Samohi Band Alumni, Calendar, Events, Marching Band, Parents

2018 Home Football Games

Attention, Viking Marching Band (VMB) fans:
(Updated 10 August 2018: NO home game Aug. 31)

We encourage you to attend Samohi Varsity Football games to support our Vikings and enjoy LIVE MUSIC by the VMB at SMC’s Corsair Stadium. This year’s home games are scheduled for 7:00 PM on the following dates:

  • September 7 vs. South HS
  • September 14 vs. Newport Harbor HS
  • October 5 vs. Hawthorne HS
  • October 19 vs. Beverly HS (Homecoming)
  • October 26 vs. El Segundo HS (Senior Night)

Free parking is available in SMC campus lots and on Pearl Street between
16th and 20th. Marching Band students do not need a ticket to enter the stadium.
All other guests must purchase a ticket at the ticket booth on 16th Street (cash
only). See the map of Santa Monica College below.

Le animamos a asistir a los partidos de fútbol de Samohi y disfrutar de música EN
VIVO de la Viking Band en el Estadio Corsair de SMC. Los partidos de este año se
han programado para las 7:00 PM en las siguientes fechas:
(Actualizado el 10 de agosto de 2018: NO hay partido en SMC el 31 de agosto)

  • 7 de septiembre contra South HS
  • 14 de septiembre contra Newport Harbor HS
  • 5 de octubre contra Hawthorne HS
  • 19 de octubre contra Beverly HS (regreso a casa)
  • 26 de octubre contra El Segundo HS (Noche para adultos mayores)

Aparcamiento gratuito disponible en las porciones del campus de SMC
después de las 6:00 PM. Aparcamiento también en Pearl Street entre la calle 16 y
la calle 20. Los estudiantes de la banda no necesitan un boleto para entrar al
estadio. Todos los demás deben comprar un boleto en la taquilla en la calle 16 (pago
sólo en efectivo). Ver el mapa de Santa Monica College a continuación.

SMC Football Parking

Samohi Band Marching Band, Parents

2018 Band Camp Volunteers

Para leer en español, haga click AQUI

Hello Marching Band Families,

We have some exciting volunteering opportunities for you this week and next!

Be a Viking Volunteer!
During band camp over the next two weeks, we need parents to bring ice; sort, sew, and label competition uniforms; and help with uniform fittings. The uniform fittings require Level 2 clearance, but the other two jobs don’t. Please help out in any way you can:

Volunteer Sign-Ups

We have well over 100 students to outfit over the next two weeks, so thank you in advance for pitching in!

Please remember: Since the Olympic gate is closed for construction most days until about 5:00 p.m., volunteers may need to either find street parking up near the Michigan gate (2-hour limit) or pay for parking at the Civic Center. We apologize for any inconvenience!

Mass Uniform Try-on for Returning Musicians Wednesday!
All returning musicians will try on their uniforms from last year at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 8. Please make sure they bring or wear the clothes that they typically wear beneath their competition uniforms (shorts or leggings with a rehearsal T-shirt, socks, and Dinkles, if they have some that still fit). We will have shoes for students to try on if they do not bring their own Dinkles on Wednesday.

We’ll also have lollipops for any returning student who wears his or her Viking helmet rehearsal t-shirt to the fitting! (Go Vikings! :-))

Other Uniform Fittings
We will be fitting new musicians (and returning musicians who grew out of last year’s uniform) throughout this week and next. Students typically wear a t-shirt and either shorts or leggings under their band uniforms. We will have extra Dinkles marching band shoes on hand for the fittings – just make sure your child wears a t-shirt, shorts/leggings, and socks to camp!

Questions? Send an email to Band Parents Association President Alisa Stewart at samohiband@gmail.com or reach out to our VP of Marching Band, Yunilda Esquivel, at yunilda+samo@gmail.com.

See you on the field!

Samohi Band Color Guard, Forms, Marching Band, Parents

Band Camp Helpful Hints

These hints came from last year’s (2017) message to incoming and returning marching students. The 2018 Marching Band Kick-off email is coming soon, but it helps to plan ahead for Band Camp.

Desplácese hacia abajo para leer este mensaje en español.

We’re excited for the 2018-2019 Viking Band season. Please read through for important information regarding student registrations and our upcoming Band Camp.

