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The Director's Note
The column by the director of bands himself
Mr. D. Alan Fowler

The year is rolling along.  We've played at 7 football games and soon will have completed our second marching band contest.  The Pride's field show is our most comprehensive ever and it is proving to be quite entertaining.  As the marching season progresses, we are turning our attention toward concert music, our fall concert (on Nov. 2nd) and the other aspects of our band program.

If you are a band parent, thanks for encouraging your child to participate in OUR band, and if you are a band member, I hope you get a lot out of your time in the Eastside Band - Thank you!  And if you are just a friend of the band or a visitor to our site, any support you can give us will be greatly appreciated.  GO EAGLES ... and GO BAND!!!

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05.04.2010

This is an exciting month - Performances, getting the MB cranked-up for 2010, Graduation Band, yearbooks, parties, Rookie Days, the Band Banquet, Jazz Band gigs, and the Class of '10 Graduation.  Also, we get to welcome the incoming 9th graders on board.  This time of year is always bitter-sweet as we see our seniors off but we get to welcome new folks on board.  Don't miss any of the events.

Please stay IN-TUNE via the website and students - PRACTICE!  Next year is shaping up to be terrific!

Also, CONGRATULATIONS to the Newton County Governor's Honors Program contingent!  This is an extreme honor, and all three representatives are members of the EASTSIDE BAND.  They are Wesley Chambers, Melissa Greer, & Chris Waters.  See the article in the Covington News here - http://www.covnews.com/news/article/12240/

Let's wrap up the year in style!

-Mr. F

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03.29.2010

It's the Spring and things are beginning to crank up for next year.  Keep up with the calendar and as soon as marching band dates are able to be announced they will be.  The NCSS calendar is still being debated and as a result some of our dates cannot be pinned down.  As I aways say - STAY TUNED!

Students - PRACTICE!  Parents - Please encourage your kids to practice.

Thanks for making the Eastside band what it is!

-Mr. F

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08.29.2009

The football season is here, school and marching band are in full swing.  The kids have been great!  Thanks.

A special thanks needs to go out to everyone for their efforts last Thursday at the Eastside vs. Heritage scrimmage game.  The evening was shut down a little early for us due to the lightening in the area, but a lot went into having the band and the concessions and boosters there and you should all know your efforts were appreciated.

Next week - the cool jerseys, a long bus ride to Hamilton, GA, and the first varsity game of the year - GO EAGLES!

Please check the website often.  Thuis year we are able to update the site from school (which has been a problem the last couple of years) so expect to see more and more information here for you.

Take care and thanks to everyone who's efforts will make this year a terrific one for The Pride of Eastside Eagle Bands!

Kindly,

-Mr. F

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 04.15.2009

The year has flown by and we are in the process of wrapping this one up and getting ready for 2009-10.  The marching band plans are coming together and by the weekend you should be able to be able to find the rest of the Spring's scheulde and the Summer schedule posted here on the band's website - so keep checking back.

When you get your marching band information in the mail, please get your deposit in as soon as possible.  Much of the necessary planning depends on you!

The calendar is the best place to stay aware of what is happening with the band, and please do not hesitate to call or e-mail with questions.

Take care - and GO EAGLES!

-Mr. F

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02.09.2009

The 2nd Semester is moving right along and the year seems to be flying by.  There is always a lot going on with the Eagle Bands so we ask that you stay tuned through our website.

The big event this 9 weeks is the annual GMEA-sponsored District Large Group Performance Evaluation Festival.  This year's event will again be held at Miller Grove HS in Lithonia and our Concert & Symphonic Bands will be performing on Friday March 13th.  The Concert Band is slated to perform at 4:20 in the afternoon and the Symphonic Band performance will take place at 7:30 that night.  There is a lot of work to be done between now and then if the bands are going to excel and it is important for the students to be at all the rehearsals.  Do check the calendar pages for updates.

A soecial event added to the calendar this semester is the Dallas Brass performance on Friday, March 6th.  Many of our students will be performing in concert with the Dallas Brass and plans are being made for the band students to attend a workshop/clinic that Friday mroning at Newton HS.

The calendar is the best place to see what else will be happening the rest of the year and please do not hesitate to call or e-mail with questions.

Take care - and GO BAND!

-Mr. F

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09.10.2008

Welcome Back!  We are now in full swing here at Eastside with the concert bands and the marching band.  The fall is off to a great start and we are on track to have a terrific year.

We have had some difficulting editing our website in recent weeks, but the Google Calendar link is working and is updated through the end of 2008.  So stay tuned and get involved! 

Mr. F

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05.16.2008

The end of the year is upon us!  I hope everyone has a great summer and for those of us getting ready for the marching band, we should have a terrific year.  Don't miss the upcoming marching band reharsals if you are in town - The last Thurs. & Fri. in May and the last Thurs. & Fri. in June.  Check out the calendar.

The Annual Band Awards Ceremony will be held next Monday here at Eastside and I hope you can all come out for the festivities.

Congratulations to our Class of 2008 Band Seniors.  We certainly wish all of them well as they take on the real world.  And all of the band memebrs are invited to the End-of-the-Year Pool Party next Friday afternoon.  Maps will be available Monday.

Mr. F

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Some classic Director's Notes from the past can be seen below ... enjoy! 

04.02.07

Well, we made it!  It's Spring Break and we will have just a few weeks to go once we return to school on April 9th.  Speaking of April 9th, please get out there and sell those Coke products - we have all of the orders in on the Monday we return from the break.

