Community Corner
McLean High School Band Tag Day is Today!
Support MHS band students canvassing McLean neighborhoods and local businesses collecting donations for instruments, music, uniforms & more.
You’ll be able to spot over 200 members of McLean High School Band and Color Guard in uniform today appearing at local storefronts in McLean and at your front door as part of their annual fund-raising drive.
This one-day drive, Tag Day, keeps the music going at football games, competitions and many other events at the high school.
“The community is very generous to us and we’re grateful,” band director Chris Weise told McLean Patch. “Tag Day has been going on for many years. The donations pay for instruction, equipment, new music, uniforms, and anything we need to operate,” Weise said.
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“It also helps to defray trips the band takes every year for competitions. This year, the Marching Band will be going to Virginia Beach. Later in the year, the stage bands and Winter Guard will make their own out-of-town trips representing McLean High School and its community with award-winning performances.
"This is the primary fundraiser for the McLean HS program," said Mark Komnik, Tag Day Chairman and a parent. "Because Fairfax County provides little to no funding for the music program, instruments and instruction, our effort is critical to help maintain the success of the band program.”
Find out what's happening in McLeanfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
He added, "Last year, the Symphonic Band (top level) was the Grand Champions of the Smoky Mountain Music Festival in Gatlinburg, TN as well as the recipient of the Sudler Flag of Honor -a national award recognizing the very best programs in the country.
“This is a great group of parents and students to work with and a wonderful community," said Weise who has been MHS band director for ten years.
Under Weise’s baton, the band plays a mixture of music – both more traditional music the kids “should” play, and more contemporary pieces written by composers still writing. “It’s a big commitment to be in the band,” he said, “and it’s a key part of every musician's social network. We’re fortunate here because the kids are innately smart and talented. They are hard workers because they are brought up to be hard-working,” he added. “Anyone attending a performance will recognize that commitment immediately.”