Viking Marching Band Camp Registration
We’re are at the countdown for Marching Band Camp. If you haven’t yet, make sure to register your student using our Online Registration Form. Be sure to print and sign the Off Campus Permission form and Emergency Card. The printable forms are fillable, if you DOWNLOAD the forms before printing them. All forms are also available on our website http://www.samohiband.com; click on Forms/Band Family Information.

Band Camp will be held in the Samohi Band Room and Athletic Field on August 6th – 10th and August 13th – 17th, 2018 from 12 noon to 8 pm.

This year’s camp cost of $250 per student for the two weeks of instruction is part of the estimated $750 per-pupil cost of one year in the marching band. Your generous contribution helps cover the costs of training, outfitting and equipping the students all year long, beginning with Band Camp and ending with the Fourth of July Parade. You can donate to the Marching Band program using the registration form, or by clicking on the “Support the Bands” tab on our home page.

All students are able to participate in all aspects of the program regardless of their ability to contribute financially. Scholarships are offered to those who apply; please contact Mr. McKeown directly for more information.

Attending Band Camp
Band Camp is an important and MANDATORY part of Marching Band and Color Guard class. Students who miss any portion of Band Camp are subject to reassignment to alternate (understudy) positions within the Band. Students should contact Mr. Mckeown (komckeown@smmusd.org) if they are to miss any part of Band Camp.

During camp students should come prepared to work outside several hours a day. All students must:

  • Bring a 1 gallon thermos with ice water with their name on it. It’s going to be hot! Jugs are available at sporting goods stores, Target, supermarkets, and online.
  • Wear comfortable, closed-toed shoes. Any shoe suitable for PE class is appropriate for camp.
  • Wear comfortable clothing for warm weather, and bring layers for cooler temperatures in the evening.
  • Bring a 1”- 1.5” binder, a pencil and 25 sheet protectors.
  • Don’t forget the water.
  • Wear sunblock and bring extra to reapply during the day.
  • Bring sunglasses. There are times when students will be rehearsing facing west at sunset.
  • Bring snacks for brief breaks.
  • Have a plan for the dinner break. Students are allowed to go off campus during the dinner break. Parents must make arrangements ahead of time as food is not provided. Either leave food with your student, or give him/her permission and money to go off campus. Most students prefer to eat at local restaurants, (Subway, El Pollo Loco, Dominos, etc). Students may go off campus ONLY when paired with another student or in a group.
  • Did we mention water? Seriously, water fountains in Samohi are few and far between. Each student should bring AT LEAST 1 gallon of water and refill their jug/thermos as needed. Student should keep their water jugs with them at all times.

Volunteers Needed during Band Camp
We need parents to come help us during marching band camp to sort through the over one hundred uniforms we have. We fit all students to their new season uniforms, clean up our inventory, do repairs, and set each student up with all they need for the new competition season. For dates and times we need help, check the Band website during the first week of Band Camp.

How to Stay Informed
Marching Band hits the ground running! Here are a few suggestions to help you stay in the loop:
1) You may subscribe to the Samohi Band Google Calendar by clicking HERE (works with Google Calendar and iCal).
We are also working on a printable one-page Band Calendar (subject to change).

2) Bookmark our Samohi Bands website http://www.samohiband.com, which keeps reminders and all important information with easy searching options.

3) Like the Samohi Band Facebook page where we post regular updates and announcements.

Questions?
Reach out to us!
Mr. Kevin McKeown is our Director of Bands <komckeown@smmusd.org>. You can also send us an email to samohiband@gmail.com. Yunilda Esquivel is taking over as VP of Marching Band and can be reached at yunilda+samo@gmail.com if you’re interested on learning about volunteering opportunities, donations and sharing other parents interests.

Go Vikings!

******************************

¡Bienvenidos de vuelta, papás!

Estamos emocionados por la nueva temporada de la Banda Vikinga de Marcha del 2018-2019.
Por favor lea a lo largo de este mensaje pues hay información importante pertinente a registro de estudiantes, nuestra reunión anual de padres, registro de voluntarios y nuestro campamento de banda que se aproxima.

Registro para el campamento de la Banda Vikinga de Marcha
¡Estamos en cuenta regresiva para el campamento de la banda de marcha! Si aún no ha registrado a su estudiante, lo puede hacer a través de este enlace: Formulario de inscripción para todas las Bandas de Samohi. No se olvide de llenar los formularios de Actividades fuera del Plantel y Permiso de Fotografía. Los formularios imprimibles son INTERACTIVO / RELLENABLE en Acrobat Reader; es necessario DESCARGAR el archivio PDF ANTES de imprimir.

