Turner Ashby High School
Band Boosters
Dear Parents,
Welcome to the Turner Ashby and Wilber Pence Band Boosters! The Band Boosters is an organization dedicated to
facilitating music activities for students at Turner Ashby High School as well as those students from Wilber Pence Middle
School who participates in marching band in the summer and fall of their 8th grade year. The Band Boosters support band
activities, competitions and concerts throughout the year with both volunteer labor and fundraising activities. The Boosters
work closely with Mr. Rob Nash, Director of Bands, but are an independent parent-run non-profit corporation with elected
officers and tax-exempt status. All parents of students who participate in band activities are welcome and encouraged to
participate. It is only through the efforts of the Band Boosters that the TA band is able to provide students with the rich
diversity of opportunities for music education, performance and competition. Below is some information to introduce you to
Band Booster activities and what you can expect as a band parent.
The band season
The band season includes both concert music that students learn during the school day and the extra-curricular
marching band activities that take place during the fall semester. Participation in marching band is optional, but students are
required to take a music class in order to participate in marching band.
Concerts and honor bands
Students in band classes perform at concerts that are open to the public at several points throughout the year. For
these concerts, students are required to purchase either a concert dress or a tuxedo and have appropriate black shoes. In
addition, band students perform these concert pieces for judges at city/county, district, regional and state competitions.
Students may also audition for city/county, regional, and state honor bands. These auditions take place on Saturdays and
consist of students playing scales, set pieces and a sight reading pieces for judges who is sequestered behind a partition.
Students prepare for these auditions as part of their band classes.
The TA Marching Knights
The Marching Knights perform at all TA home football games, at community events like the Bridgewater Lawn Party
parade, one or two local Christmas parades and at marching band competitions where they are judged against other high
school marching bands of similar size. The music and marching routine changes each year, but the band performs the same
routine throughout the season.
Marching band season begins in July, with daylong classes on marching “fundamentals” in preparation for the
Bridgewater Lawn Party parade, which is usually the Friday of the third weekend in July. These sessions are required for new
marchers and suggested for veterans. Then, for two full weeks in late July and early August, there is Band Camp, two weeks of
intense practices required for all marching band members. Students report to TA at 9am and stay all day until 4pm. They learn
the music for their show and begin to perfect the choreography of the 8-minute routine. Band Boosters provide lunch for the
students during Band Camp, with teams of parents signing up in groups of 2 or 3 and split the cost of the meal. Students
spend most days outside on the practice field, so they should bring a large water thermos and sunscreen.
Marching band uniforms
Marching band members wear uniforms and hats provided by the school district. However, each marching band
member must purchase their own marching shoes and socks, gloves and Under Armor shirts and leggings to go under the
uniform. Every year, there is a band t-shirt that goes along with the themes of the show they perform. These shirts are
optional, but most students purchase them.
After school practice
Once school starts, marching band members practice after school every day from 3 until 5, although sometimes
practices will go until 5:45 or 5:30. These practices are outside if the weather allows, so water and sunscreen are imperative.
Football games
Once the football season starts, the marching band performs their routine at halftime for each home game, which are
always on Friday night. During the initial games, the show is often incomplete, and the band uses those games to perfect their
show and practice in front of a live audience. In addition, the band plays music from the stands when they are not preparing
for or rehydrating from their halftime performances. The students stay throughout the entire game and play the fight song
after the game. They then go to the band room and change and stow their equipment. Students are usually not ready to leave
until a half hour after the game.
On football game days, the students stay after school to prepare and Band Booster parents provide dinner in between
practice and the games, which start at 7pm. In addition, parents sign up to provide coolers of rehydrating drinks for the band
members after their halftime performance. Parents who want to see the performance must pay admission to the football game
($5), although discounts are available if you buy a multi-game punch card. After half-time the gates are opened and anyone can
get in for free.
Six to eight parents assist with the Pit Crew, which helps move large drums and other percussion equipment into
position as the marching students are taking their position on the field to begin the show. Pit Crew members help with each
performance, which means they get free admission to football games and travel with the band on competition Saturdays. The
band also needs a parent with a truck to pull the band trailer to competitions. This parent also typically helps out on the Pit
Crew. These duties last throughout the marching season, from late August through early to mid-November.
Competitions
Competitions take place on Saturdays beginning in September and going through November. Typically, TA competes
in 5 marching competitions during a season, and there are not excused absences . Students meet at TA and take a bus to the
competitions. Some of the competitions are hours away and some days they may have more than one competition scheduled,
so often the students are gone all day. The biggest competition, the Parade of Champions (POC), takes place at JMU in the
middle of October, but there are typically one or two competitions after this as well.
Fundraising
The main area of parent support is fundraising. Throughout the year, the Band Boosters coordinate 6-8 fundraisers to
provide the funds needed to support band activities, including things like competition entry fees for individual students and
the marching band, guest instructors for band camp and awards and the band scholarship that goes to a graduating senior.
Fundraisers include car washes, fall and spring BBQ chicken sales, and concession sales during the Parade of Champions
competition, District Band try-outs at TA and at rest stops on I-81 during Labor and Memorial days. While the students do
most of the work during these fundraisers, parental help is always needed, particularly the day of POC concessions. You will
be asked to donate supplies for the chicken and concession sales, and to donate time to supervise students and handle money.
Without these donations, we would have to do more fundraisers to meet the demand for funds.
Spring band trips
Each spring the band takes a trip, usually to Disney World and another location on alternate years. These trips are
optional, involve significant musical educational opportunities, whether that is studying with Disney’s expert musicians and
marching in a parade through Disney World or attending professional concerts in New York, Montreal or Chicago. These
trips can be quite expensive, so students who want to attend may want to begin saving money months ahead of time.
Payments can be made in installments, so families are not required to come up with the money all at once. Parents are needed
to accompany the students on these trips, but must pay their own way.
Band Boosters meetings
Boosters meetings are held the first Monday of most months at 6:30 in the band room. Here we discuss business,
upcoming events and make decisions about fundraising and how those funds will be spent. Parents are elected to officer
positions and volunteer for committee assignments in late spring.
Welcome!
This is just an overview, intended to help you understand some of the ins and outs of being a band parent at TA.
There is a lot to learn, but the good news is that there is a strong community of people just like you whose children love being
in the band, for a whole variety of reasons. This community of parents works together to enhance their children’s experiences
of both music and the friendships that develop across grade levels, family backgrounds and other outside interests. Band is
one of the only opportunities for high school boys and girls to compete together, and the atmosphere among band
communities is unbelievably supportive, nurturing and fun. We hope this answers some of your questions, but please feel free
to contact the Band Booster officers or any parent if we can answer any other question you may have.