The Mercer Middle-Senior High School Bands

Marching Band Schedule for Remainder of Season

jherwig — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 12:55:15 +0000

Please see the complete Marching Band schedule for the remainder of the 2020 season below.

5M Calendar – September 2020 Download

5M Calendar – October 2020 Download

Marching Band Schedule 9/14-9/18

jherwig — Sun, 13 Sep 2020 14:14:08 +0000

Great Mustang win last night!!! Congratulations to all of our band members for working your tails off to prepare for the first home game of the season. We still have a long way to go!

Here is the rehearsal schedule for this week:

Tuesday, 9/15
- Practice 5:00-7:00PM

Friday, 9/18
- Practice 3:30-5:00PM

Please email Mr. Herwig with any questions – jherwig@mercer.k12.pa.us

Marching Band Schedule 9/7-9/12

jherwig — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 16:05:09 +0000

Here is this week’s schedule for the 5M Band. Like everything recently, this schedule is subject to change, so please make sure to check the band website/Facebook/Remind regularly. If you have any conflicts with this week’s schedule, please let Mr. Herwig know at jherwig@mercer.k12.pa.us

Monday, 9/7
- NO PRACTICE – Enjoy this Labor Day with family

Tuesday, 9/8
- Practice 5:00-7:00PM

Wednesday, 9/9
- Practice 5:00-7:00PM

Thursday, 9/10
- Practice 5:00-7:00PM
- We will be taking a group picture for Meet the Mustangs at 5:15PM. Please wear your 5M shirt to practice this day. New members who do not have a 5M shirt yet, we will have extras for you to put on for the picture!

Friday, 9/11
- Practice 3:30-5:00PM (Please note the difference in time for this practice)

Saturday, 9/12
- FB game vs. Kennedy Catholic, 7:00PM
- Details regarding this game and the band’s involvement will be shared as soon as possible.

Looking Ahead to next week (9/14-9/18)

Tuesday, 9/15
- Practice 5:00-7:00PM

Friday, 9/18
- Practice 3:30-5:00PM

Marching Band Pregame Music

jherwig — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 19:07:00 +0000

Students who will be participating in Marching Band: feel free to get a head start by downloading our pregame music at home. This is not mandatory – Mr. Herwig will have hard copies of the music available at practice on Monday.

If you would like to download the pregame music, you may do so here. The link will open a Google Drive folder containing a PDF for each instrument’s pregame music.

For parts that are divided into two parts (Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Baritone), please download parts based on your grade:

Grades 7-9: Download Part 2
Grades 10-12: Download Part 1

Percussionists – Feel free to check out all parts, but please do not focus a lot of time and energy into one specific part until we assign instruments on Monday.

REMINDER – If you are planning to continue in Marching Band this Fall, you must respond to this Google form by tomorrow, Sunday, August 30th. This is necessary for us to get an accurate roster of participating students. If you do not fill out the form, it will be assumed that you are not participating in Marching Band this school year.

2020-2021 Band Fronts

jherwig — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 15:58:29 +0000

Congratulations to all of the following students (listed in alphabetical order), who successfully earned a spot on one of our Band Front Lines for the 2020-2021 school year.

MAJORETTES

Deanna Corvino
Maddie Laughlin
Allie Laughlin
Ryanne Moore-Michaels

FLAG LINE

Mackenzie Digman
Kayla Mathias
Mackenzie Meyer
Piper Murray
Emma Taborek
Lexi Watkins

DANCE LINE

Emily Basco
Lillian Davis
Jayme Heffern
Annalyse Hoover
Terina Kellar
Peyton Miller
Merrick Morneweck
Isabella Smith
Jenna Taylor
Brylinn Thompson
Brynn Vincent

Marching Band Update

jherwig — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 13:04:12 +0000

Good morning!

Last evening, our school board voted to move forward with Fall sports and extracurricular activities. Which means Marching Band will meet and perform at home football games!

As previously announced, the Marching Band will meet next Monday-Friday (August 31st-September 4th) from 5-7PM. In addition to those practices, we have added practices to the following Monday-Thursday (September 7th-10th), also from 5-7PM. These 9 practices are crucial to making up time lost during the 14-day district closure.

So the Marching Band schedule for the next two weeks is as follows:

Monday, August 31st-Friday, September 4th
- Mandatory Practice, 5-7PM
Monday, September 7th-Thursday, September 10th
- Mandatory Practice, 5-7PM

While these practices are required for all students participating in Marching Band this Fall, student athletes will be excused any time there is a direct conflict with a practice/game for a Fall sports team. All athletes are encouraged to attend as much of each band practice as possible.

At this point, we are planning to prepare a stand-still performance of our pre-game and halftime show music (no marching drill).

Given these changes, we recognize that some students may elect not to participate this fall in our marching band. Please know that you will always have my support and a place in our organization moving forward.

Please complete this form by Sunday, August 30th, to let me know whether or not you are planning to participate so we can plan accordingly.

Once again, I greatly appreciate your patience and flexibility as we have attempted to navigate through this year. I am looking forward to moving back toward normalcy, and hearing the 5M Band on Friday nights!

-Mr. Herwig, jherwig@mercer.k12.pa.us

5M Student Leaders 2020-21

jherwig — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 12:19:29 +0000

Congratulations to the following instrumentalists for earning positions as student leaders for the 2020-2021 school year!

