Welcome to Cadence Club 2024-2025
Greetings!
Please accept our warm welcome along with some items we hope you will find useful as you begin the high school marching band parent experience. We hope your student will find their fellow band members becoming like family and will build strong bonds that will endure over the next four years. Cadence Club is here to support their journey and to help make Hayes Band a memorable and rewarding high school experience for all students.
We look forward to enthusiastic parent involvement in another exciting marching season! Parent volunteer efforts are instrumental in helping to keep band fees low. We request that each parent volunteer at least once per school year. We also hope that you’ll join us at monthly Cadence Club meetings, held on the first Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Hayes band room.
Important Links & Emails
- https://www.pacerbands.org – Weekly updates, Cadence Club resources, calendar, etc.
- fowleswi@delawarecityschools.net – Email Mr. Fowles, Band Director
- notestal@delawarecityschools.net – Email Mr. Notestine, Assistant Band Director
- pacerbands@gmail.com – Email Cadence Club
- https://www.facebook.com/pacerbands – Like us on Facebook for pictures and announcements
Volunteering
Parent volunteers play a critical role in helping to provide emotional and financial support to the members of the band. Your involvement helps keep fees low, builds camaraderie, gives you a chance to give back, helps you get to know members of your student’s band family and lets your student know that you care. Let us know your talents and availability and we will gladly accept your help so that you can be an integral part of this successful, dynamic and exciting music program and have fun doing it! The band is not funded by the school district, so fundraising is crucial. We do request that each parent volunteer at least once per school year.
Here Is How You Can Help
Food/Banquet
Help shop, prepare, donate and/or arrange meals. These members also help set up, serve and clean up food areas, prepare water coolers, snacks, carts and utensils for meals and events. This committee is primarily active during the marching band season. This season, we will be feeding the band during band camp, before away games and before competitions for a total of more than 10 meals!
Spirit
Lead group cheers at contests, decorate student lockers, post signs of support, organize the band banquet, sell spirit wear, assist with the band dance, order flowers for senior night, organize the Halloween party and any other activity to pump up the kids. This committee is primarily active during marching band season.
Field Crew/Transportation
Load, unload, assemble, disassemble band equipment, instruments and carry/place props for football games and competitions. The field crew (aka pit crew) is primarily active during the marching band season. This committee gets into all football games and most competitions for FREE.
Chaperones
Accompany and supervise students on buses to and from events and walk parade routes providing water to the students.
Uniforms
Measure, fit and distribute uniforms and accessories. Also collect, maintain, repair and arrange for cleaning and storage. This committee is active mostly during the marching band season, but also helps with concert season tuxedos/dresses.
Melodies & Marinara
Help organize every aspect of the event including soliciting donations for silent auction and meal, prepare auction baskets, promote the event, and decorate on day of event. This committee is active September through January.
Awards & Scholarships
Assist directors with student awards and coordinate varsity letterman letters, numbers and pins. Will also assist with scholarship program by contacting the alumni, music teachers, etc. in the voting process. This committee is active at the end of marching band season and again in April/May.
2023-2024 Cadence Club Officers
| President | Monica Logsdon |
| 1st VP Field Crew | Devon Kaster |
| 2nd VP Fundraising | Sarah Williams |
| Treasurer | Phil Smith |
| Secretary | Sophia Gilsdorf |
| Dempsey Representative | Elisabeth Shirring |
Committee Chairs
| Uniform Committee | Michelle Class |
| Spirit Committee | Jessica Stewart |
| Food Committee | Kelly Bischoff |
FAQ About Cadence Club
How do Cadence Club parents help the band? Parents prepare and serve meals to band members, chaperone events, load, unload, assemble, transport, maintain and repair equipment, distribute and mend uniforms, decorate student lockers, prepare newsletters, coordinate communications, manage finances, and volunteer at the various fundraising events. Each service area has opportunities for involvement.
Am I required to help? No, however there is much to be done in order to remain successful. Therefore, we request each parent to volunteer at least once per school year.
Why do you need me? Each year we lose dedicated parents of graduating seniors and need new members to step up. Parent volunteers play a critical role providing support in all service areas, including fundraising.
Why does the band need financial support? A quality marching band program is very expensive. The current participation fee, food fee and student/parent led fundraising covers the cost of show design (music, drill, props, color guard choreography, color guard uniforms/flags, etc.) and area-specific instruction staff. Fundraising by Cadence Club assists in keeping the band fees for your student at a minimum. Families are encouraged to participate in all fundraising activities to keep band fees low.
How does Cadence Club raise money? The Cadence Club holds fundraising events all year long, which includes restaurant nights, car washes, Melodies and Marinara, tag day, food truck festival, pub crawl, etc. We are always looking for fresh ideas and welcome any suggestions you may have.
Does the Cadence Club have a budget? Yes. The fiscal year for the Cadence Club is July – June. The Cadence Club approves the next year’s budget at the March or April Cadence Club meeting. The budget for 2022/2023 included anticipated expenses by the director of $16,300 and by Cadence Club of $18,680 totaling $34,980. As you can see, we have a lot of fundraising to do!
What’s in it for me? Keep band fees low, give back to the community, teach kids the value of volunteering, meet peer students and families, pride in knowing you’ve supported activities and programs the band needs to remain successful, etc.
How do I learn more about Cadence Club activities? Email pacerbands@gmail.com, attend a Cadence Club meeting or talk to another involved band parent.
How do I become a member of Cadence Club? Any parent with a child enrolled in any Dempsey or Hayes Band is a full voting member of Cadence Club. Meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Hayes band room. All are welcome!
What can I expect on Football game Fridays? Students will be asked to report to the high school at a specific time, based on whether it is a home or away game and on how long it will take to travel to an away game. They will get into their uniforms and either load up onto the bus or march out to the football field. For home games, the band performs a pregame set including the national anthem, alma mater, and fight song. At both home and away games, the band is seated together and plays stand tunes as the game proceeds. Both the home and away bands perform at half time, and then mingle during the third quarter before returning to perform stand tunes for the fourth quarter. When the game is over, pit volunteers help load instruments into the truck and trailer or back into the band room.
What can I expect on competition days? This fall, we are competing in OMEA competitions. We will be assigned a performance time in the week or so leading up to the competition, which will set the schedule for the rest of the day. Band students may be asked to report early for practice, and may have to provide a snack to be eaten before they leave. They will take a bus to the competition location, warm up and practice on location, then perform for the judges. The scores are announced in batches, so the band will wait to hear their score while the pit volunteers begin to pack up the truck and trailer. Parents are encouraged to attend competitions! There is nothing as exhilarating as hearing a crowd cheer for you when you are announced. Depending on how far away the competition is, and the assigned performance time, the band may return very late from competition.