Kick-off Parent Meeting

The Kick-Off meeting for parents and students is usually held in mid-May for all incoming parents on one of the Incoming Freshman Camp days. Your student will receive a packet of paperwork at this meeting. This is a very important meeting so make plans to attend! If you are unable to attend the packet will be sent to your student’s intermediate school to come home. In this meeting, the directors will discuss uniform basics, costs & fees, general information and volunteer opportunities. This is also an opportunity to meet the band directors, color guard director, and officers and chairpersons from the Clear Brook Band Booster Club (CBBBC). We know from experience that getting involved in the organization’s Booster Club truly benefits your child. This is a very active band and it takes many hands to make it possible.

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Communication Tools

Band App

• The Brook Band program uses the app called BAND to communicate timely information with students and parents.  The main BAND group is primarily read-only but does allow for sign-ups and polls.  This is the group where the directors will post about pick-up times after band activities during marching season.  

• Because of the setup of the main BAND, there is a second BAND group just for parents/guardians.  The Parent BAND allows for full use of the app functions and is a great place to crowd source information by using posts, public chats, and private chats.  The Booster Club officers and many volunteers are active and ready to provide answers when needed.

• One nice feature of BAND is that notifications can be set for each individual BAND group including the Chat rooms.  Take some time to explore the settings for every BAND group you are in.

• For student specific questions, it is always best to contact the Band Directors directly via EMAIL, not through the BAND app.

• The BAND App can be found on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. It can also be accessed through a web browser at https://band.us/ 

• Join the 24-25 Brook Band BAND here: https://band.us/n/a0ae00F729943 

• Join the Parent BAND here: https://band.us/n/a8aa9f12i2Hc4 

• Every Sunday, a BAND post titled “Brook Band Notes'' will be posted to the main BAND App. It includes important weekly announcements such as schedules, notes, and important information from the band directors and booster club committees. It is through this post that information gets sent to all of the parents and students. 

 

Band Calendar

• The best source for planning your schedule is the website calendar. There may be some occasional changes, but it is a good indication of what your schedule will be.

• HOW TO SUBSCRIBE to the Brook Band Calendar so you can see it on your phone calendar:

  • For Apple phones, here is the ical for the Google Band Calendar: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/brookbandcalendar%40gmail.com/public/basic.ics You should be able to click on that link and it will add it as a subscription in your native calendar app.

  • For those of you using Google Calendar on Android, if you go to your Google Calendar on a desktop through a browser and click this link:  https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=YnJvb2tiYW5kY2FsZW5kYXJAZ21haWwuY29t  You will be prompted to add it to your google calendar. This does not work on mobile in most cases, but if you do it on a computer you will be able to see it on mobile afterwards.

 

Show Shirt

Every year, the band directors design a logo with the current year’s marching show theme.  Shirts and hoodies with the logo are available for sale once a year.  Lots of parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends enjoy wearing these items to competitions as a sign of support for their students and the band program. The show shirts on the student order form are generally for students only. These are typically dri-fit shirts worn under the uniform on contest days and only have the show logo on them. Family, friends, and students will have the opportunity to purchase spirit wear shirts to support the band at registration and again at the very beginning of summer band. Spirit Wear shirts (and hoodies!) are the same color as the show shirt and have the show logo on the front and the names of all the students on the back. If you plan on being a chaperone, we recommend purchasing a spirit wear shirt to wear on game and contest days. 

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Money: What am I paying for?

There are fees for high school band. Exact costs vary from year to year. Below is a summary of fees and equipment.

• Fair-Share Fees 

  • This fee covers such things like licensing for music, marching show design, marching and concert clinicians, buses to games/competitions, contest entry fees (marching and concert), etc.

  • A minimum financial commitment is due at Band Registration in May. The fee can be paid in full at registration or in the fall in installments after the initial commitment fee. Please see the Band Handbook for more information regarding fees.​ (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vhto0Mq8gEQGQ-vaD8kQ8y0WYvQPlvG-/view)

  • This fee is payable to Clear Brook High School. It goes to the Band Activity Fund and will be posted to Skyward. Payments can be made through Skyward or the school bookkeeper (to avoid fees). Due dates can be found in Skyward.

• Instrument Fee

  • Certain instruments can be rented from the school. These fees will be added to the student’s Skyward accounts. 

• Booster Club Fees

  • This includes tangibles, or items that students receive, as well as optional items. Payment plans are available. Items  include:

    • Equipment - Freshmen (& new students) will be required to order an entire marching kit, including uniform top, shako (hat) wrap, marching shoes, Double B shirt, show shirt, garment bag, duffle bag, water jug, as well as other items. (Returning students will only need to purchase a uniform top, show shirt, accessories, and the marching drill app. Other items can be purchased as needed.)

    • Competition (Travel) Meals and After Performance Drinks - The Booster Club collects a fee upfront to cover the cost of drinks provided after each marching performance (games and contests) and to cover the cost of the travel meals & drinks provided at events where it's not convenient or timely for students to acquire a meal on their own.  The fee is assessed to each student participating in the band program and covers both marching season and concert season.

    • Membership - (Optional) The Clear Brook Band Booster Club is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization recognized by the IRS as an educational charity.  Membership dues are used to help fund many areas of the band program such as senior scholarships, family socials, private lesson financial aid to families in need, etc.  The Booster Club also organizes chaperones for various events throughout marching and concert season, facilitates travel meals and drinks during games, contests, and UIL concerts, arranges band pictures, pays for uniform alteration and cleaning, coordinates uniform and equipment ordering, and facilitates communication throughout the year.  It's safe to say the Brook Band could not exist without the work of the Booster Club. While membership is not required to volunteer with Brook Band, it is required to serve as a chaperone or on the scholarship committee.  Membership dues cover all the members in the student's family.

    • Spirit Wear - (Optional) Each year, there is a logo designed for the show.  The logo is on the student’s show shirt, which is part of their uniform. The spirit wear shirt (and hoodie!)  has the same logo on the front and the back of the shirt lists all the marching band students’ names. ​If your family joins the booster club at the Fortissimo level, you receive one complimentary show shirt. Information on Spirit Wear will be available at registration.

    • Memory Book - (Optional) A yearbook just for band! Available for pre-order at registration. There will be other opportunities to order throughout the year if you do not wish to order now.

  • This fee is payable to Clear Brook Band Booster Club (CBBBC). Please contact the Booster Club Treasurer for payment info. These fees are NOT posted to Skyward and CANNOT be paid through Skyward.

 

Registration: Where it all begins!

Registration will usually be scheduled in May. Most registration documents will be filled out online ahead of time. At registration students will be measured for uniforms, and families will have an opportunity to speak to other parents and volunteers, pay both Fair Share and Booster Fees, and order spirit wear. This is a mandatory event for all incoming and current band students. The student and at least one parent or guardian must attend.

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Freshman Camp

Freshman camp is attended by all incoming freshmen and the band student leadership team. Over these two days of camp that usually occur on Saturday mornings in May, freshmen will learn basics such as how to step off, how to hold their instruments while marching, and how to march backward. The directors will send emails regarding this, but make sure you send your student with a water bottle and that they wear athletic shorts and good athletic shoes.