try it! Our success rate with students who try is holding steady at close to 100%. By being brave and believing in yourself, you will achieve whatever it is that you set out to do. You ll be amazed at what kind of person is inside of you! Q: How will band work in my regular school schedule? A: At NHS, you will have band every day for a 45- minute block of time. Concert Band counts as a scheduled elective; most students take band and a language as their electives in 9th grade. While schedule options are few for 9th grade musicians, the schedule opens up drastically as each student moves through their high school career (meaning that you ll have PLENTY of opportunities to take digital media and photography classes...don t worry!). If you are being told that you CAN'T schedule band...email me! Q: I was planning on taking honors/ap classes and I m afraid of the workload along with the marching band. What should I do? A: Many of the students in the band program are enrolled in honors/advanced placement courses and have been since they began their academic careers. While moving on to high school can be a frightening experience due to increased academic pressures, the overwhelming majority of band students develop advanced organizational skills, a strong work ethic, and a drastic increase in academic discipline due to their experiences with our program. Our band members are high achieving students who form a strong support structure both academically and emotionally. Think about it...what other group can you join where you ve immediately made 40 other friends who have all been there before and are willing to share their experiences and lend a helping hand? Q: Do I need to take private lessons to be a member of the high school band program? A: You do not have to take private lessons, however private study is strongly recommended! Private instrumental lessons are one of the best investments that you can make in your future and are a great way to enrich your HS experience. For a list of our approved private lesson instructors, email Mr. B. Q: I have a REALLY great question but I can t seem to find it on this paper...what should I do?! A: The best question of all! Mr. Balseiro would absolutely love to talk to you and your family about the high school band experience. Email Mr. Balseiro at dbalseiro@nycsd.k12.pa.us.

SIGN UP TODAY! PAGE 5 How to sign up! 1. Visit the official band website on Mr. Balseiro s teacher page. 2. FILL OUT THE REGISTRATION FORM COMPLETELY! 3. Join our Northern High School Band Facebook Page! 4. Look for email/social media/website updates 5. Attend Marching Band Orientation on Thursday, June 1. Band Website > https://sites.google.com/a/northernpolarbears.com/northern-bands/ Facebook > www.facebook.com/groups/378708598854689/ Charms > www.charmsoffice.com (Group Name: NorthernHSBand, Password: Your Student ID#) Email > dbalseiro@nycsd.k12.pa.us