I want to thank all of the band Alumni that came out to our second meeting last night. We had members representing the 70s, 80s, 90s and the 2000s. I came away from that meeting very excited and encouraged. Below are minutes from the FIRST meeting and details from the second. The NEXT meeting will also be held at the Band Hall on April 7, 2014 at 7p.m. (Monday). Thanks and Be Blessed SOC Band Alumni Association Meeting Monday, November 25, 2013 Hampton Inn & Suites | DeSoto, TX | 7:00 p.m. **************************************************** Purpose of the Organization Main objectives are to support the SOC Band members, band director & staff, and booster club. SOC Band Alumni will strive to increase interest in the Arts and encouragemusical and academic excellence. Development of the SOC Band Alumni Association SOC Band Alumni includes band members, majorettes, and flag squad. The charter, mission statement, officers, and rules & regulations will be discussed and in place at the second general meeting. Initial funding will be raised by membership dues and donations/sponsorship from non-members. Membership dues will be $15 per month. Current challenges • Lack of active recruiting • Instruments in need of repair [currently, repair service is being outsourced] • There was no band camp available to the students Ideas • On some Saturdays, have “jam sessions” with the sections • Gather the feeder middle schools for Super Saturday at SOC • When recruiting, seek diversity and appeal to the Hispanic population • Collaborate with the Booster Club to help improve the Battle of the Bands event and invite HBCU bands • Modern day SOC Annex; have Zumwalt & Boude Storey band members play alongside SOC Band • Create an Alumni Jazz Band for fundraising events and to peak the interest of future band members by showing them a different genre of music Additional notes The next meeting will be scheduled after the 1st of January 2014. Details will be communicated via the Facebook Group, email, and word of mouth. Leadership positions will be filled and groundwork will be established. All attendees are asked to invite two (2) SOC Band alumni members to the next meeting. Anyone with band footage is kindly asked to provide a copy to the Association to be shared with alumni and students. Meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. by Charlie Brewster Please see next page for Questions & Answers Q & A – Open Forum Q. What is the current condition of the instruments? A. Sousaphones and mellophones are needed. The brass instruments currently in inventory, woodwinds, and percussion are good. Q: Are there beginners in the band? A: Yes. However, without band camp and proper training, the beginners are not knowledgeable in instrument etiquette. Q: What are the Association’s main focus points? A: Teaching is the primary focus. Also, fundraising, assisting with recruiting, and overall support. Q: How do we plan to appeal to the feeder middle school students? A: Have the best SOC Band players visit the middle school students to perform and talk to them. Another suggestion was to introduce the middle school students to jazz band, which is Mr. Artemus Nelson’s strength. There are 150 band members at Boude Storey and 70 at Zumwalt. Q: What will it take to change the students’ mentality on band? A: Respect; all them to be individuals. Mentoring; making band fun and being a consistent positive model in their lives. Spring is a great time of year to interact with the band members and possibly take them on outings. Last but not least, show the students all the trophies won and videos of alumni in action so they can see the longstanding tradition and pride of the SOC Band. Q: What are the fundraising plans? A: Membership dues, donations from non-members, sponsorships, and paid events showcasing SOC Alumni. Charlie Brewster will talk to Aaron Shaw in regards to event planning. Q: Is this an initiative for the Music Department as a whole, or band only? A: The sole focus is on the band. Fortunately, the choir has sufficient support. Q: When will a date be scheduled to meet with students? A: Once the officers meet and all proper procedures have been followed. All members will be notified. Q: Will there be any band banquets? A: After the Association has been established, have strong fundraising, and have built a strong relationship with the students, the Association will work with the Booster Club to have band banquets. The banquets would be a great time to celebrate the students and award scholarships. ************************************************* Second Meeting SOC BAND HALL March 10, 2014 7 p.m. *************************************** This meeting went off agenda a bit ( in a good way) and turned into a positive open forum. We actually got to hear a lot from Mr. Nelson, the Band Director and its apparent he shares our vision for the band. A few details: -Mr Nelson has been assisting with building the programs at the feeder schools. Membership is expected to double next year and increase at around 25% each year afterwards -Band Camp will begin on April 7, which incidently, is also our next meeting date. -SOC is in danger of losing the Battle of the Bands and it appears only a REAL commitment to fundraising by Alumni and The Boosters can save it -Most active musicians already made commitments to help with High School students and middle schoolers planning to attend SOC ************************************************** I truly hope to see more Alumni at the Next Meeting , which again is April 7, 2014 at 7 p.m. PLEASE remember that $15 membership fees will be taken at this meeting. (There will be a drop box so all that cant contriubute are encouraged to come anyway) Thanks for Supporting OUR children, OUR Community :-) The biggest thing I took from last night, just listening to the different stories from the older members, is that we are charged with one special organization to maintain and keep healthy. Though we grew up in different times we all share a genuine love for our school, and our band. 30 members in 2013, 200 in 2016... See you in April, lets go!
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 03:39:28 +0000
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