YHS Bands Update: 1 September 2025
| This Week | Monday9/1 | Tuesday9/2 | Wednesday9/3 | Thursday9/4 | Friday9/5 | Saturday9/6 |
| Holiday –Labor Day | Even | Odd | Even | Odd | ||
| YMB | Leadership Mtg: 3:15 pm-Rehearsal: Winds 4:30 – 7; Percussion 5:15 – 7:45; Guard 6 – 8:30 pmField 2 | Rehearsal:6:30 – 9 pmStadium Turf | Rehearsal:3:30 – 5 pmField 2 | Home Football vs. Jackson Reed HS:5:15 pm Report | Mini-Camp: 9 am – 4 pmStadium Turf9/11 5K Performance:5 – 7:30 pm | |
| SRO | Audition Registration Closes @ 3:30 | |||||
| AVJE | Audition Registration Opens | |||||
| Parents/Families | YMB Preview: 8 to 9 pm |
Director’s Notes:
I hope everyone had an enjoyable four-day weekend following our first four days of school! The YMB welcomed students and staff into the building on Monday and we spent the week getting to know each other in the band classes and doing administrative tasks like assigning lockers and school-owned instruments.
New/Updated info is italicized
YMB – Friday
We will take group pictures on Friday in the courtyard. Please report by 5:15 to allow time to put on uniforms.
YMB – Saturday
Saturday is our Mini-Camp from 9 am to 4 pm on the turf field where we will learn the drill to Part 4. You will need to pack a lunch or have one brought to you at the stadium by noon. The winds and percussion will leave for the 9/11 5K performance around 5. Pizza is provided by the event. We will be back to Yorktown around 7:30 p.m. 3 or 4 Chaperones needed.
YMB Preview
Parents and families are always welcome to visit our stadium rehearsals to see what we are working on, but this week we are specifically inviting you all to rehearsal on Wednesday for a preview show. Come around 8:00 and observe some of the process. Around 8:45, we will perform a couple of runs of parts one and two of our show, which we will perform at the first home football game on Friday. Please attend to see what the YMB students have been up to!
Band Day is September 13 – ALL BAND STUDENTS
Band Day is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and we need all hands on deck! All band students should plan to participate, and adult volunteers are needed to drive students through the Yorktown boundary to solicit donations for the band program. The funds support all aspects of the Yorktown Band program, including concert bands, jazz band, marching band, fall guard, winter guard, and indoor percussion. Students may have registered in class, but can register here if they have not. Please consider signing up to assist as a driver and/or to bring breakfast food for the students that morning. Visit the Band Day Parent Volunteer Sign Up Genius. Watch for CutTime emails from Yorktown Band Boosters with more information.
Senior Regional Orchestra (SRO) Auditions
Senior Regional Orchestra (SRO) is an honors ensemble selected by audition. The North Eastern SRO is an extremely competitive audition recommended for advanced players. The audition for winds and percussion is Monday, September 29, at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Audition information is available here (you must be logged in to Google with your APS account to view it). *New this year* Students will be responsible for registering themselves and paying their audition fee. Register to audition here by 3:30 pm on September 5.
All-Virginia Jazz Ensemble Auditions
AVJE audition registration is Sep. 2 – Oct. 2 and virtual auditions are to be recorded and submitted Oct. 3 – 6. Link to info.
Parent/Caretaker Info
Please fill out this form to share/update adult information for Yorktown Band Boosters. If you have not received emails through CutTime, please make sure you do this.
School-owned Instrument Rental
A contract must be completed for each school-owned instrument a student uses at any point during the school year (including marching band season). If your student is using or needs to use a school-owned instrument, please complete the contract electronically attached to this Parent Square message. Alternatively, a hard copy of the contract can be downloaded here and either electronically or physically returned to Mr. Witkowski.
| Next Week | Monday9/8 | Tuesday9/9 | Wednesday9/10 | Thursday9/11 | Friday9/12 | Saturday9/13 |
| Even | Odd | Even | Odd | Even | ||
| ALL | Band Day:8:30 – 1:30 (approx..) | |||||
| YMB | Leadership Mtg: 3:15 pm-Rehearsal: Winds 4:30 – 7; Percussion 5:15 – 7:45; Guard 6 – 8:30 pmField 2 | Rehearsal:6:30 – 9 pmStadium Turf | Rehearsal:3:30 – 5 pmField 2 | Mini-Camp: 9 am – 4 pmStadium Turf9/11 5K Performance:5 – 7:30 pm | ||
| Parents/Families | YBB Meeting:6 pm | Volunteer for Band Day |
On the Horizon:
- September 19: Home Football vs. Langley (Rising Patriots Night & Spin with the Patriots)
- September 27: YMB Competition #1: VMBC Herndon
- September 29: SRO Auditions @ TJHSST
- October 2: AVJE Registration Closes
Outside (Non-YHS/APS) Opportunities
- Légère is having a back-to-school sale on their high-quality synthetic reeds. These are especially great for marching band.
- Virginia Tech Marching Virginians invite students to join the annual “MV For A Day” event on Saturday, September 13th as the Hokies take on Old Dominion. This is a unique opportunity for high school students to experience the unmatched atmosphere in Lane Stadium! Info and registration here.
- The Cathedral Brass is currently enrolling students for their brass youth ensemble. This is an opportunity for brass players with 2+ years of experience at all levels to work under the tutelage of John Cradler, retired tuba player with “The President’s Own” USMC Band. No auditions are required, and students will work in a non-competitive, teamwork environment. Flier
- UVA Band Day – November 8—experience what it’s like to be a Cavalier Marching Band member on a gameday!
- Washington Performing Arts 2025-26 season
- Oct. 18: Third Coast Percussion with Salar Nader, tabla
- (likely to conflict with YMB Competition)
- Nov. 8: Twincussion
- Oct. 18: Third Coast Percussion with Salar Nader, tabla
Student Happenings
If you/your student have any events coming up like recitals, concerts with outside groups, sporting events, etc., let me know and I am happy to include them in the updates so we can support you!
YHS Bands Calendar
The most up-to-date calendar can always be viewed at https://yorktownband.org/WP/calendar/. I have also created a “list” calendar that is available at https://bit.ly/yhs-band-cal.
Also, you can add the YHS Bands Google Calendar to yours. Follow these steps:
- On your computer, open Google Calendar.
- On the left, next to “Other calendars,” click Add
From URL. - Enter the YHS Bands calendar’s address.
- Click Add calendar. The calendar appears on the left, under “Other calendars.”Tip:It might take up to 12 hours for changes to show in your Google Calendar.
From URL.Social Media:
Join our followers on Instagram by following @yorktownbands today!