About Our Program

(A Brief Run Down of a Year in the Life of a Band Kid) 

 

We start off our year with our Band and Drumline camps in mid august. We run a week long Drumline Camp followed by a week long Band Camp that culminates in our Little Viking Band Camp. Little Viking Band Camp is where all the beginning (summer before 6th grade) band kids The Yearly Rundown of what we do come and have a two day session with the Lake Stevens High School Band to learn how to play, rehearse, and care for their instruments.

 

Football Season  

We have a widely recognized pep band, having been used as the soundtrack for the state tournament video, featured on Comcast, placing in The Rocks Battle of the Bands, participating in a great variety of community events, and reportedly being heard from the south end of the lake on home game Friday nights. We march during halftime at our homecoming game only. We live in a beautiful part of the Northwest where we can focus more on music than marching. We are not a competitive marching program. During September, October, and sometimes into November you can see us at every home football game.

   

(Intermittently throughout the year)  The Band or Drumline is normally featured in school assemblies. You bring the spirit, we'll throw down the entertainment!!!  

 

Our winter concert is usually a themed or "epic piece" oriented concert. In the past we have done, among others, The Nutcracker, Pictures at an Exhibition, The Rhapsody in Blue, The Divine Comedy, The Lord of the Rings, Reineke's Symphony No. 1,, and the Epic of Gilgamesh. 

 

(December - February...into March Madness if we're lucky) Our pep band gets into full swing with the beginning of Basketball season! We play 10-12 home basketball games and make quite a ruckus!! We have been called the loudest band in Wesco (but we still try to play in tune).

   

(January - May) Starting in early January, our jazz program begins its competitive season. We begin in January with the Auburn Riverside Jazz Festival, move to the Clark College Jazz Festival at the end of January. We compete at the Bellevue College Jazz Festival the first weekend in February and then have a few weeks learning new tunes before the Newport High School Jazz Festival in mid March. After spring break the entire band program goes to Pasco, WA for the Columbia Basin College Wind and Jazz Festival (CBC Jazz Unlimited). Our Concert Band and Wind Ensembles both play on Friday and then both jazz groups compete on that Saturday. In May we participate in the Central Washington University Jazz Festival and the Kamiak High School Jazz Festival and our year comes to a close. Jazz Auditions take place at the beginning of each school year.

   

 

 

Band Lock-in 

(March-ish) Near the end of the school year the band takes over the school beginning around 6PM and Ending at 5 AM. We run rehearsals, watch movied, and uphold tradition such as game tournaments, jam sessions, lake stevens band idol, and our annual 2am dodgeball tournament. 

 

(Late March) Every band student in the district (LSMS, NLMS, CMH, and LSHS) performs at Cavelero Mid-High in the main gym.   

 

 (Second Weekend in April) This is our large trip of the year. The entire band program participates. We leave EARLY on Friday morning and drive straight to Pasco. Both the Concert Band and the Wind Ensemble perform. We stay the night close to the college and are treated to performances by the guest artist of the year and the Columbia Basin Jazz Orchestra on Friday evening. On Saturday, the Jazz Ensemble 1 and Jazz Ensemble 2 perform.   

 

(Mid-May) This is our finale concert for the year. We perform what we have been working on since January for "festival season". Traditionally this concert includes the always popular "senior roast" and some tough goodbyes.    

 

(Shortly After the Spring Concert) This is our department end of the year celebration.