DGN Trojan Marching Band Ready For London!

The members of the Trojan Marching Band held their final full-practice in preparation for the 2019 London New Year's Day Parade, culminating with a performance for family and friends. The band is poised to make a strong musical and visual contribution to the parade. Congratulations to the students and staff of the band for the hard work that has gone into preparing for the upcoming tour, and thank you to our family members for your support and encouragement!

Video of the TV Zone is available HERE. 

December 15 Practice Details

Our next London Parade practice (and final rehearsal with instruments!) is Saturday, December 15, from 11 AM - 3 PM. 

In addition to practicing the TV Zone performance drill, we will spend time outside, practicing our parade marching and conditioning for a 2-mile parade. Like last week, students should wear layers, and make sure they are dressed appropriately to work outside in the cold temperatures. 

NOTE: Students are asked to wear both their LONDON TOUR T-SHIRT and their MARCHING BAND SHOES to this practice.

All students will bring their instruments, in their cases, to the Field House as practice begins. Cases will be left in the same location they were stored at the Dec. 8 practice.

Beginning at 2:30 PM, family and friends are invited to observe our practice and see several repetitions of the band's TV Zone performance routine. Visitors are asked to arrive in the Field House no earlier than 2:15 PM. 

At approximately 2:50 PM students will be dismissed and asked to place their marching band gloves into their uniform garment bag. This will be the last time students will see their garment bag before it is shipped to London. 

At 3:00 PM, any student shipping their instrument in advance may check it in with Mr. Teague. If a student is planning on using that same instrument to perform with Pep Band on Saturday evening, they will keep the instrument and check it in at the conclusion of the Pep Band performance.

Live Video Broadcasts of London Tour Performances

We have been advised that both the London New Year's Day Parade (Marching Band), and the Cadogan Hall concert (Wind Ensemble), will be live-streamed HERE. Video will also be available on the LNYDP Facebook page. 

https://tinyurl.com/LNYDP18-19LiveStream

LNYDP Concert Series

29th December 2018
7:30 pm (LONDON)

1:30 PM (CST)

Performance Line Up: 

Stillwater High School Philharmonic String Orchestra
Downers Grove North High School Wind Ensemble + Gaudete Brass Quintet

Interval

Desert Mountain High School Symphonic Orchestra
Mountain View High School Wind Ensemble

LNYDP - NEW YEAR'S DAY PARADE

1st January 2019
12:00 pm (LONDON)

6:00 AM (CST)

December 8 Practice Details

Our next London Parade practice is Saturday, December 8, from 11 AM - 3 PM. 

In addition to practicing the TV Zone performance drill, we will spend time outside, practicing our parade marching and conditioning for a 2-mile parade. Students should wear layers, and make sure they are dressed appropriately to work outside in the cold temperatures. (This might be a good time to test-out some of the thermal underwear you may have purchased for the trip!) 

NOTE: Students are asked to wear their MARCHING BAND SHOES to this practice.

During a portion of the practice, we will be distributing case-stickers to all participants (with the London Tour logo), and doing final measurements of some cases. All students will be asked to bring their instruments, in their cases, to the Field House as practice begins. This includes Sousaphones, who will need to retrieve their cases from the upstairs storage area.

London Tour Practice Schedule UPDATE

We have made several slight adjustments to our practice schedule to make up for the cancelled practice originally slated for November 26.

Please note, as well, that we have added a short "walk through" practice on Saturday, December 22. Even though our marching instruments will have already been shipped to London, we feel it is important to give our students one final opportunity to practice the TV Zone choreography prior to departure. Considering that we will not have a space large enough to practice the TV Zone routine while on the ground in London, it will be over TWO WEEKS from our final rehearsal with instruments (Dec. 15) until the day we perform for millions of people (January 1). This is why we have added the December 22 walk-through; we want students to feel confident in their memorization of the TV zone drill sets. If your family has already made plans to be out of town on December 22, parents/guardians are asked to send an email to Mr. Smith or Mr. Teague to alert us to that fact. Students with previous plans to be out of town will be excused from the December 22 walk-through, but we hope to have the vast majority of all traveling students with us for that short practice. Thank you in advance for working to make this final practice opportunity a priority. 

