LETTER FROM ROCKY

MESSAGE FOR:

THE BURROUGHS HIGH SCHOOL DRUMLINE

2007-2008

Welcome Percussionists and Parents to a new season of Drumline.
For those of you that have been around, you are going to see a few changes.
And for all you Newbees, try-outs are Nov. 26th and 28th. Practice hard and Goodluck.

This year is what I would like to call a re-building year.
A drumline is composed of sections, a snare section, a tenor section, a bass section, a cymbal section, and a pit section (which is basically any instrument being played without marching). After completing a very successful season last year, we went on to lose 1/3 of our snare section, 1/2 of our tenor section, 1/2 of our bass section, and 100% of our pit.

Thanks to the Wonderful Music program here at Burroughs, we will have a brand new show to learn and play for our upcoming season. The music is fun, and challenging, and once again the drill has been professionally written for the show.

We are going to practice more this year, individually, in sections, and as a group.
Individual and sectional practices are strongly recommended.
Group practices are MANDATORY. You can find the practice schedule here.
I will only allow 2 un-excused absences and 3 excused absences from the dates on the schedule. This is not a soccer team with 10 back-up players, it is a Drumline with None.
For us to compete effectively we need EVERYONE at practice, and most importantly at PERFORMANCES! (Performance dates can be found here.)
Parents please do your best to have Percussionists to practice on time, and pick them up on time.

The Drumline has been blessed in the past with a Drumline Mom, and a great supporting cast of parents. Last year the Drumline had 23 members, this year it will only be about 15.

We need Parents (both Moms and Dads) to:

1.Chaperone Coordinator, duties include contacting parents to chaperone events. This person will also be in charge of signed trip permission slips.

2.Lead Fundraising, organize fundraisers like carwashes to help pay for operating expenses.

3.Travel Director, will be in charge of reserving the Equipment truck and driver will oversee loading/unloading of Instruments.

4.Drumline Mom, or Dad, This person gets our entrance fee from the Boosters to the PPAACC organization and signs the Drumline up for the Competition Dates we want. She or He comes to practices to both chaperone and communicate with me the status of permission slips, uniforms, or anything else important for me to know. She/He often fills in for me at Booster meetings when I am at practice. Grade Checks will be required this year. Like other extracurricular activities your G.P.A must be a minimum of 2.0.

This Drumline is part of the Burroughs H. S. Band.

We are not a seperate entity.
Therefore we also follow all of the Band rules.
I work for the S.S.U.S.D. under the Direction of Mr. Simon Austin.
I am the Drumline Coach, but he is the Big Kahuna.
This program exists because of him, and therefore he and the Booster Club deserve all the support we can give them. They definetly support us.

All of our competitions are in Bakersfield. We ususally get a box truck or trailer to haul the instruments, and this year we are hopefully going to have our own trailer for instruments and a school bus for the drummers and chaperones.
In the past we have enlisted the help of parents at practices and performances.

I look forward to a fun and very successful season.

Rocky Harris