Foothill Music

The Falcon Beat – Volume1, Issue 22, Feb 22, 2026

**2025-26 Foothill High School Music Program’s Newsletter **

👏 Announcements

Looking Good!

**Winter Percussion Videos from last weekend in Dublin: **

2026-02-14 Winter Perc at Dublin High School NCPA

All That Jazz!

Campana Performances by Combos 1 & 2, Jazz B, & Honors Jazz A on Sat. Feb. 14 at Amador High School

Thank you to Mr. Nishimori and to all of our Foothill Jazz Groups for a job well done!!

Congratulations to all who competed!

**Each performance group had individual medalists as well! **

Campana Jazz Competition Results:

Honors Jazz – 3rd place in division; trombone section won “Best Section” at competition!

Jazz B – 2nd place in division; trombone section won 3rd “Best Section” in division

Combo 1 – 2nd place in division

Combo 2 – 6th place in division

**Sweet Treats! **

See’s Candy Winter Fundraiser has arrived! Click HERE to Order!

  • Candy purchased will cost the same as in store, no mark up!
  • Our organization earns between 20-50 percent per item
  • Items will be shipped directly to purchaser’s home; anywhere in the US
  • A flyer to share can be found on our web site foothillmusic.org
  • Sales run from NOW – 3/20

Veggies!

Veggie Bazaar Fundraiser

**On Saturday, March 7th, we are holding our first Veggie Bazaar.  We are partnering with local grocers and suppliers to sell a selection of veggies, food ingredients and merchandise to raise money for the band, strings, and color guard program.  We will be promoting this retail “pop-up” event to the Pleasanton community at large, and hope to draw a very large crowd! **

  • Fundraiser Sat., March 7 from 10am – 4pm in FHS breezeway
  • Featuring vegetarian hot foods: samosas, curry pizza, pastries, and MORE!
  • Produce:  rice, beans, veggies and MORE!
  • Band merchandise, clothing and accessories for sale

Action Items!

  • Adult volunteers: Sign Up HERE to help set up, booth help, cashiers, and baggers
  • Student volunteers: needed to stand on surrounding street corners in uniform and wave signs to draw customers to the sale! Sign Up **HERE. **
  • Time students spend helping can be logged for community service hours required for graduation. Just bring the form to be signed.
  • Contact Steve Haney Fundraising@foothillmusic.org with any questions, contacts, or ideas!

Thank you for everything you do to make the Foothill Instrumental Music Program amazing! 🙂

📔 All Parents – General Board Meetings

The next Parent General Board Meeting will be our Mar/Apr meeting on April 14, for board nominations and budget discussions and after that our last Parent General Board Meeting of the 25-26 school year is on MAY 12, for new board members to be voted in and our final budget vote!

Parents, every one of us is a booster member! Many hands make light work!

We need to elect new board members both extended and executive, as well as raise up a Band Review Chair and various Band Review leads. The majority of our Board Members are going to age out so, we need to have shadows this next year, URGENTLY! The sooner you volunteer, the easier the job becomes under the tutelage of a mentor!

Executive Board Positions needed (or to shadow) for 2026-27:

  • Student Treasurer – NEW volunteer to co lead with current volunteer
  • Communications Lead – NEEDED NOW/OPEN
  • Secretary – NEW
  • VP of Fundraising – NEW
  • Vice President -NEW volunteer to co lead with current volunteer
  • President – NEW volunteer to co lead with current volunteer
  • BAND REVIEW CHAIR or Co-Chairs Recommended – NEW

**🥁 Winter Percussion **

**Continue to watch for messages from Laura Bakar and Ryan Myers to stay current about all Winter Percussion news via the Band App. All families, please pay yourWinter Percussion donation HERE. These requested funds are needed to pay the bills. **

Please be sure to donate to the various programs your student is in, and even more if you are able! Corporate matching is so helpful! Our Parent Boosters- you- make things happen! Make “Student Share” donations HERE

Thanks very much for your time, talents, financial support, and friendship!

Go get ‘em Foothill!

🗓️ Important Dates

NOW – 3/20 See’s Candy Winter YUM-raiser: Order HERE!


