We hope that everyone has had an enjoyable Spring Break and wishing for safe travels for all who are coming home in the next couple of days! When we return to class this coming week, we begin our "sprint" to the end of the year. We are exceptionally thankful that we are returning to a much more typical 4th quarter experience than we've had for the past two years, It is extremely important to also remember that most of our traditional performances, festivals, and other events haven't happened since 2019. This means for much of  BVW Band Family, many aspects of our schedule will seem unfamiliar. Please make sure to review the UPDATE each week and check the Calendar regularly. 

West Area Festival: This coming Wednesday, March 23 in the BVW Main Gym starting at 7 PM. BVW Band members need to be seated and ready to play at 6:20 PM in Concert Black. This even features all band students in the west area from grades 6 - 12. We are hosting our annual Bake Sale - please consider making something to share! 

Leadership Auditions will take place on Friday, March 25 immediately after school. Candidates should double check instructions for their audition.

BVW Percussion Festival: An annual event we host each year on the last Friday in March (this year April 1.) Various percussion ensembles from around the area perform for a clinician. This involves all our percussion students - please look for additional information from Mr. Westcott.

MCCGA Championships: Our Winter Guard Season comes to a close on April 2 in Springfield, Missouri. Winter Guard is running on a high note having placed 2nd in class at their most recent competition. Look for details for our weekend trip this coming week.

Blue Valley District Band Festivals: Wednesday, April 6 - Wind Ensemble; Thursday, April 7 - Symphonic Band. All 5 Blue Valley High Schools come together at Blue Valley Southwest to perform their Spring Festival music for each other. Students need to meet at BV West at 6:45 AM on their respective morning to take the bus to BVSW. We will return at the end of 1st Block on Wednesday; and during AM AST on Thursday. Symphonic Band students will be excused from their 2nd hour class. Students should dress nicely, but do not need to wear concert black.

Solo and Ensemble Festival: All students who registered will perform on Saturday, April 9 at Olathe South High School. We are expected to provide assistance in running the festival (well over 1000 entries from all Blue Valley, Olathe, Shawnee Mission Band, Orchestra, and Choir Programs.) Please look for parent volunteer information this week in your email. 

KSHSAA State Large Group Festival: Our state level music event. Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band perform for a panel of judges and receive a clinic following their performance. Performances take place at Blue Valley Southwest during the school day. This is a concert black attire event.

As always If you have questions about any of our upcoming events please let us know! We look forward to showcasing the hard work of our students in the coming weeks and enjoying the opportunity to again make music togehter!

This Week
Tuesday, March 22
Final Leadership Audition Clinic - volunteers to play national anthem requested! 7:30 AM.

Winter Guard Rehearsal 6-9 PM

Wednesday, March 23
West Area Festival, 7:00 PM - West Main Gym

Thursday, March 24
Winter Guard Rehearsal 6-9 PM

Friday, March 25
Leadership Team Auditions - begin at 3:15 PM

Next Week
Tuesday, March 29
Winter Guard Rehearsal 6-9 PM

Thursday, March 31
Winter Guard Rehearsal 6-9 PM

Friday, April 1
BVW Percussion Festival

Winter Guard to MCCGA Championships

Saturday, April 2
MCCGA Winter Guard Championships - Springfield, MO

Two Weeks
Tuesday, April 5
Winter Guard Rehearsal 6-9 PM - Season Wrap-up

Wednesday, April 6
​BV District Top Band Festival @ BVSW - report 6:45 AM

Thursday, April 7
BV District 2nd Band Festival @ BVSW - report 6:45 AM

Friday, April 8
Pep Assembly

Saturday, April 9
KSHSAA Regional Solo & Ensemble Festival @ Olathe South

Looking Ahead
KSHSAA State Large Group Festival - April 13

Band Camp is right around the corner and here is some information to help you have a safe and enjoyable experience!

Band Camp is an intensive but fun way for us to kick start the year! We learn all the music we will use during the fall; learn some marching routines and choreography; and play some of games to develop our community! This is an important moment in our band year, As with all other rehearsals and performances, attendance is required. If you have a conflict with any portion of our camp week schedules or evening rehearsals this fall, make sure you have filled out the attendance form and visited with Mr. Love. We want to be sure everyone has the best chance to learn the music and feel successful heading into our fall season! 

