Sept. 2nd Orchestra Reminders

Good morning! Welcome to our first official day of classes for APA Orchestra!

APA Orchestra back to rehearsal last Saturday!

First and foremost, a huge shout-out to the students who were in attendance for one or both days of the Back-to-School camp! Everyone in attendance grew immensely, and it was a great two days of socializing, making new friends, connecting with out outstanding instructional team, and getting the year going on a great note!

Updates: Week of September 2nd

Classes Begin!

Piano Studio:

Class A (Freshmen and Sophomores): Meeting with Wind Orchestra this week in Room M1 (Band/Orchestra Room)

2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Class B (Juniors and Seniors):

4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Wind Orchestra:

(all winds and percussion)

2:00 p.m.-3:45 p.m.

String/Symphony Orchestra:

(all strings)

4:00 p.m.-5:45 p.m.

Pit Orchestra (beginning Sept. 11th):

Thursdays, 6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Shrek the Musical Auditions

Auditions for the Pit Orchestra will continue this week on Tuesday and Thursday with Mr. Myers. Students should coordinate with Mr. Myers a time outside of class they can be heard and assessed. All students interested in participating in the pit must audition by Thursday, September 4th.

Piano Studio

As our instructor, Mr. Daniel Meyers, begins graduate school in Musicology, we are potentially looking at transitioning the Piano Studio class meeting times to Wednesday and Fridays. A dedicated email will be sent out to all students and families for the piano program to ensure class scheduling will accommodate every student. Keep an eye out for this communication no later than Thursday, September 4th.

Emergency Forms

All students in attendance at the camp this past weekend received a handbook for the year and a packet of emergency forms. All emergency forms must be completed by a parent or guardian and be returned on Tuesday, September 2nd or Thursday, September 4th. A dedicated copy of each form is required for every student in the orchestra.

Upcoming Dates:

September 2nd: Classes begin

September 11th: First rehearsal: Shrek the Musical

September 13th: Pit Orchestra Saturday Rehearsal (1-5 p.m.)

October 3rd: APA Walk for the Arts

October 4th: Shrek the Musical Sitzprobe

October 6th-9th: Tech week: Shrek the Musical

October 10th-12th, 17th-19th: Shrek the Musical

October 30th: APA Orchestra Fall Concert

APA Orchestra: Back-to-School Camp Weekend!

Welcome back to school! We are off an running for an outstanding school year ahead, with lots to do. The band has had a fantastic week and a half of band camp leading into this week, and the Orchestra kicks off our year with our first-ever Back-to-School camp! Please see below the requested items for your student to bring on Saturday to contribute to our BBQ Burger lunch provided. Classes begin next Tuesday for us after the holiday weekend!

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APA Orchestra Class Schedule (begins September 2nd)

Tuesdays and Thursdays:

Piano Studio:

Class A (Freshmen and Sophomores):

2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Class B (Juniors and Seniors):

4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Wind Orchestra:

(all winds and percussion)

2:00 p.m.-3:45 p.m.

String/Symphony Orchestra:

(all strings)

4:00 p.m.-5:45 p.m.

Pit Orchestra (students selected at auditions this weekend):

Thursdays, 6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

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Back-to-School Camp information!

Overview

This weekend’s camp focuses on welcoming the students to the new school year for APA Orchestra! We’ll have events and activities, large group warm-ups, instructional time, rehearsals on Saturday, and begin auditions for the Fall Musical during this time. Students will get to meet some of their instructors, hear about our busy calendar ahead, and bond as a program and community at the beginning of the year!

What to Bring!

The students should bring the following with them on Friday:

• Themselves!

• Their primary instrument (instrument sign-outs and rentals for students who need an instrument will occur during check-in).

• All necessary playing equipment (mouthpieces, reeds, bows, rosin, etc.)

• Water

On Saturday, students should bring the previous items, as well as their section’s contribution to BBQ lunch!:

Woodwinds: Drinks (Sodas, gatorade, juice, etc.)