2/23-26 Honors Symphony Orchestra Auditions – email sent via Student Vue 1/15 Nishimori


2/25 (Wed) Joint Concert – Honors Wind Ensemble with Hart in FHS MPR @7:00pm


2/27 (Fri) Chabot College Concerts – FHS 7:15am travel via bus, all return 6:30pm

  • Concert Band performs 9:45am
  • Symphonic Band performs 1:30pm
  • Wind Ensemble performs 4:15 pm
  • Bring money for lunch; FHS Minimum Day
  • Concert Dress Required WITH BLACK shoes, soles and socks as needed


3/3-9 Honors Jazz Auditions – email sent via Student Vue on January 15th from Mr. Nishimori


3/7 (Sat) Veggie Bazaar Fundraiser 10am – 4pm at FHS

  • Student & Adult Volunteers Needed! Sign-Up HERE


3/11 (Wed) Sonoma State Field Trip

  • Depart FHS 11:30am via bus, return 8:45pm
  • Honors Symphony Orchestra perform 3:00pm
  • Honors Wind Ensemble perform 6:00pm


3/14 (Tue) All Parent Meeting/General Board for Mar/Apr  in FHS Library 7:00-8:00pm

  • Google Meet link HERE
  • Board Member nominations and Booster Budget discussions


3/23-27 Honors Wind Ensemble Auditions – email sent via GC 1/20 from Fagundes

**
4/1 – 5/15 Silent Auction Fundraiser **

  • Goes online April 1st, closes in person May 15 at Jazz Night

4/1 (Wed) – “End of Year Banquet” Ticket Purchase Deadline

**4/1 (Wed) – Seniors! Personal Yearbook Page Submissions 8.5×11 PDF Due (see details below) **

4/1 (Wed) – 2025-26 Music Program Yearbook Order HERE $35 Due

4/14 (Tue) – Senior Scholarship Application Due by 5 pmApplication HERE (see details below)


4/16-19 (Thu-Sun) San Diego Trip!


4/24 (Fri) End of the Year Student Banquet & Senior “Toast”

  • Catered buffet dinner for all program students: strings, band & guard
  • In FHS small gym; set up starting 3:30; doors open 6:00; dinner served 6:30; program to follow
  • Students/groups prepare a short video to honor a graduating senior of their choice (must be reviewed by teachers ahead of time!)
  • Senior Parents invited to attend
  • Volunteer slots & Drink/Dessert Donations Sign-Up HERE
  • Senior Student $1000 Scholarship Winner announced


4/29 (Wed) Spring Concert

  • Concert Band, Symphonic Band, String Orchestra
  • Concert Dress Required WITH BLACK shoes, soles and socks as needed


4/30 (Thu) Spring Concert

  • Honors Wind Ensemble, Honors Symphony Orchestra
  • Concert Dress Required WITH BLACK shoes, soles and socks as needed


5/1-2 (Fri-Sat) CMEA Competition at Amador HS

  • Concert Band, Symphonic Band, String Orchestra
  • Honors Wind Ensemble, Honors Symphony Orchestra
  • Concert Dress Required WITH BLACK shoes, soles and socks as needed


5/12 (Tue) All Parent Meeting/General Board for May in FHS Library 7:00-8:00pm

  • Google Meet linkHERE
  • New Board Members voted in & 26-27 Booster Budget vote


5/15 (Fri) Silent Auction & Spring Jazz Night

Save the date for an evening of friends, music, drinks, appetizers and fun for ALL!

  • Held at the Veteran’s Hall
  • The final night of our Silent Auction! Come ready to bid on amazing items.
  • Honors Jazz & Jazz B perform; other small jazz, brass or string quartets/ensembles welcome to perform by advanced request to Mr. Nishimori

🎓 Senior Only Items

Senior Band, Strings, & Guard Scholarship Applications –  Due by April 14

Each year the Boosters Award one $1000 scholarship to a Senior Musician or Colorguard applicant.Application HERE

Applications are due by 5pm, Tue., April 14 to president@foothillmusic.org.

