The Marching Band is a competitive ensemble that performs at all home football games,as well as field tournaments throughout Southern California in the Western Band Association (WBA) and also the Marching Band Open Series (MBOS). Being in the Marching Band is not mandatory, but it is highly recommended. This is a great way to develop your musicianship while having tons of fun with 65 of your closest friends!

Marching Band rehearsals are usually 3 days per week after school during the Fall (2:30-5pm). Membership in the Marching Band is open to anyone who is already enrolled in either Concert Band or Wind Ensemble. The beginning of the season starts with a camp in August that happens every summer two weeks before school comes back in session. This is an important time for the band to begin learning our fall show while establishing fundamentals and making friends.

There are some additional expenses associated with this activity and while the boosters work to plan fundraisers to help families offset these costs, the responsibility of funding this program rests with the band program at large. In order to ensure that all expenses related to the production of the Fall Field Show are met, it is necessary to determine, in advance, if the support is in place to move forward. So we ask parents to complete a Marching Band Financial Commitment Form and place it, along with their donation, in the black payment lockbox located in the Band Room.

Our Fall 2012 Field Show is titled "Native Rituals" . To give you a head start on the show we've provided below two mp3s (one with the full audio and a practice track with no percussion and a click track) as well as a score and all of the parts.

Included here are also the Smart Music files for every instrument. Smart Music is a software package that allows you to use your computer to practice and get immediate feedback. The software listens to you play through a microphone and can tell you when you make a mistake, can record your playing for you to hear back, will show you the fingering for a note if you click on it, will let you practice just a small chunk of the music and loop it for you as many times as you like, and you can email your recordings directly to Mr. Crystal to get his feedback if you like. This is an amazing practice aid and one you should take a serious look at if you'd like to get more help at home. All of the information on Smart Music is online at www.smartmusic.com.