Parents here is the itinerary for our Universal trip next week. You will also find addresses for our two food stops on Friday (Breakfast at McDonald's and Dinner at CiCi's) along with the address for the hotel. Any questions please email (jetaylor@jefcoed.com).
Universal 2017 Itinerary
JT
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
#Bandology - Conference USA Tournament
Crazy busy week for the G'Dale Bands.
Music Performance Assessment
Our MPA has been reschedule for tonight (Tuesday). We will perform at 7PM at Mountain Brook High School. There have been a lot of moving parts trying to get this rescheduled not just for us but for the other bands that had their MPA performances delayed due to weather. Whole thank you to the District Band folks for working with us WHILE getting ready to kick off middle school MPA which is starting today also.
Bandology - Conference USA Tournament (Lots of info)
The Gardendale Pep Band has been asked to perform at the Conference USA Tournament this week in Birmingham. This is a great opportunity for our program to get our name out there and a nice break from the seriousness of MPA. We will also get to see how some other pep bands run and work so we have some ideas to "borrow" for next year.
We will be playing in place of the University of Texas El Paso band for both their Men and Women's teams. The Men have been doing well lately after having a pretty rough start. They finished 4th in the conference and will not play Wednesday. The Women lost all their starters from last season so finished 11th out of 14 in the conference.
PLEASE NOTE: This is not a required event. Much like it was for the last three games of the GHS Basketball season, this is a completely optional experience. The students have shown interest since the Fall about having a pep band and we are working to make that happen. That being said, if we are going to do this we need be well represented. We are only allowed to have 30 members per game and I would love for any students that want to experience this to be able to. Some of the games are late at night. All game travel will be by school bus.
Some rules to consider as we think ahead...
1) If a student wants to participate in a game, no matter what time the game is, they must be at school that day.
2) If a student performs at a game they MUST be at school the following day ON TIME. No matter if our game ends at 5PM or 11:30PM.
3) Grades. Make sure you are caught up on your work, you have communicated with any teachers that you need to communicate with, etc.
All games are televised so they could last longer than normal (normal is around a hour and 45 minutes). Also, if the game before goes into overtime, the start time could be later. Things out of our control.
If you would like to chaperone these trips, please email me. NOTE: I am not sure if you will be allowed in without buying a ticket. If we run into that I will handle it.
In the spirit of Bracketology (the guessing of which teams will make the NCAA tournament and whatnot), let's look at something we will call Bandology. In this case, when will/could the G'Dale Band be playing throughout the tournament...
Wednesday
Only one game on Wednesday. Playing for the UTEP Women at 9PM (LATE GAME!!!) at Bartow Arena. We will be playing against Old Dominion who has a killer pep band and a specific song (Talkin' out the Side of Your Neck) and way they play it that I want to "borrow" next year.
Call time for this will be 7PM at GHS. Load the bus, head down to Bartow. There will be a little time to eat if need be, but concession prices in Bartow are a little high so might want to eat before.
I expect us to be home by 11:30PM.
Thursday
Our last guaranteed game will be for the UTEP Men during the day. They play their first game at 2:30PM at the BJCC. They play the winner of Rice and Southern Miss. More than likely Rice as they set a record for conference games won and Southern Miss... is garbage (#SMTTB). Rice is not sending their pep band so the UAB Blazer Band is filling in and they play a version of Uptown Funk that is killer.
Students participating will be called from class at Noon. Load the bus, head down to the BJCC, Lunch can either be brought or done at the BJCC. Assuming that game last til 5PM (due to TV) we should be back around 5:45PM.
If the teams win these games they will continue to play the next day. For the Women, they are stuck in the late spot on Thursday. The Men would move to the morning slot for a game on Friday at 11:30AM if they win. More details on the following possible games (and ticket information for games) as the day goes on (might be late).
Thank you for your consideration for your students participation in this event. Many of them will hopefully do pep band in college and this gets them ready for that atmosphere. Also thank you for your flexibility on the MPA reschedule.