También puede visitar nuestra página web y bajar las fórmulas directamente desde aquí: Samohi Band Forms

El campamento de la banda se va a llevar a cabo en el salón de la banda en SAMOHI y el campo atlética del 6 al 10 de Agosto y del 13 al 17 de Agosto de las 12 mediodía a las 8 de la noche. Este año el campamento tiene un costo de $250 por estudiante por las dos semanas de instrucción, el cual es parte del costo estimado de $750 por pupil de la banda de marcha. Su generosa contribución nos permite cubrir los costos de entrenamientos, vestuarios y equipos para los estudiantes durante todo el año, desde el campamento de verano hasta el desfile del cuatro de julio.

Todos los estudiantes son bienvenidos a participar en todos los aspectos del programa sin importar su nivel de contribución financiera. Tenemos becas disponibles para aquellos que aplique, por favor diríjase a señor Mckeown para más información.

Asistencia al Campamento de la Banda
El campamento de la banda es una parte importante y OBLIGATORIA de las clases de la banda de marcha y color guard. Los estudiantes que pierdan cualquier porción del campamento están sujetos a ser reasignados en posiciones alternas dentro de la banda. Los estudiantes deben de contactar al señor McKeown komckeown@smmusd.org si van a perder días de campamento.

Durante el campamento los estudiantes deben de venir preparados para trabajar al aire libre durante varias horas al día. Todos los estudiantes deben:

  • Traer un termos de 1 galón con agua e hielo, con su nombre inscrito. ¡Va a hacer mucho calor! Puede adquirir botellas similares en tiendas de deportes, en supermercados, y en linea.
  • Usar zapatos cómodos y cerrados. Los que sean apropiados para la educación física también sirven para el campamento.
  • Usar ropa confortable para días calurosos y traer otras piezas para las temperaturas más frías de la noche
  • Traer un portafolio de 1 a 1.5 pulgadas, un lapicero y 25 protectores de hojas.
  • ¡No se le olvide el agua!
  • Usar protector contra el sol y traer extra para reaplicar durante el día.
  • Traer gafas de sol. Hay momentos en los que los estudiantes deben de practicar viendo al oeste durante el atardecer.
  • Traer merienda para descansos breves.
  • Tener un plan para la hora de la cena. A los estudiantes se les permite salir del campus durante la hora de la cena. Los padres deben de coordinar con anticipación ua que no proveemos cena comida durante el campamento. Ya sea deje la cena con su estudiante o dele permiso y dinero para salir a comer en grupos. La mayoría de los estudiantes van a restaurantes locales (Subway, El Pollo Loco, Dominos, etc). Los estudiantes pueden salir del campus UNICAMENTE si van en parejas or grupos.
  • ¿Mencionamos el agua?? Las fuentes en SAMOHI son muy pocos y alejadas. Cada estudiante debe de traer AL MENOS 1 galón de agua y llenar su termos como lo necesite. Los estudiantes deben de tener su botella consigo en todo momento.

Necesitamos voluntarios durante el campamento de la banda
Necesitamos padres que nos puedan ayudar durante el campamento de la banda para organizar los más de 100 uniformes que tenemos. También tomamos medidas de todos los estudiantes, limpiamos nuestro inventario, hacemos arreglos y alistamos el conjunto para cada estudiante que le toca usar durante esta temporada. Para fechas y horas en que puede ayudar, visita el sitio web http://www.samohiband.com durante la primera semana del campamento de la banda/

¿Cómo mantenerse informado?
La banda de marcha empieza a mucha velocidad, aquí hay algunas sugerencias para ayudarle a estar al corriente con todas las actividades:

  1. Puede suscribirse al calendario en Google de la banda de marcha haciéndole click acá: Google Calendar / iCal
    También tenemos un calendario de papel que se lanzará pronto.
  2. Guarde la dirección de nuestra nueva página web en http://www.samohiband.com donde puede encontrar información importante y capacidad de búsqueda.
  3. Dele me gusta a la página de la banda en Facebook donde ponemos anuncios e información de último momento: Samohi Band Facebook

¿Tiene preguntas?
¡Escríbanos! El señor Kevin McKeown es nuestro director de bandas. También puede escribirnos a nuestro correo samohiband@gmail.com. Yunilda Esquivel será nuestra VP de Banda de marcha, la puede localizar al correo yunilda+samo@gmail.com si está interesado en oportunidades como voluntario, donaciones o tiene alguna cosa que compartir.