Brass: Chips/Snacks

Strings: Desserts (Cookies, cupcakes, etc.)

Percussion: Ice

Students will receive their music folders, necessary program equipment, warm-up materials, and safety forms. All safety forms must be returned by Tuesday, September 2nd, completed and signed.

Parents!

We will hold a meeting with Mr. Bement and Julie Mitchell, our interim Booster Guild President, from 4:30-5:00 p.m. on Saturday at the end of the camp in the HBHS Auditorium. This meeting will be to go over the calendar ahead for the school year, answer any questions, collect completed paperwork, and highlight concerts and volunteer opportunities for the Orchestra community in the year ahead. It will go quick, but don’t miss it!

Friday Agenda

Time	Instructor	Details	Location	Duration
5:30 PM	Mr. Bement Mr. Myers Parent Volunteers	Check-in, collect materials and paperwork	HBHS Auditorium Stage	60 min
6:30 PM	Mr. Myers Mr. Bement	Student Welcome and Introductions	HBHS Auditorium Stage	45 min
7:15 PM		Transition to rehearsal spaces		15 min
7:30 PM	Instructional Staff	Instrumental Warm-ups	HBHS Band Room (Percussion) HBHS Auditorium (Winds) HBHS [TBD] (Strings) HBHS MPR Room (Pianos)	45 min
8:15 PM		Break	HBHS Auditorium	15min
8:30 PM	All teachers and students	Section Meet-and-Greets	HBHS Auditorium	15 min
8:45 PM	Mr. Myers Mr. Bement	Day 1 Wrap-up and reminders for Saturday	HBHS Auditorium	15 min
9:00 PM		Students dismissed	HBHS Auditorium, HBHS Band Room

Saturday Agenda

Time	Instructor	Details	Location	Duration
9:00 AM	Mr. Myers Mr. Bement Parent Volunteers	Check-in and paperwork drop-off	HBHS Auditorium Lobby	30 min
9:30 AM	Mr. Myers Mr. Bement	Student Welcome and “Year in Review”	HBHS Auditorium	45 min
10:15 AM	Instructional Staff	Instrumental Techniques	HBHS Band Room (Percussion) HBHS Auditorium (Winds) HBHS M2 Classroom (Strings)	2 hr
10:30 PM	Mr. Bement	Musical Auditions Start	Music Building Practice Rooms
12:15 PM		Lunch	HBHS Band Room or outdoor space	1:30 hr
1:45 PM	Mr. Myers Mr. Bement	Student Activity	HBHS Auditorium	45 min
2:30 PM		Transition to Rehearsals	HBHS Band Room (Winds/Percussion) HBHS Auditorium (Strings)	15 min
2:45 PM	Instructional Staff	Ensemble Rehearsals and additional auditions	HBHS Band Room (Winds/Percussion) HBHS Auditorium (Strings)	1:45 hr
4:30 PM	Mr. Bement Julie Mitchell	Parent Meeting begins	HBHS Auditorium	1 hr
4:30 PM	Mr. Myers Instructional Staff	Final student activity and wrap-up	HBHS Band Room	45 min
5:00 PM		End of meeting and students dismissed

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Thank you all, and let's get this year off to a great start!

Mr. Myers

kmyers@hbuhsd.edu

Important OMG Updates

This message has important information for ALL of our Oiler Music Guild families!

Keep up to date with Blog Posts and Emails by registering here!

We're making a few changes this year in hopes that we can make it easier for you to get all the info you need!

• Blog Posts will be how weekly updates will get out

• Monthly Emails will let you know of important OMG happenings

• Weekly Emails directly from instructors will share specific schedules and updates

• Sign Ups for Events will be linked in the Event Description on the Google Calendar

First Oiler Music Guild Meeting of the school year

to follow

APA Back to School Parent Night

Monday, August 25th @ 7:30pm

in M1 (Music Room)

Please Attend! We can't wait to see/meet you all!