Our kids are working hard and representing our band program well. Can't wait to show them off this week.
#HailtheDale
JT
Music Performance Assessment
Our MPA has been reschedule for tonight (Tuesday). We will perform at 7PM at Mountain Brook High School. There have been a lot of moving parts trying to get this rescheduled not just for us but for the other bands that had their MPA performances delayed due to weather. Whole thank you to the District Band folks for working with us WHILE getting ready to kick off middle school MPA which is starting today also.
Bandology - Conference USA Tournament (Lots of info)
The Gardendale Pep Band has been asked to perform at the Conference USA Tournament this week in Birmingham. This is a great opportunity for our program to get our name out there and a nice break from the seriousness of MPA. We will also get to see how some other pep bands run and work so we have some ideas to "borrow" for next year.
We will be playing in place of the University of Texas El Paso band for both their Men and Women's teams. The Men have been doing well lately after having a pretty rough start. They finished 4th in the conference and will not play Wednesday. The Women lost all their starters from last season so finished 11th out of 14 in the conference.
PLEASE NOTE: This is not a required event. Much like it was for the last three games of the GHS Basketball season, this is a completely optional experience. The students have shown interest since the Fall about having a pep band and we are working to make that happen. That being said, if we are going to do this we need be well represented. We are only allowed to have 30 members per game and I would love for any students that want to experience this to be able to. Some of the games are late at night. All game travel will be by school bus.
Some rules to consider as we think ahead...
1) If a student wants to participate in a game, no matter what time the game is, they must be at school that day.
2) If a student performs at a game they MUST be at school the following day ON TIME. No matter if our game ends at 5PM or 11:30PM.
3) Grades. Make sure you are caught up on your work, you have communicated with any teachers that you need to communicate with, etc.
All games are televised so they could last longer than normal (normal is around a hour and 45 minutes). Also, if the game before goes into overtime, the start time could be later. Things out of our control.
If you would like to chaperone these trips, please email me. NOTE: I am not sure if you will be allowed in without buying a ticket. If we run into that I will handle it.
In the spirit of Bracketology (the guessing of which teams will make the NCAA tournament and whatnot), let's look at something we will call Bandology. In this case, when will/could the G'Dale Band be playing throughout the tournament...
Wednesday
Only one game on Wednesday. Playing for the UTEP Women at 9PM (LATE GAME!!!) at Bartow Arena. We will be playing against Old Dominion who has a killer pep band and a specific song (Talkin' out the Side of Your Neck) and way they play it that I want to "borrow" next year.
Call time for this will be 7PM at GHS. Load the bus, head down to Bartow. There will be a little time to eat if need be, but concession prices in Bartow are a little high so might want to eat before.
I expect us to be home by 11:30PM.
Thursday
Our last guaranteed game will be for the UTEP Men during the day. They play their first game at 2:30PM at the BJCC. They play the winner of Rice and Southern Miss. More than likely Rice as they set a record for conference games won and Southern Miss... is garbage (#SMTTB). Rice is not sending their pep band so the UAB Blazer Band is filling in and they play a version of Uptown Funk that is killer.
Students participating will be called from class at Noon. Load the bus, head down to the BJCC, Lunch can either be brought or done at the BJCC. Assuming that game last til 5PM (due to TV) we should be back around 5:45PM.
If the teams win these games they will continue to play the next day. For the Women, they are stuck in the late spot on Thursday. The Men would move to the morning slot for a game on Friday at 11:30AM if they win. More details on the following possible games (and ticket information for games) as the day goes on (might be late).
Thank you for your consideration for your students participation in this event. Many of them will hopefully do pep band in college and this gets them ready for that atmosphere. Also thank you for your flexibility on the MPA reschedule.
Our kids are working hard and representing our band program well. Can't wait to show them off this week.
#HailtheDale
JT
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Midweek update
Lots going on this week with the Gardendale Bands.
