Band Update 4/17/2026

Happy mid-April Band Families,

We are STILL on the home stretch!! How did we arrive in the middle of April already?! As always, there is still much going on with the band program! Please read below carefully to keep yourselves up to speed with things coming up! We appreciate all you do to help keep your children on top of their schedules! THANK YOU & ENJOY!

MARCHING BAND & BAND BOOSTER UPDATES

MARCHING RAMS INFORMATION NIGHT (+ 2026 show & band trip reveal) AND FINAL BAND BOOSTER MEETING - Thursday, April 30th

ALL current 8-11th grade students and parents should plan to join us for a night packed with TONS of IMPORTANT information! 

2026 Marching Rams Information Night: April 30 / 6:30pm / SEP HS Auditorium

• Who should attend? 

  • ALL current 8-11th grade students AND parents that will participate in the 2026 Marching Rams

  • It’s very important that an adult representative from each family is in attendance at this meeting.

• What topics are being discussed?

  • Information on the 2026 Marching Rams season: staff/leadership/calendar/updates/etc

  • Official reveal of the 2026 Marching Rams show concept

  • Required forms, supply links, rental fees, etc. 

• Will this event be livestreamed? 

  • YES! A private link can be accessed live (or after the fact): Livestream Link

  • Forms and online resources will be emailed out at the conclusion of the meeting

Band Booster Meeting: April 30 / 7:30pm / SEP HS Auditorium

• Who should attend?

  • Anyone & everyone! This meeting is open to all band students and family members, regardless of grade level.

  • This is the final meeting of the year and a great way to learn more about the organization, meet some new band parents, and find out what is planned for next year!

• What topics are being discussed?

  • Spring 2027 Band Trip Reveal

  • Director updates: find out what’s happening in the band program!

  • Committee updates: Uniform, Fundraising, Events, Social Media/Alumni Relations

  • Introduction of 2026-27 Band Booster Officers!

  • Old business & any new business required to finish out the year

• Is this meeting going to last as long as last year?!

  • Last year we launched four committees, with time for committee work which took awhile

  • Now that committees are established, this will follow a typical meeting timeline (30-60 minutes)

• Committees? I’m interested in learning more about this exciting, low-commitment way to get involved!

  • Fill out this form to express interest: Booster Committee Sign Up

  • A boosters representative will reach out to connect, get you more info and answer any questions you might have!

Speaking of “newly elected band booster board members”, be on the lookout next week for a message containing more information about the parents who have accepted nominations for our open booster positions and an opportunity to cast your vote! You do NOT need to be a booster or a regular booster meeting attendee to vote! 

CONCERT ENSEMBLE UPDATES

ADVENTURELAND FESTIVAL OF BANDS (4/24-4/25)

SEP hosts this event every year on the last Friday evening and Saturday morning of April. Many schools from around the state embark on SEP to perform for a nationally recognized panel of judges. Bands compete for a Best of Class Award and may also opt to perform for division ratings or comments only. It is one of the most educational experiences bands will participate in each year! 

Here is the schedule for the event. 

We need your help!

This festival requires a lot of parent and student volunteer help for it to be successful! All jobs are super easy! At this point, we have ONE parent signed up to help at the festival. Here is the Adventureland volunteer sign up! Please take a look and see if you can help us out! Be sure to keep scrolling down through the donations needed and take a look at the positions that need to be filled. Thank you very much for your time in advance!! 

Symphonic Band will perform at 4:00pm. Students must be in uniform and on stage for warm up at 3:30pm. There will not be dedicated space for students to change into their uniforms after school, therefore, we ask that students come to school on Friday in their concert blacks. 

Wind Ensemble will perform at 6:30pm and will be the final performance for the evening. Students must be in uniform and seated ready to warm up at 6:05pm in S122. Please plan to come to school and leave in uniform! 

Families and friends are welcome and encouraged to join us for our performances! Audiences are usually pretty sparse for this event - if you are available please come support us!

