Parent Survival Guide – Welcome!

Welcome to the Charger Band Family!

Our Parent Survival Guide was written by the directors in collaboration with the Charger Band Boosters with the parent perspective in mind. There is a lot of information in the handbook and we recommend referring to it when you have questions about the band program. We will be periodically posting articles here hi-lighting sections from the Parent Survival Guide. The Guide will also remain posted on CHARMS in the Handouts/Files section throughout the year.

CHARMS

CHARMS is the band’s online database. If you haven’t already had a chance to check it out, log in and take a look around. Also, please make sure all of your information is accurate and up to date.

How to Login to CHARMS

Go to www.charmsoffice.com
Click on the green Enter/Login menu at the top right of the screen
In the Enter/Login pull-down menu, choose “Parents/Students/Members”
The next screen asks for a school code. Enter “cshschargerband”.
On the next screen, carefully enter your child’s student ID. This is the one that usually starts with 000. If you have issues entering the ID, try it once with and once without the 000 at the start. There are also some issues with certain browsers. We have had the most luck with Firefox and Google Chrome. If you have tried all of those things and it still isn’t working, contact Mr. Williams or Mr. Solis.

So again, welcome to the 2017-2018 CSHS Charger Band. We look forward to working with you to make this the best year yet. Your time with the Charger Band will be an experience you will never forget!

Go Chargers!
CSHS Band Directors and Band Booster Club Officers

Parent Survival Guide – Marching Contests

Parents, here are a few words on marching contests.

University Interscholastic League

Texas is fortunate to have a countless number of strong extracurricular programs throughout the state. The governing body of many of these programs is the University Interscholastic League, or UIL. It was formed in 1910 by the University of Texas at Austin to provide leadership and guidance to public school athletic and debate teachers. Over the last century, it has grown into the largest inter-school organization of its kind in the world and now includes music, academic, and theater competitions. Classification in UIL events is based on school enrollment.

Region Marching

Region Marching Contest takes place in mid-October every year. Three judges give the band a rating of 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 with 1 being the best. A consensus of two judges determines the overall rating. Therefore, if two judges give the band a 1 and the other gives the band a 4, the overall rating is a 1. In the rare instance where no two judges agree, the middle rating is what prevails. For example, a 1-2-3 is a 2.

Area Marching

In even numbered years, if we make an overall 1 at Region Marching Contest, we advance to the Area Marching Contest. This is a prelims/finals competition that typically starts at 8:00 AM and ends at 11:00 PM. The top ten bands from the prelims competition advance to that evening’s finals. One for every five bands from prelims advances to the State Marching contest. For example, if there are 30 bands in prelims, the top six bands in finals advance to State.

Judging for this contest is different from Region. There are three music judges and two marching judges. Each judge gives the band a score. At the conclusion of each phase of the contest, the judges’ scores are then ranked 1, 2, 3, etc. All five rank scores are then added together. The bands are ranked again by the rank score total with the lowest total being ranked first and so on.

What to DO and what NOT to DO

… attend every band competition and cheer loudly for your Charger Band.

Don’t

… stay at home on contest days and assume the students don’t need 100% of your support.

… wear your black, blue, silver and white in support of Charger Nation.

Don’t

… wear red, blue, maroon, green, or orange.

… support our friends from other schools and understand that band competitions are about recognizing high achievement.

Don’t

… boo our friends from other schools and think band competitions are where second place is the first loser.

Parent Survival Guide – Welcome!

Welcome to the Charger Band Family!

In 2012-2013, our student leadership team created the following mission statement…..

We, the members of the Clear Springs High School Band, are dedicated to the highest standards. We maximize our potential and never regress. We are a family pushing our minds, bodies, and talents to the limit each day through Courage, Strength, Honor, and Success.
Leadership Team – Fall 2012

The staff and students of the Charger Band are committed to exceeding our potential and creating experiences that will last a lifetime. Using music as a common bond, we work on self-discipline, professionalism, multi-tasking, organizational skills, teamwork, leadership, commitment, goal-reaching, service, and many other important attributes that cannot be attained in any other activity. It is no surprise that when band students go to look for a job or apply for a college, they have an advantage over others. They not only know how to work hard, but they know how to work better.

As directors we take on the philosophy that we are your child’s parent when they aren’t with you. Our number one job is to provide them a safe learning environment. This not only means we do everything we can to keep them from physical harm, but it also means we work to provide a learning environment where it is safe to think, take chances, be wrong, ask questions, discover strengths, address weaknesses, but most of all be creative. We will push them to reach their potential. We do not accept excuses and will not allow a student to settle for less than their best. Laziness and procrastination are the enemies of success. It is up to us as parents and directors to keep these two demons away.

One really important concept to remember is that your child is no longer in junior high. A huge difference is that they will no longer be viewed as a child. We view them as young adults who have increased responsibilities and the maturity to make informed choices. Many of our students start driving within two years of entering high school. If we are to expect them to be responsible behind the wheel of a car, then we can expect them to be responsible in all other aspects of their life, as well. When we send informative emails or texts to you, your child will receive them too. In some cases, we will give information to the students in rehearsal. It is their responsibility to get the information to you. We understand that some students (and parents) will suffer through some growing pains, but in the end it will all be worth it. After all, high school is about giving the students the tools they need to be self-sufficient long after they walk across the stage at graduation.

Our Parent Survival Guide was written by the directors in collaboration with the Charger Band Boosters. There is a lot of information in the handbook and we recommend referring to it when you have questions about the band program. We will be periodically posting articles here hi-lighting sections from the Parent Survival Guide. The Guide will also remain posted on CHARMS throughout the year.

CHARMS

CHARMS is the band’s online database. If you haven’t already had a chance to check it out, log in and take a look around. Also, please make sure all your information is accurate and up to date.

How to Login to CHARMS

Go to www.charmsoffice.com
Click on the green Enter/Login menu at the top right of the screen
In the Enter/Login pull-down menu, choose “Parents/Students/Members”
The next screen asks for a school code. Enter “cshschargerband”.
On the next screen, carefully enter your child’s student ID. This is the one that usually starts with 000. If you have issues entering the ID, try it once with and once without the 000 at the start. There are also some issues with certain browsers. We have had the most luck with Firefox and Google Chrome. If you have tried all of those things and it still isn’t working, contact Mr. Williams or Mr. Solis.

So again, welcome to the 2016-2017 CSHS Charger Band. We look forward to working with you to make this the best year yet. Your time with the Charger Band will be an experience you will never forget!

Go Chargers!
CSHS Band Directors and Band Booster Club Officers