Use subject line: Senior Scholarship

**Our 2026 Scholarship Award Winner will be announced at the End of Year Banquet on Friday, April 24. **

Create Your Graduating Senior A Page For Our Yearbook –  Due by April 1

Senior families, please put together a one page photo collage PDF featuring your student and any congratulatory message you would like to write for your child. Here are some example pages from a prior year in a PDF.2023 senior page examples HERE

You can use any desktop publishing tool as long as it can output a PDF file. The PDF needs to be standard letter size (8.5” x 11”) with at least 300 dpi resolution. Some free software packages you may choose to use include Canva (https://www.canva.com/ ), Figma (https://www.figma.com/ ) and Adobe Express (https://www.adobe.com/express/ ). The Google suite creates a fine PDF page as well.

Please email the PDF file to president@foothillmusic.org no later than April 1. Use the subject line: Senior YB Page- Student’s First Name & Last Name; EXAMPLE: Senior YB Page- Sofia Liu

🥁 Winter Percussion

Winter Percussion Performances are NOW in season!

Rehearsals: Tue & Thu 5:30-9:00pm

Competition Dates are:

  • March 7th @ American Canyon High School in American Canyon
  • March 14th and 15th @ James Logan High School in Union City (WGI Regional 2 day event)
  • March 28th @ James Logan High School in Union City
  • March 31st – Friends and Family Performance @ Dublin HS
  • April 11th @ Adventist Health Arena in Stockton

💵 Fundraising Fanfare!

NOW-3/20 See’s Candy Spring YUM-raiser Flyer HERE!

  • Candy purchased from our event has no additional mark up!
  • **Our organization earns between 20-50 percent per item **
  • *pro tip: Cheery Chick box & the four different 3 oz. big chocolate eggs give biggest % return to us
  • Items will be shipped directly to purchaser’s home; anywhere in the US

Veggie Bazaar Fundraiser!

**On Saturday, March 7th, we are holding our first Veggie Bazaar.  We are partnering with local grocers and suppliers to sell a selection of veggies, food ingredients and merchandise to raise money for the band, strings, and color guard program.  We will be promoting this retail “pop-up” event to the Pleasanton community at large, and hope to draw a very large crowd! **

  • Fundraiser Sat., March 7 from 10am – 4pm in FHS breezeway
  • Featuring vegetarian hot foods: samosas, curry pizza, pastries, and MORE!
  • **Produce:  rice, beans, veggies and MORE! **
  • Band merchandise, clothing and accessories for sale

Action Items!

  • Adult volunteers: Sign Up HERE to help set up, booth help, cashiers, and baggers
  • Student volunteers: needed to stand on surrounding street corners in uniform and wave signs to draw customers to the sale! Sign Up **HERE. **
  • Time students spend helping can be logged for community service hours required for graduation. Just bring the form to be signed.

Our program depends on your support for events like those listed above AND your Student Share Donations, we are at 65 percent donated thus far. We are making progress and it shows!

Please reach out to Steve Haney, our VP of Fundraising at Fundraising@foothillmusic.org with any questions, contacts, or ideas!

📊 Student Donation Information

Our program DEPENDS on donation money to function. The Student Share donation is how your family supports your student’s music goals and ensures they get the best music program possible. Please strive to meet or exceed the requested amounts, but any amount helps.

There are four easy ways to make your Student Share donation:

1) Write a**** check. Then give it to your student to drop in the locked band box in the band room.

2) Pay with**** PayPal**** (https://paypal.com/). Use your PayPal account (or set one up if you don’t have one) to pay your Student Share in the app. Here is how it works: open the PayPal app, click the menu in the upper left corner, scroll down to Donate and tap, search for Foothill Band Boosters and select it, click the Donate button and select the Other category, input your student’s Student Share amount (see table below*), follow the payment instructions and you’re done!

3) Pay via**** CutTime (https://app.gocuttime.com/). CutTime is the Foothill Band Boosters management platform. Just login with your CutTime account, click below your students name, then click on the Payments link at the bottom of the list. Click on the green button that says “Make a Payment”, click the amount to pay, then fill in your debit or credit card information and submit the payment.

4) Pay via**** FutureFund (​​https://foothill.futurefund.com/). FutureFund is the PUSD sponsored platform that you signed up for when you registered your student for the school year.  Just login to the site, click the Store button at the top of the webpage, click on the Band Boosters oval button below the page title, then select the Donation square designated for your students ensemble.  Select your donation amount, fill in your students name, click Add To Cart, then proceed with the checkout process.

