All the material for the show is copyrighted and Jenison Public Schools is very careful about getting the permissions needed for the show.  With social media such a large part of our lives these days, take lots of pictures and post away but PLEASE DO NOT POST ANY VIDEOS of the show.  

It was great to see those of you who were at the band boosters meeting this week.  The best way to get involved and meet other band parents is to attend these meetings and sign up to help.  I know, I know, the last thing you need is another event on your calendar.  That's what I thought too...and yet here I am blogging about how I love being a marching band mom.  Truly, I do.

So I bet you have questions about pre-camp and band camp at this point so let's talk about a few things.  

1.  Pre-camp is from 8-4 Monday through Thursday (7/27-7/30).  The kids get an hour for lunch.  They can leave or stay but lunch is NOT provided.  Many kids hang out at the school and eat their brown bag lunch.  

2.  Make sure your child brings their dot book (spiral bound 3x5 index cards), a pencil, and a shoe string to tie it around their waist.  These sometimes-difficult-to-find books have been spotted at Keegstra's Dollar Store in Hudsonville by Family Fare, Office Max/Depot near Lowe's in Grandville, and at the Jenison Meijer in the newly set-up school supplies section near the entrance to the garden area.  

3.  If you are picking up your child from pre-camp, come a few minutes early to catch the end of practice and see the progress!

4.  Information about band camp will come home with your child after Wednesday's practice so ask for it if it doesn't appear.  Here are a few items you might want to be thinking about in advance:
                  khaki shorts (for the community performance Fri 8/7 @7:30)
                  athletic shorts (it will be too hot for other types, it's best to have shorts that breathe)
                  extra socks (2 pair/day as they sometimes get wet in the am)
                  large box fan (see below)                  
Each room can have one large box fan.  Have your child and his/her roommate discuss who is bringing the fan.  This does not have to fit in a suitcase they just get lined up and hauled out to Hope separately.  Rookie confession:  I truly thought the large fan had to fit in the suitcase last year...so my kids didn't take them.  When I arrived to drop them off and saw the truck full of fans I felt like a big dummy...which is why I'm trying to help you out.

5.  Another thing to consider, imagine being out in the August heat for five full days marching, over and over and over again.  Consider what may happen to the inner thighs of some.  Ouch.  Here's a tip that some runners use - send a separate stick of deoderant just for the thighs.  Seems silly but it works.  Gold Bond powder can also help.

Have other questions?  Post them below and I'd be happy to get answers for you.