Marching
Bengals
2015 Parent/Student Handbook
#MARCHINGBENGALS
Pride - Commitment - Teamwork - Excellence
Important Contact Information
Director:
Nick Bunio
[email protected]
Assistant Director
Krissy Bergmark
[email protected]
Drumline
Elias Youngblom
[email protected]
Visual
Trevor Nelson
[email protected]
Color Guard
Brianna Carlson
[email protected]
Color Guard
Megan Lovitz
[email protected]
Additional Staff: Matthew Marsolek, Alec Paquin
2015 Blaine Marching Bengals
– Ask to join this
Closed Group
for this year’s info and music.
Blaine High School Marching Bengals
– Like this
Page
for announcements to the general public.
Blaine Band Boosters
– Join this
Group
for parent information.
Blaine High School
Director of Bands
Bruce Olson
[email protected]
Activities Director
Shannon Gerrety
[email protected]
Music Boosters
[email protected]
Dear Marching Bengals Families and Students,
Welcome and congratulations on joining Blaine High School’s most public performance ensemble,
the Marching Bengals!
The mission of the Blaine Marching Bengals is to develop leaders, form high quality musicians, to
promote a healthy physical and intellectual lifestyle and to represent our school and community to
audiences near and far.
The marching band is seen by more people each year than any other activity at Blaine High School,
so we take pride in our work and performance ethic. To achieve and maintain excellence, each
member of the band must be sincerely dedicated. Fully attentive and productive hours of rehearsal
are necessary to produce an outstanding performance. Being a member of the Marching Bengals is a
big commitment;please expect to devote time and effort to the organization in rehearsal and in
individual practice.
Whenever and wherever the Band appears, we are representatives of the entire music program at
Blaine High School, the school itself, and all citizens and alumni who are in any way associated with
our school. Whether in uniform or out, at a performance or a practice, on the road or at home, in an
official capacity or in a social setting, members of the Blaine Marching Bengals must conduct
themselves in a mature, responsible, courteous, respectful and professional manner. Anything done
by a member of the Band reflects (positively or negatively) upon the entire Band organization, its
leaders, and the school and community. Just as we strive for excellence in our musicianship and
performance standards, we must also strive for excellence in our behavior and the manner in which
we conduct ourselves.
The Marching Bengals: pride, commitment, teamwork and excellence! We take pride in each other in
the Marching Bengals, forming a strong bond. We seek excellence in life, in and out of marching
band. We honor our commitment to fellow students, staff and supporters of music by giving
maximum effort at all times.
The Blaine Marching Bengals proudly presents the 2015 show:
Masque!
Go Bengals!
Nick Bunio Director of the Marching Bengals
[email protected]
Expectations
Student Expectations
-Students are responsible for attending ALL rehearsals, fundraisers, camps and performances.
-Students will represent Blaine High School to the best of their abilities.
-Students are responsible for maintaining their uniform/instrument/equipment in optimum
performance condition at all times.
-Students will treat each other, staff and all adults in a respectful manner.
-Students will do their best to stay healthy. Marching Band is an athletic activity and requires great
flexibility, endurance and coordination. Students who are unable to practice/perform may be asked
to provide a doctor’s note before they are allowed to continue with the season.
-Students are responsible for learning their music and drill in a timely manner as put forth by the staff.
-Cell phones are not allowed on field during practices or performances.
Staff Expectations
-The staff will clearly present information to the students and maintain a proper atmosphere for
learning.
-The staff will treat students fairly and in a respectful manner.
-Staff will return all student or parent emails and phone calls as soon as possible.
Parent Expectations
-Parents will love and support all band members to the best of their ability.
-Parents should communicate any issues to the director: [email protected] .
Activities Registration
-All Marching Bengal students must have a Sports Physical on file with the Activities Office before
they may attend practice.
-All Marching Bengal students must register and pay for the Blaine Athletic and Fine Arts Activities
online
1. Go to
www.anoka.k12.mn.us/bhs
2. Click under “Important Information: Online Activities Registration”
3. Log in to your A-H Connect Account (REQUIRED). If you do not have an A-H Connect login
and password, contact the district at 763-506-4357.
