A message from Kati McKee, Director of Marching Programs
Hi friends!
How are you all doing?? I am missing all of you terribly – even all our orchestra friends whom I don’t really know, I still miss running into you in the music hall and classroom. I really REALLY want to be in the classroom and the band room, but I can’t even be in the school. But what I CAN do, is plan. So, here’s what’s up:
I’m getting ready to do some serious planning for the fall marching band season. Assuming it will be safe for us to gather together again, please know that your marching staff will have a great show ready and we will so enjoy doing music together again. Now, I know you ORCHESTRA folks are thinking “so what’s this have to do with me?” The great thing about marching band at Tigard is that we are very inclusive and welcoming, including for all you string players! Do you know we have even had an electric violin in the front ensemble? And many orchestra players have joined us in the front ensemble in the past, learning to play xylophone, or marimba, or vibes, or miscellaneous percussion. We’ve even had cello players learn how to march bass drums! Oh, and DOUBLE REED folks, I’m looking at you, too! MANY double reedees have transitioned into the pit or the guard, and we even had a bassoon solo a couple of years ago. And we also bring other instrumentalists into our fantastic color guard – in fact, two of our best guard members in recent years were trumpet and tuba players in Symphonic and Wind Ensemble! We can teach you to spin and dance, so check us out!
And who is eligible to be in the Tigard High Marching Ensemble? Of course, Tigard High music students. Also, Tualatin High music students, since TuHS doesn’t march competitively. And 8th graders from our District who are ready musically to be able to perform memorized music with an ensemble. And those in our District attendance area who are enrolled in a private school or home schooled. If you think you want to join us but you aren’t certain you qualify, ask us and we’ll check it out.
So what does MB look like this fall? We’ll start with Band Camp – Marching Fundamentals, Tuesday August 18 – Thursday August 20, 10am – 1pm. Then the next week, it’s full-on Band Camp, Monday August 24 – Friday August 28, 10am – 4pm. Then we will begin our regular Monday/Wednesday rehearsals the next week on August 31 – our regular rehearsals are 5 – 8:45pm.
Our tentative competition schedule looks like this:
- October 3 – Century Showcase, Hillsboro Stadium
- October 10 – Sherwood Fall Showcase, Linfield College (McMinnville, OR)
- October 17 – Liberty Marching Arts Challenge, Liberty High School (Hillsboro, OR)
- October 31 – NWAPA Championships, Reser Stadium/OSU (Corvallis, OR)
Eleven weeks of hard work and lots of fun. The MB staff is respectful and talented. Our program is highly respected throughout the Pacific Northwest. Marching Ensemble members often find that their best friends come from the marching program. Your family members are welcome to volunteer and come along with us. Our field rehearsals are always open, so high school neighbors often walk through and watch and applaud as we practice. And oh, BTW, we eat really well! (Do you know we have a mobile kitchen that goes along with us??)
So at this point, I want to know if YOU want to be part of this great ensemble this coming fall. Please CLICK HERE to email McKee and tell us who you are and what you do. And if you’re new to the marching arts, what would you like to do? Please be assured – WE WANT YOU!
I hope you are OK during this strange time. Please, listen to some music, read a book, watch silly movies, take a (socially appropriate) walk, and stay in touch with friends. Take care of yourself, and stay safe.
Love to you all!
McKee
PS – Check out McKee’s Fabulous Forum to get more ideas of what we’re all about. CLICK HERE to go to the site!