What To Bring To Summer Rehearsal

Mandatory Items

Water jug – very important to stay hydrated as there is no drinking fountain directly by the practice field! Please mark your name on it. It should be at least a quart to a gallon jug.
T-shirt(light colored, tank tops and sleeveless shirts are ok, sports top ok for girls, no string bikini tops, an extra t-shirt is good to have in case of rain)
Shorts (comfy, board shorts ok, NO JEANS or long pants, you will live to regret the rehearsal if you wear jeans)
Socks and comfortable sneakers (NO SANDALS, FLIP FLOPS, or other shoes inappropriate for marching on the parking lot)
Sunglasses and Hat – it will keep the sun out of your eyes.
Sunscreen – lots of sweat proof type even if you usually don’t need it.
Your instrument (yes, students have actually forgotten their instruments)
Drill Book (music/drill included, 3 ring binder with 40 - 50 clear page protectors)
Dot Page/ Book
Pencils/ highlighter (sharpened with erasers)
WATER, WATER, WATER: You must stay hydrated, you will sweat a lot during SMBC, it’s hot on the pavement, we are outside, and we live in Florida. NO CAFFEINE or carbonated beverages with caffeine, avoid sugar-loaded drinks (Kool-aid or juice) - it dehydrates you. Water is best; Gatorade or other sports drinks are ok in addition to water! Did I mention Water?

Clothing:
Be comfortable as it will be hot. Wear shorts! You may want to bring a clean shirt to change into. Sudden thunderstorms are not uncommon. Comfy shoes are a must. (No flip-flops or sandals.)

Sunscreen:
Sunburn is a given even if you never wear sunscreen. You will need it during Summer Marching Band.

Sunglasses & hat:
It will keep the sun out of your eyes, and the hat helps you avoid “raccoon eyes” from the sunglasses.

Drill book/ Dot Page/Book:
Your drill book is used to hold all of your warm-ups, music and drill. Your dot page is a single sheet of paper that contains all of your drill dots available for easy access on the field. Slip it into a page protector and tie a string thru the corner, or use a lanyard and wear it on your body or horn. Don’t forget it ever!

Food:
Please eat a healthy meal before you come. Contrary to what you may think, food on your stomach will not sit like a lump while you are marching. Your body needs fuel to perform at the level necessary for Summer Band. Avoid all caffeine, greasy foods, carbonated drinks with caffeine, excessive candy or sweets, and dairy foods. Pack some quick snacks like a piece of fruit, or an energy bar (not chocolate). You may not leave campus for lunch. There is a meal service for summer band. Eat a banana every day as a good source of potassium.

Tips for Success:

Expect to work hard. Expect a suntan or sunburn, with tan lines from your shirt and socks, Expect to learn more in the two weeks of Summer Band than you have in the last year of middle school. Expect the unexpected, just ask some of the returning band members to tell their “band camp” stories. There is nothing to fear about Summer Band. After it is over, you will look forward to returning next year. The staff and leadership team work hard to provide a nurturing environment for the first time members of the marching band. We look forward to a good camp, and a lot of fun.

Show up. Summer band is mandatory, you will need to arrange family vacations, doctor’s visits, jobs, family time at a time other than during Summer Band. You must attend ALL rehearsals with no interruptions. The two weeks is like 10 weeks of regular rehearsals. We will learn our music and get much of our drill on the field. If one person is missing, the entire band needs to review what was missed when you come back; it slows everyone down.

Be on Time. If you are early, you are on time, if you are on time you are LATE. You are responsible for being on time, not because of traffic, your parents oversleeping, or car trouble. You take full responsibility. The exception is if you call the band room BEFORE you are supposed to arrive and explain the trouble. Band Office Phone number 407-482-8709.

Behave. You are a young adult. Just get in line, stay in step or do whatever is asked of you. The staff and leadership are there for your benefit. If you work really hard they will take note – as well as the other members around you. Behaving also tends to get things done a lot more quickly. Nothing is worse than resetting over and over and over again because the band is not listening or following directions.

Keep cool. Physically and mentally, first make sure you are not overheating (water, water, water) but also keep a calm mind. So you can’t hit the line the first time you try it? Keep trying and listen graciously to advice and you WILL eventually get it. We are here to help.

Respect. Respect the director, staff, leadership, upper classmen and parents that are helping.