Support Needs | Fundraising | Band Boosters | Sponsorships

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Links of Interest

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Booster Meetings

• 4th Tuesday of each month
  (except June & December)
• 7:00PM - Band Room

Meeting Minutes

FebruaryJanuaryNovemberOctoberSeptemberAugustJulyMayAprilMarchFebruaryJanuaryNovemberOctoberSeptemberAugustJuly
     (Word format)

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Gift Cards Wanted!

Want to help out the band but not sure what is needed?   Just about every store sells gift cards now and there are very few stores that are not on the "Band Needs Shopping List"."  This is a great way to support the band program!!

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Band Parents

• Important Dates
• Band Fees
• Current Volunteer Opportunites
• Contact the Staff
• Resources/Forms
• Band Parent Tips

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Band Students

• Music Theory
• After-school Rehearsals
• Fundraising Opportunities
• Facebook Group
• Photos & Multimedia

What are the Band Boosters?

The South Mecklenburg Band Boosters is a not-for-profit organization (503 c).   The Boosters are made up of a group of committed parent volunteers who play an essential role in the band programs.   They sacrifice many evenings and weekends to support the band director by:

• Helping organize events like Band Camp and fundraisers
• Solicit sponsorships from businesses
• Work at fundraising events
• Chaperone the students at games and competitions
• Call parents and write letters
• Build show props
• Sew marching band and color guard uniforms and flags
• And much, much more

And they do it all for the kids, not just their own, but yours too.   They make a HUGE difference.   Won't you join with them and watch this program grow and succeed?

Booster Committee Descriptions

Our Boosters are very busy supporting the band with the following types of positions:

Awards Banquet	Schedules and plans all logistics before, during, and after this annual event held in the spring
Band Camp	Works with the 3rd Vice President to collect donations and chaperone during camp.  Assists in planning and coordinating of camp
Band Wear	Order and sale of South Meck logo items
Chaperones	Group of adults required by the school system to be with the students at all times during football games, competitions, or any scheduled event
Class Representatives	Phone tree contact for respective class to inform parents of important information-booster meetings, needs etc.
Citipass Coupon Books	Coordinate ordering, collection of moneys, accounting and distribution for CitiPass coupon book fundraiser
Fruit Sales	Coordinates ordering, collection of moneys, accounting, and distribution for fruit fundraiser
Fundraising	Helps to coordinate all of the fundraisers for the band for the year-CitiPass coupon book sales, Fruit sales, affinity program, sponsorships etc.
Hospitality	Collects and distributes snack donations for half time and competitions throughout the year.  Order and have flowers availiable for senior night for parent/senior
Logistics	Coordinates equipment transportation for competitions, also responsible for maintenance of vehicles.
Matthews Alive	Organizes the various time slots and signs up volunteers to work the game booth over Labor Day weekend-Fri-Mon
Medical	Provide First Aid to all members of the band program throughout the year
Middle School Coordinator	Act as liason between the South Meck band director and the middle school band directors
Panther Games	Coordinate parents & students to work the concession stand during the Panthers season
Photos/Scrap Book	Takes photos during practice, camp, games, competitions to be put on website
Pit Crew	Load and unload all equipment for competitions and football games, responsible for equipment set up on and off field
Props	Work with band director on planning, building and execution of props for marching band show
Sabre Split	Organize volunteers to sell tickets for the 50-50 sabre split at home football games
Travel	Coordinates band trips-California, Florida, etc.
Uniforms	Coordinates distribution, collection, and maintenance of uniforms throughout the year

Becoming a CMS Volunteer

All band parents are encouraged to volunteer and help share the load.
How?  It's simple.

Just follow the steps below:

1. Sign up to be a CMS Volunteer at www.cmsvolunteers.com.   It's quick and easy.   Just grab your driver's license and fill in the form online.
2. After signing up, you will receive an email confirming that your information was received.   Just hold on.  There's one more step...
3. Finally, you will receive a second email, confirming your status as a volunteer.   Please forward the second confirmation email to our Booster Officers, Kathy Curtis (ptkmcurtis@aol.com) and Cynthia Rivers (riversfamily4@bellsouth.net).

This sign-up process will get you on our email list so you can be kept up to date on what's going on.

Alternately, you can contact our Booster Officers directly to find out more about how you can get involved.

What Can You Do to Help?

At Home

• Show an interest in the music study of your child.
• Arrange a regular time for your child to practice.
• Find a quiet place where your child can practice without interruption.
• Help your child with practice as much as possible by counting, studying music texts, etc.
• Give your child a safe place in which to keep the instrument.
• Keep the instrument in good repair with reeds, etc., in the case.
• Be very careful of school-owned instruments.  The cost of repairs can be very high.
• Teach your child to be on time for rehearsals and lessons.
• Make faithful attendance at all activities important.
• Encourage your child to play for others when opportunities arise, in the home, at school, church, and in the community.
• Encourage private lessons with the best possible specialists in our area.

At School

• Notify the teacher if your child is to be absent or tardy for lessons, rehearsals, etc., and explain why.
• See that your child takes the instrument and the music when needed at school.  Teach your child to be punctual at lessons and rehearsals, etc.
• See that your child keeps up with classroom studies and makes up missed work.
• Discuss with teachers anything that will help in understanding your child.
• Attend concerts and other performances whenever possible.
• Attend band parent meetings.
• Help with parent activities.

What is a Band Parent?

A band parent...

• ... is one whose child is the greatest.  From the first note, (perhaps squeak is more descriptive) through the monotonous scales, the parent beams because this young musician is learning so fast.
• ... quickly learns that it requires considerable hard work, time, and money to have a championship band.  After extending credit to purchase an instrument and finally locating a pair of marching shoes, the harried parent is then introduced to fund raising campaigns.  This usually means selling souvenirs during football games while the band is doing the half-time show.  The parent dreams of a day when oil will be discovered in the end zone sufficient to finance all school functions, beginning with the band.
• ... is a calm, multipurpose machine that can bring order out of the chaos of getting ready for a competition.  Dad rushes to the equipment trailer to help load up, while Mom finds the other black sock, combs hair, and herds the family into the van for a speed-breaking dash to the band room.  Once everyone is loaded and the last stray uniform or instrument is safely secured, the band parent joins the caravan of vehicles headed to the competition miles away to sit together and cheer the band on.  Some band parents become chaperones, and dispensers of hairpins, safety pins, aspirin, and other essential items.
• ... is one who criticizes the band director for yelling at band practice, praises him for instilling teamwork and discipline, and defends him from outside critics who scoff at his music selection.
• ... is a proud person, especially when his or her children make All-District, All-State, or win a trophy.
• ... is a relieved person on graduation day.  No more hectic pre-game nights, no more fund raising activities, and vacations can be taken anytime and not scheduled around summer band camp.
• ... is one who has a younger child who announces, "Guess what? I'm joining the band!"