Conductors – Tyler DeLorenzo & Jacqui McDonald

Woodwind Section Leaders – Bailey Grossman, Grant Haggard, & Madison Lontz

High Brass Section Leaders – Lilly Roman & Aidan Dadich

Low Brass Section Leaders – Bennett Grossman & Ainslee Konkle

Updated Marching Band Schedule!

jherwig — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 18:15:50 +0000

In order to make up for cancelled band events over the Summer, Band Front Camp and a Mini Band Camp will take place over the first two weeks of school. Dates/times as follows:

Band Front Practices/Tryouts

Wednesday, August 26 & Thursday August 27: 5-7PM
- Required for all prospective Band Front

Mini Band Camp:

Monday, August 31 – Friday, September 4: 5-7PM
- Required for ALL 5M Band Members

A calendar of these dates over the next two weeks has been provided for your convenience.

Updated 5M Band Schedule Download

More information regarding these rehearsals will be communicated during the first week of school. Please email Mr. Herwig with any questions.

Information regarding the band’s role at football games this Fall will be provided once further guidance is provided by MASD, PIAA, and the PA Department of Health.

Marching Band Schedule Change – Please Read

jherwig — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 14:17:47 +0000

THIS POST IS OUTDATED – PLEASE READ THE MOST RECENT POST CONTAINING MOST RECENT SCHEDULE CHANGES

Good morning,

Please be advised that all 5M Marching Band activities have been moved back by one week.

An updated version of the Summer Rehearsal schedule is available for download below. Please dispose of previous versions of the Marching Band Calendar.

Report times for all rehearsals remain the same as the previous schedule, but pushed back one full week. Band Front Camp and Tryouts will now take place on August 5 & 6. Band Camp will take place August 10-14. Please see the updated calendar for report times.

The decision to delay the start of band activities was made for two reasons:

To allow the PIAA to issue further guidance that will hopefully define how marching bands in our state will be able to function during high school football games this Fall.
To provide more time for band members who have recently travelled outside of the state for vacation to quarantine for the recommended amount of time, as directed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. It’s our hope that all members of the 5M Band will be able to participate during camp with the additional week to comply with the PA Department of Health’s guidelines.

We recognize that this situation is fluid, and will continue to keep families updated on a regular basis as more information regarding Fall sports and the band’s role in it becomes clearer.

As the band schedule has been adjusted several times now, I would like to apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused for your family. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to prepare the safest possible experience for our students. Any conflicts with the updated schedule will be excused, and we will work to make sure students with conflicts will be be accommodated to make up for any time missed from camp.

Please contact Mr. Herwig if you have a schedule conflict, or if you have any questions regarding the updated Marching Band Schedule. jherwig@mercer.k12.pa.us

Incase You Missed It

Our Marching Band Health and Safety Plan was released on July 20th. Please take the time to thoroughly read through this document, and reach out to Mr. Herwig with any questions you may have after reading.

Key takeaways from the Health and Safety Plan:

Temperature and wellness checks will be completed upon students’ arrival
Masks are required for all staff and participating students
- Mask Breaks will be given regularly
Students will social distance by a minimum of six feet at all times.
Students must have a waiver form on file in order to participate. These can be printed at home, or filled out upon arrival at school. Student’s must have a waiver on file before entering the building or participating in any marching band activities.
All Summer rehearsals will take place outdoors unless weather prevents it. Please make sure to bring personal sunblock and water bottles. No sharing of materials will be permitted.
Students who do not comply with the Health and Safety Plan guidelines will not be permitted to participate in Marching Band.

Marching Band Health and Safety Plan

jherwig — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 12:49:02 +0000

Good morning,

I hope this message finds you all doing well, and staying healthy while enjoying Summer Break!

Attached to this message is the Marching Band Health and Safety Plan for the resumption of summer rehearsals. It has been written in conjunction with the Athletic Department’s Return to Athletics Plan, and adapted specifically for band activities based on the latest research out of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Please take the time to thoroughly read through the safety plan, and reach out with any questions or concerns you may have. These guidelines will be in effect for all Summer rehearsals, then re-evaluated – if necessary – when the school year begins.

Mercer Area Middle-High School Marching Band Health and Safety Plan

A few reminders:

Schedule Changes were announced two weeks ago. Here are the updated dates/times again in case you missed the previous update. A copy of the calendar is attached for download.

Music Camp – originally scheduled for July 20, 21, 22 – has been cancelled.
Band Front Camp will take place on July 29 & 30 from 9:00am – 12:00pm. This two-day camp will serve two purposes: 1. For all band front members to learn their feature routines, and 2. for prospective band fronts (students who have not previously been a member of the flagline, danceline, or majorettes) to complete a tryout.
- Instrumentalists do not report for these two days.
Band Camp has been shortened to five days (beginning on August 3), and students will be split into three groups (based on sections) that will arrive during one of three 90-minute windows throughout the day. The band will rehearse in these smaller groups throughout band camp in order to reduce the total number of students on campus at a single time. Please check the schedule for your assigned time for each day of camp – the assignments rotate daily so one group doesn’t get stuck coming in for the early shift each day!
- All 5M Band Members – instrumentalists AND band fronts are expected to attend each day of Band Camp at their assigned times

Mercer Bands Updated Summer Calendar

Participation Waivers are required by the school district for any student wishing to participate in group activities. Students and parents/guardians may print/sign/return the waiver to the HS office during the school’s operating hours, or it can be turned in upon arrival on the first day of camp. Extra copies will be available upon arrival during the first day of camp. Students who do not have a signed waiver on file by their first day of camp will not be permitted to participate. A copy of the waiver is attached.

Participation Waiver

Instrumentalists interested in applying for a student leadership position should do so here. If you have already submitted this form, please do not submit a second time. Application materials will be distributed later today (Monday, July 20).
Again, please reach out via email if you have any questions or concerns about the upcoming marching band season. It will certainly be different than what we are used to, but we will absolutely make the most of it!

Have a good day, and stay well!
Mr. Herwig

jherwig@mercer.k12.pa.us