Welcome Parents and Guardians!

High School Band isn’t like many other high school activities…

Welcome! We’re so glad you’re here! High school band is is a huge commitment, however, the friendships, growth, leadership, commitment, sacrifice, teamwork, determination, and FUN that your student will experience during their years with the band will be life-changing.

High school band is a year-round activity. There are different seasons and different opportunities throughout the year, but band goes year-round. Because of this, your help and support is vital to the success of your student and of our group.

We realize that- unless you yourself were a band student- this is wholly overwhelming, which is why you will find all sorts of information and resources below.

Expectations and Eligibility for Your Student

Expectations of Students

Band- just like any sport- requires a lot of time and dedication. Daily rehearsals will take place during, and after, school hours, with practice time required outside rehearsals. Competitions and Performance Assessments take place on weekends. Band Camp attendance is required during the Summer break, and during marching season, performances at home football games are also required.

It is expected that your student will arrive early- 15 minutes prior to the indicated Start or Report Time of any rehearsal, performance, or competition- and it is expected that your student remain for the entirety of the engagement. We work from bell to bell, so to speak, and students are expected to prepare and clean up on their own time.

It is expected that your student will arrive prepared to work hard, learn, and have fun. This means that they will have all of their equipment and supplies ready to use, and they will be appropriately dressed (athletic clothing during marching rehearsal, school-appropriate dress at other rehearsals, and band uniforms during competitions and performances).

It is expected that students will conduct themselves with dignity, remembering that they are representatives of our band, school, and community. Misbehavior will be addressed according to the Code of Conduct in the Band Handbook.

Eligibility

The New Mexico Activities Association, supported by the Los Lunas School District, requires students who participate in any school activity or sport to maintain a 2.0 GPA based on a 4.0 Grading Scale, with no ‘F’s. for the grading period directly preceding any performance or competition. Further information is available from the NMAA, here.

How to Get Involved with Your Student

The absolute BEST way you can get involved in band with your student is to join our Band Boosters! The LLHS Tiger Band Boosters is a group of band parents who volunteer and fundraise to support our band program in whatever ways we need each year. Additionally, like the community the students form in the band, this becomes a community for our parents. You can find more information on our Band Boosters page.

Additionally, make it a priority to attend as many performances as possible! Your student may never admit it, but it is deeply important to them to have a supportive parent watch them perform! They work really hard, and just want to make you proud.

Other things you can do to be involved with your student include things like encouraging them to practice whenever they can, keeping track of their accomplishments and progress, attending marching rehearsals as time allows- even if you aren’t volunteering- and making sure they have all of the equipment and supplies they need to succeed. And, if it’s possible, encourage your student to take private lessons. This one-on-one instruction time with a professional who has mastered the instrument your student is playing is invaluable to them!

Seasons and Competitions

Marching Season

Marching Season begins in late July with Band Camp, and ends in early November with either the last marching competition or home football game. However, there is the Twinkle Light Parade the first Saturday of December to end the season.

There are four annual marching competitions/assessments that the LLHS Tiger Marching Band attends. They are:

These competitions take place on Saturdays in October- generally in the order listed above- and are all-day events. Each has their own admission price, in/out policy, and program. Please see their respective websites for these details. Additionally, be prepared to either send your student with extra spending money for event merchandise, or purchase it for them.

We also perform at all home football games throughout the season. These games usually take place on Friday evenings at Willie Chavez Stadium (i.e. The Football Field). Game Report Time is usually 5:00 p.m., and depending on how long the game takes, we’re generally done around 10:00 p.m.

Concert Season

Concert Season begins in mid November, with both All-State and District Honor Band Auditions, and ends with the band playing ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ at Graduation in May.

The first concert of the school year is our Winter Concert, which takes place in mid December and is an opportunity for our students to perform for their friends and family, before Winter Break begins. The Spring Semester sees several different performances as follows:

  • Solo and Ensemble Festival- students perform either a solo, or with an ensemble or both for feedback from respective music professionals

  • Spring MPA Festival- competition-like performance where we receive feedback on our concert music program

  • Band-o-Rama- this is a fun concert where all of the schools in our Tiger Nation come together so each school can perform their favorite piece, in the effort of raising the importance of having music education in schools

  • Spring Concert- like the Winter Concert before it, this is an opportunity for our students to perform for their families and friends

If students are also in Jazz Band there will probably be additional performances and competitions throughout this semester.

Private Lessons

Piano Accompanists

Music Vendors (J Sharp, Baum’s, Music-Go-Round, Online)