August 17, 2008
Subject: weekly band reminders and football game procedures

Hello All,
 
Here are a few reminders and details for the week and the football game on Friday night.
 
Rehearsals this week are on Tuesday and Thursday from 4-8pm
Leadership Clinic on Wednesday 8/20 @ Enloe HS from 4:30-7:00 (section leaders and council). Students needing a ride can meet at Sanderson at 3:30. Please contact Denice Short at dmshort@mindspring.com.
 
Football game Friday night 8/22:
 
All Students should arrive at the band room by 5:00.
Game starts at 7:00, we usually finish around 9:30.
Uniform for first game is khaki shorts, band tee shirt, and tennis shoes. All students will need to have their shirt tucked in.
 
All students should be dropped off at the rock or park in the student parking lot. No one will be allowed to drive behind the band room except the band equipment truck.
 
Each week we will coordinate parents to help with various tasks for the game such as uniforms, equipment, chaperones, etc. Only those parents who have been specifically contacted to help with be allowed to enter the stadium with the band. All others should plan to enter the main gate a pay $5 admission.

Creighton Flowers
Director of Bands
Sanderson High School
5500 Dixon Drive
Raleigh NC, 27609
(919) 881-4839 office
(919) 881-5006 fax
www.sandersonband.com

August 10, 2008
Subject: weekly reminders

Hello, just a few quick reminders for the week:
 
Rehearsals this week are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 4-8 PM
 
Band pictures are this Friday Aug. 15. Students should be at school at 10:30 am. Do not forget your band shoes and BLACK SOCKS. Everyone will need to have a white tee shirt on under their uniform. This does not mean a tank top or spaghetti strap.
 
Leadership Clinic next Wednesday Aug. 20 has been moved to Enloe HS since the air in the Sanderson auditorium is broken. All section leaders and council should attend from 4:30-7:00. There is no rehearsal that day.

Creighton Flowers
Director of Bands
Sanderson High School
5500 Dixon Drive
Raleigh NC, 27609
(919) 881-4839 office
(919) 881-5006 fax
www.sandersonband.com

August 4, 2008
Subject: reminder

It is going to be hot this week. We will follow Wake County guidelines for breaks, but everyone must do your part to stay healthy. Remember to pre-hydrate, eat breakfast, and EVERYONE should bring a water bottle to practice.
 
In the event of illness, please communicate with me prior to the rehearsal to be missed. At this time of year, unexpected illness or family emergency should be the only reason to miss rehearsals. While it is courteous to communicate with your section leader, that does not take the place of communicating with me as well.
 
This is our last week of all day rehearsals and we have a lot to get done. See you tomorrow!

Creighton Flowers
Director of Bands
Sanderson High School
5500 Dixon Drive
Raleigh NC, 27609
(919) 881-4839 office
(919) 881-5006 fax
www.sandersonband.com

July 22, 2008
Subject: request from Sanderson administration

During the summer, the administration has asked us to not park in the first two double rows of parking spaces in the front of the school. The reason for this is that since Sanderson is centrally located in the County, it is the site for many county wide meetings between now and the beginning of school. After school starts, this will not be a concern. Thanks for your help.

Creighton Flowers
Director of Bands
Sanderson High School
5500 Dixon Drive
Raleigh NC, 27609
(919) 881-4839 office
(919) 881-5006 fax
www.sandersonband.com

July 20, 2008
Subject: last minute reminders

A few key things to remember for tomorrow:
 
-Bring a water bottle
-wear sunscreen
-eat breakfast and bring a healthy lunch
-bring your instrument, a pencil, three ring binder with plastic pages, music, and small spiral notebook
-wear tennis shoes and socks and light cotton clothes
-we start at 8:00am in the band room
-at check in at Campbell bring your $10 key deposit
-have a great attitude!
 
I can wait to get started, see you soon!

Creighton Flowers
Director of Bands
Sanderson High School
5500 Dixon Drive
Raleigh NC, 27609
(919) 881-4839 office
(919) 881-5006 fax
www.sandersonband.com

July 9, 2008
Subject: important band information

Dear Band Family,
 
It is almost time for our most important band year ever-this year! With less than two weeks before precamp I want to share some important information and thoughts with everyone. First, I hope everyone has had a great summer. Enjoy the last bit of it as things are about to get very busy. It will be important over the next few days to prepare mentally, physically and emotionally for the journey that lies ahead. While we will all make great sacrifices of time and energy to this organization, the benefit of our hard work will be in the friendships and personal growth that develop along the way.
 
I know alot of folks are a little nervous about what the next few weeks will hold. This is normal and we will work to overcome this feelings by working together and supporting each other. We will have time to have fun, but also learn to be a part of a disciplined rehearsal environment. Being new to a school and organization can be overwhelming, but the best solution is to just push your kids out the door and send them to band! You will be welcomed by experienced upper classmen and in a few short days will have new skills and new friends.
 
A few important reminders:  It is very important that everybody take care of themselves physically. It is important to stay hydrated during the hot days of summer. We will be outside much of the time, and it gets hot practicing on a parking lot. Everyone should pre-hydrate at least 24 hours in advance. If you wait until you are sweating and thirsty it is too late. Drink plenty of water, no soda, and bring a water bottle with you everyday. Eat breakfast every morning, and pack a healthy size lunch. Be sure to wear plenty of sunscreen, and wear light comfortable clothes. Everyone MUST wear appropriate shoes. This means tennis shoes and socks. All shoes should have laces and fit securely to your feet. Absolutely no sandals, slip on shoes, skater shoes, or any other type of shoe that will prevent you from learning correct marching technique. You will also need a three ring binder with plastic pages, a pencil at each rehearsal, a small spiral notebook, and your instrument. At band camp everyone will get a band tee shirt, we will wear this with khaki shorts for our summer performances. Please have your khaki shorts at band camp.
 
