Plain-English guides for parents new to Texas high school marching band and color guard.
No pep talks. No essays about the magic of the activity. Just what happens, what it costs, what the rules are, and how to help, with sources.
| # | Article | For |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | So Your Kid Joined the Band | brand new band and guard parents |
| 2 | Every App a Flower Mound Band Parent Actually Needs | FMHS families drowning in platforms |
| 3 | Common Questions, Blunt Answers | everyone, at 11 p.m., in the group chat |
| 4 | The WISK Digest, 2026-27 | FMHS families who want the week's actions and dates without the scroll |
| 5 | Calendars | subscribe links, phone sync steps, and every 2026 stadium address and ticket link |
| 6 | The Band Dictionary | every word the WISK assumes you already know |
| 7 | Contest Day Survival | your first marching contest Saturday, parking lot to midnight |
| 8 | The Money Guide | what band actually costs and how families actually pay |
| 9 | Winter Guard 101 | the second season nobody warns band parents about |
| 10 | The Friday Night Guide | football games, call time to the midnight pickup lane |
| 11 | All-Region 101 | the TMEA audition ladder, explained before the etudes start |
| 12 | The Volunteer Field Guide | every parent job decoded, pick one on purpose |
| 13 | The Freshman Year Timeline | the whole first year on one page |
| 14 | Winter Percussion 101 | the drumline's second season |
| 15 | The Grandma Page | print it for the grandparents, they have questions |
| 16 | The Health Page | heat, hearing, ankles, sleep, and the new UIL rules |
| 17 | The Instrument Buying Guide | rent, buy, upgrade, and the $89 Amazon trap |
| 18 | Records and Receipts | what this program has actually done, sourced |
| 19 | The Middle School Pipeline | how sixth graders become band kids and dancers become weapons |
| 20 | Contacts and Connections | every contact and link, the "who do I even email" page |
| 21 | Forms and Quick Links | the fridge page: every form and the top link shelf |
| 22 | Lettering in Band | yes it's a real varsity letter, here's how it works |
More coming as the season teaches us things.
Band programs are wonderful at teaching kids and terrible at explaining themselves to parents. The information exists, but it is scattered across handbooks, booster meetings, and veteran-parent folklore, some of which is out of date. This repo collects it in one place and cites sources.
Fees change, UIL rewrites rules, dates roll over every season. If something here is wrong or stale, open an issue or a pull request. House rules live in CONTRIBUTING.
Content is CC BY 4.0. Use it, adapt it for your own program, just credit the source.