Frequently Asked Questions

All Houston ISD students who plan to join the Heights High School Band should be sure that they are enrolled into Heights High school. All students interested in joining the Heights High School Band should select and fill out the respective interest form that fits them. All students interested in becoming a new band member should also email the respective Band Directors to express their interest in band to effectively plan for your arrival.

All percussionists and guard members should plan to attend all audition meetings, camps, and rehearsals in the spring prior to the new school year. You can find more information about these auditions on both the Guard and Percussion pages

Heights High School has a number of school owned instruments available to be checked out to students. If you have a specific preference of an instrument you are welcome to purchase or rent an instrument from a local dealer.

Sign up for Remind Texts

The Heights high school band sends important texts via the Remind app. There are different codes for parents and students. To keep this private, you must email the Band Directors for the current Remind codes.

Check the Band Calendar
The band calendar has the most updated information about events and activities. Weekly reminders are sent out via Remind Text.

Attend Monthly Booster Meetings

Our Heights Music Boosters meet once a month on the first Wednesday of the month @ 6:30pm and are a great way to stay informed and continue to support our music students.

During the summer, we have Summer band camps that runs during the weeks leading into the start of the school year. These weeks are more Dedicated to preparing old and new band members for the upcoming marching season.

When school starts, the band will practice after school. During the marching season, there are typically Friday night football game commitments (performances) and Saturday contests (competitions). The competitive marching season finishes between mid-October & early November. The band will play at the remaining football games.

In addition, post-football and marching season, band students will also participate in Concert Season activities, as well as winter and spring concerts.

The "15 minute rule" is a system the band has put in place to ensure that the band program is running at maximum efficiency. This means that each student is expected to be EARLY to every call time / start time by at least 15 minutes in order to be considered on time to the event.

This teaches our students the importance of being punctual to all events in life. This also allows us to be efficient with our time by being able to start on time since everyone should be on time (early).

In the event you are running late please make sure you communicate with BOTH your section leader and your respective band director ASAP.

If a student is going to be absent for any or part of a scheduled event, parents should email the students respective band director ASAP notifying of the reason and provide the necessary notes after the student returns.

If you cannot get a ride from a family member because of work or school schedules, we would LOVE to help you out. Since the band includes grades 9-12 we have student leaders that are of driving age (and are responsible!) that are often able to give rides. We also have families from all around the Houston area that often carpool. Please talk to a director if you are concerned about your ride situation and we will do our best to find a solution!

Yes! In fact, most band students take Pre-AP, AP, and other accelerated courses. The great thing about being in band is that you will also know a lot of upperclassmen that will be able to help you if you are struggling with a class!

In the fall, you receive PE credit for being in the marching band. In the spring you receive fine arts credit for being in one of the concert bands.

Though band students do pay fees that are necessary for running the program, the Heights Music Boosters are able to make special payment arrangements that work for any financial situation. If you have any specific questions about this please contact Mr. Antwuan Walters at antwuan.walters@houstonisd.org.

Many students are nervous about marching band before they get to high school. It's not like anything you've done before in band and it's understandable to be nervous. Think of it like when you began learning your instrument for the first time. The HS directors will take you through a detailed process of learning how to march and will add responsibilities on skills as your understanding increases. Marching season, which is the fall semester, is many students' favorite time of year. You get to spend tons of time with your friends, perform and cheer on the football team at games, travel to games an contests, and compete with other bands at contests.

Yes! And our job is to help teach you and make it simple! We have a wide range of ability in the marching band because we have students who have never done marching band in the same group as students who have done marching band for three years! Everyone is involved in the marching band's production at the level that is best suited for their experience and ability. Our goal is that as you go through your four years in band that you are able to take on added responsibilities as you become more experienced.

In order to be prepared for marching performances, students are required to attend marching practice in the weeks leading up to the start of the school year.

Attendance is required for all new and returning Heights band students. New students will have an instrument checked out/rented to them. Students must show up to summer band with their instrument, full water jug, athletic shoes, and sun protection (hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc.)

Summer Band Camps are usually held two weeks after the previous school year ends (June Camp) and around 3 - 4 weeks before the new school year begins (Band Camp). You can find our summer band schedule on our band calendar. 

Yes – 100%.

The summer is the best time for our new members to transition into our band program. This is also a great time for our returning members review their music and marching basics as well as helping guide our new members. It is imperative to the success of the Heights Bulldog Band to have all new and returning students attend Summer Band Camps. 

Students who aspire to claim a spot in our competitive band should make arrangements to attend all summer dates possible. 

Please refer to the band calendar for summer band dates, and plan all vacations and appointments accordingly. If you have questions or concerns please contact the appropriate band director.

All scheduled events on the band calendar are to be considered mandatory unless told otherwise by the band directors. If you have questions / concerns about camp dates, or band events in general please reach out to the appropriate band director.

The only drinks provided for students is water from our campus water fountains.

All band students should bring plenty of water with them to summer band every single day. The band directors recommend each student bring at least a 1/2 gallon or full gallon insulated water jug filled with water and ice. During the day there will be plenty of opportunities for students to refill their water jugs. You may send additional drinks with your students, but please avoid sugar-filled beverages.

