Band Camp Information

Dates: August 20 or 22 – August 27, 2023
Dorm Check-In:
WMB Council, Drumline, Colorguard: August 20, 9 a.m.– noon at your dorm.
Winds and Front Ensemble: August 22, 9 a.m.– noon. at your dorm.
If you are living on campus, you MUST check-in at this time. Try to get in as early as possible.
Band Camp Registration: August 22, 10 a.m.– noon at the PCAC

Winds: part auditions should be held over the summer, but any remaining auditions (for limited parts) will be held on the first day. Your section leader will tell you what to prepare. Generally, players with stronger high ranges will be placed on first parts (especially for brass instruments). Mellophones, baritones, sousaphones, and requested instruments will be signed out at registration. You do not need to bring music with you. We are going paperless so please bring a portable charger for your phone.

Battery Percussionists: placement auditions will be held in August. Find out more and register here. On the first day of camp, you will be assigned a drum and carrier or a pair of cymbals for the season. Each member will pay a fee that will cover your first pair of sticks, mallets, or cymbal gloves (average cost). Replacements will be at your own expense, so take care of them. You do not need to bring music. New copies will be handed out. Please provide a 3-ring binder with sheet protectors to hold your music. We will also be going paperless in the stands so please bring a portable charger for your phone.

Front Ensemble Percussionists: please touch base with us as soon as possible. Our front ensemble is unique in that it is nearly 100% electronic. Music and the number of stations are customized to our exact number of players each year. We do not currently have auditions but may request some information or a short video from you if we don't already know you. Low stress. We just want to write appropriate music for your strengths. Each member will pay a fee to cover mallets. Replacements will be at your own expense, so please take care of them. You do not need to bring music. New copies will be handed out. Please provide a 3-ring binder with sheet protectors to hold your music.

Lunch and dinner will be provided by the band for most meals, starting with dinner on your first day (most students elect to have lunch with their families on the first day, so this will be on your own).  There will be one section dinner this year that you will be responsible for (pasta party at someone’s apartment, pizza and subs, etc.)
Please note that breakfast will not be provided by the band. This is because many students choose to sleep longer and eat on their own rather than make the trip to the dining hall. Eat breakfast each day. If you do not order bagel breakfasts from Kappa Kappa Psi, you may get breakfast at the dining hall, grab a quick breakfast downtown, or stock breakfast items for the week to eat in your dorm room. 

Parking rules are in full effect during band camp. If you will have a car on campus during the school year, you may park in your assigned lot during the week. If you will not have a car on campus for the school year, it is not recommended that you bring one to band camp. If, for some reason, you do need your car for band camp, you may purchase daily visitor’s permits from the visitor’s center in A lot. See the UNH Parking webpage for more info. Students are not authorized to drive to the field (you may park in A-Lot if you have an appropriate permit). UNH is a walking campus, so you shouldn’t need a car to get around.

An updated calendar and band camp schedule will be available on your arrival day. The band camp schedule will have a detailed breakdown of what we will be doing each day. Please note the football playoff dates. These are required, but we won’t know for sure whether or not the band will be attending these games until the week before each game. For most playoff games, we will attend only if the game is at UNH or within reasonable driving distance. If we make it to the NCAA division I-FCS finals in Texas, the band will attend that game. All of this will be discussed in more detail throughout the season, but please plan accordingly.

Uniforms will be fitted and checked out during band camp. You will be responsible for keeping and maintaining all parts of your uniform throughout the season. More information about this will be in the WMB handbook.

Photos will be taken by the WMB Media Team again this year. We will have a photo shoot on a date to be announced. Full-band photos, section photos, and individual photos will be taken and available online.

Students with class conflicts with our regular rehearsals should look into finding a different section of the conflicting course. If another section exists but is closed, we may be able to get you into it anyway. If you cannot avoid the conflict and it is a required course for your major, then you will need to fill out a simple form with the band stating that you have this conflict, so that we know about it. More information will be given out at band camp. CONFLICTS ARE STRONGLY DISCOURAGED AS IT AFFECTS OUR PERFORMANCE LEVEL AS AN ENSEMBLE.

If you have not registered for the marching band course yet, you must do so by September 6. This can be done through Webcat. You may take it for either 0 or 1 credit (no difference in expectations). MUSI 454.

For extenuating circumstances that will require you to miss a rehearsal or performance, an excused absence form is available on the website. We will discuss what qualifies as an excused or unexcused absence when we go over the handbook during band camp. Please do not schedule anything that conflicts with WMB activities. Also note that work does not constitute an excused absence, so keep this in mind when developing a schedule with your employer.

The following is a list of items you should bring. Because you are moving in for the semester, some are items you will need for band camp, and some are items you will need at other points during the season.

• All of your belongings for the semester
• Health form (if you didn’t already submit it)
• Instrument in good working condition with all necessary supplies (reeds, oil, etc.), if applicable.
• Comfortable clothing – check the weather
• Sneakers or other appropriate marching footwear (no slip-ons, sandals, or open-toed shoes)
  Walking shoes or cross-trainers are recommended.
• Athletic socks (wicking, Coolmax, Ultramax, etc.)
• WATER BOTTLE – the bigger the better. Think jug.
• Hat or visor
• Sunglasses
• Sunblock (sweatproof with high SPF)
• Insect repellent
• Light jacket
• Pencil
• Smartphone with UDB Pro App installed
• Portable phone charger
• Any of the following that you already own (ordered items should be here at registration):

• Black matte-finish MARCHING shoes (winds and percussion)
• Black long-wrist marching band gloves (winds)
• Lyre (winds and drumline - flute, trombone, sousaphone not necessaary)
• Anything that you did not turn in last year (phone clip, e.g.)
• Colorguard fleece, colorguard jacket, colorguard gloves, leotard, Style Plus Balance shoes (guard)
• Calf-length black socks (winds and percussion) or tights (guard)
• Official WMB ballcap (replacements are available on the order form)

• Jeans – may need these for something.
• Khakis – part of the campus performance and travel uniform. Khaki shorts are sometimes okay, too. No cargo pants or ripped/stained pants.
• Black athletic shorts or pants – may be preferred for game-day rehearsal uniform.
• Calf-length black leggings (guard) - not see-through
• Plain black dance/yoga pants (guard)
• Granola bars, trail mix, or high-protein snacks to have on hand for breaks.