Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District

Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District

Secondary Music Office

10300 Jones Road, Suite 724

Houston, Texas 77065

(281)897-4117

October 27, 2012

Directors of Area ‘E’ 5A Marching Bands,

Hope your Fall has been a building and rewarding experience for you, your staff, and your students. The UIL Area E Marching contest will be held Saturday, October 27, 2012. The final schedule will be available by Wednesday morning, October 24, 2012. For the schedule and further information about this contest please go to the following website:

http://www.uilforms.com/regions/23/AREA%20MARCHING/2012-AreaMarchingInfo.htm

The contest will be at the Berry Center in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD. The Berry Center is located at 8877 Barker Cypress Road, Cypress, TX 77433. The contest will be run by the Cy Fair Band Boosters and the CFISD Middle School Band Directors.

It is important that you give information on parking to your bus drivers, truck drivers, and parents so that they know which stadium entrances to use. Band members and auxiliary groups may not begin their marching or playing warm-ups prior to the designated time. Playing and marching warm-ups must take place in the designated warm-up areas. Stretching may take place in the bus parking area. Please make your parents aware of the attached map with special instructions for spectator parking.

Included in this e-mail are the following items:

General information

Map displaying parking, warm-up areas and field access for participants

If you have any questions that aren’t covered in this letter please feel free to call. Good luck as you finish your preparation for the UIL Area Marching Contest. Please make note of the following phone numbers in case you need to contact us on the day of the performance

Berry Stadium Press Box (281)894-3978

Larry Matysiak (281)451-2366 -cell

Mary Running (713)822-4678-cell

Sincerely,

Larry Matysiak Mary Running Mark Veenstra

Director of Music Coordinator of Music Cy Fair HS Band

(281)897-4042 (281)897-3884 (281)897-4681

General Information

Arrival: Plan to arrive at least an hour and 30 minutes prior to your performance. Buses and instrument trucks should use the main entrance on Barker Cypress and park in Lot A. If you have a truck with only Pit equipment, they may choose to use the 2nd entrance on West Road and park in Lot G. For student safety, equipment & pit trucks should be parked upon arrival and not moved. Bands will be escorted to warm-up one hour before your performance time.

Restrooms will be available on the visitor side (entrance 8). The visitor side will not be open for spectators.

First Aid will be available on the concourse level, home side, next to the elevator and under the bleachers on the home side/North end zone.

Pit Information: (Please refer to the enclosed map.) You may choose to park your pit truck in Lot A or G. If you park in Lot G, no truck backing or excessive noise will be tolerated. Trucks will not be moved after you park. No student warm-up will be allowed in Parking Lot A or G. If you want your pit to warm-up, they must roll their equipment to Lot C. Pit entrance and exit from the stadium will be through the home side black field gates in a single file line. Each school will receive 10 Field Passes for directors and parents that need access to the field for set-up purposes. More passes will be available at the home field gate if needed.

Guides: Representatives from the Cy Fair High School Band will meet your buses and lead you to your warm-up area. CFISD Middle School Directors will escort you from your warm-up area to the stadium.

Warm-up: You will have 30 minutes to warm-up. You may not begin your playing or marching warm-up early. (This includes percussion and auxiliary groups.) The schedule of performance times indicates warm-up Area A or B. Outside Area A is in parking LOT ‘C1’. Outside Area B is in parking LOT ‘C4’. Inside Area A will be in the Arena. Inside Area B will be in the Conference Center. Color Guard will not be allowed toss equipment in the conference center. Color Guard should stay off of the wooden floor in the arena.

During your warm-up time you will also have access to one outdoor area and one inside area. You may choose to use both the inside and outside warm-up areas. You may only warm-up during your specified warm-up time. PLEASE FACE AWAY FROM THE STADIUM WHILE USING OUTSIDE WARM-UP AREAS. Percussion need to keep the building between themselves and the stadium.

Chairs will be stacked for you in the inside warm-up areas. Contest staff will not set-up chairs. A tuner and metronome will be available for inside warm-up.

All bands must leave the warm-up area at the designated time. The travel time to the stadium will be 15 minutes. A contest official will be on hand to inform you of your time restrictions. You should synchronize your watch with that of the contest official.

Ready Position:

Bands/auxiliary groups/props will enter at the VISITOR field gate at the north end of the stadium.

Once the previous band’s performance ends, your groups will be moved into the stadium. Bands will move to the end zone/outside the sideline on the VISITOR side. Auxiliary groups and props will move forward in the ramp or onto the concrete in the end zone, behind the benches, and east of the score board. You may move onto the turf after your group is announced. A CFISD director will be there to direct your groups into place.

Pits will enter at the HOME field gate and stage along the front curb in a single file line no closer than the end zone. Pits will be allowed to move to ready position during the previous band’s performance. Pits may not block the HOME field ramp or be staged in the score board area. Pits may move onto the turf when your group is announced. A CFISD director will be there to direct your groups into place.

