High School Band General Information
It is time to start preparing for next year and the 2025 Marching Band Season. It is going to be a great year and there is A LOT of information below, so make sure and take the time to read through everything.
General Timeline of Events for the Spring Semester
- Commitment forms for high school band will be passed out to students in early March and turned in before Spring Break.
- Registration for ALL band members is Saturday, May 10th.
- Rehearsals begin in late July.
General Dates for the summer and fall are available on the Website Calendar. Specific times and locations will be added to the High School drop down menu in late June and early July. All events except for Evening rehearsals are currently posted on the calendar. Evening rehearsals will be added to the calendar in June.
Registration
Registration is in two parts - Online Registration and In Person Registration. In Person Registration (which includes making all payments, getting fitted for various uniform parts & items, etc.) will take place on Saturday, May 10th at the High School Band Room. Online registration is in preparation for In Person Registration and includes filling out contact information, volunteering for various needs in the organization. Online Registration will be open to students and parents beginning in late April/early May (look for notification). Parents make sure to read all instructions, especially if creating an account for students new to High School Band. All students must fill out the online registration prior to Saturday, May 10th.
Online Registration All students planning to be in high school band next year are required to register. The window to register online, which is usually about 2 weeks prior to physical registration, will be in late April/early May. Students must have all fees and payments for the 2025-2026 school year paid in full before registering for next year. Any student owing money or with a negative balance will be placed on hold in the office and will not be allowed to participate in any manner until their account is in good standing. This includes both past and present fees.
2025 Online Registration Link (Click on link, then go to "My Account/My Forms" to begin the process)
In Person Registration will take place on Saturday, May 10th. ALL students will come to the band room on this day at the scheduled time. A parent must accompany their child at registration since signatures of both the student and parent are required. The In Person Registration & Uniform Fitting Schedule will be available HERE (and posted on the High School Tab of website).
ALL students will make payments, ALL students will be being measured for the show performance costume, and ALL students will be fitted for some parts of the marching band uniform - shoes, shorts, gloves, etc. Additional information tables will be available for those wishing to serve the band parent organization. ALL registration fees are due on Saturday, May 10th. Full payment is required. Financially plan ahead now. Participate in fundraising activities now. Start building your trip fund account now. Students will not be allowed to attend pre-band rehearsals and run the risk of not being in band if registration fees are not paid in full.
Mandatory Registration Fees for 2025-2026 will be approximately $1,250.00 for new band members, $900.00 for returning members, and $1,500.00 for guard members. Optional/additional fees are approximately $250.00. The exact amount for each student can be determined after completing the online registration. Payment is required on the day of In Person Registration. Financial obligations for the school year 2024-2025 will need to be taken care of by this time. Any student owing money or with a negative balance will be placed on hold in the administrative office and will not be allowed to participate in any manner until their account is in good standing.
Uniforms and Fittings
It should be noted that students use two different uniforms during marching season: the marching band uniform (used at football games & parades) and the show performance costume (used at contests). Special attention should be given when reading information about the marching band uniform vs. the show performance costumes on the website. ALL students will be measured for the show performance costume (jacket & pants) at In Person Registration (May 10th). ALL students will be fitted for some parts of the marching band uniform (hats, gloves, maroons & grays, and shoes). Fittings for the rest of the marching band uniform (jackets & pants) will be separated into several different dates: Seniors and Juniors will be fitted for this at Physical Registration (May 10th). Fittings for the marching band uniform for Sophomores will be on Saturday, July 19th and Freshman (and anyone who missed earlier fittings) on Saturday, July 26th. A complete schedule will be available HERE in early May.
