Winter Season Parent Expectations
Here are a few guidelines and requests to make sure everyone has a great experience in our program.
Please observe the following:
Out of respect for fellow audience members and the safety of the performers, please refrain from video recording or flash photography. We will record each group and share the video on our website. Video recordings may not be shared online or on social media.
After the students’ performance, please remain seated or use the spectator entrance/exit. Do not follow them out of the performer's exit.
Students must remain with the team after the performance until they are dismissed in order to complete assigned responsibilities and load the truck. Please do not distract the students from these responsibilities after the show or pull them away before dismissal.
Students will always be dismissed from the blue BHS semi-truck. Please meet your students at the truck at the assigned dismissal time to avoid them wandering around the campus alone, especially during our night performances.
Expectations at Winter Season Competitions
Cheer for ALL of the students and ensembles performing, not just our students.
NEVER cheer against our competitors…they are just kids working hard to have the best show possible.
At awards ceremonies, cheer for all placements and awards, not just those given to our students and program.
Winning awards is great. Knowing we had the best performance possible is better!
Remember the ABC’s of audience etiquette:
Always remain completely quiet during a live performance.
Be attentive to what is taking place on the stage, field, or floor.
Consider your fellow audience members around you.
Do not enter or leave the audience area during a performance.
Enjoy the tremendous talent of the students.
Forget how hectic life is and get lost in the performance!
Give appropriate applause for the students’ hard work! (Thunderous applause is okay, but we are not a sport, so please refrain from shouting or any kind of raucous behavior.)
The Value of Competition
*Shared from the Bands of America, host the St. George competition, as well as several regional and national marching championships each fall.
“Live daringly, boldly, fearlessly. Taste the relish to be found in competition – in having put forth the best within you.” – Henry J. Kaiser, American industrialist and founder of Kaiser Aluminum, Kaiser Steel, and the Kaiser Family Foundation
Competition is woven into the very fabric of America. Bands of America and Music for All believe that competing is a great motivator and provides amazing opportunities for learning life lessons. The essence of competition is in striving for performance excellence and being held accountable for learning. If the focus is on learning, the competitive climate will be an extremely valuable source that can be drawn from throughout life. On the other hand, the negativity associated with “winning at all costs” will be a detriment to personal growth. Winning is certainly a monumental benchmark, as is any measurement in the competitive arena. Performing your very best in competition is also a benchmark, as is competing with the very best programs. By choosing to participate in competition, individuals and groups have already “won” simply by being highly motivated.
The competitive arena provides a very precious opportunity to practice quality sportsmanship and sincere appreciation for the hard work of others. It also is the place where the very best models in our activity can be displayed and celebrated. All performers need models to demonstrate possibility at the highest levels of performance and artistry. As all programs continue to improve through motivation, the competition strengthens everyone pushing us beyond what we believed to be our potential. Every band performance is a gift to us all and must be treasured. First place is fleeting, but the learning associated with striving for excellence, the cooperative work ethic, and the appreciation of others is everlasting. Bands of America encourages participants, parents, and friends to celebrate the high value of the competitive environment for its lessons and to become immersed in “positively life-changing experiences.”
