Hello Everyone!

I hope this finds you doing well. It is with great joy that I write to all of you! What an interesting time in history that we are living in. It has been crazy, to say the least. Now, I think the band and school are finally settling into a slightly new normal. I, for one, am very thankful students are back at school. You can't imagine the ghost town the campus becomes without them!

This past fall has been a great success. Given the circumstances, Mr. Hanman and I could not be happier. We have right around 150 members in the band program. This includes a new creative design team which helps take our shows to another level. Our freshmen have stepped right in without missing a beat, and some had never even marched before. They are doing amazing. We also have taken extra precautions to be safe and help the college stay open. All these extra steps have paid off, and it is with great joy that the band has not become a spreader event so far.

Mr. Hanman and I have loved going to rehearsal even more than in the past. (Don't ask how that is possible!). It is nice for the students to be able to play and for us not to think about COVID 19 for two hours. Sure, we stand a little bit farther apart, but if anything that has just forced us to become better musicians. I sincerely look forward to going to practice with all of the students. The band is gearing up for concert band season and Mr. Hanman has some fantastic plans for all of them.

First Game, Performances, and Night Show:

After many athletic schedule changes, we had our first game day performance. The band played a 2000's rock show. As we knew, our marching would look different and the music was a bit more challenging, but the band rose to the occasion. The band sounds fuller, bigger, better-balanced, and more precise than in our first two years. Our timbre has improved with the growth. We also performed a midnight concert a few weeks ago, which from the band's standpoint, was a huge success. We welcomed Tom McGuire as he pedalled up second street. Tom, class of 73, rode 69 miles on his 69th birthday to his alma mater where he began his freshman year in 1969. This past week, we marched to the assisted living center in town, Vintage Park, and played them a concert. They loved it! We have some students with family there, and it is nice to be able to use our talents to serve.

As crazy as it may seem, we have four more home games! It was so nice to see many parents over the weekend. I know the students probably don't act like it, but you are a breath of fresh air to them! Even if it is someone else's mom, the freshmen to seniors enjoy being with you (even though it might not have felt that way from March to August!),

I am hoping to see more of you at the coming games and most importantly our night show! We are putting on our first-ever marching band event. We will perform a seven-minute show. Our percussion will do their annual flaming sticks routine, and the band will be decked out in lights. The president's office got wind of the event and loves it! They might want to do fireworks, food, and the whole shebang. The date is the evening of November 22nd. (hopefully not too cold!--I don't know how you midwesterners do it!)

Fundraising Efforts and Success:

We are in the midst of our fundraiser! The students have done a good job and I am sure they have been asking all of you for help with their emails. I have been proud of their work. However, we are still $9,000 short of our goal! We set out to raise $35,000 this year and I won't quit until we make it! It is crucial we continue to raise funds to purchase new uniforms, instruments, and supplies. The fundraiser really does fund the band. With our additional growth, we have additional expenses and tubas and piccolos are expensive! I want to thank all of you who have helped us be successful so far and appreciate all your efforts to help us continue to thrive.

In great news, Mr Hanman and I set out to start our first ever Raven Regiment endowed scholarship. We actually found a lead donor! It was remarkable, Kim Keutzer allowed our dream to become a reality with a lead gift of $25,000. We now have our very own endowed scholarship, which we plan on growing and utilizing as a way to help fund marching band scholarships in the future.

Structure and Community:

With the band being so big, we rely heavily on our band leaders. I cannot tell you how great of a job they have done this year. Every one of them has taken on more responsibility and made the band better. I recently met with each leader and there was an overwhelming theme--They feel the structure of the band is better than ever. We are more organized, have better-run rehearsals, and are a tad more formal (which is a good thing!). We even hired another graduate assistant--Joe Balderrama.

The staff and leadership play a crucial part in our new structure. However, COVID has hit the band's community. Students don't know each other across the band as well as they normally do, especially without band camp. So, we are doing a few COVID friendly things to remedy that, such as a corn hole tournament, BBQ, and acts of service. The good news is: the community within sections is far and away the best it has ever been. So, if your son or daughter is struggling at BC, make sure you encourage them to reach out to the band staff and their section leader.

Please know the band family is in all of our thoughts and prayers. Looking forward to seeing you all soon! Thank you all for your support and dedication.

Sincerely,

Mr. York, Mr. Hanman, Matt Jandrain, and Joe Balderrama