Mission Statement
The SPHS Music Boosters located in South Pasadena, California organizes parents' involvement to support Marching Band, Color Guard, Orchestra, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, Winter Line (Drumline) and Winter Guard through fund raising and volunteering at events and competitions.
Fund raisers that support the Instrumental Music Department are Bingo (Saturday - once a month), snack bar sales at varsity home football games (five nights), and the Spaghetti Dinner held in the Spring. Proceeds benefit the entire Instrumental Music Department and are used to purchase instruments, pay for repairs, pay for competition expenses, etc. Volunteer chaperones are needed for Marching Band competitions in the Fall and Winter Line competitions in the Spring.
We encourage all parents to attend SPHS Music Booster meetings that are usually held on the first Monday of the month from 7 P.M. to 8 P.M. on campus in the choir room.
Information for SPHS Music Families
So your student will be joining the South Pasadena High School Marching Band or Colorguard? It could be one of the best decisions he or she will make! The Band and Colorguard are among the most exciting and active groups on campus!
Here’s a few things you should know:
BAND CAMP: Attendance at a two-week “Band Camp”, held on the SPHS campus, is mandatory. It takes place the last two weeks of summer prior to the start of school, 8am-4pm. Lunch is provided. Freshmen are taught the basics of marching, and the band and colorguard begin to learn the field show that will be performed at home football games and in competitions during the Fall season.
PRACTICES: Band and Colorguard have rehearsals on Monday nights (6-8pm) and Wednesday nights (6-9pm) when school starts, through the fall. There are also two Saturday practices during the first month of school. Additional practices may be scheduled by section leaders. This is in addition to the band and colorguard classes that meet during their scheduled periods. Marching Band in the fall becomes Concert Band in the Winter/Spring.
CREDITS: Enrollment in band fulfills fine arts requirements as well as PE requirements as long as the student is not concurrently enrolled in a sport. College admissions officers have said that music participation also looks impressive on college applications, especially if enrolled all four years!
PARENT CONTRIBUTION: It is hoped that parents will be willing to contribute toward their student’s incurred costs for the school year. Band costs are $225 (not including shoe and glove costs.) Drumline costs are $55. Colorguard costs are $120 not including uniform and shoe costs which are determined once the year gets underway. A separate colorguard unit that competes in the winter, called Winterguard, involves a separate set of uniform and shoe costs. Likewise, a separate percussion unit, called Winterline, competes in the winter.
The costs cover meals at band camp and competitions (we participate in 5 regional competitions in October and November), two rehearsal t-shirts, rehearsal shorts, warm up outfit, field show t-shirt, and other related costs (competition fees, uniform drycleaning, instrument repairs, truck rentals, etc.) Costs can also be offset by volunteering to work at Bingo. All students may participate in band activities regardless of ability to pay.
OVERNIGHT COMPETITION: One of the championship competitions will likely be in Fresno, and this will be an overnight trip. An additional cost for hotel, meals, and transportation will be incurred for this trip, and will be announced later.
SPRING TRIP: The band and orchestra take a Spring Trip, usually the weekend prior to Spring Break, to perform in a competitive music festival with other high schools across the nation. Past Spring Trip destinations have included San Francisco, Hawaii, and Boston. Student and parent input will be sought to determine this year’s Spring Trip destination. Costs for the Spring Trip will be announced when the destination is decided.
SPRING SEMESTER: Students in Marching Band will be enrolled in Concert Band for the Winter and Spring, after the marching season is over. They will have the opportunity to perform in Winter (Dec.) and Spring (June) concerts, along with the SPHS orchestra and jazz band.
SPHS MUSIC BOOSTERS: This is a parent group that fundraises to support the music programs at the high school. Parents volunteering to work at Bingo, Snack Bar (at football games), Bake Sales at our Winter and Spring Concerts, and at our Spaghetti Dinner in the Spring, help to offset some of the costs of the music program. Parents also assist at competitions and as chaperones on trips.
CONCERT ATTIRE: The following attire is expected at all concerts and the Spring Trip Competition: Boys- Black coat and slacks, white dress shirt, black bow tie, black dress shoes, black socks. Girls- Black knee-length (or longer) skirt, white long sleeve button-front blouse, black dress shoes.
FOOTBALL GAMES: The Marching Band and Colorguard will perform their field show at halftime at every home game, as well as play in the stands throughout the game. At away games, the band plays in the stands only. Not all band members have to attend all away games – depending on the instrument, the student may attend 2 to 4 away games. Call time is generally 6:00pm for the 7:00pm game. About 20 parent volunteers are needed to work in the Snack Bar for each home game! Contact Kristy at kristyhenn@dslextreme.com if you can help out.
WESTERN BAND ASSOCIATION (WBA) COMPETITONS: The Marching Band and Colorguard will perform their field show, “The Raven”, in five local competitions. Call times will vary, but usually we leave in the morning and return late in the evening. The Music Boosters will provide ONE MEAL during the day. Please make sure your child has a good breakfast in the morning, and brings along snacks and/or money to purchase snacks at the competition venue. Bus transportation to each competition is provided. We need 6-8 parents to chaperone each competition! Contact Kristy Hennessee at kristyhenn@dslextreme.com if you are interested.
At competitions high school bands perform their field show and receive a score from the judges. They are ranked against other high school bands of about the same size (we are 3A again this year) by the number of points earned; a perfect score is 100.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: See our Links. QUESTIONS? Email us at Contact Us.