Jazz Band at Black History Month Program
The Jazz Band will have our first public performance in the Black History Month Program tonight (Tuesday). The program starts at 6:30PM. Tickets are $5 and all the money raised will go to an essay scholarship competition for a GHS Senior.
Music Performance Assessment
Our MPA will be on Wednesday, March 1st at 4:00PM. This take places at Homewood High School and is free to the public. We will be going to the mall afterwards to eat and should be back at GHS around 6:45PM. Parents will be able to check out students from the mall (NOT Homewood).
As of right now, the weather is a concern for Wednesday. We encourage all of you to keep an eye on things as the worst of it is predicted to pass through our area during the time we are on our trip. The staff along with the MPA coordinators will be keeping an eye on the situation. Your child's safety is my utmost concern and I will not put them in danger.
Some points on this...
If the storms get bad while we are performing I plan to stay hunkered down at Homewood. There are other bands to watch after we play. If we are at the mall and the storms get bad, we will stay there until it clears up. We will update as needed through our Twitter account (@GDaleBand).
Band Banquet
Band Banquet is just around the corner! The students received invitations this week and have been asked to return the slip at the bottom to confirm their attendance. There is also space to mark any guest they wish to bring. Band students are free to attend and parents and guests are $30. These are to be returned by Friday, March 3rd. Pictures can also be ordered and info for those are on the invitation. Below is a link to the invitation.
Band Banquet 2017 Invitation
Along with all this we have Rockette Clinic going on with tryouts on Friday. Color Guard will be having their auditions in two weeks. Next year is fast approaching!
Still working out final details on the C-USA Tournament stuff as mentioned in the last blog post. Busy times are here for the G'Dale Band!
#HailtheDale
JT
Jazz Band at Black History Month Program
The Jazz Band will have our first public performance in the Black History Month Program tonight (Tuesday). The program starts at 6:30PM. Tickets are $5 and all the money raised will go to an essay scholarship competition for a GHS Senior.
Music Performance Assessment
Our MPA will be on Wednesday, March 1st at 4:00PM. This take places at Homewood High School and is free to the public. We will be going to the mall afterwards to eat and should be back at GHS around 6:45PM. Parents will be able to check out students from the mall (NOT Homewood).
As of right now, the weather is a concern for Wednesday. We encourage all of you to keep an eye on things as the worst of it is predicted to pass through our area during the time we are on our trip. The staff along with the MPA coordinators will be keeping an eye on the situation. Your child's safety is my utmost concern and I will not put them in danger.
Some points on this...
If the storms get bad while we are performing I plan to stay hunkered down at Homewood. There are other bands to watch after we play. If we are at the mall and the storms get bad, we will stay there until it clears up. We will update as needed through our Twitter account (@GDaleBand).
Band Banquet
Band Banquet is just around the corner! The students received invitations this week and have been asked to return the slip at the bottom to confirm their attendance. There is also space to mark any guest they wish to bring. Band students are free to attend and parents and guests are $30. These are to be returned by Friday, March 3rd. Pictures can also be ordered and info for those are on the invitation. Below is a link to the invitation.
Band Banquet 2017 Invitation
Along with all this we have Rockette Clinic going on with tryouts on Friday. Color Guard will be having their auditions in two weeks. Next year is fast approaching!
Still working out final details on the C-USA Tournament stuff as mentioned in the last blog post. Busy times are here for the G'Dale Band!
#HailtheDale
JT
Thursday, February 23, 2017
MPA and Spring Trip updates
Music Performance Assessment
Our performance time for MPA has been set: Wednesday, March 1st at 4:00PM. This event takes place at Homewood High School. This is a public performance so feel free to come down if you can and support our amazing students. We will leave before 5th, perform, and eat at the mall afterwards. Full detailed schedule will be posted soon.
Spring Trip
Thanks to everyone participating for being great about getting your first payments in for our upcoming spring trip. Don't forget that your next payments are due at the end of this month. If there are issues with this please email me (jetaylor@jefcoed.com) and we can work things out.
Reminder that our spring trip is April 19th through April 23rd. This includes a parade performance in Universal Studios!
