UGA letter sent home

Greetings Parents,

This will be the third and final letter regarding Midfest.  Here are the important details that you will need for you trip to be successful.

IMPORTANT: Sign up for text messages right now.  This is important because it is how Dr. Boyd will let you know when the chair placements are posted and where your student will rehearse in Athens.  See attached flyer!

·      At this point you should have a hotel booked for Thursday and Friday nights as previously stated.

·      Remember that Parents are responsible for transportation and supervision during this event.

STUDENTS SHOULD BRING: In addition to items students will need for their overnight stay in Athens, each student should bring:

• Instruments
• All necessary accessories (reeds, mouthpieces, neck straps)
• Percussionists should bring a snare drum, sticks, and mallets.

• Folding music stand with his/her name clearly marked. • Pencils
• Concert Attire: Bring your wind ensemble concert uniform

Check in:  Mrs. Pylant  (Nate and TJs mom) will be the person who “check in” our students from Smokey Road.  Once she has checked in our students at the registration table, she will need to hand each student their Midfest name badge which is required for the student to audition for chair placements.  Please be in the lobby of the School of Music at 2:30 waiting on Mrs. Pylant so she can hand you your name badge.  Please be aware that if the line is long, it may take her additional time, but please remain in the lobby waiting.  Our experience has been that the students who audition for chair placements between 2:30-3:30 typically earn higher chair placements than students who do not audition until after 4:00pm.  It will not be Mrs. Pylant’s responsibility to hunt you down if you arrive late. 

Should an emergency arise, Mrs. Pylant’s cell phone number is ___________ (will be on the version sent home).

CAR/VAN PARKING: As at many busy university campuses and college towns, parking in Athens and at UGA is rare and expensive. Normally, the UGA Parking Services division offers a parking permit for MidFest for $5.00 per day for Thursday and Friday. Because final exams have been completed and other activities are taking place on campus, Parking Services has agreed to waive the on-campus parking fee for this year only.

Permits for the Classic Center are available for $5.00 for one day and $9.00 for two days. Parking permits for the Classic Center will be available for purchase via machines at the Classic Center. Directors may choose instead to pay to park on-street in Downtown Athens for Classic Center events at an hourly rate. Receipts are now available for much of the available downtown on-street parking.

AUDITIONS:

Winds: Play three scales/arpeggios of your choice (from the GMEA Middle School All-State requirements) and sight-reading. The audition judge may opt not to hear sight-reading.
Snare Drummers: Sight-read and perform three rudiments:

1. Long Roll 2. Flam Accent 3. Ruff

These rudiments are to be played in an open-close-open or fast-slow-fast rudimental presentation.
Timpanists: Sight-read and perform a simple tuning test.
Keyboard Percussionists: Sight-read and perform three GMEA required scales and arpeggios of your choice.
Strongest consideration will be given to those percussion students who audition on more than one percussion instrument.

Each student who auditions will be given a slip by their judge to indicate that s/he appeared at the audition. This slip will contain a code that will be used by our office to verify that a student auditioned in the event that s/he does not appear on a festival band roster. It is very important that the student or director keep up with this slip and present it to the band office on Friday morning in the event of a problem.

AUDITION RESULTS: Dr. Boyd will be emailed results on Friday morning while the students are in their clinics.  Dr. Boyd will post the results (and locations of the rehearsals on the band website and send parents a text message using the remind101 text messaging system.  Parents can then log on to www.smokeyroadbands.blogpsot.com.  to see where the chair placement, and location of their student’s band.  Parents will then transport their student to this location for the first rehearsal after the band clinics are over on Friday morning.

Concert Series:  There are concerts each night of Midfest.  We ask that students attend at least one night of concerts.  I suggest Friday night since Ola Middle School will be playing.  Ola Middle School is a band from our district (Henry County).  They were one of the bands that watched Smokey Road when we performed at UGA in 2012.  It would be nice is we showed them as much support as possible.  Feel free to attend both nights of concerts. 

