Dear Band Families,

I had the pleasure of chaperoning this first competition of the 2025 season. The number of times I said “careful with your skirt - or “waist cape” as some of us put it, was overwhelming. The fabric on the costumes is quite delicate and with the skirt being sewn into the pants it can tear easily if our kids aren’t careful. The zippers are also quite delicate. Remind your band member to take extra care while in their costume, and if something happens - they should let an adult know as soon as they can. We have a wonderful costume team who maintain and launder the costumes after every competition - they are hard working and very giving of their time! Students should remember to be polite and grateful to this team - and all the parent volunteers they encounter.

Now that our first competition is under our belt, it's time to start thinking about and preparing for the rest of the season!
Here are the top five things that I wanted to remind parents about competitions. 

1. Marching Competitions are not football games. PLEASE leave your noisemakers at home. Cowbells, horns, clappers, megaphones, loud cups - they have no place at a band competition. They are disruptive to the band, create noise that can make it difficult for judges to hear, and could impact scores negatively if that happens. By all means - cheer before we start, clap and applaud during appropriate sections - but we do NOT need more cowbell… 
2. Wear your Jenison Apparel with pride. Remember that when you put on a Jenison band shirt - you are representing the band. You should abide by the same values that are expected of our students when they are in uniform. Be respectful. Show kindness to others. Stay off your phone during performances. Watch with a positive attitude - you are not there to critique or judge - you are there to support. Keep your comments and observations about the other bands (and ours) POSITIVE. You never know who may be sitting near you, or who might overhear you in passing. Be a good sport. All of the bands competing have worked just as hard as our own kids - and they should be applauded for that! Remind anyone attending with you of these guidelines as well. Don't stand up or talk during any of the bands. Don't enter or exit the stands during performances. Be nice to the volunteers! Clean up after yourself. Don't block someone else's view with big hats or umbrellas. Be mindful of your words and actions when you're representing Jenison Bands.
3. Don’t take video or record audio. Don’t post video or audio. There are copyright rules and we don’t want to cross those boundaries. Take LOTS of photos of your band members, your friends' band members, all the band members! Post the photos on the Jenison Marching Band Parents' facebook page. Not every parent has a great view, a great camera, or the opportunity to attend - sharing photos helps us all!
4. You can check the scores from the local competitions on the MCBA website (or the BOA site for Toledo and Indy.) MCBA stands for Michigan Competing Band Association. BOA is Bands of America. For MCBA - Jenison is in Flight II based on the population of Jenison High School. For BOA Jenison is in Class AA (2A)). Scores are based on Music, General Effect, and Visual Effect. Overall scores are calculated as a sum of those scores. The judges are right there on the field to judge and make recorded comments. The band will get a chance to review those comments with the directors following the competition.
5. TRAVEL TO TOLEDO! It's a long day - but SO worth it. 

• Our next competition will be in Toledo - at the Glass Bowl Stadium. (1745 Stadium Drive, Toledo, OH 42606) Students will ride the buses to the event, and directions will be sent out by directors for the trip. It’s a long drive and students will want to double check that they have everything they need. Help them confirm that they are prepared prior to leaving. As for us, the fans, we will drive ourselves there, and park in any "A lots" on campus. Everyone is really helpful - so if you’re confused - ask someone directing traffic where to go. You pay for your parking through the PARKMOBILE APP. I’d recommend setting it up before you arrive as it takes a bit of information to complete. You will purchase tickets ahead of time on their website. 
• ​Depending on your preference you’ll buy tickets for the Prelims and/or the Finals. You will need a ticket for both events if you plan to attend both events. I recommend purchasing the day pass - this will get you tickets for both prelims and finals for a discounted rate. There are other discounts for students, seniors, and the military as well. Children 10 and under are free - but still need a ticket. Tickets are less expensive if you order ahead of time. (This savings will add up!) There is some initial sticker shock at the cost of the tickets for these larger events - but remember you’re paying to see a FULL day of amazing bands - not just our performance! I have always attended both Prelims and Finals - and Jenison has typically made Finals in the past. Plan to bring a clear stadium bag if you need to bring a bag into the stadium at all.

(I will be working on another blog with more Toledo specific information VERY soon.) There is, however, SO much great information that can be found in the blogs of the past. If you can't wait to see mine, and you're looking for information - search by keyword or by dates and you can go back and read all the tried and true tricks from the band parents who have “been there, done that.”

Way to go, Wildcats!

As always - comment or send me questions! We're all happy to help. 

Kate Cummings-Ackerman

10.  Prepare yourself, your family, and your friends for a busy season ahead. Add dates to your calendar, set reminders of due dates for payments, forms, and orders, set aside time to read the weekly email and to read this blog.  Want to hang out? Come join us, we will all be with the band! 

9.  The show is a work in progress all throughout the season. The directors will change, fine tune, adjust, take out, and add things in as the season goes on. The entire show will be learned in parts. At the start of the season, all the parts are not ready to go. This means that no two shows will be identical. Budget your time and funds to come to as many of the performances as you can! Remember, no recordings of the show can be posted online - it's best to come see it live! 