4. Choose Activities/Transportation.
5. Register for Summer Marching Band.
Attendance Policy
In order to uphold equality and fairness for its members and set the standard for excellence, the
Blaine Marching Bengals uses the following attendance policies:
- We will use
EVERY SECOND
of
EVERY REHEARSAL
to continue our high quality
organization. Expect to arrive 10-15 minutes early to everything we do so that you will have adequate
time to: set up your instrument, get music out, change clothes etc... Also expect to stay a few minutes
late to clean up the band room and put your things away.
Attendance at all scheduled rehearsals and performances is crucial for our success as an ensemble. This
is a fundamental part of your membership in Band. Because the Band is more than just a collection of
individual performers, it is necessary that we rehearse and perform as a unified group. Problems with
individual attendance seriously limit our ability to be consistent and strive for excellence. If WE are to
be successful, YOU must be there. Your peers show up every day and expect you to do the same – be
good to all of us!
-Excused Absences: We recognize that at some point there will be a time conflict, we encourage you to
cross reference your calendars as soon as possible and alert the BMB staff to any problems, we will
work with you on an individual basis to try to reach a compromise with your other activity.
In order
for an absence to be excused an email needs to be sent to [email protected] by a
parent.Advance notice is always appreciated. Students who simple post on Facebook or have their
friends let staff know run the risk of an unexcused absence even for a legitimate reason.
-Unexcused absences: Work, homework, personal choice to not attend, spur of the moment conflicts.
We work hard to publish the season calendar in advance, it is your job as student and family to
plan
ahead
, request off of work, get your homework done ahead of time and come to rehearsal!!
An unexcused absence will result in being pulled from performing until completion of the next
rehearsal, as well as loss of a letter point. Three unexcused absences will result in removal from
the band.
-Transportation: All students must ride the school transportation to shows/parades and back to BHS
unless special arrangements are made with the director well in advance.
How to register an absence or tardy:
-To register an absence or tardy in advance please send an email to the Director
(
[email protected]
) with the word ABSENCE or TARDY in the subject line along
with the date of the absence or tardy and name of the student.
-The Director may respond via email to confirm the reason and date if there are any questions. If
the absence is straightforward it may be filed without a response.
-Please make attendance issues known as far in advance as possible.
-Students from all sections must register their known conflicts with Mr. Bunio, not just their section
coach.
- Failure to properly follow this procedure may result in
Unexcused Absences
and consequences.
What to bring to rehearsal

Instrument
Flip-folder and Lyre
▪ Music
▪ Drill charts
▪ Dot Book
Backpack/bag
▪ WATER!!
▪ Extra sweatshirt
▪ Rain coat
▪ Extra socks
▪ Sun screen
▪ Bug spray
▪ Band-aids
▪ Garbage bag
▪ Extra reeds/valve oil
▪ Sandals
▪ Sunglasses
▪ Hat
TENNIS SHOES
Shorts/athletic pants (NOT jeans)
What to bring to Parades

All of your rehearsal stuff
Black marching shoes
BMB shirt and shorts
Schedule shirt
Extra water
Post parade comfy pants and shoes
Snack
Cash for post parade snacks
Deodorant
Competitive Philosophy
I am very happy to return to the street after a successful fall season. The summer marching
season is always a fun time and I look to seeing our band continue to grow in size and maturity.
The summer parade season features a lot of parades which may be judged. The focus of the
Blaine Marching Bengals is not about awards and accolades but rather building a program to be
proud of. All members of the band are expected to work hard and push themselves mentally
and physically. We put a lot of effort into practice so that we can relax and make our
performances that much more enjoyable.
Our staff expects each students to put forth their best effort at all times. In doing so, we will
see vast improvement over the course of the season. Each member should make it their goal to
learn and improve as much as they can. If each individual commits to that goal, our group will
become much stronger.
I look forward to seeing how strong we are by the end of this season.
Pride
in our school and our Band.
Commitment
to each other and our program.
Working together and putting the needs of the
Team
ahead of our own.
Excellence
in attitude, sportsmanship and performance.