Thank you for a great turn out at our Pre-MPA concert earlier this month and for your continued support of our students.
JT
Our performance time for MPA has been set: Wednesday, March 1st at 4:00PM. This event takes place at Homewood High School. This is a public performance so feel free to come down if you can and support our amazing students. We will leave before 5th, perform, and eat at the mall afterwards. Full detailed schedule will be posted soon.
Spring Trip
Thanks to everyone participating for being great about getting your first payments in for our upcoming spring trip. Don't forget that your next payments are due at the end of this month. If there are issues with this please email me (jetaylor@jefcoed.com) and we can work things out.
Reminder that our spring trip is April 19th through April 23rd. This includes a parade performance in Universal Studios!
Thank you for a great turn out at our Pre-MPA concert earlier this month and for your continued support of our students.
JT
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
New Year, New Blog Post
New year and already a ton going on.
Spring Trip 2017
Our Spring Trip is finalized!!! We will be returning to Orlando and Universal Studios this year. The trip will be Wednesday, April 19th - Sunday, April 23rd. Below you will find the trip packet that was given out to students last week with more details.
Spring Trip Payment Information
You will find all information about price, general itinerary, and payment due dates in the link. As noted, all prices are based on Quad occupancy. If you wish to do some other format (Triple, Double, or Single occupancy room) or have any other questions email me (jetaylor@jefcoed.com).
Swamp John's
Our current fundraiser is Swamp John's out of Muscle Shoals. They will be here for the Clay-Chalkville Basketball game January 24th. The Color Guard will also be performing during halftime of the Varsity Boys' Game that night. We have been pushing this on the social medias and forms were sent home with your children. We need to have any sales that have been made now, but you can continue to sell until the 24th. Below you will find a flyer with information, order form, and tickets to give to buyers.
Swamp John's Info and Order Form
Swamp John's Tickets
Thanks for everything you do for our students here in the Gardendale Bands!
#HailtheDale,
JT
Spring Trip 2017
Our Spring Trip is finalized!!! We will be returning to Orlando and Universal Studios this year. The trip will be Wednesday, April 19th - Sunday, April 23rd. Below you will find the trip packet that was given out to students last week with more details.
Spring Trip Payment Information
You will find all information about price, general itinerary, and payment due dates in the link. As noted, all prices are based on Quad occupancy. If you wish to do some other format (Triple, Double, or Single occupancy room) or have any other questions email me (jetaylor@jefcoed.com).
Swamp John's
Our current fundraiser is Swamp John's out of Muscle Shoals. They will be here for the Clay-Chalkville Basketball game January 24th. The Color Guard will also be performing during halftime of the Varsity Boys' Game that night. We have been pushing this on the social medias and forms were sent home with your children. We need to have any sales that have been made now, but you can continue to sell until the 24th. Below you will find a flyer with information, order form, and tickets to give to buyers.
Swamp John's Info and Order Form
Swamp John's Tickets
Thanks for everything you do for our students here in the Gardendale Bands!
#HailtheDale,
JT
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Important Forms and Info for Muscle Shoals 8/19/2016
Game Week!!! And it's already been a busy one.
Before we get to the information, I want to thank everyone for an awesome yesterday. We bused the band to the stadium at Leeds Middle School to perform for ABC 33/40's High School Football Preview Show. Our students were absolutely wonderful. Thank you to everyone involved for a great outing.
The show will air Wednesday (tomorrow!) on ABC 33/40 at 7PM. Leeds High School and Thompson High School also brought their bands and they sounded fabulous. Check out the show. Share any pictures you take/see. #HailtheDale.
Now business...
Forms:
Below you will find some very important forms we need to get signed and turned in. Your students received the Authorization to Record form last week and we only have a few still not turned in. The permission to travel form for Muscle Shoals is also below and your child will not be able to travel with us without it.
Both of these forms are due Friday. You will also find our game plan for Friday below.
