Marching Spartans
Welcome to the 2024 Marching Spartans show: Eye of the Hurricane under the direction of Rebekah Psihountas.
The band also is grateful for the support of the Marching Spartans Instructors: Christian Howard, Tyrice Lattimore, Nicholas Psihountas, Andrew Watt & Nya Smith.
“Eye of the Hurricane” is a gripping production that plunges audiences into the heart of a storm, capturing the harrowing experience of sailing through a hurricane. This show is a powerful portrayal of the raw force of Mother Nature. Featuring the “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC, the “Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel, and original music by Luke McMillan, “Eye of the Hurricane” takes you on a tumultuous journey through the tempestuous seas.
Results:
Ledford:
1st Place Music 2A, 1st Place Marching 2A, 1st Place General Effect 2A, 2nd Place Drumline 2A, 1st Place Drum Major 2A, 1st Place Overall 2A
Mount Airy:
1st Place Music 2A, 1st Place Marching 2A, 1st Place General Effect 2A, 1st Place Drumline 2A, 1st Place Drum Major 2A, 1st Place Color Guard 2A, 1st Place 2A, Overall 1A & 2A Grand Champion (Repeat Champion)
Newton Conover:
2nd place drum major, 1st place colorguard, 1st place percussion, 1st place music, 1st place in Class 2A
REPERTOIRE:
- Mvt. 1: Gathering Storm by Luke McMillan
- Mvt. 2: Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel
- Mvt. 3: Thunderstruck by AC/DC
Important Information from Mrs Psi:
Rookie Camp
Rookie camp is for anyone (colorguard, percussion, or winds) that has never marched before. This also includes those that did not attend band camp last year (if that still applies to anyone). Marching band leadership will also be required to attend rookie camp. Any veterans that would like to attend are more than welcome. Rookie camp will be July 17 & 18 8am-12pm. A portion of this will be outside. Bring a reusable water bottle and wear athletic clothes and shoes.
Band Camp
Band camp is required to participate in marching band for the season. This is where we learn all fundamentals and begin learning the competition show. To put the time into perspective, one day of band camp is equivalent to almost two weeks of afterschool rehearsals. We will get more done during band camp than during any rehearsal during the school year. It is very important that everyone attends all of band camp. If there are any conflicts, please let me know and we will try to work it out. As a reminder, if you have a trip/conflict that was scheduled before the district changed the calendar, it is okay. But please communicate that with me as soon as possible. Band camp will be July 22-25 & July 29- August 1 8am-5pm. There will be a lunch break and students will need to bring their lunch. Due to the heat, we will be starting earlier than we did last year to try to avoid the hottest part of the day.
We will have a required Parent Meeting after camp on Thursday July 25 at 6pm in the auditorium. Please make sure there is a parent/guardian represented for each student.
In preparation for camp, please start spending some time outside. This summer has proven to be a hot one. The more you are out in the sun, the easier camp will be. Go for a walk each day or sit outside a read a book/do summer assignments. Start drinking lots of water. Try to stay away from sodas and junk food. They will only make band camp more miserable for you. We will have shade, water, and cooling towels. But getting used to the sun now is the best way to not be miserable at camp in the heat. EVERYONE MUST HAVE A REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE FOR EVERY REHEARSAL (including rehearsals after band camp). We will have ice water available for students, but we will not be providing cups to reduce waste. I cannot stress this enough; everyone needs to have a water bottle for their own use. I do not recommend sharing water bottles.
Rehearsals after band camp
Rehearsals after band camp and after-school rehearsals are changing a bit. Mondays 4:30-6:30pm will be for colorguard and percussion only (this time may be extended to 7:30). Tuesday and Thursdays 4:30-7:30pm will be for everyone. All rehearsals are mandatory. I kindly ask you not to schedule any kind of doctor appointments on these days if you can avoid it. If your student is one who likes to get themselves in trouble, please do not use taking away rehearsals, games, or competitions as a form on punishment. This hurts the entire group and that is not fair to any of us. Talk with me and I can help implement any other punishment during our rehearsal time (push ups, laps, cleaning the band room, sorting music, etc) to make up for it.