Here's what we need from you!!

Our Guild cannot function without LOTS of help from our fabulous community!

We have a busy schedule across our three programs and most of the activities and events which our students participate in also require help from our parents/guardians and community. Filling our Board and Chair Positions will make an enormous difference in how smoothly things run (or not, if we don't).

Below is a link for a Google Form with all of the OMG Board and Chair Positions described. I challenge you to fill it out. Put your name one one or more positions which you feel you could help with (even if the position is already taken!) Any new Board or Chair Nominations will be voted on or appointed at our September OMG Meeting.

2025-26 OMG Executive Board & Chair Positions

How else can you help?

After you've subscribed to our Calendars, you'll find that all of our events (the ones we need help with) have a Sign Up linked in the description. For example, if you click on CSBC Champs on November 22nd, you'll see a short description with a link to Sign Up, click through and grab a shift! Super easy and convenient!

Add the OMG, Band, Orchestra, or Color Guard Calendars to your calendar!

OMG Google Calendar

Band Google Calendar

CG Google Calendar

Orchestra Google Calendar

Not sure how you can help?

Hopefully you've already filled out your registration paperwork where you answered some questions about your availability. We'll be hitting you up soon about signing up for things that will fit into your schedule.

We need every family to fill out the following forms as soon as possible.

• Registration Form - Click to fill out online!

• Parent/Booster Commitment Form - Click to fill out online! 

• Student Commitment Form - Click to fill out online!

• Student Clearance Card (download and print)

• Privately Arranged Travel Form (download and print)

Marching Band Info & Updates

Band Camp begins in just one week!

Here's how YOU can help now!

Band Camp Provisions- (<-- Click to Sign Up) Drinks and snacks to keep kids going during their long practice days.

Uniform Fittings- (<-- Click to Sign Up) We are starting the season with brand new uniforms, so there is a lot to do! We need all the help we can get, no experience necessary.

Notes from Austin-

We are so excited for another great year of the Oiler Marching Band and Colorguard! As we approach Band Camp 2025, here is some important info below so you and your students can be prepared.

Please check our band camp page for more info and follow our new Band Notes Page on the website for updates and schedules!

Parent To-Do Summer Checklist

• Review the 2025-2026 Oiler Marching Band Handbook.

• Complete the Registration Forms at the end of the handbook. These need to be emailed to Mr. Floyd by the start of band camp, or brought with the student on the first day. See Checklist below.

• If your student was not in band last year, please make sure you have communicated with Mr. Floyd that your student will be participating in band camp at: afloyd@hbuhsd.edu

*Remember that every student needs to have a physical completed. Please do not wait to get this done. The earlier the better!

Registration Forms

The following forms must be completed by the first day of Band Camp in order for your child to participate.

Please fill out and bring the following forms to the first day of Band Camp.

Forms Checklist

⬜ Registration Form - Click to fill out online!

⬜ Parent/Booster Commitment Form - Click to fill out online! 

⬜ Student Commitment Form - Click to fill out online!

⬜ Family Contribution Form - Click to fill out online!

⬜ Uniform Contract - Click to fill out online!

⬜ Physical Form (download and print)

⬜ Complete Athletic Clearance through Home Campus (currently unavailable)

• http://homecampus.com/select-state

⬜ Student Clearance Card (download and print)

⬜ Privately Arranged Travel Release Form (download and print)

Some Reminders

-Things students will need to bring with them: Gallon or half-gallon water jug, athletic shoes and clothing, sun protection, and their instrument (if they need to rent an instrument, we can get them an instrument the first day).

-During lunch breaks, students often go over to Seacliff as a section and eat lunch there. Please send your student with money to buy food, or pack them a lunch. 

-Please plan on attending our parent info meeting on Monday, Aug 18th at 5pm after our first day of band camp.