When using PayPal, here are the Student Share donation amounts for each ensemble to insert in the “Other” field:

  • Fall Marching Band & Color Guard Students: $900
  • Wind Ensemble Students: $225
  • Concert & Symphonic Band Students: $150
  • Orchestra Students: $100
  • Jazz Ensemble A and B Students: $200
  • Winter Percussion Students: $900

Please reach out to Monica Fey, our Treasurer of Student Accounts, at treasurer.student@foothillmusic.org with any questions, contacts, or ideas!

📸 Photography & Media (aka the Band Click!)

**I’d like to extend a big Thank You to our small but dedicated media team. **

The following parents help video and photograph every event, and share the results with you:

  • Anant Raman
  • Anna Berns
  • Laura Bakar
  • Maricris Swanepoel
  • Milton Yee
  • Paula Jenkins

Would you like to join our media team and to have your name highlighted as well?  Please contact: photography@foothillmusic.org **or join ourgroup chat via the Band app! No prior experience is needed, just a love for watching your teen perform with friends. **

Again, you don’t need a fancy camera to take great photos or videos. The best ones are taken close up with a mobile phone!

You’ll find new videos here:

2026-02-14 All Campana Jazz Concert @Amador:

Flickr Albums:

Winter Perc at Fremont High School (Sunnyvale) 2026-02-070

Winter Perc at TriCity percussion preview show 2026-02-01 (more pix to be added soon!): https://www.flickr.com/gp/68564339@N07/mH6K777DNa

Photographs of all Band events can be found onFlickr

Videos will be uploaded to ourYouTube Playlist for each performance. (Please note that most videos will be marked private, and are unsearchable on the platform until the band season is over.)

🙌 Parent & Guardian Volunteers Needed

📣 We are looking for a volunteer to step into the role of Merchandising Lead—a position that’s not only incredibly fun but also a fantastic way to get involved with the band program and support our amazing students. If you’re interested or want more information, please reach out to Richa Malik (merchandise@foothillmusic.org) or call/text: 484-686-6369!

📣Other Band Booster Immediate Volunteer Needs:

Executive Board Positions needed (or to shadow) for the 2026-2027 school year:

  • Student Treasurer – SHADOW
  • Communications Lead – NEEDED NOW/OPEN
  • Secretary – NEW
  • Fundraising – NEW
  • Vice President – SHADOW
  • President – SHADOW
  • BAND REVIEW CHAIR or Co-Chairs Recommended

Other important extended board positions that are open for Fall are:

  • Lead chaperone
  • **Travel coordinator **
  • Strings program liaison

📣 Stay Informed

Read these weekly newsletters, install the Band app, and visit ourFoothill Music Program website !

Please install the Band app (iPhone or Android). This is the best way to get fast and live communications from the Foothill Band Boosters community!

📣 Checkout theKick Off Meeting Slide Show This is updated regularly and has many important links and specifics for band students and families.

👔 All Bands & Orchestra Concert Attire

Students in String Orchestra, Honors Symphony Orchestra, Concert, Symphonic & Honors Wind Ensemble**** will need concert attire for performances this year.

Tuxedo: Black Tuxedo, Black Bowtie and cummerbund (or vest), White shirt (wing collar is a good choice), Long black socks, Black dress shoes (pants will need to be hemmed)Tuxedo Link OR ANY tuxedo works fine – MUST BE ALL BLACK with a WHITE SHIRT

Concert Dress: Long black dress, Black dress shoes (dress will need to be hemmed)Dress Link

  • Students may choose EITHER option
  • Plan ahead for ordering, delivery, and alterations!

**Concert Attire is required for all performances. **

Jazz Attire is per the director’s request (varies from the above concert attire):

Dark Colors; Long ties only; Coats for everyone wearing a collared shirt and tie; Dark Color Shoes/Black (NO WHITE SOLES); tall Black socks; Shirt should be either white, or dark.

***That’s it for The Falcon Beat this week. ***

Thank you for your time, energy, and support in making the Foothill Music Program thrive.

Go Falcons!**** 🦅

To change or add contact information to our distribution list please email:

president@foothillmusic.org