Do check out the calendar, there are a lot of events planned from now until the end of the school year and we should make the most of all of them.

Take care and PRACTICE!

Peace,

      Mr. F

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10.2.06

Hello Everybody!  Well, we made it to another Fall Break.  It is hard to believe that more than a quarter of our year has passed.  It's been 11 weeks since we first assembled the 2006 Pride of Eastside.

As the fall progresses, we will be getting more and more into the concert music and there will still be plenty to do with the marching band.  Stay on the ball and please practice.  What we are able to accomplish is directly relative to how much the band members practice.

Take care and have a great break!

-Mr. F

8.12.06

The Pride of Eastside was honored to be invited to perform this morning at the ceremony welcoming home the citizen-soldiers of the National Guard 's Company B, based right here in Covington, Georgia.  The band did a tremendous job and again exemplified the best of what our students have to give back to their community.  Thank you band members.

We are quickly approaching the start of the football season and with Victorie leading the band, we are all excited about the prospects for this fall. 

Please e-mail me or the Band Booster officers to find out where your help is needed as we prepare to host the first game of the year on Friday, September 1 versus our crosstown rivals, the Rams of Newton HS.

Also encourage your child(ren) to practice,  There is vast untapped potential among the Eastside Band's members and with practice, nothing can hold us back.

GO EAGLES!!!

-Mr. F

8.07.06

School has started again and The Pride has been back at work for weeks.  As always, there is a lot of activity around the band room and there are very few dull moments.

Be sure to check the Weekly Band Agenda regularly and if your a band student, PRACTICE!

We hope you enjoy the pictures and some of the new additions to the website.  Please e-mail the webmaster with ideas.

Mr. F

6.07.06

Aloha Everyone!

We are back from our trip to Hawaii and it was incredible.  It is too early to know where or when our next trip might take us, but where ever we go, you can expect it to be a blast.  Over the past several years, we have been to Florida, Toronto, Chicago, and many points in between.  Each trip we have taken has been terrific and I my only regrets each time is that more kids were not along for the ride. 

Now it is time for me to dig in and prepare for the 10th Anniversary Season of The Pride of Eastside.  As always, there is a lot to do, but next year should be exciting.  Marching Band People: Don't forget to come on out next Thursday (June 15th) at 7:00pm if you are in town.  I plan to have music for you then.

Take care and keep checking the site.  We have a plan in place for more regular updating to take place as we move forward into next year, so as I like to say - "Stay in tune with The Eagle Bands!"

A special Mahalo Nui Loa to all the parents and adults that made the trip; your help was immeasurable and in large part responsible for having everything run so smoothly.

Kindly,

   -Mr. F

5.27.06

Congratulations Seniors!  You made it.  As for the rest of us, I hope you are all looking forward to a relaxing summer and the new exciting year.

We start up with our Thursday evening marching band get togethers on Thurs., June 15.  Also, we always have a good time with the balloons in the 4th of July Parade in Atlanta.

A special thanks to everyone who participated in the Graduation Band.  Great Job!  And finally, get those marching band deposits in.

Aloha -

      Mr. F

5.12.06

I know, I know - it has been too long!  The spring has just been so very busy and eventful that I have not posted a Director's Note in several weeks.  Well, here it is:

The 05-06 School Year is drawing to a close.  The Band Banquet, Graduation, and Hawaii are the big things on the horizon.  Just beyond those three events (and a few restful weeks) awaits . . . THE PRIDE OF EASTSIDE'S 10th ANNIVERSARY SEASON.  Don't miss out on the excitement and the FUN.

We will be inviting alumni back and we will be celebrating with some of the great tunes from our past.  If you are planning to march next year, get those deposits in.

We are also in the process of adding pages to our site, so there will always be a reason to check out - www.prideofeastside.org

  3.3.06

Pre-Festival went pretty well and we now are entering "Crunch Time" of the Festival Season.  Please plan to come out to Stephenson HS on Thursday and/or Saturday, March 16 + 18, to support our kids and our bands.  Stephenson is easy to get to - it is about 10 minutes noth and west of Stonecrest Mall.  (I will send home and post directions later.)

As you can imagine, we are quite busy around the bandroom and between Colorguar d and In-d oor Drumline, all of the wind instruments, there is never a dull moment around the EHS Bands.

Be sure to stay on top of things by keeping up with the WBAs:

   The Weekly Band Agenda   The Next Week's WBA

Kindly,

     -Mr. F

1.20.06

Things are cooking right along here as we move toward the nd of January.  the next big event on the band calendar is the Festival Clinic on Saturday, February 4 from 9-1.  If you are in one of those bands, or your child is , please make plans to be here as we bring in special instructors to help us prepare for GMEA LGPE which is right around the corner.

keep checking the website and PRACTICE!

                    -Mr. F

1.06.06

Welcome to 2006!  It has been a whirlwind of a week and there is much to look forward to this semester.  Please keep checking the website regularly as it is my goal to get pages updated more frequently and a complete spring semester calendar will be up in the next week or so.

I hope everyone had a terrificChristmas and New Year and that the band members are excited about the music making and fun we will have this spring.  For many of us the trip to Hawai is right around the corner, but for everyone I hope just being a part of THE PRIDE is a terrific experience. 

Be sure to stay on top of things by keeping up with the WBAs:

   The Weekly Band Agenda   The Next Week's WBA

Thanks and Aloha,

-Mr. F

eagles