Dear Band Families,
We know that it hasn’t been easy waiting for word of the plans for band this summer and fall. We truly appreciate your patience as we have been working diligently to ensure the safest possible experience for our students and their families as we return to “normal.”
After extensive meetings with district staff, school administration, and band directors from across west Tennessee, we have made the decision to cancel the competitive marching band portion of our program for this year. This is in keeping with the decisions being made by all the other Shelby county municipal band programs as well as many others. So far, WTSBOA, Collierville, and Arlington have all decided to cancel their marching contests.
As we wait for word from TSSAA on how the football season will proceed, we are planning to support the team at Friday night home games in as safe a manner as possible. We will adjust the calendar accordingly, and provide details for how we will participate as those plans become clearer.
We are canceling all remaining summer events and will not hold band camp, nor any other summer rehearsals until school starts on August 6th. As of now we will keep the after-school rehearsals on the schedule and will release a detailed plan for those dates as we get closer to the start of school.
Rest assured, THERE WILL BE BAND. We have worked diligently to plan curriculum and activities for our time together in class. We will provide details for this once we begin classes on August 6th. While things certainly can’t be the same, we will have opportunities to do things that we normally wouldn’t.
Our Band Booster Dues amount will be changed to reflect the difference in costs to our program. Once we determine the amount of this change we will communicate our plans for reconciling with any families who have already paid in full.
We know that this is especially difficult for our seniors, who have already been at work planning for great success this year. We will do everything in our power to ensure that they have the best possible band experience as we move forward.
The safety of our students and their families is always our primary concern. This decision has been extremely difficult for all involved. Personally, I can say that Mr. Hagan and I are as disappointed as anyone at how this has progressed. We had delayed this announcement for as long as possible, hoping that there might be some development that would allow us to compete this fall. In spite of events beyond our control, we look forward to seeing you all again at school and making music with you again!