Message from our Band Director
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Dear DHS Band Students & Families,
It is my pleasure to be writing to you all officially as DHS’s new Director of Bands and Orchestras! After weeks of travel and anticipation, I am excited to finally be in the Bay Area and look forward to getting to know each and every one of you as the school year begins. It was great meeting many of you this past weekend at the DCI Watch Party– I already know that this year is going to be one of fantastic musical moments and accomplishments. I want to take this opportunity to provide some much-deserved thanks. First, to Mr. Tran for taking the lead on Band Camp and providing support as I transition into DHS. Second, to the Band and Orchestra Student Leadership teams, who have already been working incredibly hard to ensure the success of their programs. And finally, to the DHS Friends of Music Booster’s Board, who have been working around the clock to make sure things stay afloat during this transition. As I begin this new chapter at DHS, I am grateful to have such supportive students, staff, and families in my corner. For now, enjoy your last precious moments of Summer and I look forward to a wonderful year of music-making! Sincerely, Jack Bainton Director of Bands & Orchestra Dublin High School |
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What is Band and how does it work?
Band is a curricular and extra-curricular activity. Wind and percussion instrumentalists — everyone except Colorguard members — enroll in one of the three band classes and meet during class each school day and are taught by Mr. Bainton, the band director.
Band has two components: concert and marching. Both are required. Concert music (think tuxedo/dress/stage) is taught in class. Marching music (think marching uniform/football field) is taught both in class and after school.
The DHS marching band is called the Irish Guard Marching Band and Colorguard, or simply, Irish Guard. Marching season lasts from the beginning of the school year until Thanksgiving.
There is a required band camp at the end of July at DHS. Once school starts, there are after-school rehearsals Wednesdays 6-9pm and Saturdays 10am-5pm in Gael Stadium at DHS. Percussionists and Colorguard members have additional rehearsals every Monday from 6-9pm.
All days of camp are 9AM-5PM at DHS. See the Band Camp tab for dates.
All students who miss all or some of band camp, will be considered alternates in the first movement of the field show, and will not be written into the drill or music.
The Irish Guard attends every home football game, performs in parades, and competes in several field show competitions all around Northern California from October-November. Competitions are an all-day, all-hands-on-deck experience.
In addition to Mr. Bainton, the marching band and colorguard are taught by staff hired by Mr. Bainton and paid for by the Music Boosters – a non-profit organization made up of band, orchestra, and choir families who support the DHS Music Program. All families are encouraged to volunteer with the Music Boosters and attend their monthly meetings.
After marching season ends, much of the time commitment goes away. But the rigor continues with concerts and festivals. Band costs money. Visit the Participant Contributions section to learn more.
Band has two components: concert and marching. Both are required. Concert music (think tuxedo/dress/stage) is taught in class. Marching music (think marching uniform/football field) is taught both in class and after school.
The DHS marching band is called the Irish Guard Marching Band and Colorguard, or simply, Irish Guard. Marching season lasts from the beginning of the school year until Thanksgiving.
There is a required band camp at the end of July at DHS. Once school starts, there are after-school rehearsals Wednesdays 6-9pm and Saturdays 10am-5pm in Gael Stadium at DHS. Percussionists and Colorguard members have additional rehearsals every Monday from 6-9pm.
All days of camp are 9AM-5PM at DHS. See the Band Camp tab for dates.
All students who miss all or some of band camp, will be considered alternates in the first movement of the field show, and will not be written into the drill or music.
The Irish Guard attends every home football game, performs in parades, and competes in several field show competitions all around Northern California from October-November. Competitions are an all-day, all-hands-on-deck experience.
In addition to Mr. Bainton, the marching band and colorguard are taught by staff hired by Mr. Bainton and paid for by the Music Boosters – a non-profit organization made up of band, orchestra, and choir families who support the DHS Music Program. All families are encouraged to volunteer with the Music Boosters and attend their monthly meetings.
After marching season ends, much of the time commitment goes away. But the rigor continues with concerts and festivals. Band costs money. Visit the Participant Contributions section to learn more.
Annual Events – A Typical Year In Band
Band Camp
See Band Camp.
Field Show Competitions
There are typically about five all-day events from Oct-Nov at which the Irish Guard performs their field show for a panel of judges and receives a score and ranking among the other marching bands. These events, always on Saturdays, are the culmination of all the hard work the students have put forth since the beginning of band camp. Some local competitions require students to carpool, while others that are farther away are traveled to by bus. There’s a lot of planning and volunteer assistance required to transport 150+ kids and $100,000+ worth of equipment and uniforms around the state of California! Parents/guardians, see the Music Boosters section to discover how you can help get involved. For a full listing of field show competitions, see the calendar.
A typical “show day” lasts from about 8am to midnight. It involves a morning rehearsal at DHS, time to eat a self-provided lunch, then changing into uniform, loading the equipment truck, transporting by car or bus to the show site, eating a Grub Club-provided dinner, warming up, performing (~8pm), changing out of uniform, watching the award ceremony, transporting back to DHS, putting away the equipment, and finally returning home.
There are two circuits of field show competitions: NCBA and WBA. Both circuits evaluate the band on different components of their performance, such as how they looked vs. how they sounded.
The Northern California Band Association (NCBA) provides judging for band competitions in Northern/Central California and Northern Nevada. These competitions include field competitions, band reviews, concert band, jazz band, winter guards, percussion, and solo drum major competitions. NCBA competitions tend to be more local and are judged mainly by retired band directors. NCBA offers an award called “sweepstakes” which goes to the highest overall scoring band, regardless of their classification (size).
The Western Band Association (WBA) has the following mission statement: The Western Band Association exists to ensure a high quality, educationally sound performing experience in full support of the total band program. WBA hosts only field show competitions, but they tend to be more competitive and have very high quality judges.
Both circuits divide the competing bands into classifications based on the number of members in the band. The Irish Guard is 5A (WBA) or 6A (NCBA) – the largest classification for each circuit – with 150+ members. (While this is not always true, generally, the bigger a band is, the better.)
The competition ends with a ~90-minute award ceremony at which the results are announced. For an in-depth view of a typical show day, see “sample itineraries” in the Band Handbook.
Concerts
Much like in middle school band, concerts are a way of showcasing the concert music learned in the classroom. Concerts include the Fall Jazz Ensemble/Orchestra Concert, The Winter Concert, and the Final Concert in May. There may be more depending on availability of the auditorium. For a full listing, see the calendar.
Concert Band/Jazz Festivals
A Band Festival (or simply “Festival”) is an event where high school concert and jazz bands perform music and sight reading for a panel of judges and receive a rating. Often, they are not competitions with other bands, but rather opportunities to be adjudicated. They are typically hosted by NCBA or CMEA (the California Music Education Association). The concert bands (Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band) and Jazz Ensemble participate in several festivals throughout the year. Examples include the Folsom and Campana Jazz Festivals, as well as CMEA B&O East at Amador Valley HS. For a full listing, see the calendar.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Every March on the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day, the Irish Guard participates in the Dublin Lions Club’s enormous St. Patrick’s Day parade in downtown Dublin. The time commitment is from about 7am-noon.
Final Concert
The final concert, held in the DHS Sports Complex is a magnificent culminating event that encompasses all of the ensembles in Band as well as Orchestra. This includes Colorguard, Winter Percussion, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble and Orchestra.
Band Banquet
Held in the DHS Student Union in May, the Band Banquet is an evening for ALL Band students and their families to celebrate the achievements of the year as well as the Band careers of the graduating seniors.