¡Vamos Vikingos!

Samohi Band Fundraising, Marching Band, Parents, Students

Marching Band Info from Mr. McKeown

Haga clic aquí para leer este mensaje en español

Kevin McKeown, Director of Band­s­­
June 22nd, 2018

Dear Marching Band Parents:

With the end of the school year comes the beginning of summer and the anticipation of our exciting upcoming marching band season! Our upcoming 4th of July mini-camp is crucial to getting a good head start for our fall season, and student attendance and participation is vital. We will have three practices in preparation for our 4th of July parade performance on Main Street:

Friday, June 29th (1-4 p.m.)
Monday, July 2nd (1-4 p.m.)
Tuesday, July 3rd (1-4 p.m.)

(All rehearsals are in the band room, M102)

Students should wear comfortable clothes for the weather, hat, sunscreen, water, etc. Athletic shoes only, no open toed shoes/sandals/flip flops. If students cannot participate due to family vacation that is understandable, but we believe if your child is in town, and is available to be there, they should be there! (We will try our best to accommodate students in need of instruments during that time.)

Color Guard rehearsals for the summer (including the preparation for the 4th of July parade) are:

July 2nd and 3rd
4pm-9pm

July 16th and 17th
4pm-9pm

(No rehearsal on June 29th for Color Guard members)

Percussion students will be meeting every Tuesday from 4-8 p.m. (Front Ensemble will meet 2 hours only between those hours. Please contact Mariam Kaddoura for more information: mkaddoura@smmusd.org)

We will also spend some time with our musicians on our season’s competitive field show, “Wonderland,” inspired by the classic tale of Alice in Wonderland. The music features the unlikely and effective combination of composer Dmitri Shostakovich and Pink Floyd’s The Wall.

Band Camp this year will be from August 6th-10th and August 13th-17th from 12-8 pm – the two weeks leading into the beginning of the school year. Attendance for Band Camp is absolutely mandatory. Please do not schedule family vacations during these two weeks. Band Camp is the time when we start to establish technique and begin to learn our field show. In order to set the tone and ensure our students’ success, we need full participation from all!

If your child will be missing a significant part of camp they will most likely begin the school year and season as a marching “alternate”, meaning they will not be put into the show design until they learn the skill set that we are teaching during band camp. This does not exclude them from any activities, just that they may have less time “on the field” during the competitions. They will participate to the fullest of their abilities with the marching band.

Registration for the 2018 marching season will begin on June 29th.

The cost of Marching Band Camp is $250 per student* (plus a $500 donation for the season to cover our costs, including the competitive tournaments, Disneyland, UCLA Band Day, etc.). This insures that we can cover the costs of our show design, coaching, props, transportation, and more. The online registration form includes links to several options for submitting your contributions, including a monthly pay plan to help with the financial request.

CLICK HERE for a direct link to the 2018 Registration Form (opens June 29th)

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at komckeown@smmusd.org or our instructional assistant, Mariam Kaddoura, at mkaddoura@smmusd.org.

Welcome! Let’s have another great season, Samohi “Viking” Marching Band!

Kind regards,

Kevin O. McKeown,
Director of Bands
Santa Monica H.S.

*Families that contribute towards the cost of Band Camp will receive a letter acknowledging their contribution as a donation to the Band program.

Samohi Band Concert Bands, Marching Band, Parents, Students

2018 Tuxedo and Dress Returns

Rental Tuxes and Borrowed Dress Returns:

Haga clic aquí para leer este mensaje en español

If you rented a tuxedo from Elite Tuxedo, please bring all 5 pieces (jacket, pants, white shirt, tie and cummerbund)  – inside the garment bag – to school by Friday, June 1st.
There will be a rack for you to hang your tuxedo in the Band Room.
If you do not return your rental tuxedo to Samohi on June 1st, you must return your tuxedo to Elite Tuxedo at 2074 Westwood Blvd in Westwood, (310) 474-9090; otherwise Elite Tuxedo will charge your credit card for missing garments.
 
