March 2026 Newsletter

Hayfield Bands Pre-Assessment Concert on February 26, 2026.

Upcoming Dates

Winter guard and South County Indoor Perc @ South County HS

• Saturday, March 7; Guard 10:36am, Perc 9:57pm

Assessment Rehearsals

• Monday, March 9; Concert Band, 3:00-4:30pm

• Tuesday, March 10; Symphonic Band, 3:00-4:30pm

Assessment Performances

• Concert Band - Wednesday, March 11; 2:05pm

• Symphonic Band - Thursday, March 12; 1:30pm

• Wind Ensemble - Thursday, March 12; 5:10pm

All Assessment Performances are at West Potomac High School; free and open to the public, we’d love to see you there!

Percussion Ensemble Concert

• Wednesday, March 25; 6:30pm in MS Lecture Hall

Spring Break

• March 30-April 3

NYC Spring Trip

• Thursday, April 9 - Friday, April 10

Solo and Ensemble Festival

• Saturday, April 25

2026-2027 Course Scheduling

As we continue into March, rising 10-12 grade students are making the course selection process for next year. Visit this slide show for details about the following course selections, which are available for all band students.

Percussion Ensemble 925015

• This is a percussion-only course open to all students. Students in this course will serve as the percussion sections for the Concert or Symphonic bands, as well as participate in Percussion Ensembles of their own.

Band 923315

• This is the Concert Band course. There is no audition for this group. Open to all woodwind and brass students with at least one year of experience on their instruments.

Advanced Band 923415

• This is the Symphonic Band course. It is an auditioned group (see below) and open to all woodwind and brass students.

Advanced Band 923416

• This is the Wind Ensemble course. It is an auditioned group (see below), and is the most advanced band class offered to students. This course is open to all woodwind, brass, and percussion students.

All students enrolled in an Advanced Band course that also participate in Marching Band will receive a 0.5 honors-weighted credit.

Students with an FCPS login can visit this page for more information about auditions.

Marching Hawks 2026

The Marching Hawks 2026 season is fast approaching! Here are some key dates to help you prepare:

• May 13-14 - Marching Hawks Spring Training

• June 1 - MH Commitment Forms Due

• August 3-7; 10-14 - Marching Hawks Band Camp

For more details on the experience of being part of the Marching Hawks, visit this slide show.

Band Boosters Vacancies

Are you interested in joining the Hayfield Band Booster Board? The Hayfield Band Boosters will have multiple vacancies next year in positions that are vital to the operation of our band program. If you are interested in joining the board, please visit these descriptions of all positions and reach out to Mr. Specketer or email the boosters at hayfieldbandboosters@gmail.com.

Week of February 23

Important Dates This Week

This week, the Hayfield bands have two rehearsals and a pre-assessment concert.

Tuesday, February 24 Concert Band Rehearsal; 3:00-4:30pm

Wednesday, February 25 Symphonic Band Rehearsal; 3:00-4:30pm

Thursday, February 26 Pre-Assessment Concert; high school bands begin at 7:00pm

All-Virginia Auditions

Additionally, qualifying students will travel to JMU on Saturday, February 28 to audition for the All-Virginia ensembles. Qualifying students have been given their registration forms that they MUST bring with them for the audition. Please ensure that students have these forms – no digital forms will be accepted.

Good luck in the auditions, Hawks!

Week of February 9 Rehearsals

Reminder about rehearsals this week:

• Concert Band (Period 6 and Period 7 Band classes) - Tuesday, Feb 10; 3:00-4:30pm

• Symphonic Band (Period 2 Band Class) - Wednesday, Feb 11; 3:00-4:30pm

• Wind Ensemble (Period 5 Band Class) - Wednesday, Feb 11; 6:00-8:00pm

All rehearsals are required and graded.

February 2026 Newsletter

2026-2027 Course Scheduling

As we enter February, rising 10th-12th grade students are beginning their course selection process for next year. Visit this slide show for details about the following course selections, which are available for all band students:

Percussion Ensemble 925015

• This is a percussion-only course open to all students. Students in this course will serve as the percussion sections for the Concert or Symphonic bands, as well as participate in Percussion Ensembles of their own.

Band 923315

• This is the Concert Band course. There is no audition for this group. Open to all woodwind and brass students with at least one year of experience on their instruments.

Advanced Band 923415

• This is the Symphonic Band course. It is an auditioned group (see below) and open to all woodwind and brass students.

Advanced Band 923416

• This is the Wind Ensemble course. It is an auditioned group (see below), and is the most advanced band class offered to students. This course is open to all woodwind, brass, and percussion students.

All students enrolled in an Advanced Band course that also participate in Marching Band will receive a 0.5 honors-weighted credit.

Ensemble Auditions

Ensemble auditions take place in April. Students will receive audition materials at the end of February. The auditions are required for all students who wish to take either Advanced Band course.

Volunteer Opportunities

Please consider supporting our students at the All-District Band Event on February 5-7. 2026. We are seeking volunteers and donations! Donations of chips, snacks, and candy will be accepted now through the event. For volunteer opportunities, visit https://www.hayfieldbands.org/boosters/.

Concert Band Assessments

Concert Band Assessments are quickly approaching! The Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble will all participate in assessments on Wednesday, March 11 or Thursday, March 12 at West Potomac High School. We will know specifics in the coming weeks, but please do everything you can to keep these dates open so we can avoid any potential conflicts.

Upcoming Dates

Thursday, February 5 - Saturday, February 7 All-DIstrict Band Event @ Hayfield Secondary

Tuesday, February 10 Concert Band Rehearsal; 3:00-4:30pm

Wednesday, February 11 Symphonic Band Rehearsal; 3:00-4:30pm; Wind Ensemble Rehearsal; 6:00-8:00pm

Tuesday, February 24 Concert Band Rehearsal; 3:00-4:30pm

Wednesday, February 25 Symphonic Band Rehearsal; 3:00-4:30pm

Thursday, February 26 Pre-Assessment Concert; HS bands begin at 7:00pm

Saturday, February 28 All-VIrginia Band Auditions at JMU

Monday, March 9 Concert Band Rehearsal; 3:00-4:30pm

Tuesday, March 10 Symphonic Band Rehearsal; 3:00-4:30pm

Wednesday, March 11 - Thursday, March 12 VBODA Concert Band Assessments @ WPHS

Help with District Band

You could be as happy as these volunteers when you help with District Band!

We are in need of volunteers and donations to support the All-District Band event on February 5-7, 2026. Hayfield Secondary School and the Hayfield Band Boosters host this event each year, and it serves as a sizable fundraiser for our program.

We are seeking volunteers to help sell concessions, maintain our hospitality room setup, and serve lunch. We are also seeking donations of concessions items, such as candy bars, granola bars, chips, etc. 

You can find all volunteer/donation opportunities on the Sign Up Genius HERE. Thank you all for your support!