Information for the 2024-2025 School Year!!
Welcome back to school! The directors all hope that you have had a wonderful summer break. We are looking forward to getting started on August 5. We hope that you all are ready, too!
Included in this memo will be info regarding dates, fees, and materials that will be needed for the upcoming school year. It will be split up by grade level.
Band Website/Social Media
This will be the most important piece of information that you will see on this memo.
All parents and students will need to visit our band website:
This is our one stop shop for everything concerning the Muscle Shoals Band Programs.
- Once you visit our website and look over the page, please locate the “Subscribe to Our Email List” button. Please click it.
- Enter your Name and email address in the “MSMS Band List” portion
- Click the word in red “Send”
- Check your email for confirmation that you are now receiving emails from www.msband.org (you may need to check your spam folder as well)
Information will be posted periodically on this website concerning your child. If you have subscribed to the website, you will receive an email notification each time a new post has been made.
ALSO!! Please join our MSMS Band Facebook page if you have not already done so!
NEXT IMPORTANT PART!
BAND APP
We will be utilizing a new method of communication this year for MSMS Bands!
Our website, www.msband.org, will still be used. However, in addition to the website, we are going to use the “Band App”. Here is an invitation link to get started:
Join our ‘Muscle Shoals MS Band’ group on the BAND app.
Get updates and stay connected!
https://band.us/n/a1a9A4C3ddzcq
Everything I post on our website will also be uploaded onto the “Band App” as well as our MSMS Band Facebook page. I can also send out quick announcements via the app in the event that we need to get information to you in a timely manner.
Band Fees
7th and 8th grade – $100
6th grade – $75
The easiest way to pay these fees is through MySchoolBucks. The app has been updated for band fees and is now ready for you to use!
This payment can be made on the MySchoolBucks App. Simply open the app, click the “Store” Icon at the bottom of the page (the icon in the middle), and select “Muscle Shoals Middle/McBride Elementary”.
Once there, please select “Band Fees” (Pay in Full)
From the stock options menu, please select “7th Grade Band’ or “8th Grade Band” (depending on which grade your child is in).
Paying with cash and/or check is also acceptable. Checks need to be made payable to “MSMS Band”.
This fee will go to help pay for materials that the kids will use throughout the year (reeds, valve oil, music, instructors, classroom supplies, buses, etc).
Instrument Rental Fee
If your child plays the Baritone, Tuba, French Horn, Bass Clarinet, Tenor Sax or Percussion, (these are school owned instruments) we ask for a $50 Instrument Rental Fee. You may pay through the MySchoolBucks App or with cash/check.
Performance Schedule
I have attached our band schedule for the entire 2024-2025 school year:
Concert Dates for all grade levels are: November 4, December 12, and May 8
Student attendance for these concerts is required. Please make all preparations that you can to get your child to these concerts! These concerts will all take place in the auditorium at Muscle Shoals High School.
MSMS Pep Band
We have 4 MSMS Football home games this year. Our 7th and 8th grade band members will be performing at those games. These performances are required for your 7th and/or 8th grade child. We will be working on music for these games as soon as we start back to school as our first game is August 29. The other three games will be September 3, September 19 and September 26. The 8th graders will also participate in the Homecoming parade on September 6.
Materials Needed
7th Grade AND 8th Grade
- Lyre and flip folder for their specific instrument. These can be purchased at Alabama Music in Florence. (Tubas will only need a flip folder. Percussion will not need a lyre and flip folder)
- Essential Elements for Band Books 1 and 2 (for their instrument)
- Valve Oil (trumpets, baritones, and tubas)
- Slide Oil (trombones)
- Cork Grease (saxophones and clarinets)
- Reeds (saxophones and clarinets only) Each student will need multiple reeds at the start of school. We like to see them with at least 3, and have them rotate each reed every day. Juno, Rico, or Vandoren brands are the ones we would like for the kids to have.
6th Grade
- Essential Elements for Band Book 1 (for their instrument)
- Valve Oil (trumpets, baritones, and tubas)
- Slide Oil (trombones)
- Cork Grease (saxophones and clarinets)
- Reeds (saxophones and clarinets only) Each student will need multiple reeds at the start of school. We like to see them with at least 3, and have them rotate each reed every day. Juno, Rico, or Vandoren brands are the ones we would like for the kids to have.
All of these items can be picked up at Alabama Music in Florence or Counts Bros. Music in Muscle Shoals.
Concert Attire
7th and 8th Grade
Here’s what we would like for the kids to wear for their performances this year.
Boys – black dress pants, black dress shoes, black belt, and a white, long sleeved button down dress shirt.
Girls – (3 options)
#1 (this is preferred) – A long black dress that looks similar to this (please click the link or copy and paste) and black closed toe dress shoes with low heels:
Dresses must have sleeves and a back.
#2 – An all black pant suit (black pants, black blouse with sleeves and a back, black closed toe dress shoes with low heels)
#3 – black dress pants, black dress shoes, black belt, and a white, long sleeved button down dress shirt.
Parents, let’s try to have these items for the band kids by October 21, if at all possible.
Fundraising
We will have our Fall Fundraiser kickoff on August 19. Each band member (6th through 8th), will receive a packet of information concerning our fundraiser that day. We will be asking the kids to sell a certain amount of items per family. We haven’t yet determined the number of items per family but we will pass that on to you as soon as we can. If you choose to not participate in the fundraiser, we would kindly ask that you pay our “Fair Share” fee of $50. We would love for you and your child to participate in this fundraiser. There are incentives for the kids to sell items. We went with a new program of prizes last year that included gift cards, a really cool MSMS Band Nike hoodie, as well as cash awards for top sellers!
Band T-Shirts
Each child, 6th grade through 8th grade, will receive a MSMS Band T-Shirt. We will be collecting the kids shirt sizes when they start coming to class on August 5. These shirts will be Adult Sizes. Please let your child know their Adult T-Shirt size so we can notate that on our order form.
Lockers
Each band member will be assigned a locker. There is no charge for a band locker. Each morning, the band room will be open by 7:15 a.m. for kids to come and drop their instruments off before heading to class. The mornings are also a great time for kids to practice on their instruments before heading to their 1st period class.
The band room will also be open after school each day until approximately 3:15 p.m. Once the bell rings at 3:00 p.m., students may come down to the band room and pick up their instrument to take it home to practice. It will be locked each day by 3:15 p.m.
That’s all for now!
Seay everyone Monday morning!
