BAND CAMP STARTS MONDAY!

Written By Darren Loney

IT’S ALMOST THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!! band camp for everyone starts this monday, july 24th from 8:30am-5:00pm. THERE IS A MANDATORY PARENT/STUDENT MEETING on WEDNESDAY, 7/26, AT 6:30PM. THIS FRIDAY, 7/28, IS OUR FAMILY BEACH BONFIRE FROM 6-9PM AT BOLSA CHICA STATE BEACH! PLEASE READ ALL THIS INFORMATION CAREFULLY SO WE GET OFF TO A SMOOTH START. ALL STUDENTS MUST FILL OUT THE BAND REGISTRATION & PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT BEFORE ARRIVING MONDAY: https://forms.gle/x6KeEJcqgiWaxjBL7

BAND CAMP FOR EVERYONE IS JULY 24TH TO AUGUST 4TH, MONDAY-FRIDAY, FROM 8:30AM-5PM EACH DAY AT GAHR HIGH SCHOOL. Band Camp will be held each day at the stadium. All students must complete and turn in the Voluntary Activities Participation Form. Students will need to wear athletic clothing/shoes, a hat, and bring a 1-gallon water jug and $5 cash each day for lunch.

MARCHING BAND DONATION DUE — The 1st Marching Band donation of $225 was due on June 15th. This is crucial for us to be able to pay for instructors, production costs, registration fees, and uniforms/costumes. If you have not turned this in yet, please bring it with you to Band Camp on Monday. Missing any part of Band Camp does NOT exclude you from this donation. We accept cash, checks made payable to “Gahr Band Boosters,” or you can pay on the website here:
https://www.gahrband.org/store/p/marching-band-donation

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU READ THROUGH ALL THE INFORMATION IN THE BAND CAMP NEWSLETTER. This contains important information so we can be successful. All students MUST attend Band Camp to be admitted into the field show for the fall semester. We perform before school starts, and it is very difficult to catch up after missing over 60 hours of instruction.

PLEASE DO THIS RIGHT NOW IF YOU HAVEN’T >> All NEW AND RETURNING members of the Gahr Marching Gladiators must fill out the 2023-24 Band Registration & Participation Form. Please have a parent or guardian fill this out with the student. This takes about 10 minutes to complete and is crucial for us to get off to a good start.

BAND CAMP LUNCHES — The band booster organization has been providing lunch for Band Camp since 2013 for $5 per day. Unfortunately due to the rising cost of goods, we will no longer be able to offer free lunch tickets for donated items. However, we WILL continue providing delicious hot lunches for the low, low price of just $5 per day! If you would still like to help donate, we have included a wish list of items you can sign up for. If you’re available, we are also in need of parent help serving lunch each day.

BOOSTER WISH LIST: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E48AFA82EA3F8C61-gahr1

LUNCH VOLUNTEER: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E48AFA82EA3F8C61-band7

STUDENTS: Please use the weekend to get used to the heat. Get out of the house, ride a bike, go for a jog, or go to the pool. Hydrate and go to bed early, eat a good breakfast, wear a hat and comfortable athletic clothes and shoes, bring $5 for lunch, and arrive at least 15-20 minutes early each day. Band Camp is a lot of work, but it is also a lot of FUN! Most students consider marching band to be the highlight of being in the music program.

There is a MANDATORY PARENT/ STUDENT MEETING on Wednesday, July 26th at 6:30PM at the Gahr HS Stadium. The boosters will be providing pizza for dinner after rehearsal so they can stay on campus. We will be going through super important info for the upcoming season.

FAMILY BEACH BONFIRE THIS FRIDAY 7/28 — Join us THIS FRIDAY, July 28th for our annual Family Beach Bonfire from 6-9PM at Bolsa Chica State Beach! Parking is $15, so carpool if possible. Bring a towel, WARM CLOTHES, and the assigned items by section (on the flyer). If you’re getting dropped off, please make sure you have a ride to pick you up by 8:45PM so we can leave by 9PM.

PARENTS: If you would like to help with set up, clean up, or help cook hot dogs, please use this link to sign up. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you there!

SIGN UP FOR REMIND ANNOUNCEMENTS — Please take a moment to sign up by your student’s grade level. This is our primary method of communication for both students and parents.

FRESHMEN: Text "@gahr2027" TO: 81010
SOPHOMORES: Text "@music2026" TO: 81010
JUNIORS: Text "@music2025" TO: 81010
SENIORS: Text "@music2024" TO: 81010

STUDENTS ONLY — Please sign up to use “Slack” for important rehearsal communication:
https://join.slack.com/t/gahrband/shared_invite/zt-1a9al3s2v-mqytQ9nRPPVnRnZgaE86kQ

GET YOUR OFFICIAL BOOSTER MEMBERSHIP — Become an official Gahr Band Booster Member! You’ll receive a high-quality embroidered lanyard and a 2023 field show t-shirt. You can wear your shirt to home football games and get in free when you volunteer at our concessions stand! Membership is just $25 per person. Click here to get your membership now and you’ll be able to pick up your lanyard and shirt at the preview concert.

ATHLETIC CLEARANCE DUE — All NEW AND RETURNING STUDENTS must complete their athletic clearance to be admitted into the band or color guard. Here are the steps:

STEP 1 - Get a physical exam. You need to bring a print out of Gahr’s Physical Evaluation Form for the doctor to fill out. It is highly recommended to use a walk-in clinic instead of scheduling this with your primary care physician.

STEP 2 - Take a photo of the form. Click here for instructions on how to use your iPhone as a document scanner.

STEP 3 - Register and upload your form on the Family ID website:
https://www.familyid.com/programs/2023-2024-athletic-registration-10

All students will eventually need to purchase an ASB card and pay for transportation, but this can also be done in person during Gahr High School registration.

If you have not done this yet, you can use the week of August 7th to get it completed late. Please do not miss Band Camp to do your physical exam. Thank you.

If you have not heard, we are thrilled to announce that Gahr High School has added an Associate Director of Bands – Mr. Matt Miller! Mr. Miller has already been on our instructional staff at Gahr for the past seven years. He completed his undergrad at CSULB and Master’s at USC. He will be teaching several new courses, including the second Jazz Band, Concert Band, and AP Music Theory. Mr. Miller brings a wealth of knowledge and instrumental pedagogy, and we are excited to have him on board as a full-time, credentialed teacher!

GAHR HIGH SCHOOL REGISTRATION ON TUESDAY 8/8 — The entire band and color guard will have Gahr High School Registration at Liberty Park on Tuesday, August 8th (the week after Band Camp ends). Please ignore the registration by grade level, and instead the entire program will register together.

Registration times are set by last name as follows:

  • Last Name A - G: 11:00AM-12:00PM

  • Last Name H - O: 12:00PM-1:00PM

  • Last Name P - Z: 1:00PM-2:00PM

This is also where you will pay for transportation and your ASB Card.

STUDENT SPONSORSHIP LETTER — This is a great way to raise money for your marching band donations! All of the money sponsorships goes directly to your student account. This is the BEST TIME to do it before we get busy with school starting. These take a few hours to complete and mail out, but the return on investment is HUGE if you can make $500 or more! Click here to download the letter and instructions.

Things to bring:

Darren Loney
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