Parent Info Meeting

We will be hosting a parent info meeting after our first day of rehearsal on Aug 18th at 5pm. This is mandatory for band parents to get all of the necessary info for the upcoming season.

Band Camp Schedule

Mon, August 18th

9am - Leadership Only

10:30am-12pm - Rookies + Leadership

12pm Lunch Provided!

1-5pm All members

5pm Mandatory Parent Info Meeting

Tue, August 19th

9am-12pm Rehearsal

12-1pm Lunch Break

1-5pm Rehearsal

5-6pm Dinner Break

6-9pm Stadium Rehearsal

Wed, August 20th

9am-12pm Rehearsal

12-1pm Lunch Break

1-5pm Rehearsal

Thu, August 21st

9am-12pm Rehearsal

12-1pm Lunch Break

1-5pm Rehearsal

Fri, August 22nd

9am-12pm Rehearsal

12-1pm Lunch Break

1-5pm Rehearsal

Mon, August 25th

9am-12pm Rehearsal

12-1pm Lunch Break

1-5pm Rehearsal

Tue, August 26th

9am-12pm Rehearsal

12-1pm Lunch Break

1-5pm Rehearsal

5-6pm Dinner Break

6-9pm Stadium Rehearsal

Austin Floyd

Director of Bands

Huntington Beach High School

Orchestra Info & Updates

Hello, orchestra students and families!

We’re looking forward to welcoming you back in August, and we can’t wait to get started and see everyone!

From everyone at HBHS and APA, we hope your summer has been a relaxing break! With school just a month away, we wanted to send out an update for the beginning of the school year with information, important calendar dates, and an outline of what to expect in the school year ahead. This is a little information-dense, but we wanted to try and get it all together in one place.

Student Opportunities:

As we roll into the new year, we’re planning to appoint students to several different leadership and service opportunities for the orchestra program! These are open to any interested students, and we’ll complete an interview and selection process during the back-to-school camp and first week of classes.

• Strings Quartermaster: This position is tasked with organizing string equipment rentals and maintenance, and helping keep stock of the school string instruments for upkeep.

• Orchestra Social Chair/Board: This group of students will help organize and plan social events for the orchestra students and program across the school year!

• Orchestra Social Media Manager: This student is tasked with managing the Instagram, Youtube, and any other social media accounts for the Orchestra program, helping with outreach and community impact.

Additional opportunities (based on placement auditions):

• Section Principals (First chair section leaders)

• Concertmaster (violins)

Summer Equipment Refreshes:

As we finished the last financial year, we’ve been able to refresh and invest in some new equipment to open new opportunities and tools for the year ahead.

• Piano Studio: We were able to purchase two brand new Yamaha P-143 weighted digital pianos, along with a Yamaha Class Piano system, which will provide more classical-feeling keyboards for our musicals and any digital piano needs. The class piano system will be used for a new Music Fundamentals course that will be for 9th- and 10th-grade students to develop musicianship and music theory skills to supplement their ensemble work. It will allow for up to 8 students to work collaboratively in a modular classroom environment, and is the same equipment used at many colleges and universities around the country!

• New Folders: We ordered new embossed leather folders this summer, which will be assigned out to students at the beginning of the school year. We worked with an excellent company to help emboss the orchestra logo into the front, and should be a huge boost to our professional appearance (and useful for organization!) in the years to come.

• String supplies: We updated and refreshed our shoulder rests, string instrument tape, and string tuners. We will carry pedagogical and technical tools for every string musician beginning next year, and all students will be provided with all necessary equipment if they do not already have it!

• Recording Equipment: We were lucky to pick up a selection of professional recording equipment, which will be used for composer collaborations, provide much higher fidelity recordings of concerts and rehearsals, and be available to help students prepare honor band and college auditions, free of charge! This recording equipment is absolutely top-of-the-line, and should make a big impact on the materials we can prepare and share.

