Rehearsals (June- October)
Marching band is extra-curricular, not co-curricular. This means very minimal instruction on marching band happens during the school day since marching band isn’t a required part of our curriculum at Athens. Because of this, we rehearse 2-3 times per week. At each rehearsal, there will be 10-14 paid professionals to work with our students. Your student will receive individual attention, and will transform their musicality immensely during marching season. You are more than welcome to watch our rehearsals, but please arrive after 8pm to see us perform what we learned that day. Your student won’t want to be absent for rehearsals because of how much information is taught in our rehearsals. It is best to get homework done and eat dinner before rehearsal starts.
Band Camp (July 25th – 27th & July 30th - August 3rd)
Our annual band camp takes place at Echo Grove Camp in Leonard, MI. Leadership team will leave one day early, and the remaining students will leave Monday morning and return Friday afternoon. The kids will be bussed round trip. Band Camp allows us to have a blast while learning our show, and takes place at a very safe, enjoyable camp that we have attended for many consecutive years. While at Echo Grove, the kids are supervised by chaperones and staff. Band Camp is a very, very, very fun week!
Home Games (9/7, 9/21, 9/28 & 10/5)
The marching band performs at all home games. Be sure to arrive by 6:45 to catch the pre-game show, and stick around for halftime to watch our performance. The students perform in the stands during quarters 1, 2, and 4. During the 3rd quarter, the students can roam around the stadium and visit family and friends. Win or lose, we stay until the end of the game, followed by a brief meeting outside of the band room. Be sure to pick up your student quickly after the game, and have them hang up their uniform when they get home!
Competitions (9/29, 10/6, 10/19)
Our marching band competes in the Scholastic Marching Band circuit (SMB). This year we will compete at 3 different locations: Athens, Chippewa Valley, and Indianapolis. After we perform, we get a score based on our performance, and that score is used to help us determine how to improve each week leading up towards our BOA performance at the Super Regional in Indianapolis.
Band Festival (10/10)
Similar to band festival inside an auditorium, we attend MSBOA marching band festival at Troy High. This is a great event for us to perform locally, and to see what other bands in MSBOA District 16 are up to. Similar to band festival, the band is awarded a division rating (1st, 2nd, etc.)
EMU Band Day (10/13)
The marching band will travel to EMU to take part in their annual band day. Band day is an opportunity for all students to see what it is like being in a college marching band. The students will rehearse with the EMU band, and perform a combined standstill halftime show with other local high school bands. At the end of the game, one special band is asked to perform their halftime show for the crowd. We hope we get selected!
Indianapolis Trip (10/18-19)
This year Athens marching band has the opportunity to participate in the Bands of America Super Regional in Indianapolis. If you were to ask any returning marching band student, they would say competing at Indy is the highlight of their marching experience. Since it is a performance, we need everyone to attend. If finances are getting in the way, please communicate with Mr. Adam Cable or TABB President Mrs. Armida Johnson so your child can get to Indy. We will leave Troy Thursday afternoon, perform Friday morning at Lucas Oil Stadium, get to watch the other top marching bands in the region, and return to Troy late Friday evening. It is a short but extremely memorable experience that the kids will always remember.
Halloween Parade (10/28)
On 10/28 the kids dress up in their Halloween costumes and we march through two subdivisions (Troy Union and Wass) to get the kids of the subdivision excited about Halloween. This is a very fun, laid back parade.
Thanksgiving Parade (11/22)
We will be submitting an application to march in the 2018 America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for our bi-annual performance on Woodward Ave. We will be notified of our acceptance status in the Fall, but please keep Thanksgiving Day open on your schedule as of today. Our anticipated itinerary is to meet at Athens at 7am (or earlier) on Thanksgiving Thursday, travel via bus to Detroit, perform in the parade, then return back to Athens by 1pm. An exact itinerary will be available once we learn if we are accepted, and what time we will step off on this nationally televised event!