WE'RE LESS THAN 3 WEEKS AWAY FROM BAND CAMP!
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Welcome, Viking Marching Band Families!

We're so excited for another great season. Please read and click through for important information regarding band camp, registration and expenses, schedules, packing lists, volunteering, and more.
Band Camp
Band camp is mandatory for all marching band and color guard students. It will be held in the Samohi Band Room and Athletic Field on August 5-9 and August 12-16 from 12-8 pm. Read more here.

Registration & Expenses
All students must complete their band registration and forms before the first day of band camp. Access the forms and read more about registration and expenses here.

The suggested donation for band camp is $250. We ask for an additional $600 to cover expenses for the rest of the season. (This year, comp meals are included in the cost.) But ALL students may participate, regardless of ability to pay. Please contact Mr. McKeown if you need financial aid.

Packing List
Find out what to bring, what to wear, and what to expect at band camp! Click here for the details.
Band Calendar
Tentative dates and times for 2019-20 Viking Marching Band rehearsals and performances (including football games and comps) have been posted on the interactive Samohi Band Calendar. Dates are subject to change. 

Note: the marching band practices every weekday morning at 7 am, even on Samohi late-start days.
Marching Band Potluck & Parent Meeting
SAVE THE DATE: Our annual Viking Marching Band potluck, parent meeting, and show preview will take place at the end of marching band camp on Friday, August 16.

Bring a dish, eat, meet other parents, and learn about field show tournaments, football game performances, volunteer opportunities, and more. The night will close with a preview of the first act of this year's show!
It Takes a (Viking) Village: Volunteer Opportunities
We need lots of help with uniforms! Online sign-ups will go out via email one week before the start of band camp. (Helping with uniforms is more fun than it sounds :-D)

  • We are looking for 12-14 volunteers to pick up uniforms and wash them during the first few days of band camp. If you like to read ahead, click here for washing instructions.
  • Volunteers will be needed at the mass fitting for returning musicians from 6-8 pm on Thursday, August 8. New students will be fitted during the second week of band camp.
  • We will also need help labeling, ironing, and tacking uniforms from 6-8 pm each night, August 12-15. 
This Year's Field Show!
This season’s competitive field show will make Shakespeare’s work come alive with quotes from the Bard and the music of Gilbert and Sullivan, John Mackey’s “This Cruel Moon” (in its marching band premiere!), Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet,” and Shostakovich’s “Festive Overture.” Our kids are going to put in a lot of hours this season practicing and competing, and they are also going to have a lot of fun.
Reach Out to Us
Questions? Problems? Want to volunteer? Write to Kevin McKeown, Director of Bands, at komckeown@smmusd.org; send an email to samohiband@gmail.com; or contact Beth Levy, VP of Marching Band, at bethlevy528@hotmail.com.

See you on the field,

Kevin McKeown
Director of Bands, Santa Monica High School

PS If you know anyone who wants to join marching band, but has not given us their email yet, feel free to forward this information!
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