Schedule for Camp Weeks
​You can find the schedule HERE. As a general reminder:

Percussion Students: July 26 - 30, 6-9 PM; August 2 - 6, 7-11 AM & 5-9 PM; August 9-11, 7-11 AM; August 10 & 12, 6-9 PM

Woodwind & Brass Students: August 2 - 6, 7-11 AM & 5-9 PM; August 9-11, 7-11 AM, August 10 & 12, 6-9 PM

Color Guard: August 2-6, 5-9 PM; August 10 & 12, 5-9 PM; August 16-20, 5-9 PM

Uniform Fittings: Saturday, August 7, 9 AM - 2 PM. All students will receive an appointment via email to come in for their uniform fitting. Stay tuned for details.

Why morning and evening blocks? I need help with transportation!
Due to ongoing construction at West and COVID protocols, most of our rehearsals will be spent outside, and we want to take advantage of the cooler / shadier parts of the day. If you need assistance with getting to / from our camp rehearsals due to parent work schedules, etc. please reach out to Mr. Love or our Booster President, Mandy Stone and we will help put you in touch with other band families who might be able to provide carpool assistance. This also allows students considerable time to rest between blocks.

What do I need to bring / wear?
White t-shirt (guard wears black,)
Shorts or comfortable athletic leggings
Tennis shoes
Hat
Sunglasses & sunscreen
Water bottle
Instrument 
Pencil
Music & 1 inch 3 ring binder with sheet protectors
Cellphone

Forms
A reminder that ALL forms and current Fair Share Payments should be turned in prior to the start of Camp. Information can be found HERE.
​
Parking? Drop-off?
Students may park in the east portion of the lot by the baseball fields or in the main student lot. Students should be dropped off in the bus loop by the auditorium. See MAP for details. 

Spirit Days
A tradition during camp Is to have spirit days. Students dress according to a particular theme, and there is a competition amongst the sections for prizes and pride! Student Leadership will share themes as we get closer to camp.

Canvas
All band students received a Canvas Course Invite. It Is Important that band members accept the course Invitation as that will make It easy to access music and other files during the year.

​

Happy 4th of July! 

Some quick reminders - If you missed It last week, here Is an update of our upcoming events over the next few weeks:

Summer Conditioning -  We continue to make progress learning / reviewing our marching and musical fundamentals. Our next session will be held on Thursday, July 8. For the schedule, please check click HERE. A few notes:

*Please wear a white t-shirt and shorts / athletic pants and tennis shoes. When the full band rehearses together, Color Guard wears Black and the band wears white to make it easier to distinguish between the groups on the field. No white shirt? We have some old, but unused band shirts you are welcome to take, first come, first served! Any white t-shirt is fine!

*If you are out of town and unable to attend make sure to fill out the Attendance Form in advance.

*Make sure to arrive in time to be set on in our stretch block at 6 PM. If you are arriving late from another activity, again, please fill out the attendance form.

*Make sure to drink plenty of water during the day and bring some to our rehearsal! 

*This week we will begin our Pass-off system - information can be found in the Canvas Course for Band Members.

Uniform Room Organization - Thanks to those who volunteered to help - we'll see you on Monday (July 5)! More information can be found HERE.

Band Camp - We are just under a month away from band camp. Band camp Is a fun and essential part of our preparation for the year for ALL of our band members as we learn music and drill for our pre-game and halftime shows along with many other fun activities. General information can be found HERE, and stay tuned for additional updates over the coming weeks. Color Guard Members - please see additional information about your modified schedule HERE.

Forms & Fair Share - On June 3 we provided links to essential forms and financial information for our members and families. You can review that information HERE. Our treasurer will routinely send out statements for Fair Share payments. If you have not received one, please contact our treasurer at bvwbbtreasurer@gmail.com so we can verify your email address.

This Week
Monday, July 5 - Uniform Room Organization, 9-12

Thursday, July 8 - Summer Conditioning Number 3, 6-9 PM

Next Week
Monday, July 12 - BVW Band Booster Executive Board Meeting, 6:30 PM

Looking Ahead
Thursday, July 22 - Summer Conditioning Number 4
Thursday, July 29 - Summer Conditioning Number 5
July 26 - 30: Percussion Camp
August 2 - 6 & 9 - 11: Full Band Camp
August 10 - Tuesday / Thursday evening rehearsals begin

Dear BVW Band Families,

WELOME to the newest members of our Blue Valley West Band Family! We are excited to have you join us! Know that you are in for a fantastic experience!