In the case that a student drinks something other than water, they should rinse their mouth with water before playing their instrument again.

Lunch is not provided.

Students will have a lunch break in the middle of the day and are encouraged to bring a sack lunch or leave campus to eat lunch at a local resaurant. Lunch time is a good time for students to rest, bond with their fellow band members, and practice before the start of the afternoon block of rehearsals.

•  Plenty of water (preferably 1/2 - 1 gallon in an insulated water jug)

• Sack lunch

• your instrument

• sun protection (hat, sun glasses, sunscreen, etc.)

• Athletic clothing

• Athletic shoes

Students are encouraged to wear comfortable athletic clothing that allows them to move freely without restriction. Light colors will reflect the sun and keep your student cooler in the heat.

To protect themselves from the sun, students are encouraged to wear hats, sunglasses, SPF shirts and sunscreen.

Many injuries in marching band happen as a result of improper footwear. To protect your student and keep them marching on the field, students should wear a pair of athletic shoes that provides them with the support they need to have a good foundation and prevent twisted/rolled ankles, shin splints, sprains and many other injuries..

Yes!

Our football games are our weekly performance / test grades. This is how we track our weekly progress throughout the band and of course showcase our kids hard work. Football games are a weekly checkpoint on our journey to our Fall Semester state evaluation of UIL Marching Contest.

On game days, students will remain on campus after school. In the event we need to pull students out of class early during 7th or 8th period the Directors will send out a Remind message to students of when to come down to the band hall and Campus staff will also receive an email on when students are dismissed. Our ETA returning to Heights should be sent via Remind to both parents and students soon after buses have left the stadium.

Students will:

– Report to the band hall after school

– Load their instrument onto the trucks

– Eat

– Gather / get dressed in their uniform

– Load buses and Depart to game location

– Play at the football game

– Return back to Heights HS

– Unload the trucks

– Dismiss and go home!

Students will wear the following to every game:

• Black athletic shorts

• Athletic Band shirt

• Crew length Black socks

• Marching shoes

Students will need to bring:

• Water bottle / jug (preferably 1/2 to 1 gallon insulated jug)

• Instrument 

• Uniform Garment bag (if told by Directors)

Most band parents will sit in the stands closest to the band section. This is a perfect time to wear your Maroon, White, and Grey band spirit wear and see your kid perform. Please come out and make a roaring sea of Bulldog Band Pride!

Football games are considered an extension of the classroom, and for everyone’s safety, we do not allow family members or friends into the band section of the stands.

This ensures we keep everyone safe. Students are not allowed to accept outside food and beverages from parents while in the stands during the football game.

However, students generally have a portion of 3rd quarter off after our halftime performance to go to the bathroom and have a snack from the boosters. During this time students are welcome to speak to their family and friends freely as long as they are back in the stands earlier than their given return time.

Students and Parents will receive a ETA back to Heights via Remind. Students are encouraged to call/text their parents on the way back to school to make sure they meet them on campus. Parents should plan to arrive slightly before the given ETA. 

Any changes to the ETA will also be sent out via Remind.

Itineraries will also be sent out via Remind and also posted on the band website.

Please make sure that when you arrive to pick up your students that you leave space for our 4 buses to park along the curb of 13th Street near the Metal Bulldog Statue and Track.

Just like other sports, marching band participates in scored competitions.

These contests usually take place on Saturdays in the fall. Competitions are typically divided into Preliminary Performances and Finals Performances. Please refer to the Band Calendar for the dates of these contests.

All Contests are REQUIRED for every band member as part of their Performance / Test grade.

Report times will differ for each contest based on our performance times. You can find the schedules on the "Itineraries" page.

A typical contest day schedule is:
– Report to the band hall
– Rehearsal (if time allows)
– Gather uniform & instrument
– Load buses
– Arrive at contest location
– Unload buses, instruments, and trucks
– Warm-up
– Prelims performance
– Regroup and take a break (if time allows)
– Gather for announcement of awards

Finals:
If the band is selected for finals, we will warm-up again, perform, and wait for the finals awards before heading back to the school.

If the band is not selected for finals, we will either load up the students and return to the school, or stay and watch finals as a full band.

Yes, meals are provided on contest days. Meal times will vary according to the performance schedule of the contest. Students are encouraged to bring snacks and money for concessions if they would like additional food options.

In the case that we have a finals performance students should be sure to rinse their mouth with water before warm-up.

If you are able to send your student with additional cash, we do try and allow students to shop for souvenirs and get concessions at the contests. 

Concert season takes place after our Competitive Marching season end mid to late October and throughout the spring semester as the band prepares to participate in the UIL Concert & Sight-Reading contest.

Each band will prepare 3 pieces of music they will perform at the UIL competition. 

Most concert season rehearsals take place during the student’s band class.

Students will typically have one or two after-school rehearsals a week,. This schedule is communicated to the students towards the end of marching season and can be found on the band calendar.

Parents and friends are encouraged to attend the UIL performance. The dates, times and locations will be published on the Band Calendar once performance times have been given to the directors. 

We would love to answer any questions you or your parents might have! Please send any questions to Mr. Antwuan Walters at antwuan.walters@houstonisd.org.