INSTRUMENT STORAGE: Between rehearsals, instruments may be returned to your hotel, stored in a vehicle, or stored in the rehearsal venues. Though rehearsal facilities will be locked between rehearsals, the safety of unattended instruments cannot be guaranteed. The University of Georgia and the Classic Center are not responsible for the loss of any unattended belongings.

DIRECTIONS

• The University of Georgia Police Emergency 911
Non-emergency (706) 542-2200

• Athens Regional Medical Center 1199 Prince Avenue
Athens, Georgia 30606
(706) 475-7000

• The Classic Center classiccenter.com

TO CHECK-IN, HODGSON SCHOOL OF MUSIC
TRAVELING SOUTH TO ATHENS: Follow U.S. 29, GA 106, U.S.441, or U.S. 129 South to Athens. Each Joins GA 10 Loop (Athens Perimeter). Exit at College Station Road (Exit #7) and turn right. Turn right at the first light onto River Road. Stay right at the fork. Pass the School of Art and Hodgson School of Music, then turn left into Lot E-11. Continue up hill directly into PAC Deck.

TRAVELING NORTH TO ATHENS: Follow Highway 441 / 129 North to Athens. Each joins GA 10 Loop (Athens Perimeter). Take Loop 10 eastbound (Outer). Exit at College Station Road (Exit #7) and turn left. Turn right at the second light onto River Road. Stay right at the fork. Pass the School of Art and Hodgson School of Music, then turn left into Lot E-11. Continue up hill directly into PAC Deck.

TRAVELING EAST TO ATHENS: Travel east on U.S. 78 or GA 316 to Athens. If traveling on U.S. 78, exit onto GA 316 East. Turn right onto the Athens Perimeter (GA Loop 10) traveling East (There is a sign for the University of Georgia/Athens By-Pass at the junction of GA 316 and the 10 Loop). After approximately five miles on the Perimeter, exit onto College Station Road (Exit #7). Take a left onto College Station Road. Turn right at the second light onto River Road. Stay right at the fork. Pass the School of Art and Hodgson School of Music, then turn left into Lot E-11. Continue up hill directly into PAC Deck.

TRAVELING WEST TO ATHENS: Take U.S. 78 West to Athens. In Athens, travel under the Athens Perimeter (GA Loop 10) then take a left at the next traffic light onto the Perimeter going westbound. Exit the Perimeter at the next exit, which is College Station Road (Exit #7). Turn right onto College Station Road. Stay in the right lane and turn right at the first light.

FROM SCHOOL OF MUSIC TO BUS PARKING, S. MILLEDGE ATHLETIC COMPLEX

Exit Lot E-11 and turn right onto River Road. Merge onto the River Road Loop and remain in the right lane. At the crosswalk turn right past the Art School and Georgia Museum of Art. At the traffic light, turn left onto East Campus Road. Follow East Campus Road 1 mile past College Station Road. At second traffic light, turn left on Milledge Avenue. Proceed 1.3 miles on Milledge Avenue, then turn right into the South Milledge Athletic Complex.

FROM SCHOOL OF MUSIC TO FOUNDRY STREET BALLROOMS, CLASSIC CENTER (CHANGED FROM 2012)

Exit Lot E-11 and turn left onto River Road. At dead end, turn right onto East Campus Road. Follow East Campus Road through light at Williams/Baldwin Street (East Campus Road becomes Thomas Street here). At Broad Street, turn 90-degrees right onto East Broad (“Farmers” Building should be on your right at the end of the turn). Turn left immediately on Foundry Street. Pass by parking deck, under walkway, past brick buildings, then right into Classic Center Foundry Street Entrance. Proceed behind the building to the short staircase and glass doors. Students should enter here. If you wish to park here, enter the through the glass doors and purchase a Classic Center Parking Permit from the machine and display it as directed.

Friday Lunch and Photo:  Let’s plan on eating Lunch together at the Varsity.  We will take a picture together during lunch to be sent in to the paper.  Everyone who wants to be in the picture, please attend.

Parents are reminded that while Dr. Boyd will be at the clinic late Thursday night and all day Friday, it is the responsibility of the parent to transport and supervise the students during the clinic.  Dr. Boyd will have to be back in Newnan Saturday morning for Point University Graduation and will not be present on Saturday for the concerts.