The percussion studio needs your help. Maintaining the spaces, instruments, and equipment that we all use takes more time then we have scheduled. Please volunteer some time to work for the studio. Even the smallest task helps a great deal.

Fill out the service form each time you work outside the regular schedule. Include your name, date, time spent, and what task you worked on or completed. Those with the most hours will be honored with service awards. The form is available online at saygotit.com/?q=service or in paper form on the clipboard outside the percussion room.

Congratulations on a terrific start to the 2009-2010 Pep Band Season. I thought last night's performance was exactly what pep band is supposed to be: fun, spirited, and professional.

As a pep band our number one role is to support the team. I think we accomplished that with great cheers and school spirit. Obviously, our Girls Varsity Basketball team appreciated our effort with a solid win over Waukegan.

We also represent ourselves and the entire band program when out in public and we showed well with solid performance and great behavior and attitude.

Looking forward, I feel that we have a good book that our home crowds will get behind and cheer. Next game is a double (Girls Varsity at 6:00; Boys Varsity at 7:30) against New Trier in Welsh-Ryan arena at Northwestern on Friday, December 11 with a Pep Rally in Beardsley Gym at 2:00. This is our chance to help train our crowd in cheering with us to create a powerful home-court advantage.

So, Thanksgiving is over. There's only three weeks left until Winter Break, but there's a lot happening between now and then.

Percussion Convo will be Friday, December 5 6th Period. A sign-up sheet will be posted on the percussion board on Tuesday, so take this chance to show us what you're working on. If you have any requests for how we spend the rest of the period, leave a comment.

Percussion Ensemble is going to perform at the fireplaces during band/lunch on Wednesday, December 17. That means we have only two rehearsals to put our holiday piece together. If you signed up for large Percussion Ensemble, please come ready to play on Thursday and fully prepare your parts before next week. If you signed up for chamber percussion ensemble, we're going to be putting together easy pieces ourselves. More info about that this week.

Drumline, it's time to start. I met with the Pit and the Cymbal section met without me and was very productive. I think that, since the snares, tenors, and basses have not met yet, the first few rehearsal should be just those sections:

Snare and Tenor - Thursday, December 4 7-9pm
Bass - Thursday, December 11 7-9pm
Full Drumline - Thursday, December 18 7-9pm

The first Pep Band gig is coming up soon as well. On Friday, December 12 we're playing at the pep rally at 2pm then at the double-header against New Trier at Northwestern at 6:30pm. So, again, there are only two rehearsals to finish our preparation for that. There will be no rehearsal Wednesday, December 17.

So, a busy three weeks. Let's all work hard, take care of business, and have some fun with it.

Go to the gallery.