• Saturday, December 1: 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM (NO CHANGE)
• Saturday, December 8: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM (Extended 1 hour)
• Saturday, December 15: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM (Extended 1 hour) *
• Saturday, December 22: 12:00 - 2:00 PM (ADDED 'Walk Through' Practice)

* Parents/guardians/family are invited to arrive in the Field House at 2:30 PM to view our final run-through of the TV Zone performance. Instrument packing will commence at 3:00 PM for those shipping instruments. Any student planning to perform with Pep Band that evening will not pack their instrument until AFTER the Pep Band performance.

Nov. 26 Practice Cancelled

District 99 has cancelled all classes and co-curricular activities for Monday, November 26. This includes the London New Year's Day Parade practice scheduled for 6:30 - 8:30 PM.

We will extend one or more of our scheduled Saturday practices (Dec. 1, Dec. 8 and/or Dec. 15) to make up for the lost instructional/practice minutes. We will message out an adjusted schedule as soon as we are able to confirm practice spaces.

In the meantime, stay safe, and work on memorizing your London music. That's a GREAT snow-day activity! 

Flight Group Airline Details

Thank you to all our families for their attendance at tonight's meeting, and your assistance in navigating a lot of paperwork/details!

THIS DOCUMENT was referenced tonight, but inadvertently omitted from your packet. The document contains the flight group airline details.

https://tinyurl.com/dgnLondonFlightDetails

Official Tour Itinerary via Google Calendar

You may now subscribe to the Tour Itinerary Google Calendar, and sync it with your smartphone, tablet, Chromebook, etc. Click HERE.

https://tinyurl.com/DGNLondonBandCalendar

Please note: With the exception of USA departure and arrival events, all times are pre-entered in GMT:00:00 (London Time). This will allow the events to appear in local time when a student musician's phone transitions to local time in London. 

London Practices Underway!

The DGN Trojan Marching Band held two special practices this week to begin learning their TV-Zone routine for the London New Year's Day Parade. The 2019 Parade will feature over 10,000 participants from the Unites States and countries throughout Europe. With a street audience of 500,000, and a TV audience that will exceed 300,000,000, band members are motivated to showcase their passion for music while representing Illinois in this prestigious international event. 

Box Lunch on New Year's Day

All London musicians are asked to register their January 1st Box Lunch preference using THIS form. Participants must be logged into their browser with their CSD99 credentials in order to complete the form.

https://tinyurl.com/paradeboxlunch

Please completed the form no later than Friday, November 9.

Final London Payments Due November 8

Final payment for the London New Year's Day Parade Tour is due Thursday, November 8.

Please CLICK HERE to log-in and make your payment.

When you log-in to your account, the payment portal will show your family the final balance due on your account.

Your family has the option of dividing up the remaining balance into smaller payments issued online between now and November 8, but it is very important that every participating student's account is paid in full by November 8. 

Passport / Medical Forms - Complete and Bring To Nov. 15 Meeting

We have two forms that should be printed at home and brought (already completed) to the mandatory participant/guardian tour meeting on Thursday, November 15 (7 PM). 

1) Passport Copy Form

2) Medical / Medical Insurance Card Copy Form

Families are asked to print these forms at home, and complete the forms prior to attending the meeting on November 15. Please note that you will need to make copies of your passport, and medical insurance cards, and attach them to our forms as instructed.

Parade Grandstand Seating On Sale via Ticketmaster

Are you making arrangements for your own independent trip to London in support of the DGN Band, and want to purchase Parade Grandstand Seats for the London New Year's Day Parade? Follow THIS link for ticket purchases. 

Note: If you are a member of the official DGN Band "TAG ALONG" tour, organized by Ms. Merilos, tickets for Grandstand Seats are already included in your package. You do NOT need to purchase tickets independently. 

The DGN Band "TAG ALONG" Tour Grandstand Seats are currently arranged for Grandstand #12, but this is subject to change.

Tickets are NOT required to view the parade. The majority of parade spectators will stand along the parade route. 

London Tour Practice Schedule

We have finalized the schedule for the Marching Band to practice in the Field House and on our Stadium Track in preparation for the London New Year's Day Parade performance. A series of required special rehearsals are needed to teach the TV Zone marching routine that will be broadcast world-wide to millions of viewers on January 1, 2019.

