Get Involved
There are plenty of volunteer activities for each and every band parent, including the building of props, pit crew, chaperoning, food committee, and many others. Have fun spending more time with your student and using your gifts and talents.
Below are descriptions of each committee. We encourage parents to get involved. It really does take a village to get the band on the field! Benefits are having fun, getting to spend more time with your student, and using your gifts and talents.
The chaperone chairperson works to coordinate chaperones for the various competitions. Whether it’s for Marching Band, Concert Band, Winter Guard/Percussion, or Jazz Band, the Chairperson works to make sure everything is ready to go.
Depending on season, duties could include some of the following:
- Make sure there are at least (2) chaperones per bus.
- Get lists of students riding each bus for attendance from The Director.
- Have students pick up around themselves on the bus when we get back to the school.
- Report any bad behavior/issues/excess trash left on bus after the trip to The Director.
- Make sure the medical backpack with the medical forms is with you.
Marching band requires additional duties
- Make sure each bus has its "supply bag" with paper towels, cups, trash bags etc.
- Make sure there is tape and a bed sheet, or blanket for each girls bus for more privacy when changing.
- Make sure two busses have a water cooler filled with water and cups.
- Make sure the plumes get on the bus; then ass out plumes and collect them after competition.
- Assist students with any uniform issues.
- Check to make sure each student is wearing TALL black socks.
- Sit with the students at competitions in bleachers. Our students usually don't cause trouble, but it's always a good thing to have adult presence with them while at competitions.
- Make sure the buses are clean, no trash left after students have exited the bus.
Chaperones are mainly needed during marching band season but are also needed throughout the year. Jazz Band and The Winter Guard will need chaperones when traveling to competitions. Generally, parents with students in these groups will volunteer to be chaperones when asked.
The Spirit chairperson coordinates and works with a group of parents to create personalized posters for each competition.
- The chair should work with the band director to obtain the student’s locker numbers . Or use the master class roster and hang it on the band room doors for the students to write their locker number soon after school starts,. The earlier you get the locker numbers, the better.
- We have in the past "pre-printed" different posters for each competition then all that needs to be done is color/personalized them for each student.
- Before hanging posters, it is helpful to write the student’s locker number on the back of the poster.
- The school will only let us use painter’s tape to hang the posters. Don’t use Dark Blue Painter’s tape; it doesn’t hold the posters up. The light blue tape works fine.
- Hang posters the Thursday night during practice before each competition.
The food chairperson works to coordinate food for the various competitions. Whether it’s for marching band, concert band or jazz band, the Chairperson works to make sure everything is ready to go.
- Coordinates food items for the carry in at Parent/Family Day.
- Coordinates food for the band students when we feed them at school before a competition.
- Coordinates food for band trips - either breakfast items/snacks or a meal at a competition.
- Coordinates a restaurant stop for a meal on long band trips. Finds a restaurant in the town we will be in and arranges the meal/cost with the manager.
- Coordinates cookie/desert donations for the Christmas Concert.
- Coordinates food/volunteers for ISSMA solo/ensemble practice night.
- Coordinates food/volunteers for Java & Jazz.
- Coordinates toppings/volunteers for Ice Cream social.
- Coordinates candy donations for competitions and then provides individually bags of candy to the chaperons broken down by the number of students per bus for the chaperones to pass out.
Looking for parents with a truck and a hitch to pull the Percussion Trailer for the following:
- To Each Competition – Sept. - November
- To Carroll High School for ISSMA Solo & Ensemble - Feb.
- To ISSMA Solo & Ensemble State in Indy – Feb.
- To ISSMA Concert Band at Snider High School - April
- To Riverside Gardens for Concert in the Park. – May
To Graduation at the Coliseum – May or June
Looking for a parent(s) with a CDL license to pull the semi to competitions September – November. We are also looking for anyone that has a truck cab to use to pull the semi - trailer. This would save the band from having to rent a truck.
The Pit Crew is actually a very important part of the marching show. The Pit Crew's job is to set up and take down any props the band is using for the show. At band competitions, there is a time limit to get the band and any props on and off the field. If we go over the time limit, the band is docked points. If anyone in the band/pit crew/band staff steps on the field before the judges say, the band is docked points. Getting docked points could make or break our placement at the competition.
The Pit Crew has 2 minutes to get all props on, set up on the field, and exit the field, while the band members find their start positions. After the show is performed, the pit crew and the band members have 3 minutes to get everything and everyone off the field.
For ISSMA competitions, we are limited to 24 pit crew members. There isn’t a limit to those numbers during football games; however, we would like to be consistent since the football games are our practices for the competitions. The chairperson typically uses Signup Genius to solicit those who will be available for each date.
The Pit Crew has a “uniform.” It consists of a t-shirt with the show logo on the front and "Leo Pit Crew" on the back along with purple camo pants. We have been the talk of all the band competitions. Everyone wants to know where we get those pants! The camo pants aren't required, but we do prefer everyone has the t-shirt so we look like a team. Each member of the pit crew purchases their own shirt and pants.
The Pit Crew Chair may be one person or a team. This person or team needs to be at every competition. They lead the rest of the pit crew in the following:
- Organizing the band props/equipment to fit on the trailer.
- Assigning Pit Crew Volunteers on which prop they will be getting on and off the field.
- Creating the signup sheet for each home football game/competition on Sign up Genius, so everyone can see who/how many Pit Crew Volunteers are needed/will be at each performance.
- Set up meeting(s) with Pit Crew Volunteers to assign props and to practice with props getting on and off the field. This could be at practice(s).
The chairperson will meet with The Director to find out what props/carts are needed for the show and coordinate times of when to meet to get the props/carts built and painted. The chair may also assign committee members items to build. Painting is usually done during band practices so we will have access to the back room.
This usually involves using/rebuilding existing props from previous years. All Committee members are asked to bring their own paintbrushes and other supplies needed for painting.
The uniform committee chairperson works to coordinate volunteers to sew and wash uniforms.
The chairperson will assign each volunteer a group of uniforms that they are responsible to wash after competitions and football games.
In addition, volunteers will be asked to help with alterations of uniforms during the fittings and to repair uniforms before/during competitions. Uniform fittings usually happen during band camp and it is helpful for at least one sewing committee member to be at fittings to help the Uniform chair.
The Uniform Chair is also responsible for:
- Organizing the uniforms from the previous year; remove graduating Seniors names and uniforms from the closets.
- Organizing fittings during band camp and coordinating with sewing team.
- Keep track of student’s uniform jacket and pants numbers.
- Labels for each student’s Uniform bag and Shako
- Coordinating any alterations of uniforms with.
- Creating wardrobe lists of students for each wardrobe in the school and on the trailer.
- Have The Director order gloves, buttons and shoes, if needed.
- Cleaning and polishing shoes after each performance.
- Make sure we have gloves for each student and extras.
- Assisting at each performance ensuring kids are properly dressed and ready. Making any adjustments necessary, i.e. gloves, missing buttons, etc.
The chair for this group – a parent of a junior student – coordinates meetings with Senior parents for Senior Recognition at the last home football game. This includes pictures of the Senior Class, goodie bags, and flowers for each senior.
The chair for this group works with volunteers to do photography and videography at all competitions and concerts, coordinate publishing of pictures and video to YouTube, and post on social media about key events.
Important Resources
BAND CALENDAR
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