Physical & Medical Release Forms
OSSAA requires students to complete a physical before participating in Marching Band. A form (three pages in length) is supplied by Jenks Public Schools and MUST be used by all band students. The physical can be done by your personal physician, at the Jenks Sports Physical Night, or at another medical facility. Information about the Jenks Sports Physical Night can be found HERE. Forms must be completed and turned in before pre-band. Like registration fees, students will not be allowed to participate or attend any rehearsals until the form is completed and submitted. Forms must be handed in person or sent in PDF format. Do not send forms as a picture or in JPG format. A PDF of the form will be available below in late April/early May.
2025-2026 Jenks Physical Form (Band Students)
Medical Release forms are included with the band registration process. This form provides the necessary information should an emergency occur. Just like all other parts of registration, medical release forms must be turned in order for students to participate in rehearsals.
Music Memory Tests
Music memory tests will be given over full band warm-ups, the fight song, the star spangled banner, the alma mater, as well as contest music. Memory tests for the warm-ups, fight song, banner, and the alma mater will begin during pre-band rehearsals in late July. Specific days and times will be announced at the beginning of pre-band. Students need to make sure and have this material learned and memorized correctly for the first day of rehearsal. Music memory tests will continue throughout the semester on the show music used for contests and the parade music near the end of the fall semester.
Brass Players and Tuners
All brass players must have a tuner with contact microphone for marching season. They will be utilized for indoor sectionals and indoor full band rehearsals. Tuners can be purchased at area music stores or online. Phone apps will not be utilized during rehearsals. See Links below for examples:
Korg TM60C Combo Tuner Metronome with Contact Microphone, White
Korg TM-60 Tuner and Metronome Combo with Clip on Microphone, Red
Tuners with contact microphone may also be utilized in concert band season for individual tuning during rehearsals.
Woodwind Players and Reeds
All clarinets and saxophones will be required to use synthetic reeds for marching season. This is to help unify and strengthen the sound of the woodwind section, as well as establish better consistency in various outdoor environments. Synthetic reeds are initially more expensive, but each student should only need one or two for the entire marching season and maybe one more for Grand Nationals. If students are responsible and take proper care of them, the three reeds will last the entire marching season. A large supply of reeds has been ordered so that students do not have to go to a store and individually purchase them. Once the reeds have arrived, they will be checked out to students in rehearsal and their trip account charged for the cost. At that point, only synthetic reeds will be used for marching season. Specific information regarding care and maintenance will be shared with students at rehearsal. Reeds that are lost or damaged will be replaced at the cost of the student. Students should still bring regular cane reeds to rehearsals until synthetic reeds have been passed out.
Anticipated Reed Prices
Bb Clarinets - $32.00
Bass Clarinets - $36.00
Soprano Sax - $32.00
Alto Saxes - $31.00
Tenor Saxes - $33.00
Bari Saxes - $35.00
The first set of reeds will be passed out during pre-band. The second set of reeds will be passed out at the end of September, as contest nears. If a student loses or breaks a reed, reeds can be purchased individually from Mr. Gartner/Mrs. Johnson/Mr. Martin. Payment can be made with cash, check, or use trip account funds if money is available.
After marching season is completed, regular cane reeds will be used for concert season. Synthetic reeds will not be allowed for concert season.
High School Band Handbook
Handbooks are passed out on the first day of school. The handbook provides information, expectations, and policies for students in the band program for the school year. Several pages will require signatures of both the student and the parents. Students/Parents may refer to this year's handbook as a source of information. Policies are subject to change for the 2025-26 school year. Click HERE to see current handbooks.
Trip Fund Policy
The Trojan Pride is one of the top programs in the country. In order to provide a significant learning experiences for our students and aspire to achieve & maintain a high level of excellence, the band takes trips to competitions and festivals on a regular basis. Moving instruments and 250 people across the country is a significant undertaking. The band has more monies flowing through its accounts yearly than any other campus organization. To help ensure that these monies are handled properly the Board has developed the Trip Fund Policy.
It is important for parents and students to fully understand how money is managed in the band program. The Trip Fund Policy and other Jenks Band Parent Policies can be found HERE. Please take the time to read through and have a working knowledge of procedures and policies.