-Nick Bunio2015
www.facebook.com/BlaineHighSchoolMarchingBengals
#MARCHINGBENGALS
Uniforms
We are very fortunate to have NEW uniforms! The uniforms are expected to last for 15 years and
will only do so if they are well cared for. Bringing or wearing your show shirts, marching shoes and
socks is part of the uniform. Failure to properly care for your uniform can result in being pulled
from a performance and loss of lettering points.
-Uniforms must be worn on your person or hung up on a hanger and rack, never set your uniform on
the ground or hang it off of the outside of a bus.
-Marching bands started as military units and we still follow many military style traditions:
Hats are to only be worn forward.
We will ALL either be in uniform, out of uniform, or in half uniform.
BMB T-shirts and Shorts need to be worn under uniform.
Pants will always be sharply creased, and hems will always be at the prescribed height.
Never sit on the ground, eat or run in uniform.
Any single band member in uniform represents the entire organization;always act in a mature,
professional matter.
Hair will be worn up so as not to be seen from under the hat.
Facial hair will be neatly groomed.
Awards
The Marching Bengals recognize individual and group achievement with the following awards:
Lettering
– Blaine music students receive letter points for extra-curricular and co-curricular music
activities. Because of the time commitment and level of responsibility associated with the summer
and fall marching band, students attending all summer and fall rehearsals and performances will
receive 10 letter points (20 in your fourth season), Drum Majors receive an additional 4 points,
Section Leaders receive an additional 2 points.
Students receive their first band letter at 15 points and a new level for every 15 points thereafter.
ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY:
The Blaine Marching Bengals and all of its members, staff and volunteers are required to
adhere to the District 11 Zero Tolerance Policy:
USE OF TOBACCO, ALCOHOL, WEAPONS, OR ANY CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE
IS PROHIBITED. THE ANOKA SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS A ZERO TOLERANCE
POLICY AND ABIDES BY THE MINNESOTA STATE HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE
GUIDELINES AS WELL AS THE ISD #11 SECONDARY HANDBOOK.
Finances
The fees for the Marching Bengals are itemized as listed below:
(please detach this sheet for your records)
Season Fees:
Checks Payable to:
Check number
Due Date
ISD 11 Activity Fee
$150
Pay Online
04/07/15
MB Fee
$50
BHS
05/01/15
Shoes
$40
BHS
As needed
Drum Sticks/Mallets
$30
BHS
As needed
Color Guard
Tbd
BHS
As needed
Extra season t-shirt
$15
BHS
Bandquet (collected in
fall)
TBA
BHS
Marching Equipment
Optional
Tbd
Fundraising
Fundraising is a standard part of High School activities. Our fundraising efforts will help minimize
the cost of band related activities;all students are expected to participate in fundraisers for the
band.
Rehearsal Schedule
Saturday Camps: We will be holding Camps from 9am - 4pm on Saturday April 11, 18 and 25.
Uniform fitting will take place on April 18th during rehearsal. Students unable to make the 18th will
try on a uniform at a later date.
There will be a practice for Leadership Tuesday, April 28
There will be a practice for Leadership and Rookies Thursday, April 30
Starting May 5th, rehearsals will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 - 8pm at
Blaine High School;if school is not in session on a Tuesday or Thursday, there will be no rehearsal
that evening. Our final after school rehearsal will be June 9th.
Performance Schedule
An itinerary will be sent home and posted on the Facebook page as far ahead of each even as possible. All
of the parades take place in the evening unless otherwise stated.
June
Thursday, 11th
Princeton Parade
Friday, 12th
Champlin
Tuesday, 16th
Northeast Minneapolis
Wednesday, 17th
Foley
Thursday, 18th
Milaca
Friday, 19th
Lake Crystal
Saturday, 20th: morning
Rogers
Saturday, 20th: evening
Thursday, 25th
Week of June 22-26
Waconia
Brooklyn Center
Fall Registration
Saturday, 27th: morning
Monday, 29th
Performances and Rehearsal Schedules are subject to change
If dates/times are changed, you will be informed ASAP
Blaine
Roseville