If you are performing with the Samohi Bands at the graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 7th:
The Bands request that musicians wear either black slacks with a white shirt, a tie, and black socks with dress shoes, or all-black ladies’ concert attire (dresses, dress slacks, or skirts with black tops and black shoes).

If you borrowed a Concert Black Gown from the Samohi Bands,
You may KEEP it until you leave the Band program!
We hope this saves you the work of hemming the dress every year.
If this is your last year in Concert Band, please bring your borrowed dress to school by Friday, June 1st. 
Hang your dress on the rack in the Band Room.
We also accept donations of gently used dresses in the 4 approved Samohi Concert Band styles.

If you borrowed “Dinkles” marching shoes, please bring them to school by Friday, June 1st. There are brown paper bags in the Band Room (against the wall, near Mr. McKeown’s door) for you to return your shoes.
Please do not keep Dinkles over the summer. They are like textbooks:  we take inventory every summer, so that we can prepare for the new season.
We also accept donations of gently used Dinkles from Seniors who bought marching shoes.
Samohi Band Calendar, Concert Bands, Fundraising, Jazz, Marching Band, Parents, SMAPA-Bands, Support

Band Parent Meeting January 9, 2018

We welcome all parents/guardians of current Samohi Band students to join us for a recap  of Fall 2017 events and information about 2018 concerts and fundraisers. This is for parents of students enrolled in any of our classes – Concert, Marching, or Jazz Band. We hope to see you there!

Samohi Band Parents Association Meeting
Tuesday, January 9 at 7:00 pm in the Band Room (M102)

Samohi Band Concert Bands, Events, Marching Band

2018 Winter Concert to Feature Theatre Organ

We hope that you will join us for the Samohi Bands Winter Concert on Tuesday, January 23, at 7:00 pm in Barnum Hall. The Samohi Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Symphonic Winds, and Viking Marching Band will perform. (These are students from Band class periods A, 1, 3, and 5.)

Click here to purchase advance tickets online.

The Winter Concert repertoire includes works by John Stewart, Robert Sheldon, David Shaffer, Karl L. King, and John Williams, as well as J.S. Bach’s iconic Toccata and Fugue in D minor on the mighty Barnum Hall Theatre Organ!

The Barnum Hall organ is a 1921 Wurlitzer Theatre Organ, a 3 manual organ with 19 ranks of pipes and a full set of percussion instruments. This fine instrument was assembled, restored, and donated by Mr. Gordon Belt, after the school’s original, smaller organ was destroyed during the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. Mr. Belt has been an enthusiastic promoter of the theatre organ, an instrument originally developed to accompany silent films in the 1920s.

Barnum-organ

BarnumOrgan03

Barnum-Organ7

Samohi Band Color Guard, Marching Band, Parents, Students

2017 Marching Band Picture Day – REVISED

Dear Marching Band families,

DUE TO POOR AIR QUALITY, Marching Band Picture Day has been moved to Wednesday, December 13th on the Santa Monica Pier. 

FOR STUDENTS:  Please meet near the carousel on the Santa Monica Pier at 7:00 am on Wednesday, December 13th. Wear you hair however you would like it to look in photos. Please bring picture order forms to the Pier. Do not bring order forms to Samohi.

DON’T FORGET YOUR DINKLES!

Front Ensemble members:  If you do not have Dinkles, please contact your instructor Mariam Kaddoura ASAP. There will be Dinkles available for you to borrow on picture day, but we need to know your size!

FOR PARENTS:  Mr. McKeown is making arrangements to bring the musicians’ uniforms to the Pier. He will give the students any other instructions they need. Typically, all group and individual photos are finished in plenty of time for students to walk from the Pier to their first period classes on campus. On December 13th – a Late Start Wednesday – Period 1 class begins at 9:38 am.

If you would like to order photos, please ask your student for the order form from YARY PHOTOGRAPHY. You can pay by cash or check in the envelope. Credit cards are accepted, but you must call at least 48 hours to picture day to get credit card approval.

You may also order photos online at yaryphoto.com. Just click on “PRE-ORDER” at the top of the page, and then use the search bar to search for “Santa Monica.” After you enter your email address, you will see a list of available photo packages. This is a good option, if you are afraid your student will forget to bring the order envelope on Picture Day.