Football Games
The marching band attends every varsity football game that the team plays, including playoffs. Games are Friday nights and usually start at 7, but that can change sometimes. Here is the schedule for next season:
August 23: Away @ Grimsley HS
August 30: Away @ North Forsyth HS
September 6: Home vs. Page HS
September 13: bye week (no game)
September 20: Home vs. West Forsyth HS
September 27: Away @ RJ Reynolds (Deaton-Thompson Stadium, Winston-Salem)
October 4: Home vs. East Forsyth HS (8th grade night)
October11: Away @ Davie County HS
October 18: Away @ Glenn HS
October 25: Home vs. Reagan HS (homecoming/hall of fame)
November 1: Home vs. Parkland HS (senior night)
November 8,15, 22, 29 (Black Friday), Dec. 6, 13: Possible Playoff Games
All games are required, even if students do not attend school for a holiday or teacher workday.
Competitions
The MTHS Marching Band travels to marching band competitions and festivals. This is where bands compete in classes based off size and perform for other bands, parents, and judges. Students enjoy this a lot and is a large reason why we perform a challenging marching band show. These competitions are on Saturdays ranging from the end of September to the beginning of November. We will not perform every week during that span, but keep the following days open for an all-day marching event:
September 28
October 5 (SAT day)*
October 12
October 19
*If you are planning on taking the SAT please choose a different day.
Other SAT Dates: August 24 and December 7
Jamboree/Parades
The marching band performs in two parades in Winston-Salem. They also perform at he WSFCS Jamboree where all the schools in the county come together to perform their halftime/competition shows for each other.
The WSFCS Jamboree will be Monday September 16 (rain date: Thurs. Sept. 26).
The Veteran’s Day Parade will be Saturday, November 9.
The Holiday Parade will be Saturday December 7.
Dues
Marching Band does require dues for the season. With everything, one season costs well over $10,000, and we cannot supply that on our own. The dues for this year are $250 for winds and percussion and $350 for colorguard. There was a deposit of $50 due on June 7th. If you have not paid this deposit, please pay this as soon as possible. Your deposit will go towards your total dues. You can pay the rest in whole or pay in smaller installments throughout the season. We take cash or checks made out to MTHS Band. Or you can go on the school website to online payments, find Band 24-25, and submit the payment there. Just be sure to include the student name in the description. Here is a recommended schedule for payments:
| Date | Winds/Percussion | Colorguard |
| Friday, June 7 (deposit) | $50 | $50 |
| Monday, July 22 | $50 | $60 |
| Thursday, August 1 | $50 | $60 |
| Thursday, September 5 | $50 | $60 |
| Thursday, October 3 | $50 | $60 |
| Thursday, October 31 | any dues not paid | $60 |
** Any unpaid dues will be added to student account and will follow them until graduation
All dues are to be paid by November 8th unless you have spoken to me to make other arrangements. If there are any financial troubles, please let me know. No one should be deprived of music because of finances. If we have worked out an arrangement in the past, please reach out to me again if you still need assistance.
Parent Volunteers
Marching band takes a lot of people to be ran successfully. This includes the parents. Moving equipment to chaperoning to getting food and other things that I, the marching band staff, nor the students can do. We do have a parent volunteer coordinator that will get things rolling. Parents, be on the lookout for a volunteer email with more information. We desperately need more parent volunteers this year! Please consider helping out! Right now, here are a few things I know we will need:
Band Camp chaperones in the morning every day
Pulling the band trailer
Bus driver (possibly 2 let me know if you are interested in getting a CDL to drive a bus. Our numbers are going up and we may need to use more than one bus)
Front Ensemble crew for home games and competitions
Stands chaperones for football games
Chaperones for competitions
Uniform supervisor
and others
We need your help for this season to be great!
Other Information
I will be sending home forms during the first few days of camp. These will include the membership contract, travel and medical permission forms, and other forms you may need to have filled out. Be on the lookout for these once camp gets started. Students will not be able to travel with us unless I have all forms filled out.
Before our first competition and for away games, we will be in a “Class B” uniform. It will be the band t-shirt that we will provide, khaki shorts or pants. Please look into buying some khaki shorts and/or pants for the season. I suggest having a pair of shorts and pants to prepare for the season. We start out in the heat, but the end of the season will be colder.
Class A uniform will be the traditional marching band uniform. Students will need their band shirt, activity/gym shorts, black socks, and will need to purchase marching band shoes if they do not have any yet (generally $40-$50). Colorguard will have their own uniform that is show-themed (included in dues).
There is usually a drivers ed class or two that runs during marching band season. Please do not sign up until marching band season is over so you are not losing rehearsal time and hurting the band by not being at rehearsals for two weeks. That is a lot of time and new material learned in that time.