Marching Season

Following Band Camp, the band will have practice until the beginning of the school year. They will need to be prepared to do the half-time show at the first football game and their first competition in mid September.

Once school starts, there will be after school practices each week (usually Tuesdays & Thursdays). A schedule is posted on our calendar providing dates and times. Students will need to find a ride home after the practices.

Tag Day

Tag Day is on a Saturday in mid August. This is not a Booster Fundraiser, it is a Band Fundraiser.  All high school students (Band & Guard) are required to participate. It lasts most of the day, and about 40 parent drivers are needed to take students all over the school district to bring in money for the RHS Band account. This money is used to purchase music, instruments, uniforms, etc.

Parades

The Ross High School Band marches in the Homecoming and Memorial Day parades. The Homecoming parade starts and ends at the Elda parking lot. The route follows 128 south, right turn on Layhigh Rd., right turn on School Road, then back to Elda. The Memorial Day parade steps off @ 10am and ends at the Venice Presbyterian Church parking lot on Layhigh Rd..  Students march to the cemetery where they perform, then return to the church.

Home Football Games

Mr. Roemer will announce when students are to arrive for home football games. The Boosters provide a Hospitality table during third quarter for each home game. This is a treat table for our band and the visiting band after the half time show. the treats are provided by band parents, with each class providing the snack for a specified date. Assignments for each class will be listed in the newsletter and emails throughout the marching season and can also be found through the above link (we serve nothing that will compete with sales from the football concession stand.). The Band Boosters will provide the drinks, usually water.

Away Football Games & Competitions

The Vice-President of the Band Boosters is in charge of assigning parents to chaperone the band buses. There will be a sign-up for this at the Booster Open House & at Band Camp. You will be called in advance to see if you are interested in being a chaperone for a particular week. Chaperone's are to obtain a badge from the Vice-President to be worn while chaperoning. Chaperone's are available to assist students on the bus and during the game. They are needed when students become ill, need to be escorted to the restrooms, and to distribute drinks after the half time show is over.

Those parents who are involved in setting up the percussion pit and podiums (Pit Crew) will be given the option of being a bus chaperone each week, so the number of additional chaperones may vary each week. Usually only two additional chaperones are needed per bus per week.  In many cases the pit crew members are the chaperones, especially when the band is large and there aren't many seats available on the busses.

Ross High School Band participates in 4 to 6 area qualifying competitions each year. These will take place at different high schools throughout Ohio (usually southwestern Ohio).  Mr. Roemer will include competition dates/times on the calendar. Spectators pay $5 - $7 to enter the gate and programs are $1 or $3.

Band competitions are a lot of fun. They are a means of providing band members information on their performance and to give them advice as to how to make improvements for the state competition. The bands are judged on Marching and Maneuvering, General Effect, Music, Percussion, Drum Majors, & Color Guard. A Grand Champion Band trophy is awarded at the end of a competition. RHS band competes with both larger (AA), and smaller (B and C) bands. We are a Class A band, which is determined by school size. A Rating of 1 at one of these competitions will qualify the band to go to the State Competition.

Since we are known as the Ross High School Band of Class we refrain from loud cheering, distracting noise or interruptions during competitions, or when the Ross Band is announced. Band parents from OTHER bands may get loud and blow horns, but the Ross Band of Class parents and supporters are asked to not participate in such behavior. Parents show their support through attendance at the competitions. Ross Band supporters can also show their support by buying and wearing band T-shirts or spirit wear.

OMEA State Marching Band Competition

If we qualify for State Competition, the Ross School Board and Band Boosters will provide tour buses for the students to go to the State Competition. The competition could be held in Dayton, Ohio or Columbus, Ohio. . The buses stop at restaurants on the way back from the competition. 

Concert Season

During the concert season, students often play different instruments than those they play during marching season. Auditions are held for Jazz Band, which performs at each high school concert and at other outside events. Each year the Ross High School Band performs several concerts. The first concert is the marching band concert in the fall. There is also a winter concert and a spring concert. Band Boosters will prepare the concert programs for the band and jazz band.

March is Music in our Schools month. The high school band performs for Elda, Morgan, and Ross Middle School. The 7th & 8th Grade Band will perform a "Themed" Concert this month.  In the spring; the bands, choirs, and art department perform at the RHS Con-Z-Art Festival. The Ross Middle School bands also holds a spring concert in May.

CD Availability:

Each concert is recorded. A CD or DVD may be ordered at each concert. The cost is to be determined.

District 13 Honor Band

Students may wish to audition for Honor Band in early December. Honor Band Weekend will usually take place mid January.  Mr. Roemer and Mr. Morelock will provide information about this to interested students. There is an Honor Band for 7th grade, 8th grade, freshmen, and 2 high school bands for upperclassmen.

OMEA Solo & Ensemble Contest

Students may wish to participate in the solo and Ensemble Contest. Mr. Roemer & Mr. Morelock will provide information about this to interested students. They will provide practice time for percussion soloists and ensembles. Additional arrangements can be made with instrumental teachers for other solo and ensemble practice time.

Jazz Band

Jazz Band is an extra curricular band that meets two days per week (Tuesdays & Thursdays) after school. It runs from November through June. Jazz Band members audition to be in the band in late October. Once a person becomes a member, he or she remains a member in subsequent school years, if that person chooses to do so.  The Jazz Band plays at the regular school concerts, and play various outside school performances, as well. Members are expected to be at all performances, and must purchase a tuxedo shirt and black pants.

Performance Requirement

High school band students are required to attend at least one professional performance to complete the recital attendance portion of their grade in band.  This can be any type of musical performance which involves professional musicians performing.  This cannot be a high school or junior high school concert.  This performance must be a concert featuring instruments, and it can be a free or a paid event.  For example an orchestra concert or a rock band performance would be fine. 

Graduation Band

A small group of band members is selected to play at Commencement.