We begin our 2021-2022 band year with our Kickoff Rehearsal and Info Meeting on Thursday, June 3. A reminder that this event is for ALL 2021-2022 Blue Valley West Band and Color Guard Members! See additional information about that event HERE.

Parents - we need you! High school band is unique in that parents have opportunities to share in their student's experience from a front row seat! You can learn more on June 3!

Summer Conditioning - A reminder that ALL BVW Band students participate in our marching program and get to experience something that makes high school band such a special and unique opportunity! With the restrictions in place on our music programs for the past 14 months, it is important that we "stretch out" our musical muscles as we prepare for a more "normal" school year. Students should attend any and all conditioning sessions and sectionals when in town, HOWEVER, If you are on a trip or scout camp, etc. just let us know - no worries! We have plenty of ways to ensure everyone feels confident before band camp in August! For additional details, click HERE. If you know someone who wasn't sure about joining high school band, please encourage them to come check it out - we're going to have a great time!

This Week:
Thursday, June 3: Marching Band Kickoff and Parent Info Meeting for ALL Band Students In Grades 9-12.
Please see additional information HERE.

In the Future:
Thursday, June 10: Summer Conditioning Session #1

Thursday, June 24: Summer Conditioning Session #2

See the CALENDAR page for more!
​

 Dear BVW Band Families,

Congratulations to our outstanding senior band and color guard members in the Class of 2021! We look forward to celebrating you walking across the stage as we perform at the BVW Graduation Ceremony later this evening! We sincerely appreciate your dedication and leadership to the BV West Bands, especially over the past 14 months. Wishing all of you success wherever life's journey takes you next!

With that said, a little housekeeping - this will be the final UPDATE  that our senior families will receive. We will move you to our alumni list beginning next week. If you would still like to receive BVW Band news, subscribing is as simple as adding your email to the form at the bottom right corner of this page! If you did not receive all of your letters / pins / awards, etc. we will contact you as soon as those are available this summer. We do hope you will continue to follow the BVW Band on social media! That said, alumni are always welcome back and we look forward to hearing from you from time to time!

Graduation
A reminder that Sunday, May 23 We have one more performance for our 9th - 11th grade students. Please refer to those details in the Graduation performance announcement. Click HERE for additional information.

Finals
For Final "Exams," all students will need to ensure that they have returned any school-owned instruments, music, folders, and uniform parts. Lockers must be cleaned and inspected, and all financial obligations to the BVW Boosters should be cleared. Students will take care of these items during classes this week and next. Seniors need to finish their "Exam" before their scheduled final time this week.

Thank you!
We would like to thank all of our band students and family members for welcoming us here to West this year! While there have been many unique obstacles this year, we appreciate the kindness and enthusiasm we have seen on display, especially this last quarter as we finally had the opportunity to play together again! While we think all of us are ready to shut the door on this school-year, we are extremely excited about what lies ahead for the BV West Bands in 2021-2022!

This Week:
Monday, May 24
LKMS Band Concert

Wednesday, May 26
Band Booster Meeting - 6:30 PM

Next Week:
Thursday, June 3: Marching Band Kickoff and Parent Info Meeting for ALL Band Students In Grades 9-12.
Please see additional information HERE.

 Dear BVW Band Families,

Congratulations to all of our ensembles on their performances last week! In spite of all the obstacles that we have faced this year, we are so pleased to have finally been able to share an in person concert! If you have family that was unable to attend, you can view the concert video here: https://youtu.be/2_LdH41Bb8Q

The Jazz Concert should be available early next week as well. Thank you to all who helped support our program by also patronizing Bryce's Food Truck!

We have one more performance for our 9th - 11th grade students with Graduation this coming Sunday. Please see those details in the Graduation performance announcement. Click HERE for additional information.

For Final "Exams," all students will need to ensure that they have returned any school-owned instruments, music, folders, and uniform parts. Lockers must be cleaned and inspected, and all financial obligations to the BVW Boosters should be cleared. Students will take care of these items during classes this week and next. Seniors need to finish their "Exam" before their scheduled final time this week.