Of course, none of this would happen without our incredible booster board and family support throughout the school year! Thank you for supporting the orchestra, and making it an important priority for APA and HBHS.

Class Updates:

Three significant new offerings for the year ahead that have been in the works for quite a while: A program-wide lessons opportunity, a new percussion studio/ensemble, and the afore-mentioned Music Fundamentals course. 

• Lessons: All students, across the program, will have access to Proposition 28-funded private lessons each semester. Registered teachers will schedule bi-weekly lessons, utilizing our practice rooms and classrooms, and students will be provided up to 6 lessons per semester. At the standard rate for the teachers with the experience and educational backgrounds that we are hiring, that is a $400 value alone!

• Percussion Studio/Ensemble: We will have a dedicated concert percussion teacher this upcoming year, who is an absolutely fantastic musician and educator! They will be directing the percussion techniques class and coordinating the percussion ensemble, bringing some additional expertise into the classroom that will be invaluable.

Calendar:

The Fall semester calendar is largely set in stone, with dates across the school year already added to the google calendar. The Orchestra and Band calendars can be subscribed to for Google Calendar and iCal at https://www.oilermusicguild.org/ (along with lots of other information about the program!), and will be regularly updated through the course of the school year. Please subscribe to keep ahead of things as we move into the Fall!

School begins Wednesday, August 27th, with APA classes formally beginning the Tuesday after (September 2nd).

APA Orchestra will hold our first annual Back-to-School camp on Friday, August 29th (5:00-9:00pm) and Saturday, August 30th (9:00am-5:30pm, with lunch provided) on campus at HBHS. This will be a day-and-a-half camp with our lesson instructors and staff getting instruction moving, building community with our new and returning students, and hitting the ground running for the year ahead! More information will come soon with details! This is a required camp for all students, and any absences need to be communicated to the directors as soon as possible! Auditions for the Fall Musical will take place during this camp weekend.

A note about sports conflicts: If your student is planning on participating in a seasonal HBHS or HBUHSD sport that will involve a conflict with class times, please communicate that to Mr. Bement and Mr. Myers as soon as possible. We are happy accommodating, but as this is a graded course, alternative assignments will be planned for any approved absences from performances or projects.

Dates to have in your calendar going into the school year for the fall semester:

• August 28th-29th, 2025: APA Orchestra Back-to-school camp

• October 3rd, 2025: APA Walk for the Arts Fundraiser

• October 6th-9th: Pit Orchestra Tech Week

  • Pit Orchestra students only

• October 10th-12th, 17th-19th: Shrek the Musical performances

  • Pit Orchestra students only

• October 30th, 2025: APA Orchestra Fall Concert @ Rose Center Theater

  • Strings and Winds only

• November 6th: Disneyland Recording Workshop

  • Strings only

• November 19th: Chamber Recital @ Huntington Beach Public Library

  • All Pianos, small ensembles, solo players

• December 8th-11th: Sounds of the Season Tech Rehearsals

  • ALL STUDENTS

• December 12th-13th: Sounds of the Season Performances

  • ALL STUDENTS

• First week of March: Likely scheduling of two festival performances. If at all possible, please do not schedule travel or conflicts during this week.

  • Strings and Winds

Additional dates are listed on the calendar, but this is the majority of important dates to have set aside between now and the beginning of March. A full print calendar will be available with the student information packet at the beginning of the year.

All dates can be accessed via the Google Calendar, which can be subscribed to for your personal calendar, iCal, or other services. 

That’s all our updates for now! We’re looking forward to working with you all soon, and feel free to send any questions to Mr. Myers (kmyers@hbuhsd.edu) and Mr. Bement (pbement@hbuhsd.edu).

See you soon!

Mr. Bement and Mr. Myers

--

Peter Bement

APA Orchestra Director- hbapa.org

Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts

1905 Main Street Huntington Beach, CA 92648

pbement@hbuhsd.edu

Color Guard Info & Updates

Coming Soon...