Marching Contests
Marching contests are all day events. A good portion of our contests are on Saturdays. Contest days usually include a light rehearsal in the morning, loading and departure to contest site, as well as prelim and finals performances. Check the website calendar for specific dates. Students are expected to be at everything listed on the itinerary and should not plan to do anything else on those days.
Marching Contest Show
The Jenks Marching Band Staff and Design Team are working hard on the planning on the contest show. It is customary for the theme of the show to be revealed at the Band Banquet.
Bands Of America Marching Championships
The Trojan Pride has a rich history of competing in BOA Marching Events - being a consistent Regional and Super-Regional finalist for the past decade. We are pleased to announce that the Trojan Pride will be participating at two BOA contests this fall. This year the band will compete at the Super-Regional Contest in St. Louis, MO (October 16-19) and at Grand Nationals in Indianapolis (November 12-16). The cost of the Super-Regional Contest trip is estimated to be around $680.00. The cost of Grand Nationals is currently estimated to be $1,200.00. This is the present estimate of the trip cost, but is subject to further change. We are allowing the cost of both trips to be paid out over time to reduce the out of pocket in May and give additional time to do fundraising. All registration fees and the first trip payment of $376 for June will have to be paid in order to participate in pre-band.
Chaperone Information
Parents wishing to serve as chaperones for overnight trips will be required to go through the application process with the Jenks Band Parents Organization. Information, applications, and deadlines will be made available at a later date. Deadlines for the St. Louis trip and the Indianapolis trip may be different dates. Applications and deadlines will be made available in late May/early June.
Summer and Pre-Band Rehearsals
Percussion Camp will start on July 14th.
Full Band Rehearsals will begin the last full week in July (21st). Rehearsals are 8am-12pm and 5pm-9pm, Monday through Friday for the first two weeks, and then 5-9pm beginning August 4th. All details regarding the Pre-Band Rehearsal Schedule will be added later in June.
Marching Band School Rehearsal Schedule
Below is the regular rehearsal schedule for marching band during the fall semester once school begins. As a new schedule is being developed for the 2025-26 school year, times are subject to change, but changes will most likely be minimal and similar to what has been done in the past.
In general, both Stadium and the Track are available every morning at the indicated times below. Most of the time, the band rehearses together, but there is the potential to have rehearsals at two different facilities at the same time on selected days. Information is shared with students, written on the board prior to rehearsal, or posted on the website as time allows.
Mondays – Fridays 7:30-9:45 (Main rehearsal at stadium. A group or groups may also rehearse at the track depending on what needs to be done for that day. Students should check the board in the band room each morning for specific instructions).
Evening Rehearsals are usually once a week on Tuesday or Thursday nights from 6:00-8:30 PM at stadium. On Fridays when the game is away, the band also has evening rehearsals at the stadium. On occasion, there is a Saturday morning rehearsal. These Dates will be added to the website calendar by the end June.
Post Marching Season
Once the final contest is finished, the Trojan Pride will begin preparing for concert band auditions, honor band auditions, and solo & ensemble seasons.
Concert Band Auditions usually take place in mid-October or in early November - the same week of NCDA Auditions, Auditions will be done via individual recordings. Recordings may take place both during school and after school. An audition schedule will be added in late September. Students are then divided into three concert bands after results are posted and begin preparing for the Kiwanis Christmas Parade and Holiday Concerts.
Stay Connected
Make sure you are signed up for the HS eNewsletter and follow us on Facebook so you can receive the latest information and be a part of these events, activities, and campaigns.
In general - information from directors will be posted on this (the band) website. Information from parents will be posted on the band parent website. If there is a need for a last minute change or quick communication from directors, information will be sent out via students leaders, posted on the band website, and posted on the band facebook page.
For more information, families should refer to the high school band handbook and trip fund policy.
Students and parents who have additional questions about High School Band may email Mr. Martin.