This Week:
Tuesday, May 18
Color Guard Clinic: 7-9 PM

Wednesday, May 19
2021 Marching Show Reveal @12:30 PM (during AST) in the Band Room

Sunday, May 23
Graduation Performance

Next Week:
Wednesday, May 26
Band Booster Meeting 

Long Term Reminders
June 3 - Marching Band Kickoff and Parent Info Meeting for ALL Band Students In Grades 9-12. Please see additional information HERE.

Dear BVW Band Families,

We are 1 week out from our Spring Band Concerts! Please refer to additional posts in the newsletter and on Canvas regarding details for our Concert and Jazz Band performances! 

While we are approaching the end of the school year, we are also busily preparing for a return to a more normal summer and fall season for our band program. Please be on the lookout for additional communication and schedule information over the next two weeks to help us finish this year on a high note, and to set ourselves off on the correct foot for 2021-2022! Additional upcoming announcements include:

• Senior Spotlights on social media
• End-of year check-out forms and returning school instruments & music
  
• Check-out of instruments for summer & fall for returning and incoming members
  
• Final financial statements for the BVW Band Boosters
• Final "exam" procedures for all band classes
• Updated schedules for summer and fall marching band activities
• Parent informational meetings and opportunities for our newest families to get involved
• Announcement of our 2021 Marching Band show

  
We appreciate the excellent work all of our students and ensembles have put forth over the past couple of weeks in preparation for our performances. We are so very excited to finally be able to share music in person again! We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming performances!


This Week:

Thursday, May 6
Color Guard Clinic and Parent Info Meeting: 7-9 PM
​
Next Week:

Tuesday, May 11
Spring band Concert, 6:30 PM - Oestreicher Forum

Wednesday, May 12
PRMS Spring Band Concerts - BVW PAC

Thursday, May 13
Color Guard Clinics, 7-9 PM

Friday, May 14
Jazz Ensemble Concert: 7:00 PM - Oestreicher Forum

Long Term Reminders

May 23 - Band performance at BVW Graduation

June - TBA - Marching Band Kickoff

Dear BVW Band Families,

We are 2 weeks out from our Spring Band Concerts! We are excited to share the progress that each of our ensembles has made throughout this quarter. Please note that our concerts will begin at 6:30 PM as we will be outside and to accommodate our student recognitions. Please look for additional communication this week detailing student attire, report times, and other concert details.
  
We have a couple of important announcements from our Boosters:

1.  Seniors - we need you to complete the Google Form by TOMORROW (Monday, April 26) to be included in the May 11th concert program and the Senior Spotlights on social media beginning on May 1.  Be sure to include a photo!  https://forms.gle/ZPbrNoSE6SNVc1Uj9

2.  Parents - we need you!!  The BVW Band Boosters are thrilled to announce that Mandy Stone has graciously stepped up to serve as President for 2021-22.  However, we still need a few more parents to step up!  There are a couple of board positions still open - Vice President and Operations.  Additionally, there are a few chair positions to be filled.  Please contact Marty Sinclair (martysinclair11@gmail.com) or Mandy Stone (mandystone@sbcglobal.net) for more information or to answer any questions.  It is going to be a terrific band year ahead!

This Week:

Monday, April 26
Senior info and photo due for concert program. https://forms.gle/P1TkNZX7RxqocJ166

Tuesday, April 27
Solo Recital Night

Thursday, April 29
Winter Guard Recognitions & Get Together
​
Next Week:
No special events

Long Term Reminders

May 11 - Spring Band Concert, 6:30 PM - Oestreicher Forum

May 13 - Color Guard Clinics Begin

May 14 - Jazz Band Concert, 6:30 PM - Oestreicher Forum

May 23 - Band performance at BVW Graduation


 ​

Dear BVW Band Families,

Please note our upcoming events below. Have a great week!
  
This Week:

​No special events
​
Next Week:
Monday, April 26
Senior info and photo due for concert program. https://forms.gle/P1TkNZX7RxqocJ166

Tuesday, April 27
Solo Recital Night - schedule of performances will be released later this week
​
Long Term Reminders

May 11 - Spring Band Concert, 6:30 PM - Oestreicher Forum

May 14 - Jazz Band Concert, 6:30 PM - Oestreicher Forum

May 23 - Band performance at BVW Graduation