8. Rehearsals during the week are on Monday and Tuesday nights. You should show up to the end of the rehearsals to see the "full run." It is a great chance to see your band member in action, to learn where they are on the field,  and to get to know other band families. Don't be shy either, come introduce yourself and sit with us! Staying for the full run through is also a fantastic way to see for yourself why rehearsal might "end" at 9pm, but your marcher doesn't make it to the car until sometimes much later! (More to come on that soon!)

7. Marching Band is an investment, and needs equipment - like any other activity your marcher might find time to participate in, band members will need appropriate supplies. Quality tennis shoes and a BIG water jug for rehearsals are essential. Did you know that marchers RUN - like really run? They do stretching, conditioning, and strength building exercises during every rehearsal to develop stamina and endurance! They even have an entire, choreographed warm up routine that they do! You'll see that at the Community Performance at the end of band camp! It's amazing to see. (more on Band Camp in a later post!) 

6. What on Earth does that mean? Trust me, you're going to hear words this year that you may have never heard before. If you're like me, your child will tell you things they need, or items that they have to remember - and you'll want Google translate to help you decipher what they are talking about. Quick lesson: dinkles are shoes, shakos are hats, plumes are feathers that stick out of the hats - and you can't touch those unless you're wearing gloves! Compression Gear is tight fitting garments worn under the uniforms in order to smooth and disguise the lines of the body. Band members wear compression gear with the Jenison logo under both the traditional uniform and show costume. When in show costume, they also wear a full bodysuit for an added layer of compression. Color Guard will have a set of Full Body Tights to wear, which has a similar use to the compression Gear. (Megan will send a link for that in the Band App - an platform used by color guard to communicate information that pertains only to guard). Dot Books are spiral bound notecards on which students write down their "dots" or where they are at any point in the performance. Silks are flags, Weapons include Rifles and Sabres that are spun and tossed and caught by the color guard. If you don't know what something means - it is okay to ask - we were all there once! Glossary of marching band terms - coming soon to a blog near you!

5. Did I mention that marching band is an investment? Be prepared for some sticker shock with entrance fees. The cost to enter a competition can be pricey - but remember that this cost is NOT to just see our band perform. This cost covers the cost of seeing potentially a full day of marching band performances. Many venues offer a family deal - (2 adults and kids under 18) for a discounted price! Each Invitational is a HUGE fundraiser for the hosting band. The ticket price helps to keep the costs of band lower overall! Have cash on hand, just in case, but most venues accept card or apple pay now as well. Some larger events like Regionals in Toledo, the State Competition and Grand Nationals will require tickets to be purchased online. (More to come on those events soon!) 

​4. Order a show shirt and/or a show sweatshirt. Wear the show shirt to competitions! Some of us go so far as to find fun accessories to coordinate with the show - earrings, headbands, hats, shoes, cardigans, even some years - fancy pants! (None of this is required - but it sure is fun!) The show shirts, for parents, help us find each other. If you see a Jenison Band Show Shirt - sit with us, or invite that person to sit with you! We are your people, and you are now ours! If you don't have a shirt - you definitely should get one. There will be a couple of opportunities to order. Order on the first opportunity so that you have your shirt for the first competition. Trust me, you'll wear it so much, it will pay for itself in no time! 

3. If you haven't already - join the Jenison Marching Band Parents 2025 Facebook group page. This is a great place to ask questions, share advice, introduce yourself, get reminders, find information about fundraisers, and links for ticket sales. Some of the very talented photographers in the group share their AMAZING photos throughout the season. They generously post them to share for everyone to enjoy.

2. As the season gets started - ENCOURAGE your band members to Keep showing up - even when things get hard.  The season can be exhausting. There is a period of adjustment for the marchers and the adults. Be patient with each other and it will get better - AND it is totally worth it! Encourage your band members to attend their SECTION parties - don't just encourage them - send them. Give them permission to go. These are great social events for new marchers to get to know the other members of their section. They bond with upperclassmen, and their peers alike. (Who knows, maybe they will find a section leader who drives and can bring them home when they've forgotten something!) Encourage your band members to have fun and work hard. Praise their hard work, compliment their drive to achieve great things. We are their biggest fans and they should know it. I find myself bragging about our marching band and their hard work to anyone who will listen! 

1. If you are looking for one of the fastest ways to meet other band families who are welcoming and generous with their time and talents, AND also looking for a way to get a peek inside the inner workings of the band - have I got a suggestion for you... VOLUNTEER! Watch the weekly email for links to SIGN UP GENIUS to select opportunities that work best for you. There will be plenty and you can earn $100 off your band fees by completing 10 volunteer credits. There are MANY ways to help out throughout the season - one of the first and most frequent opportunities is with FEED THE BAND. This is exactly what it sounds like - you show up, and help serve a well balanced meal to the entire band, color guard, front ensemble, tech crew, drum majors, and directors! Sandy Terbeek and Rachel Zondervan co-chair this committee and they handle the main courses - but everything else that the band eats is donated by parents like us! If you can't donate your time - please contribute food items! (These will also be on a sign up genius sent out in the emails). Donations can be made in the form of GFS gift cards - all monetary donations are used to purchase sides for meals, snacks for bus rides, and bottled waters for football games and competition days. Feeding and watering these hard working teenagers are not easy tasks and it takes everyone contributing for it to work! ​

Looking forward to meeting all of you this season! Reach out if you have any questions! 

Kate Cummings-Ackerman