Five minutes before your scheduled performance time, the announcer will say: “______High School, you may take the field.” From that point, you will have 5 minutes to set up your band on the field and start your show. Activities may include warm-up and / or cadence.

At the end of four minutes, the announcer will say, “The next band to perform is the ______High School band from ______under the direction of ______. Drum Majors are______. Their program will consist of ______. Drum Major, is your band ready? pause You may begin your performance for the UIL Area Marching Band Competition.” THE BEGINNING OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WILL INDICATE THAT YOUR PERFORMANCE TIME MUST BEGIN WITH 60 SECONDS. (Example: If your announcement takes 35 seconds, then you must begin your show within 25 seconds from the end of the announcement or the clock will start.) The actual timing of the show will begin at the starting point designated by the director (after the announcement ends) or at the end of the five-minute warm-up period, whichever is earlier. Failure of a band to leave the warm-up area on time is not a valid excuse to begin a performance late. The clock will start at scheduled time.

Length of a show: From the C & C R Each competing band shall occupy the football field for not less than five minutes nor more than eight minutes. Any band which leaves the field in less than five minutes or fails to complete its performance in eight minutes shall be disqualified.

After the Performance: From the C & CR “At the conclusion of the performance, each band will have two minutes to exit the field and clear the marching surface of all equipment, instruments, and props. The use of either instrumental or verbal cadence is optional. A band that fails to be clear the field (outside the sidelines or endlines) or continues to use instrumental or verbal cadence at the end of two minutes will be disqualified.”

From the C & CR regarding Electronic Equipment and Amplification:

(4) Electronic Equipment. Electronic equipment may be used under the following provisions:

(A) All electronically produced music including narration and sound effects shall be performed live and in real time by eligible students.

(B) Pre-recorded music, instrumental or vocal, may not be used.

(5) Amplification of instruments or voice may be used with the following restriction:

(A) All equipment, such as mixers, sound boards, etc. shall be operated by eligible students.

(B) AC power cords and AC supplied amplification units shall be located outside the sidelines and endlines.

Local Ground Rules: Motorized vehicles will not be allowed in the stadium. Equipment and props must be designed in such a way that they will not damage the artificial turf. Equipment and prop wheels must be large enough to roll easily on the artificial ‘field turf.’ Sharp objects, spiked drum set legs, and similar objects will not be allowed on the turf.

Please refer to the C & C R Section 1105 (Region Marching Band Contest) and Section 1106 (Area Marching Band Contest) for all rules, regulations, and guidelines.

Video: All performances will be videoed from the camera deck of the press box. No one other than the official cameraman may gain access to the camera deck. Any other video taping equipment must be set up outside the 40 yd lines on the ‘porch’. No one will be allowed inside the judges’ area on the ‘porch’ to video.

Admission fee is $5.00; Children ages 12 and under are free, as well as senior citizens. Spectator entrance will be at ENTRANCE 5.

Band entrance to watch other performances will be at ENTRANCE 5. Band students should be in uniform or in a band t-shirt and escorted by directors or chaperones to enter without a charge. Chaperones should have chaperone badges.

Please remind parents of the “no balloons” policy!

The Contest Office will be located in the upper level of the press box. An elevator is available from outside the stadium on the home side or from any level inside the stadium. Each band will receive 1 All-Access pass to gain entry to the press box. Only 1 director per school will be allowed in the press box. The director meeting at the end of prelims and finals will be in the VIP room on the upper level of the press box.

Awards will be presented at the end of preliminaries and finals. Participating Drum Majors should report to the Home field gate at the conclusion of each part of the contest.

Concessions: The Berry Center will have concession stands on the home side open during the contest. Competing students may bring their own water bottles into the stadium. No outside food may be brought into the stadium.

Outside food vendors/grills/barbeque pits are not allowed on Berry Center property. For your catering needs (including box lunches) please contact the Berry Center catering department at

281.894.3930 or 281.894.3931 /

T-Shirts Sales: T-shirts will be for sale at ENTRANCE 5.

Video Sales: Videos will be for sale on the concourse level behind the home stands.

Please copy the following information for your parents:

SPECTATOR INFORMATION FOR UIL MARCHING CONTESTS AT BERRY CENTER

The Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Berry Center is located on the corner of West Road and Barker Cypress. The address is 8877 Barker Cypress Road, Cypress, TX 77433. Parents are asked to enter the Berry Center parking lot from the 2nd gate on West Road or from the south gate on Barker Cypress. The main entrance on Barker Cypress is for busses only. For directions please refer to: http://www.berrycenter.net/directions/driving

Spectators should park in lots E on the home side & enter the stadium through entrance 5 or 6. Admission will be $5 for the Area Marching Contest. Children 12 and under and Senior Citizens will be free.