The following rehearsals will be held in preparation for the tour:

• Tuesday, November 6: 6:30 - 8:30 PM
• Thursday, November 8: 6:30 - 8:30 PM
• Tuesday, November 13: 6:30 - 8:30 PM
• Thursday, November 15: 7:00 PM - Required Parent/Guardian/Participant Meeting
• Monday, November 26: 6:30 - 8:30 PM
• Saturday, December 1: 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
• Saturday, December 8: 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
• Saturday, December 15: 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Cadogan Hall Concert Tickets Now On Sale

Are you making arrangements for your own independent trip to London in support of the DGN Band, and want to purchase tickets to hear the DGN Wind Ensemble at Cadogan Hall on Saturday, December 29 (7:30 PM)? Follow THIS link for independent ticket purchases. 

https://lnydp.com/festivals/concerts/

Note: If you are a member of the official DGN Band "TAG ALONG" tour, organized by Ms. Merilos, tickets to this concert are already included in your package. You do NOT need to purchase tickets independently. 

Also, DGN Band members do not need to purchase tickets. 

Express Roommate Requests by October 3

Students on tour will be housed - primarily - two persons in each room. Tour participants do not need to request a specific roommate, but if they would like to, they may do so using the link below.
Please read the following guidelines carefully:
Your submitted request MUST MATCH the request submitted by the person you wish to room with. For example:

If B. Teague submits a form that requests J. Smith as a roommate, and J. Smith submits a form that requests B. Teague, then the request will be considered by staff.

If P. Casey submits a form that requests C. Zaragoza as a roommate, but C. Zaragoza doesn't submit a roommate request (or requests a different person), then the request will not be considered by staff.

Roommates must be of the same biological gender. If there are any circumstances that you feel our staff should consider, relative to gender identity, you may speak to our staff privately.

Roommates may not be two persons who are currently, or were previously, in a known romantic relationship.

Requests do not guarantee assignment/placement. When considering roommate requests, staff decisions will be guided by demonstrated student behavior and responsibility of the individual(s) making the roommate request. Final roommate placements are at the discretion of the instructional staff charged with executing the tour.

Students who do not request a specific roommate will be assigned to room with someone that the staff feels will be compatible socially. Often we will pair students together who play the same instrument, or are in the same grade-level.

All roommate requests are due by Wednesday, October 3 at 9:00 PM.

All tour participants should CLICK HERE to fill out the Roommate Request survey. Please note that students must be signed-in with their CSD99 credentials to access the survey.

London Payment - $700 Due September 2

The next payment for the London New Year's Day Parade Tour ($700) is due Sunday, September 2.

Please CLICK HERE to log-in and make your payment.

As a reminder, travelers who are purchasing the "Land Only" package (meaning they are making private arrangements to fly to and from London with family members), should not pay more than $2,275 - total - into the online payment portal. 

Official Tour Dates Confirmed

The DGN Band London tour will depart Chicago on Wednesday, December 26, and will return to Chicago on Wednesday, January 2. 

Because of the size of our traveling group, we expect to be divided in at least two, if not three, flight groups. Specific flight details will be announced once we receive the information from our travel partner in October.

London Tour Rehearsals and Required Parent/Guardian Meeting - Save The Dates!

DGN Fine Arts has been working with the DGN Athletic Department to reserve space for the Marching Band to practice in the Field House and on our Stadium Track in preparation for the London New Year's Day Parade performance. A series of special rehearsals are needed to teach the TV Zone marching routine that will be broadcast world-wide to millions of viewers on January 1, 2019.

Please hold the following dates and times for our London Marching Band tour rehearsals. In some cases, as noted, we are asking musicians to hold windows of time that will be narrowed once we have confirmation of facility availability from the Athletic Department.

• Tuesday, November 6: 6:00 - 8:00 PM
• Thursday, November 8: 6:00 - 8:00 PM
• Tuesday, November 13: 6:00 - 8:00 PM
• Thursday, November 15: 7:00 PM - Required Parent/Guardian/Participant Meeting
• Monday, November 26: 6:00 - 8:00 PM
• Saturday, December 1: 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM (specific practice time TBA)
• Saturday, December 8: 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM (specific practice time TBA)
• Saturday, December 15: 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM (specific practice time TBA)

Required Passenger Survey Due August 1

Tour participant families are asked to check parent/guardian email accounts for new information, sent July 21, about a required Passenger Information Survey. This survey, which will need to be filled out collaboratively by participant and parent/guardian, must be completed no later than August 1.

We are not providing the link to the survey on this Blog post. You must access the survey from the email that was sent on July 21 to the parent/guardian email address. If your family did not receive the survey email, please contact Mr. Teague.

Thank you!