Everyone should have music. All parts are posted one the web page and I hope everyone has been practicing. We will have our first football game performance before school starts, so we need to hit the ground running. Please have show music memorized, we need to spend rehearsal time putting the show together, not learning individual parts. We invest heavily in instructors this time of year and we want to get the most out of that investment.
 
Please continue to visit the web page for information. There is a calendar of all band events to keep everyone informed. Once school starts we rehearse on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30-5:30. We will never rehearse on Monday, that is the day to schedule doctor or other appointments. Many of our scores are separated by tenths of points, which means that every person is important at every rehearsal. Even one person missing hurts the group and every small detail is important. In band there is no bench, all members must contribute fully to all rehearsals and performances.
 
For all band events throughout the school year, including in the morning before school, please do not park behind the band room. Parents, please drop your students off at the spirit rock and students who drive should park in the student parking lot. There is not enough room for 100+ people to drive right up to the door, and I have been asked by the school administration to help with this. Thank you in advance for your help with this.

Any parents who are chaperoning at any point during the year, and especially at band camp must register with WCPSS. This is a simple process, but must be done from a school computer. The meeting next Thursday would be a good time to get this taken care of.
 
If you have questions along the way there are many people to help. The section leaders and drum majors are there to help the students and we have a great group of band boosters to support these great students and help the parents along the way. Sometimes we forget how much information is thrown at new parents, please ask if you need help. Email is one of our best communication tools. We will try to limit the amount of emails sent to everyone to avoid it becoming spam, but please read what we send throughout the year.
 
I can't wait to get started and meet everybody. I think we are going to have a special group this year. Come with a great work ethic and positive attitude! See you soon!

Creighton Flowers
Director of Bands
Sanderson High School
5500 Dixon Drive
Raleigh NC, 27609
(919) 881-4839 office
(919) 881-5006 fax
www.sandersonband.com

June 26, 2008
Subject: summer announcements

I hope everyone is havening a great summer, a few quick announcements:
 
All percussion parts are finished and posted on the web site. Please print out your part and start practicing.

We usually wait until band camp to announce the spring trip, but I wanted to let everyone know a little early this year. The chorus, band, and theater programs are planning a trip to New York this spring. The estimated cost will be $700 and we will go the first part of the spring break week leaving April 3rd and coming back on the 7th. We will get more details out later with the specific itenerary, but wanted every to know while it is still Walnut Creek season so that hopefully everyone can work some concerts to build up their accounts.
 
Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Creighton Flowers
Director of Bands
Sanderson High School
5500 Dixon Drive
Raleigh NC, 27609
(919) 881-4839 office
(919) 881-5006 fax
www.sandersonband.com

June 11, 2008
Subject: Happy Summer!

Hi All,
 
Just a quick note as we head into summer to make sure everyone has all the information they need. I know folks will be heading out of town soon, so now is a good time to get any final logistics taken care of.
 
First, Congratulations to the seniors, and thank you to the Wind Ensemble for a great graduation last night. I think it was a special event for all involved.
 
The calendar on the web site is updated for the summer and fall. Please take a moment to look at it so that we can minimize conflicts. Please communicate with me sooner rather than later if you foresee a problem.
 
Most marching brass and percussion instruments have been signed out. If you have not done this, please let me know. I will be in all day today 6/11 and tomorrow 6/12 and would like to go ahead and have this taken care of.
 
All wind parts for the show are on the web page. Please print out your part and make sure you have music learned before band camp. We want to hit the ground running, not waste time learning notes and rhythms. Percussion parts for the first movement are ready and the second movement is almost ready. Parts will be posted on the web site as soon as I have them.
 
The leadership retreat is this Friday 6/13 at the ropes course at Bond Park in Cary. Please meet at the park at 9:00. Bring all forms with you, and if you did not get the forms let me know ASAP. Also, do not forget your $35 to offset the program cost and for lunch.
 
I look forward to seeing everyone July 21 at pre-camp. Let me know if you have any questions between now and then.

Creighton Flowers
Director of Bands
Sanderson High School
5500 Dixon Drive
Raleigh NC, 27609
(919) 881-4839 office
(919) 881-5006 fax
www.sandersonband.com

May 27, 2008
Subject: percussion dates added to calendar

If you have a student who is a percussionist, please see the web site calendar for some percussion dates this summer. July 15 is for battery only, July 16-17 if for battery and pit. If you know that you will be out of town during this time, please let us know. If you will be in town the week before precamp, please make every effort to attend these sessions. Students can get a stick/mallet order form from me to get those items ordered in advance. Specific questions can be sent to Mark Cashin at cashin@email.unc.edu

Creighton Flowers
Director of Bands
Sanderson High School
5500 Dixon Drive
Raleigh NC, 27609
(919) 881-4839 office
(919) 881-5006 fax
www.sandersonband.com

© 2002 Sanderson High School Band Raleigh, NC

Last Updated: August 19, 2008