Authorization to Record 2016
Travel Form - 8/19/2016 - FB @ Muscle Shoals
Game Plan - 8/19/2016 - FB @ Muscle Shoals
For food on Friday, your student will need to bring money. We will be eating at the Florence Mall (301 Cox Creek Parkway, Florence, Alabama 35630).
If you want a of the map of our path Friday, follow this link: Map for FB @ Muscle Shoals - 8/19/2016
Would LOVE to have a huge band family showing for this game!!! We plan to leave at 2:00PM.
Fundraiser:
Our Dreamland and Poinsettia fundraiser ends THIS FRIDAY! Remember that a portion of the money raised will go directly into your student's account to help pay for band dues and Spring Trip. You can find the order forms below. Again, they are due THIS FRIDAY!
Dreamland Order Form
Poinsettia Order Form
Buffalo Wild Wings Pep Rally
As mentioned last week, we have been asked to perform at a pep rally for the community next Monday, August 22nd. As of now, the pep rally is set to start at 7PM, but that time has moved a little bit so we might need to move it again. Call time is set for 6:15PM meeting AT BWW (not the high school). Band room will be open until 6:05PM for people to get equipment. If any changes to the schedule happen, we will post on the social medias (@GDaleBand).
Can't wait to take this show on the road and (finally) show off all the amazing work your students have done and get the first show under our belt.
Go Rockets and #HailtheDale,
JT
Before we get to the information, I want to thank everyone for an awesome yesterday. We bused the band to the stadium at Leeds Middle School to perform for ABC 33/40's High School Football Preview Show. Our students were absolutely wonderful. Thank you to everyone involved for a great outing.
The show will air Wednesday (tomorrow!) on ABC 33/40 at 7PM. Leeds High School and Thompson High School also brought their bands and they sounded fabulous. Check out the show. Share any pictures you take/see. #HailtheDale.
Now business...
Forms:
Below you will find some very important forms we need to get signed and turned in. Your students received the Authorization to Record form last week and we only have a few still not turned in. The permission to travel form for Muscle Shoals is also below and your child will not be able to travel with us without it.
Both of these forms are due Friday. You will also find our game plan for Friday below.
Authorization to Record 2016
Travel Form - 8/19/2016 - FB @ Muscle Shoals
Game Plan - 8/19/2016 - FB @ Muscle Shoals
For food on Friday, your student will need to bring money. We will be eating at the Florence Mall (301 Cox Creek Parkway, Florence, Alabama 35630).
If you want a of the map of our path Friday, follow this link: Map for FB @ Muscle Shoals - 8/19/2016
Would LOVE to have a huge band family showing for this game!!! We plan to leave at 2:00PM.
Fundraiser:
Our Dreamland and Poinsettia fundraiser ends THIS FRIDAY! Remember that a portion of the money raised will go directly into your student's account to help pay for band dues and Spring Trip. You can find the order forms below. Again, they are due THIS FRIDAY!
Dreamland Order Form
Poinsettia Order Form
Buffalo Wild Wings Pep Rally
As mentioned last week, we have been asked to perform at a pep rally for the community next Monday, August 22nd. As of now, the pep rally is set to start at 7PM, but that time has moved a little bit so we might need to move it again. Call time is set for 6:15PM meeting AT BWW (not the high school). Band room will be open until 6:05PM for people to get equipment. If any changes to the schedule happen, we will post on the social medias (@GDaleBand).
Can't wait to take this show on the road and (finally) show off all the amazing work your students have done and get the first show under our belt.
Go Rockets and #HailtheDale,
JT
Monday, August 8, 2016
August Performance Update
The start of school is inching ever closer. First football game is less than 2 weeks away! Lots of things going on with the GDale Band.
Fundraiser
Our Dreamland and Poinsettia fundraisers are still going on. Make sure your students are asking around as a portion of the sales goes to their account to help pay for dues and spring trip. You can find the order forms by clicking the links below.
Poinsettia Order Form
Dreamland Order Form
Remember that order forms and money are due Friday, August 19th.