FAQ: Why is it called the “Adventureland Festival of Bands? This festival has been in existence for many years. There is a high school festival and a middle school festival, each taking place on different weekends. During the early years, all bands performed in the Palace Theatre at Adventureland and then the students enjoyed the rest of the day hanging out in the park. The middle school festival still takes place at Adventureland. Several years ago, it was decided that the festival should be relocated to a high school with higher quality performance facilities. Southeast Polk meets the needs for a wonderful performing space and our location allows bands quick access to the Adventureland Park, if desired. 

FINAL CONCERT BAND CONCERT (Tuesday, May 5th)

Our final  home concert performance of the year is on Tuesday, May 5th, beginning at 7:00pm in the HS Auditorium. We are looking forward to you all experiencing the musical growth of all of our students thus far this year! Both Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble will perform.

CONCERT REPORT TIME INFORMATION: 

Symphonic Band - Bottoms in chairs by 6:20pm ON STAGE. 

Wind Ensemble - Bottoms in chairs by 6:35pm in S122.

SENIOR PHOTOS FOR BAND BANQUET 

1.) SENIORS/SENIOR PARENTS - Please email all items listed below to sepband25@gmail.com with the subject line: "Name of student" Senior Photo

• Senior Photo

• Baby Photo

• Write the students name in the body of the email (to help ensure correct spelling)

2.) If there are any band photos from this year that you would like to be included in the slideshow, please send those as well. Email these to sepband25@gmail.com with the subject line: Photos from the Year. 

SUMMER MUSIC CAMP OPPORTUNITIES

Here’s a growing list of summer music camps if you’re interested. More opportunities will be added as they become available: LINK 

JAZZ BAND UPDATES

JAZZ ONE @ NOCE (4/21)

Jazz One is excited to perform at Noce Jazz & Cabaret (1326 Walnut St #100, Des Moines, IA 50309) on Tuesday, April 21. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from this event, and should arrive on later than 6:45pm. The Des Moines Big Band will perform from 7-8:30pm. SEP Jazz One will perform from 8:30-9:00pm. This event is ticketed for audience members, students get in for free. Information about the event and a discount code for tickets can be found here: 2026 Noce information

BIG BAND BASH (5/22)

Come out to hear some great music by Jazz One at the Big Band Bash! Dancing lessons are provided at 7:00pm and the show begins at 7:30pm. This event will take place in the SEP High School Commons. Let’s pack the house! Invite your friends and neighbors to a wonderful evening of music, food, community, and celebration - you won’t want to miss! 

GENERAL INFO/REMINDERS

BAND BANQUET (Tuesday, May 19th)

​Join us to celebrate all of the amazing accomplishments of our students! We will have a potluck in the commons starting at 6:00pm followed by an awards ceremony and the End-of-Year Slideshow in the auditorium. In order to have enough food for everyone, we ask students/parents to bring something to share. 

WHAT TO BRING:

Seniors: Desserts & Side dishes

Juniors: Main Dishes

Sophomores: Main & Side dishes

BAND WEBSITE:

https://sepbands.southeastpolk.org/home

SEP BAND APPAREL STORE

Check out the store for all of your SEP Band apparel needs! https://www.515creativedesigns.com/collections/sep-marching-rams

AMAZON WISH LIST

The wishlist has been updated! If you’d like to help the band program in tangible ways, please check out our wish list. It is constantly changing and evolving. 

Amazon Wishlist Link

HS BAND CALENDAR

Access the HS Band Google Calendar HERE

• To subscribe - click on “add to Google Calendar” at the bottom left of screen

• We recommend that you turn off notifications in the “Southeast Polk Bands” calendar settings

Fair warning: We will be uploading next year’s calendar/dates in the near future. To avoid receiving dozens of notification emails, be sure to turn off calendar notifications (see above)

Go Rams!

Mrs. Jacqui Meunier (jacquelyn.meunier@southeastpolk.org) 

Mr. Gabriel Schott (gabriel.schott@southeastpolk.org)