BAND CAMP COUNTDOWN

BAND CAMP 2012

Thanks to everyone for their positive thoughts, prayers, flowers, food, and concern as Cammie continues to recover. She is planning to be ready for band camp.

Welcome to our new JA Band members for 2012: Ninth grader Cory Tirman, eighth grader Kayla Young, and seventh graders Charles Arnold, Mason Glaze, Maggie Jordan, Charis Sekanic, and Anna Claire Williams.

JA Band Camp 2012 begins in less than two weeks, on Monday, July 23, and runs for two weeks, July 23-27 and July 30 - August 3.

It is very important that we have ALL students in attendance for each day of camp, as the entire competition show - drill, music, and choreography - will be taught during those two weeks.

Camp will begin promptly at 8:30 each morning in the Activities Building. All students should arrive early enough to have all equipment and be ready to start by 8:30.

Lunch break will be 11:30 - 1:00. Students have several options for lunch:

- Older students may drive themselves to and from lunch.
- Parents may take students to and from lunch.
- Students may ride with another parent or older student, with parental permission.
- Students may bring lunch and remain in the band hall during the break. Supervision will be provided by JA grad and keyboard instructor Jay Kucia.

Students need to be back on campus and ready to begin the afternoon session by 1:00.

Instruction will finish each day at 5:00. Students may need a few minutes to gather equipment, etc., before being ready to be picked up.

On the final day of camp, Friday, August 3, we will move to the new gymnasium and conclude with a Premiere Performance of the show for families and friends at 4:30 pm.

Camp fee is $100 per student ($50 for second child in family), payable the first day of camp. Checks should be payable to JA BAND BOOSTERS.  Each student will receive two show t-shirts.

NOTE: Due to budget constraints, we are no longer able to provide free summer music lessons. Instructors will be available at camp to help students learn the music.

STAFF UPDATES

Percussion instruction will be provided this year by Andrew Gilstrap and Jeremy Burnham. Andy is a doctoral student at USM and worked with the JA Band on several occasions last year, including the St. Louis trip. Jeremy is a graduate of Hillcrest Christian School and Ole Miss, and has taught percussion at Northwest Rankin, DeSoto Central, Cleveland, and Lafayette HS. Jason Mathena has accepted a position as an assistant director at Southwest Mississippi Community College. 

2012 marks the return to the JA Band of drill writer Jeff Namian, registrar at the New York School of Interior Design, WGI and DCI adjudicator, and longtime JA Band collaborator. Due to work and judging commitments, Jeff will be unable to attend camp, so JA Visual Coordinator Steve McCartney will be teaching the drill. Recent drill writer Lenny Westmoreland is completing a masters program this summer.

Guard instructors at camp will be Kayla Emerson and Leah Brown. Kayla has worked with the JA guard for several years, including winter guard and dance camp. Leah is currently on tour with the Blue Knights DCI corps, as movement technician. She will be joining us for the second week of camp. Leah is from Spring, TX, where she began dancing competitively at age 6. She was a member of the Oak Ridge HS winter guard (WGI Open Class Finalists), Code Black winter guard, Blue Knights DCI corps, and Cypress Independent Winter Guard (WGI Independent World Finalists). She is a dance major at Sam Houston State University.