Fundraiser
Our Dreamland and Poinsettia fundraisers are still going on. Make sure your students are asking around as a portion of the sales goes to their account to help pay for dues and spring trip. You can find the order forms by clicking the links below.
Poinsettia Order Form
Dreamland Order Form
Remember that order forms and money are due Friday, August 19th.
Rehearsal Schedule this week
Monday 8/8/2016: 3:15PM - 4:45PM
Tuesday 8/9/2016: 3:15PM - 4:45PM
Thursday 8/11/2016 (FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!): 3:15PM - 4:45PM
Note: More than likely, we will move our rehearsals after school back to start at 3:30 and end at 5:00 once school starts. It is tough to ask the students to change, get to the field, apply sunscreen, get their music and drill together, AND be out where ever we are starting in 9 minutes. I would rather the students to not have to rush around and stressed before rehearsal even begins.
Update to the performance schedule
- DATE CHANGE: Christmas Concert changed to Monday, December 5th
- Additional Event: HS Football Preview Show - Monday, August 15th - Leeds High School (Bus to event after rehearsal)
- Additional Event: Pep Rally - Monday, August 22nd - Buffalo Wild Wings (Student/Parent Responsibility)
The Christmas Concert is being moved to Monday, Decemeber 5th. There were some last minute changes to the school calendar with events involving other schools and it was easiest for us to move up a little bit. Bragg will start at 6:30PM and the High School Band will start after that around 7PM.
We have been asked to participate in a High School Football Preview Show at Leeds High School this coming Monday, August 15th. This event will be recorded and shown on ABC 33/40 during the week! We will shorten our regularly scheduled rehearsal that day, load buses and head to Leeds. The taping will be from 7-8:15PM. We plan on being back home by 9:30PM at the latest. We will need chaperones for this trip. If you are interested, please email me. Parents and fans are encouraged to join us at Leeds to be a part of this event.
Uniform for this will be Maroon Band Jersey and Khakis for instrumentalist and Pep Outfits for Auxiliaries.
Uniform for this will be Maroon Band Jersey and Khakis for instrumentalist and Pep Outfits for Auxiliaries.
The following Monday, August 22nd we have been asked to perform at a pep rally style event in front of Buffalo Wild Wings in Gardendale. We will end rehearsal at 4:45PM. We will meet at BWWs at 5:15PM to warm up. The pep rally will start at 6:00PM. Our performance should be over by 7PM at the latest.
Unifrom for this event TBA.
Unifrom for this event TBA.
One other change from the first released performance schedule: the Spring Trip will be April 19th - April 23rd. More info on the Spring Trip in a future update.
You can find an updated performance schedule for the year here. The updated events are in Bold.
Thank you to parents, staff, and students for your flexibility on Saturday with getting here early to get some final things tuned up for Meet the Rockets. I hate we didn't get to perform but given the continued delays, I didn't want to keep the students at the high school past 9. The was not a waste! We got great work done and even got a (loud) run through in the lobby. Shout out to the parents that were able to catch the lobby run.
Even though we didn't perform at Meet the Rockets officially, these additional events give us more opportunities to show off before the first football game on the 19th.
As always, my door is open. Feel free to email me with any questions or comments (jetaylor@jefcoed.com). Thank you for all you do for our students and our band here at Gardendale!
Go Rockets. #HailtheDale,
Mr. Taylor
Thank you to parents, staff, and students for your flexibility on Saturday with getting here early to get some final things tuned up for Meet the Rockets. I hate we didn't get to perform but given the continued delays, I didn't want to keep the students at the high school past 9. The was not a waste! We got great work done and even got a (loud) run through in the lobby. Shout out to the parents that were able to catch the lobby run.
Even though we didn't perform at Meet the Rockets officially, these additional events give us more opportunities to show off before the first football game on the 19th.
As always, my door is open. Feel free to email me with any questions or comments (jetaylor@jefcoed.com). Thank you for all you do for our students and our band here at Gardendale!
Go Rockets. #HailtheDale,
Mr. Taylor
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